Today I am 40

It is finally my birthday. It has been sort of weird to turn 40. I am not really sad, because I always figure it is just a number and getting older is better than the alternative. However, I have been contemplative. I have been thinking about what I have accomplished in 40 years. It does not seem like much. I mean there are good things, like I have been married for almost 19 years, which is an accomplishment, but not really world shattering. Anyone can stay married if they choose wisely and work at it. I have all of the material things I could need, well, except an i-touch, but that is more of a want than a need. However, material goods have never really meant all that much to me. I want a place to live and food to eat. Okay, I also like books, TV and music, but those are pretty inexpensive if you do it right. I think my biggest want is yarn and knitting supplies, but I also have enough of those right now. I think I am rambling. Anyway, I have not really DONE anything. I do not know what I should have done either. My life seems so very ordinary, not that it is a bad thing. Some people have very extraordinary lives that suck. I have a fairly ordinary life that is okay. I guess some days I just wonder if this is all there is to life.
It is snowing out right now. It was supposed to start snowing at 9 am. But it did not get going until about noon. We were supposed to get 6-8”. We are all supposed to go out tonight for my birthday. If the weather is too bad, we will just stay home. My hubby has already bought me some cupcakes for my birthday, so I will be okay with staying home and hanging out.

I know I promised knitting pictures, but I can not find my camera. Instead, I give you wild turkeys w/ babies. I took this photo this summer in VT. Aren’t they cute?


And here is a picture of a boat in Bonaire; wouldn’t you like to be sitting there right now?

We're Not Going To Guam, Are We?

I know it has been a long time since I last blogged. Sorry about that, life has sort of gotten in the way. Not this week Tuesday, but the Tuesday before there was a layoff at work. It was brutal and nonsensical. There were only 2 people in my little area and one of them was laid off. Now I get to do two people’s jobs. The only statement my boss has made is to pretend they are on vacation. This week I had green belt (DMAIC / Lean) training and my boss had to cover for me. I do not think he was happy about, but you know what, neither am I. The gal who was laid off was one of the lower paid people in the group and she had tons of work to do. So this week I was in training from 8 – 4:45 every day and I came in early and stayed late to attempt to at least keep up with all the e-mails. The one day I spent 12 hours at work. It was a nightmare and I was so tired at the end of the day I could hardly function. I believe there will be some restructing, but I am not sure when that will take place. And considering how poorly the lay off went, I have little hope of it going well.

KNITTING
I have been working on the Daily Sweater from Mason Dixon’s Knitting Outside the Lines. When I started this sweater, I found the little boxes confusing but now I have it down and it is going along well. I had hoped to be done with the box section, but I did not get as much knitting done this week as I would have liked. I did have to order longer cables for my Knit Picks options because my longer ones are in other projects. Have I ever mentioned how much I love my options needles? They are really awesome!
I love how the material is turning out. It is soft and lovely. I think it is going to be a nice sweater. Since it is knit from the top down, I have tried it on. The collar seems just a little big, but not enough to bother me.
I knit a baby hat and was going to embroider on it, but it was harder then I thought it would be. I am thinking I need to use bigger wool or do an i-cord and stitch it on.
I need to put together the baby’s sweater and make a hat to go with it. I was also going to make some booties, but I don’t know if I will have time. The Girl had contractions this week, the doctor said it was not time yet. Also, I am working on a different pair of bootie. I am on the second one. I have finally finished turning the heel.

LOST
The title of this blog comes from this week’s episode. I just think it is funny. Plus I sort of feel off course this week.
I have been watching all of the episodes twice this year. I do not know if I have had any more insight because of it, but I have been enjoying them. I have to cover two episodes this blog episode.
The death of Charlotte only bothered me because I felt bad for Daniel. Personally, I did not like Charlotte, she was sort of creepy and irritating.
I hope Miles doesn’t die. I really like him. My husband thinks he will survive because he is the new Sawyer since Sawyer is so much nicer than he used to be. As a side note, I was watching an old episode a few weeks ago and Sawyer was down right mean. I had forgotten how hard he was in the beginning.
Danielle Rousseau and her crew: I am not sure what to say about this. Danielle obviously been through a lot and by the time the Losties met her, I think she was totally crazy. There seems to be a lot of discussion as to why she did not recognize Jin, but I think after killing your husband and having your child kidnapped and spending 16 hiding for Smoky and the Others, you would not remember what he looked like. You would just remember some Asian guy who “infected” your crew and disappeared. I am curious why she blamed the Others for infecting her crew and not the Smoke Monster since it was Smoky who lured them into the Temple.

So Jack, Hurley & Kate are in the past. I figured when Locke fixed the Donkey Wheel, they were in the past. How did they get hired by Dharma? Did they just show up and ask for a job? Maybe Dharma was trying to recruit “hostiles” to their side.
I do think that Ajira flight 316 did crash, but some people were sucked into the past, because that is where they needed to be. However, I think most of the people are in 2007, along with the crash wreckage. I think they are the ones who were shooting at the time traveling Losties in the outrigger. Perhaps there were people on Oceanic flight 815 that were sucked into the past and we just don’t know them.

