Baby its Cold Outside

The weather has taken a turn for the cold. On Saturday it was in the 60s and very pleasant. Yesterday, the weather became cold and wet. It even snowed some, not the kind that sticks to the ground. Today, it is about 40F and windy. I think I will have to get out my winter coat.

Last Thursday, the family went to see “Max Payne”. It was okay. It was an action movie. The dialogue was not what you call great, however, it was okay. Stuff blew up, always a good trait. However, Mark Wahlberg was not in his under-britches even once, it was very disappointing. There was no nice hand knits as well since it was a dark dismal future type of movie. If you can suspend your disbelief for an hour and a half, then this movie is a good choice. You will not remember much afterwards, but it does allow you to escape reality for a little bit. I am giving it 2 ½ knitting needles out of 4.

Knitting News – Or How I Can Not Finish a Project
Yesterday I started a new project. They are a pair of slippers for my mom for Christmas. It is the Aran slippers in the Interweave Knits Holiday issue. It is a quick knit so far. I have about ½ ways done with the 1st slipper. I would be further along, but I had to rip out the heel short rows because I miscounted the 1st round.
Now, I know I said that I was not going to start anything else until I finished my Opera Stole, but it is so tedious, just the same 4 rows and really only two of those are different. It is going far quicker than I thought and I think I will not be able to use all of the yarn. So maybe I will be able to make something else with it as well.
So at present, I currently have 3 “active” projects: the Opera Stole, My Mom’s Slipper and the L’illo baby sweater. This is a problem because it is better if I have a bus project and a home project. Oh well, I will struggle on.

O Happy Day

My lovely husband came home yesterday. It was joyous! We were going to go out to dinner after picking him up, but The Girl threw up on the way to pick him up. So we went home and picked up some sushi for dinner. It was a nice evening.

Movie Review
The Girl insisted on seeing “W” on Sunday. She actually wanted me to miss the Vikings game, but I refused. We went after the miserable loss to the Bears.
“W” was okay. It could have used some extra editing because it was too long. It was actually really sympathetic towards The President. Sure, he looks like a doofus, but he appears to be in over his head more than anything else. There were no hand knits and like I said, it was too long so I am giving it 2 ¼ knitting needles out of 4. The Girl was bored and hungry about ½ ways through so I do not think she enjoyed it very much. It concerns me that she will not want to see “Nixon / Frost” when that comes out, because that looks awesome and good for her to see.

Knitting News
I came up with a stitch pattern for my Opera Stole. It is the vertical lace trellis pattern from Barbara Walker’s ‘Treasury of Knitting Patterns’. It is lacy and it shows off the yarn. I have several inches knit. I can knit it while I am watching TV, but not when I am tired as I tend to mess up.
This morning I cast on the left front for L’illo. I really like how the back turned out. I hope it will fit. I figure it can be the Baby’s coming home outfit. I think I will make a hat and booties to go with the sweater.

I bought Interweave Knits Holiday issue. There are several things in there that I think I will make. There is a pair of slippers (the aran ones) that I think I will make for my mom.
I do not know how much stuff I will be knitting for Christmas. I have some ideas for my husband, which I can not reveal here since he reads this blog. I think I will make The Girl a sweater from ‘Pretty in Punk’. It is knit on huge needles and really holey and has dropped stitches etc, so I think I can do it quickly. I know I will not have much time for knitting, so I will have to get moving.

Here is a random photo from my trip this summer. I do not know what this plant is. If you do, leave me a message and let me know.

All By Myself

Okay, I am not really all alone, The Girl is at home, but my husband is out of town. He is off visiting his parents. They wanted him to come down and visit them before the baby came. We were not invited, which I probably good since I intend to save as much time a possible for when the baby does come. I am going to take time off to spend with The Girl and The Baby. Regardless, I am very lonely. My husband and I are a perfect match. We really are meant for each other. I am sure many people can say the same thing about their spouses, although not everyone. So when his is gone, I feel his absence greatly. Plus, he takes care of most; okay ALL, of the household chores. So now I am faced with getting groceries (which I HATE) and doing laundry and finding something to eat for breakfast, etc. It sucks. And he can always make me laugh. I love his voice. If I am having a bad day, I can call him up at home and he makes me feel better. So it is difficult when he is away.

