Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Happy Stoners' Day

How fitting that I received this forward from a friend yesterday. I had planned to share this anyways, but the fact that today is 4/20 makes it that much better. [Warning: Prepare to feel like you're getting called to the principal's office.]



Dear 2nd floor Resident:


Last night at 6:00pm, one of your neighbors smelled marijuana smoke in the hallway and in their apartment home. They filed a complaint with us in the Community Office and a member of the leasing office also smelled the marijuana smoke. The smoke has interfered with your neighbor’s right and ability to enjoy their apartment home. In addition, smoking marijuana violates your Apartment Lease, because you are engaging in illegal activity and emitting a noxious odor into the building.



Therefore, the purpose of this notice is to insist that whoever the offender is on this floor must immediately stop smoking marijuana.



We also want to provide some helpful information and tips to the offender, because unfortunately, we have encountered this situation before, and previous offenders have not understood what “stop smoking marijuana” means. Here are some common misconceptions with clarifications:



1. “Stop smoking marijuana” does not mean that you should continue to smoke but open up a window to be considerate of your neighbors. Because of negative pressure in the building, opening your window actually sucks air into the building and pushes the smoke under your door and further into the hall and into your neighbors’ apartments. It does not work, so please do not try it.


2. “Stop smoking marijuana” does not mean that you should start burning incense while your smoke to cover up the smell of the marijuana. Contrary to the belief of many smokers, incense does not cover up the smell of the marijuana nor do your neighbors enjoy the smell of incense in their hall or infiltrating their apartment any more than marijuana smoke.


3. “Stop smoking marijuana” does not mean that you should push a towel under your door to stop air transfer into the hall. Unfortunately, your apartment is not air tight except for the front door. Air transfers throughout the building through building ventilation, electrical outlets and cable outlets, which are typically back to back through the walls between adjoining apartments.


4. “Stop smoking marijuana” does not mean that you should stand in your tub and smoke into the vent in your bathroom. Not only do you transfer the smoke into apartments above you, ash also enters the vent and can fly out of the vents of your neighbors’ bathroom vents.



Simply put, “stop smoking marijuana” means exactly that you should stop smoking marijuana altogether in your apartment home.



Thank you for your attention to this matter. We apologize for the blunt nature of this notice. For the offender, we hope that you will heed the instructions in this notice as a sign of deference to your neighbors and your Apartment Lease. For those of you who are not responsible or effected by the smoke, we apologize for having to send this notice to you.



Please let us know if you have any questions, comments or concerns regarding the information in this notice.



Sincerely,

Building Management


My friend swears she has an air-tight alibi.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Procraftination: Sewing

2010 was the year of the craft for me. It was also another year in which I did not finish my dissertation. What have I've been up to? Procraftinating.

Procraftination (n). The act of crafting as a form of procrastination.

Embroidery was my first foray into crafting, but over the summer I took sewing classes with my friend Brooke. My first solo project was Jane's apron. Then I made an apron with some fabric I'd found and loved but didn't know what to do with:


This apron had so many things I love: pleats, a pocket, and polka dots. There's also a towel loop that you can see in the closeup; it's all in the details.

Based on the recommendation of one of the women at City Quilter (conveniently located 2 blocks from my office), I purchased One-Yard Wonders. This might be one of my favorite uses of a yard of fabric, ever - a pinafore dress for my friend's daughter, Marissa.



It was a little big on her, but she modeled it fabulously. This dress has an open back and ties together with a ribbon at the waist. I brought it into work to show friends. When I said I needed to go buy leggings and a shirt to go underneath, the office drag queen asked in all seriousness, "Can't she just shave her legs and wear heels?"