Who told Hurley to get on flight 316? I think it was Charlie, hence the guitar. Everyone seems to represent some one else.
Jack & Kate = Jin & Sun
Sun = Rose
Sayid = Kate
Hurley = well, I think he represents everyone else

I do not think Kate is pregnant. I have read this theory else where and I do not believe it.

Where is Aaron? I think he was taken from Kate. I can not imagine her giving him up willing because she is her get out of jail free card. Who took him? Here is my crack pot theory:
Claire’s mom became suspicious and asked her lawyer (Dan Norton) why Jack would have followed him to her. Mr. Norton, being a lawyer and Ben’s lawyer to boot, would be clever and devious. He puts together the fact that Kate’s son is not hers and that Claire was pregnant on the plane. I do not think that Claire’s mom necessarily knows that Claire was pregnant since she was in a coma at the time, but others would have known. Her boyfriend, the lawyers who handled the adoption, Ben, etc. And who would have brought it up to someone coming out of a coma. Hey, welcome back to reality sorry your daughter and grandson died in a plane crash.
Anyway, I think Mr. Norton puts 2 & 2 together and tells Claire’s mom that Aaron is her grandson and she should have legal right to him. Which I am pretty sure she would since he would be a blood relative. Or he would become a ward of the state until custody was decided. I think the sheriff showed up and took Aaron and Kate did a runner.
Does Sun think she can get back home after getting Jin? Does she have a tracking device on her so Widmore could find her. I do not trust her and I think she would kill all of the others to save herself & Jin.

I find religion fascinating. I really enjoy the religious overtones in Lost. All of them, not just the Christian ones, but I am going to discuss the Christian ones, because it is the religion I know best.
-- For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
→ John Locke is obviously going to be resurrected after being sacrificed for the island.
→ Eternal life: Don’t the others seem to have this down? Richard has been on the island forever and has not aged. People on the island illness’s are healed.
→ Doubting Thomas – is this really Jack? It could be, but honestly, Jack seems more like Peter who denied Christ and then had to suffer the guilt. Hence the note from John “I wish you had believed me.”

Overall, I am happy with this season. Although, I like mysteries better than answers, so I actually an not very excited about all the answers being given. But I do realize it has to be done to satisfy the masses.

MOVIE REVIEWS
It is again Oscar weekend, which means that we spent yesterday watching all 5 movies that were nominated for Best Picture this year. This year I decided to make notes after each movie so I would be able to get all of my thoughts down. Well, except for the last one, because it was midnight and I wanted to go home!
Before I get to the reviews, I would like to have a little rant. I know that is probably shocking to my regular readers that I would have something to rant about…
Here is a helpful hint: if you are going to spend 14 hours in a movie theater with 299 other people, please leave your baby at home. That is were they belong, not crying during an R rated movie. Babies crying during a movie piss me off anyway, but to have to listen to them through several movies is just WRONG!

I will review them in the order I saw them. Just like last year.

“Milk” - This was the only movie we had seen before. So I have actually already reviewed it. However, it is worth repeating what a great movie this is. It is based on the life of Harvey Milk, the 1st openly gay man elected to a major political office. It is brilliantly acted, Josh Brolin is amazing as Dan White. Plus, I forgot how beautifully Gus Van Sant directs. If you have not seen this movie yet, what are you waiting for? It is moving and inspiring. Go see it.

“The Reader” – this is an excellent movie. This movie is about a 15 year old German boy in the early 1950s who takes up with an older woman (she is in her 30s). It does not last of course, but 10 years later he is in law school and discover a terrible secret about her. Kate Winslet play the older woman, she is supposed to be matronly, but well, let’s face it, she is Kate Winslet and she is still really beautiful. There is a LOT of nakedness in this movie both male and female. If you are offended by the human body, do NOT go to see it. However, the human body does not bother me and it all seemed to fit with the story. The boy (David Kross) is a very good actor. It would have been nice to see him nominated for an Oscar. Ralph Fiennes is in the movie as well. Whenever I see him in anything, I always think of that scene in “Red Dragon” when he puts in the fake teeth. I don’t know why, I have seen him in several other movies..
Anyway, there are a lot of really great knits in the movie, both hand and machine knits. And there is a scene with a woman knitting with dpns. She appears to be making a baby hat.
I am giving this movie 3 ½ knitting needles out of 4. It is excellent.

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” – OMG this movie was way too long. It should have been severely edited. How the hell did this piece of crap get nominated for best picture? It started out okay, sort of quirky and funny, plus there were some nice hand knits and old lady knitting on the porch. However, it soon devolved into nothing by melodramic clap trap. It had no point and Daisy (the love of Benjamin’s life) was an ass. “The Dark Knight” or “Iron Man” should have been nominated instead. Hell, “Tropic Thunder” was funny and better acted than this movie. If this wins best picture, the damn Oscars are fixed. It had better not win!!
In case you do not know the story: a guy is born old and gets younger. He meets all sorts of odd people, falls in love with some dancer, eventually marries her, has a kid leaves them and dies. Only it takes 3 freaking hours to go through. It was painful. I will give the movie 1 knitting needle out of 4 for the nice hand knits. The acting and the story line were awful.