Otherwise, I have been driving to work so there has been no bus knitting. I did do some knitting last night and I was able to finish the back of the L’illo baby sweater. I bought “Pretty in Punk” for The Girl and she marked all the patterns she wanted me to make. She is so funny because she just sees the things in the colors in the book. I have to work on making her see the pattern in different colors. She marked about 9 of them. She did say I did not have to do them all at once. LOL. She is a funny girl! There is a holey sweater made with fingering weight mohair that I think I will make 1st. I have some Kid Silk Haze Night in red that should work. I showed it to The Girl and she declared it very nice. It doesn’t look too hard, so I should be able to do it fairly quickly.

I have cast on for my opera shawl, several times, I am not very happy. I am not sure if I am going to be able to actually get it done by 11/1 since I don’t know if I like the latest pattern I have chosen. It is frustrating when I have something in my head and I do not know how to get it out of my needles.

I have earned a $50 gift card from The 3 Kittens Yarn Shop and I am trying to decide what to get. I was very excited when I got it because, well, it is free yarn. I am trying to decide if I should go over there this weekend and spend or if I should wait. I did go to The Yarnery this week and bought $40+ worth of yarn and the Interweave Knits Holiday issue. So I really don’t need more yarn, but I like to use gift cards when I get them. This stems from when my purse was stolen and I had received a gift card from my boss and I was not able to use it because it was stolen. I live in fear of not getting free stuff. I know, it is an illness!

I do not have any really big plans for the weekend. I have to wait for my husband to come home to go see “Max Paine” and there are not any other movies I really want to see. I have to do laundry, blech. The Vikings play the Bears on Sunday. I will watch, because I am a masochist and I always hope they will play well and manage to win. Otherwise, I am going to try to knit. Something. I feel like I am behind on my knitting.

My husband comes back on Monday night. I can’t wait. He is the best man alive and I miss him terribly.

Breaking Dawn Review

I finished reading “Breaking Dawn” the fourth and last book in the Twilight series. I had heard rumblings of discontent before I read it, but I did not listen closely because I did not want to have the story spoiled. Now, I am very confused as to why anyone would complain. It seemed to be a perfectly fine end to the story arc.
Overall, it was a good book. I enjoyed it. It was not as good as the 1st one, but that is not all that uncommon in sequels. Perhaps I will have to investigate what others were complaining about. If it is worth mentioning, I will write about it right here!

Reviews – Book and Movie

I have been very busy this week and have not had time to blog. Sorry.
I have reviews today. I will go in chronological order.

Last Saturday, The Girl and I went to see “Appaloosa”. It is a western starring Ed Harris (who The Girl declared ‘sexy”), Viggo Mortenson and Jeremy Irons, oh and Renee Zellewillger. It is a good western. There was more humor in it then I had expected and the plot moved along at a good pace. However, there did seem to be bits missing. The timeline was not always clear. There is a point when you are not sure if a week; six months, a year or 5 years have past. I am sure that it is because this is based on a book and they had to hit the high points. There was no real hand knits in it, which always makes me wonder since there had to be people knitting stuff during this time period. There was a shawl that one of the characters had, which might have been knit, but I could not tell. Regardless, the acting is really good. Both The Girl and I did not like Renee Zellewillger’s character, but it did lead to a good discussion after the movie about what one does for someone they love. I am giving the movie 3 out of 4 knitting needles.

RIP III Review
I just finished “World War Z”. This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It is just incredible. On the back, it says it is in like the work of Studs Terkel and I have to admit I was skeptical of such a claim because I love Terkel. However, it is very much in the vein of Terkel’s “Working”.
Of course, this book is an oral account of the Zombie Invasion, so it is fictional, but it seems real, which is a huge accomplishment. It is broken down in sections by time. There is one section about how people survived and rebuilt their communities. There is a line in which a guy states how he is wearing a sweater he knit from yarn from his sheep. I loved that. I have always thought that when someone asks a person why they are knitting a sock that she should say something about having socks after the fall of society, but now, I think they should say something about zombie survival. I have to say everyone should read “World War Z”. Go out and buy it or get it out of the library. I do not think you will be disappointed.
If you do not think you are up to zombies, go out and read some of Studs Terkel’s books. I would recommend either:
“Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do” - 1974.
“Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Reflections on Death, Rebirth and Hunger for a Faith” - 2001
Both of these are excellent books. When I read “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”, I thought that it should be required reading in high school. It deals with death and dying in a wonderful way. I think people today do not understand death very well.

Eclipse Review

Last night I stayed up late (1 am) reading “Eclipse”. I finished it. So I technically have finished both my books for RIP III, however, I am going to read World War Z next so I will review that as well.

I really enjoyed this book. I discovered the Twilight series a few months ago. I really like the books, even though, I know I never would have read them when I was a teen. I was just not into such tales. Even now, it is embarrassing. I mean they really are just sort of silly books, but it doesn’t stop me from loving them. Of course, they are a quick read, so that also helps.

***There will be spoilers ahead. If you have not read the books and you want to, stop now. ****

For those who are not familiar with the Twilight series, the books revolve around a teenager who moves to a small town in Washington State to live with her father. Of course, she was not really happy moving, but she did it for her mom’s sake. Anyway, in the 1st book, “Twilight”, she falls in love with one of the local vampires, Edward. You know all small towns have a few vampires, I know mine did. They are very good vampires as they do not feed on human blood, only animals.
In the 2nd book, “Full Moon”, Edward has left her to save her from living with a vampire for the rest of her life. She is very despondent, but she finds a friend in Jacob who is a teen from a nearby tribe. Their fathers are old friends. Well, the tribe has a wolfy history and Jacob ends up being a werewolf. We find out werewolves and vampires are bitter enemies. So Bella is torn between her friend and the vampire she loves. Edward comes back and in the end his family agrees to help turn Bella into a vampire so she can spend eternity with Edward.

So we start the third book with her high school graduation approaching. She is set to become a vampire over the summer. However, Edward wants to get married 1st. Bella does not want to get married; she just wants to have sex before she becomes a vampire. However, Jacob is in love with Bella as well as wants her to stay human and be with him. Bella realizes she is in love with Jacob as well, but she needs Edward at her core and so in the end, she chooses Edward. What was funny is that at the end I just knew that I would have picked the werewolf over the vampire. I felt truly sad for Jacob having to be alone.
All of these books have a plot other than the love entanglements. In this one, a vampire bent on revenge is forming an army in order to kill Bella and the werewolves and the vampire family work together to save her.

October… At Last

It is hard to believe that October is here. Today the weather is perfect. It is about 65 and sunny with a cool fall breeze. I love it!

Movie Review
I have blogged twice this week already and neither one contained a movie review. This would not be unusual, except that we went to the movies on Sunday. I know, it is shameful! On Sunday we went and saw “Ghost Town”. It was very funny and cute. Nothing terrible deep, but it was sweet and I enjoyed it. Plus, there was a “fair isle” sweater vest with beagles on it that was too cute! It is about an obnoxious dentist who dies and then starts seeing ghosts. If you are looking for some simple escapism and can suspend your disbelief for a couple of hours, I have to recommend you go see it. I am giving 3 knitting needles out of 4.

Knitting
Look I have photos. This proves I do actual knit!

Here are the Beer Gloves I made for my hubby. They are from “Son of Stitch n’ Bitch” they are easy and look pretty good, if I do say so myself. Although, if I made them again, I would do them in stockinet stitch instead of reverse. I just hate that I got ladders in between my needles.

Here is the market bag I am making for my MIL. The color on the picture is total crap. The yarn is actually an emerald green. I do not know why these did not come out color-wise, because the others are really close to their actual colors. Oh well. I am getting close to being done. The pattern is the Ilene Bag.


Here is the beginning of the baby sweater I have started. It is really easy so far. I have just started on the back.


RIP III
I am working on my second book for RIP III. It is “Eclipse” by Stephanie Meyer (it is the 3rd book in the Twilight series). Please don’t judge me, but I do really enjoy them. They are so much fun and easy to read. Plus I am sure is has been banned somewhere since it deals with vampires and other supernatural beings and of course teenagers wanting to have sex. So it covers both my banned book reading AND rip III. What more could you ask for in a book? I will give a review once I am finished, which should not be long.

I think that is everything for today.

Let’s Get Dirty!

Get you mind out of the gutter! Today is National Mud Pack Day. Tonight relax with a soothing mud pack. It will rejuvenate your skin. It will make you look younger and tighter. Actually, it probably won’t, but it would be fun. Slather on some muddy stuff and do a little reading.