“Slumdog Millionaire” - this is a very pleasant movie. It is about a young man from the slums of Mumbai India who goes on the Indian version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” and wins a bunch of money. It goes through his life in flashbacks. It had a lot of hope and a good love story, but not sappy. The movie moved at a good pace which was refreshing after BB. The music was good and the guy (Dev Patel) who played our hero Jamal is really cute. It was a cute movie and enjoyable. Best movie of the year? Well, no, but at least I can see why it is nominated. Although, I think some of the actors should have been nominated as well. In particular, Madhur Mitta who played the older brother Salim. He was really good. I am giving this movie 3 out of 4 knitting needles.

“Frost / Nixon” – this is a fantastic movie. It is about talk show host David Frost’s interviews with Richard Nixon. It was excellently acted. Frank Langella as Richard Nixon, was amazing. He definitely should win an Oscar for the performance. Kevin Bacon was also fantastic. I loved this movie. I think it was the best one we saw. I loved how it was edited, I loved the costumes, I loved the actors and it was funny. Now, I will admit that I do have a degree in history, so that appealed to me and I have a strange obsession with Richard Nixon. So please take that into consideration. However, I am going to give it 4 knitting needles out of 4. I can not say how much I truly enjoyed this movie from the very beginning to the very end.

Here is my ranking of the movies I saw:
Frost / Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
Benjamin Button


Sorry for the excessively long blog, but you know, lots has been going on. I will try to blog sooner and with a few pictures.
See you then.

Can You Keep A Secret?

Shhhhh… I have a secret. I really have no idea what I am doing most of the time. Yet, people think I know exactly what I am doing. It terrifies me, especially when it comes to work. Sure, I have been doing this job for a while and I have experienced a lot, but that hardly makes me an expert. At least I do not feel like an expert. I know that I talk big sometimes and maybe that is all it takes, but I feel like I am in over my head most of the time. Plus, I have been put in charge of stuff, well a team. And I am very uncomfortable with it. I do not like to be in charge of stuff.
Has anyone ever said something to you that implied they could not do what you are doing because they are not capable? This has happened to me and I always tell them they could do it. Not because I think they are capable, rather because I do not think myself all that extraordinary and I figure if I can do it, anyone can. This happens a lot with knitting. I have had people who are perfectly good knitters say they could not do something like lace or stranded knitting or something that I am working on at the time. I have been knitting for like 3 years. I have learned some things just because no one told me it was supposed to be hard. I just figured if there were instructions, I could learn it.
Anyway, I have been feeling down and work has been stressful. That is probably were all this is coming from. Please just ignore it, except for the part about being able to do something new and exciting. No one is any smarter or more capable than you, they are just pretending, like me. If I can do it… anyone can.

LOST
I promised Lost theories last blog and I will not break my promise, even if you secretly had hoped I would! I will be covering the last two episodes.
1) I believe that Ellie on the island is Charlotte’s mother. I know there are some who are thinking it is Daniel’s mother; however, I do not think that because why would he say “you remind me of someone I used to know”. That is just an odd statement. Plus, if it was his mother, you would think he would know what she looked like when she was young.
2) Daniel’s mother was a member of Dharma. Daniel states that he knows that he has been studying the island and Dharma his whole life. Obviously, someone would have had to teach him about Dharma.
3) The Others bury Jughead and that is what leads to the infertility on the island. Having nuclear waste leaking into your environment is never good for anyone.
4) I think it is obvious that Ben and Widmore fought for control of the island before the purge and Ben won. Perhaps Widmore took Annie away from Ben… Maybe she is Penny’s mom??
5) The Ajira bottle comes from a plane that crashes on the island in the future. I think that the Losties become Others by the end (once they know how really cool the island is) and then another plane crashes. This is how I see the series ending, that we have just been watching a small piece of the islands natural progress.
6) Not a theory, just a statement… I am really disappointed that Jin is still alive. Not because I was wrong, because I am wrong a lot, but rather because it does not make sense that he was in the radius of the island’s pull, but the freighter itself was not and the helicopter was not. It just is not logical and I hate that. Lost normally is not conventional, but it does have a logic to it.
7) Okay, HUGE crackpot theory: I think the island is the lost “City” of Atlantis. Think about it… there is a temple, there are the remains of a huge statue, they speak Latin and the island has been around for a long time. And Atlantis is really not a city, but an island that sunk into the sea in one day. Or perhaps it was moved to a different part of the world!
I know that Atlantis is a Greek myth, so logically, they should speak ancient Greek, but maybe the Romans got there before the island “sunk”. It is possible. Richard could be Atlantean, just like Aquaman.

That is all I have right now. I really did not like last night’s episode (The Little Prince) all that much. I thought it was trite and really the action could have happened at much quicker pace.