I Read Banned Books… How About You?
Yesterday, I forgot to remind everyone that Banned Book Week had begun on 9/27. It goes through 10/4, so you still have time to read a banned book. Of course, you can always read a book that has been banned. I am trying to make my way though a list of them. I have read several, but some, well I know I will not be able to slough through any Steinbeck, so I know I will not read them all. However, if you can read Steinbeck, do it! Right now! Go out to your local library or book store and pick up a book that has been banned or challenged. To find out what books have been banned and why, please go to the ALA website. If you would like a recommendation, I would suggest Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. It is one of my favorite books and ironically has been banned. A few others that I can recommend: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Slaughter-house Five by Kurt Vonnegut, or Beloved by Toni Morrison. All of these are fantastic books.

Stick it to the man and Read!

Wheresoever You Go, Go With All Your Heart

Today is Confucius Day. It is a day to celebrate the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius. He was extremely influential in Asian culture. His sayings became the cornerstones for the Chinese for centuries after he wrote them.
Here are just a few (along with the title) that I like:

When anger rises, think of the consequences.

Ignorance is the night of the mind, but a night without moon and star.

It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.

So look up your own quotes or think about these, but spend a little bit of time with Confucius today. He really did have many good things to say.

BIG NEWS
We bought a car on Saturday. It is a 2008 Mazda 3. I know that I had not really talked about the Mazda, but we looked it up in the Consumer’s Report and they recommended it. My husband test drove it on Friday and he really liked it. So on Saturday, we went up and I drove one and it was fine so we bought it. I liked the Rabbit better, but the Mazda was more sensible. I did however figure out last night why I liked the VW better, I could really hear the engine. I like the sound of the engine. I realize that when I read reviews of cars, they always comment on how much road noise there is and that is considered a bad thing, but I like the noise, it makes me feel like I am driving.
The color is Galaxy Gray Mica. I think it is a stupid name for a color. I am not sure what the “mica” part means even. Is it going to flake off? Is it supposed to be sparkly? What? All the colors were really dull, black, silver, gray… sigh. I think I am going to get a racing stripe or something put on it to jazz it up.
I am not complaining (well, maybe a little). It is a nice car. We got a pretty good deal and got rid of our old car. I will not have to worry about a new vehicle until we get a farm and will need something to haul alpacas and such around.

Knitting News
I am plugging away on the market bag for my MIL. It is going well, but if I knit too long with the linen, my hand starts to hurt. So I have also cast on for a baby jacket for my upcoming grand child. It is l’illo from Knitty.com. I just love how it looks. I am knitting it with a wool/cotton blend and it is really soft. I think it will be just lovely.

Don’t Read Under The Covers… You’ll Go Blind

Today is National Comic Book Day. When I was a kid, I never read comics. I don’t even know if I could have bought them in my little home town. I did not read comics until my met my husband. He really introduced me to them. Of course, he was a Marvel guy and I ended up being a DC gal, but we share a common love. And I was able to fix him and he soon was reading Batman and Sandman as well. It was he who bought me a subscription to The Tick, one of the best comic books ever! I think we were married by the time we were subscribing to The Sandman. So some time today, get out a comic book or a graphic novel and read it. Enjoy the artwork. Maybe it will change your world. Okay, it probably won’t unless you are reading “Watchmen” or something, but you never know. I do highly recommend “Watchmen”, it is awesome. I also will recommend “The Dark Knight Returns”, “Batman: The Killing Joke”, “Swamp Thing” (by Alan Moore), any issue of Astro City and almost any issue of “The Sandman” (stick to the ones written by Neil Gaiman). I also am enjoying 30 Days of Night, but it is really grim. A lot of these recommendations are old because, well, I really have not kept up with my comic book reading.

Car crap…
We test drove another VW Rabbit last night. I still really like it. It is so hard to decide because I know logically we should go with something like a Toyota, but then I think that I am going to have to ride around in it and I want to be comfortable. The gas mileage is not all that much better than the Passat, but it can take regular unleaded which will save money right there.

And To Think I Have Never Even Tried It

Today is National Cherries Jubilee Day. As my title indicates, I have never had cherries jubilee. I have never had any desire to try it. I still do not have any desire to try it National Cherries Jubilee Day or not. However, if you like cherries jubilee or wish to try it, here is a recipe from the Food Network
It looks easy. Try it out.

I am participating in RIP III. I am doing Peril the Second. I have already read my 1st book. It was “The Hellfire Club” by Peter Straub. I had sort of hoped it would be a horror book, but it really was more of a mystery. Although it was not much of a mystery, since I figured out what was going on way before any of the characters. Don’t get me wrong, it was an entertaining book. It was a bit gruesome in parts. So if that bothers you, don’t read this book. The plot revolves around a Tolkien type book that may or may not have been written by the author. So the mystery is who wrote the book and what happened in 1938 at some writer’s retreat. Like I said, it is entertaining, not deep or meaningful and I sort of questioned the time line at points because it did not seem like some of the characters would have been around for almost 60 years (the book was written in 1996).

On a similar subject…
Last year for RIP II, I read Lovecraft’s “The Rats in the Walls”, which I enjoyed immensely. Last month I received a newer copy of Stephen King’s “Night Shift”. This was to replace my ratty old copy I have owned since high school and did not have a cover. For those who don’t know, it is a collection of short stories from early in Mr. King’s career. One of the stories is called “Jerusalem’s Lot”. Now, I remember reading the story years ago and I had liked it then, but what struck me about it now, is that it is basically the same tone as Lovecraft’s “The Rats in the Walls “. I was actually really impressed that I noticed and that King was able to write in such a manner. It is a good story, so you should go out and read both and see what you think.

Cars…
We did not like the Honda Civic. Tonight we are going to test drive a 4 door Rabbit. Maybe that will be the one after all.

Don’t Forget

Today is Elephant Appreciation Day. Take time out of your busy day to give your elephant a hug. Let him know that you appreciate all he has done for you. If you, like me, are not allowed to have an elephant in your area, perhaps just think about how cool elephants are. They can recognize friends and family members even after being apart for years. They are clever. They can tell when a tsunami is coming. They are really cute. So we should appreciate them.


On to other news…
Saturday night, my husband and I went to the opera. It was opening night, so it was quite a to do. We saw Il Trovatore. It was excellent. The music was lovely and the pace quick. The singers were very good as well.
I have decided that by the time the next opera comes up (we bought season tickets this year) I am going to have a stole knit for the event. I bought some Blue Heron Rayon Metallic yarn just for this very reason a few years ago. It is a sparkly blue color. I will start it next, I think.

Over the weekend, I started a market bag for my MIL. I am using Euroflax linen in emerald. So far, so good. It is a little hard on my hands though. I was working on it while watching the game yesterday. The Vikings finally won a game. Hooray!! It was a really good game. Hopefully, it is not too late for them to do well for the season.

Saturday afternoon we test drove some cars. I currently own a VW Passat. We are looking for something a little smaller and that gets better gas mileage. We drove a Corolla, and did not really like it. Mainly, it was uncomfortable to ride in. The sales guy said it was because of the narrow wheel base. So we left the Toyota dealer and went to look at VWs. Now, I had promised myself no more VWs. I love my Passat, but it costs a lot of money to fix when something goes wrong. But, we test drove a Rabbit. And you know what, I loved it! So now I want to buy the Rabbit. It is just not good. Tonight we are going to go try a Honda Civic and see if we like that.
I hate car buying!

Shiver Me Timbers

Avast ye scurvy dogs, today be Talk Like a Pirate Day. Arrrr. Ye best be piratey today or I’ll make ye walk the plank! Who doesn’t love Pirates? Okay, I mean the romanticized pirates of yore, not the modern day ones that highjack boats with rocket launchers. There is just something fun about talking like a pirate. So today is your chance. When you go to the store, thank the clerk in a manner befitting a pirate, perhaps “thank ye matey, arrr.” It will be fun!

Happy Mayflower Day

Today is the anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower from England in 1620. So it is designated Mayflower Day. Why we would celebrate the sailing and not the landing is some what mysterious to me. I am however very grateful for it leaving England, mainly because the following person was among the 102 passengers on board: William Bradford - Husbandman, fustian-weaver during his time in Holland. Later governor of Plymouth, from Yorkshire, England, about 30-years old.
This is my husband’s ancestors. He actually can trace both sides of his family back to Mr. Bradford. I know you are impressed. I mean how many people can do that? Okay, I grew up in a community where almost everyone traced their ancestors back to Norway (I am half Norwegian and half Irish), so it was new to me when I met him.
If celebrating the fleeing of persecuted people from their homeland is not your thing, it is also Collect Rocks day. Go for a walk and pick up some pretty rocks. It will brighten your day! Who doesn’t love rocks? I always pick up rocks on vacation… it drives my husband crazy, but I can’t resist a pretty or interesting stone.

Knitting News

I have finished my husband’s beer gloves. They don’t look too bad if I say so myself. I was going to take a picture of them, but The Girl has the camera, again.
The pattern is well written and very straight forward, but I really do not like knitting reverse stockinette stitch in the round and that is what the whole thing is done it in except the cable. I will post a picture as soon as I get my camera back.
I am now working on a hat which I am creating from scratch, using a cable pattern from Barbara Walker. I am hoping it will turn out okay.

MOVIE REVIEW
We went to see “Burn After Reading” on Saturday. I enjoyed it a lot, but I love the Coen brothers movies. So if you do not like dark humor, do not see this movie. I laughed all the way through. The characters are all morons, which is what leads to one problem after another. The story in a nutshell is that some gym employees find a CD with the memoir of a CIA analyst on it and think it is a valuable document and decide to get some money for it. It is very farcical. There are not any hand knits per se. I am giving it 3 out 4 knitting needles.

During the previews, we saw a trailer for “Nixon / Frost”. It looks really good. However, The Girl leaned over and whispered, “What did he do wrong?”, referring to Nixon. I had about 30 seconds to explain Watergate. Of course, she also said she might want to see the movie, so maybe we could all go and it would be a learning experience.
There were actually several movies that looked good: “Doubt”, “Milk”, “Nixon / Frost”… it might be a good movie season coming up.

Have Fun Today

Today is both National Video Game Day AND Chocolate Milkshake Day. Woohoo! Two great things in one! So tonight, kick back and play a little Star Wars Battlefront or Destroy All Humans or Guitar Hero (I can not play this one) and have a milkshake. If you are playing against someone, you can yell out “I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE” and laugh manically. Sounds like the perfect Friday evening to me. Okay, I would have a vanilla milkshake, because I prefer vanilla ones, but the same principle applies: drink something fattening and play a game.

This morning I woke up with My Chemical Romance in my head. I know what you are thinking, “Crap, isn’t she a little old for the teen angst thing?” And you are right, I am. But that does not stop me from liking My Chemical Romance. I think their album The Black Parade is one of the best albums ever. I like all of the songs on it. Well, the “hidden track” is a little silly, but only because you really can’t have hidden tracks on a CD since the number of tracks automatically comes on your player. The song itself is kind of catchy.
There is a song on The Black Parade called 'Cancer'. I love this song. It is sad and reminds of people I have lost, mainly my dad who died of cancer. I discovered on vacation that The Girl does not like this song. I found that interesting. Perhaps it is because she does not want to acknowledge that death can be a struggle. I don’t know.
As I was thinking about how much I like this album, it made me think of other albums I would put in the category of very nearly perfect. So here is a short list, not in any particular order:

1. Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited – I love all the songs on here; they are very poetic and thought provoking.
2. Oasis, (What’s The Story) Morning Glory – I think this is just a really solid album. Nothing fancy, but always pleasant to listen to and sing along with.
3. Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Blood and Chocolate – the perfect mix of anger, sadness and pop music.
4. Johnny Cash, American Recordings I – I love Johnny Cash and this album showcases all of the best aspects of his music. I have actually listened to him since I was a kid. I also love Live at Folsom Prison.
5. The Beatles, Abbey Road – I think The Beatles finally achieved perfection on this, the last album they recorded. The harmonies are great and the songs interesting.
6. Metallica, Kill ‘Em All – It is difficult to decide which Metallica album I like better, this one or Master of Puppets. In the end, I love the raw, young talent of this album.
7. Alice Cooper, Welcome to My Nightmare, Billion Dollar Babies and From the Inside – Okay, I love Alice. The songs have a dark sense of humor that appeals to me; I think he is way underrated. He likes the concept album, which I think makes him have to think about how the songs fit together. This is a very rare thing in this world.

As you can see, I like a wide variety of music. Although I will say, I like interesting lyrics. I have always thought what you are saying is just as important as the tune you are playing.

Anyway, that is all for today. Have a great weekend. Tomorrow is a big holiday day. Check it out:
Chinese Moon Festival 15th day of 8th Lunar month
Defy Superstition Day
Fortune Cookie Day
National Peanut Day
Positive Thinking Day
Uncle Sam Day - his image was first used in 1813

Spend your Saturday celebrating any of these great holidays, or all of them. Dress up like Uncle Sam and eat peanuts and fortune cookies while sitting under a ladder in the moonlight with a black cat, thinking “I can do it!”

Most of all – Have Fun!

Baby let me be your lovin’ teddy bear

Yesterday was Pardon Day and I was going to beg your pardon for not posting on Saturday, but I simply did not get time to blog. So I am doing it today.
Today is Teddy Bear Day. So go out and hug a teddy, it will make you feel good. Or even better, knit a bear or bear clothes for someone who does not have a bear to love.
Here are some charities for you to consider:
http://www.motherbearproject.org/
http://www.cubsforkids.com/
http://www.teddiesfortragedies.org/
http://www.knittingforcharity.org/

Here is a photo of one of my teddies dressed in an outfit I knit for Cubs for Kids. I am sure I have posted it before, but he sure is cute!

EXCUSES, EXCUSES

I was sick over the weekend… food poisoning. I got it on Saturday from some bad cream cheese. It was honey walnut; I think the walnuts had turned. Anyway, it meant no blogging or anything else was done over the weekend. I did not even finish my husband’s beer gloves, which I had promised him, would be done by Monday. I am still sore in my back from all the heaving and my stomach has not totally settled down. I am sticking with fairly bland food still. I hate being sick. I know I have mentioned that before, but it is still just as true today.

WEATHER
The weather has been perfect. Labor Day weekend was hot and summer-like and then on 9/2 the temperature dropped and it has been lovely fall weather. I love fall.

I Think It's Time We Stop, Children, What's That Sound
Everybody Look What's Going Down
-- Buffalo Springfield

As promised last Friday, here are some of the photos The Girl took at the RNC protest on Thursday night.

The building in the background is the MN Historical Society.
I love this shot.

Just a few of shots of the dangerous folks who were protesting.

Tear Gas Over St. Paul

I believe that if anything is worth doing, it would have been done already.

Today is Be Late for Something Day.
So take your time. Put something off until tomorrow.
Remember tomorrow is another day, namely Fight Procrastination Day. So really it is okay to procrastinate today!
I have procrastinating tendencies, I always have. Not with everything, just things that do not seem very important. I hate to be late to appointments or meetings or work, but I will put off cleaning until the cows come home. It isn’t that I like work, I think it is just I have to work and well, cleaning doesn’t seem so important. It is a good thing my husband does the cleaning. God only knows what the house would like if I had to. LOL! Anyway, I thought I would share some parts of the Procrastinator’s Creed. I found it on the interweb… just Google it and you can read them all.

1. I shall meet all of my deadlines directly in proportion to the amount of bodily injury I could expect to receive from missing them.

2. I firmly believe that tomorrow holds the possibility for new technologies, astounding discoveries, and a reprieve from my obligations.

3. If at first I don't succeed, there is always next year.

Ahhh words to live by!

We had some excitement last night. As you have probably heard, the Republican Convention was here in town this week. There has been protests everyday. On Wednesday night, The Girl said she was going to the protest on Thursday. We figured that it would be okay so we let her go. She is very much against the war in Iraq and she hates the Republicans more than anyone I have ever met, so it seemed a natural thing for her to want to protest. Also, I think it is great that she is aware of anything political at 16, Lord knows most teenagers aren’t. So, a little before 8 she called and asked us to come pick her up because she was tired and the protest was breaking up. Unfortunately, my husband had the car so I had to wait for him to come home before we could leave. As we left, we called to let her know we were on our way… no answer. I just figured she was in a dead area or could not get to her phone because she was texting. You know something innocuous. We got a little lost because some roads were closed, but we were almost there when we finally received a voice mail (we had been trying to call her again) from the Ramsey County Sheriff’s dept stating the she had been arrested! We arrived at the parking lot were she had said to pick her up and there she was cuffed and surrounded by 5 cops. 5! There were no other protesters there, just her! Apparently, the cops were breaking up the protest and she had not moved along because she was waiting for us to pick her up. So we acknowledged her info and that we were her guardians and they cut her loose, literally as they had her in those plastic tie wraps. While cutting them off, the cop actually cut her wrist so she was bleeding profusely when we got in the car. Apparently, she will get some notice via mail regarding her punishment. Is it wrong that I am proud of her? I just think it is rare that people actually stand up for what they believe in and that she is willing to do that makes me proud of her.
She took photos of the protest and I will try to get some of them up on blog once we get the downloaded to the computer. Maybe tomorrow, because today I am procrastinating and tomorrow I won’t be!

LOOK UP!

Hey, it is Skyscraper Day.
Here is a picture of the Chrysler Bldg.

It is lovely. I took this photo a few years ago when I was in NYC. I love the Chrysler Bldg.

Here is a picture from the top of the Empire State Bldg.
We went at night (obviously) and some how I hurt my ankle standing in the excessively long lines. My husband had went there in January and said there were no lines at all. So if you do not want to stand in line, I recommend going in the winter.

I have decided that this month I am going to enlighten everyone on the more unique holidays. Remember, if it is a holiday, you should get the day off.

It has been 3 years since I have had a depressive episode. Is that the right term? I don’t know. All I know is that 3 years ago I entered a depression that scared me enough to get help. It actually started around the time of our trip to NYC. I started medication and therapy and I got better It was amazing. . I had suffered from depression since I was a teenager and I really regretted not getting help sooner because my life became a good thing. I discovered knitting, which helped me with my therapy. I did well in therapy and was able to graduate, or whatever it is called. I learned coping skills. Life was great.
However, when going home from work, I realized that the icy tentacles of depression were attempting to grasp my soul again. I could feel them tugging me into the pit of despair and darkness. I have been worried about this for a couple of weeks because I have been craving carbs and salt. This was always my signal that a depression was approaching. So, I have to put all of my skills to use and see if I can avoid the darkness and stay in the light. I am hoping that by writing this down I can see it for what it is: a mood, a feeling, something that I am in control of not the other way around.

Happy Beheaded Day

I know you are thinking, “Where has the year gone? It just seems like yesterday when we were celebrating those who have been beheaded”. Time just flies. Let’s take a moment today to think of those who have been beheaded before us. Not to say the any of us will be beheaded, but it is always a possibility.

In knitting news: I discovered that some how I reversed my shawl and the front became the back or vice versa. Anyway, I think I am going to have to rip it back and since I did not use life lines, I guess I will rip back to the beginning of the last ball. I discovered this as I was about to switch balls so this is not a small task. I am just so mad at my self for not noticing sooner. That is why pride is a deadly sin. I was so sure that I was doing really well and I did not need no stinking life lines. Sigh.

I have completed one Beer Glove for my husband. It looks really good. It has mistakes, but I was able to fix / hide them so it is okay. However, I started the other one last night and was working on it on the bus this morning. I thought that I should have the ribbing done by the time I get home tonight and then I could work on the fiddly bits at home. However, as I was walking from the bus stop this morning, I thought about how I needed to put the needle sizes on Ravelry and how I would need to do two since I used US 4 on the ribbing and US 6 on the rest of the glove. That is when I paused and realized that I had cast on last night using the US 6 needles and had been ribbing with those. Arrrgh! I could not believe I had performed such an idiotic act. Of course, it did explain why my ribbing seemed so loose. So on the bus ride home; I will be ripping up the 2nd glove. Knitting drives me crazy.

On the plus side, I did finish my mittens before the Olympics ended and I have photos.

And with the thrums showing

Aren’t they lovely? They are so soft; I can not wait until it gets cold so I can wear them.
I think that I mentioned before that this is the 1st time I have done anything with thrums. It is not hard, but it is tedious. I might do it again, but I do not know. I will see how these hold up.

Zombies Are A Lot Like Ponies

These words of wisdom came out of my husband’s mouth this morning at breakfast. I know you are thinking, “How can I get invited to breakfast there!” Of course, it is true. Everyone loves both zombies and ponies. Both are the object of much marketing. And of course, both are flesh eating monsters. So my husband is correct, as usual!
Zombie Pony
There are no pictures today. I know that I promised photos last posting, but I have a really good excuse… I can not find my camera. Last I saw it; it was sitting on the computer desk. It has disappeared. I suspect The Girl “borrowed” it and misplaced it. Of course, there is no evidence, so she simply says she does not have it.
So I can not post pictures. Even though I have one complete mitten and my shawl has made great progress, you will not see them today. I am going to figure something out. I really will!

Guess what! I have a movie review.
We saw “Tropic Thunder” on Monday night. It was hilarious. It was complete wrong on so many levels that you just had to laugh. There is something to offend everyone. Now, normally I am not a huge comedy fan, as you may have figured out since I do not review very many, but I like Robert Downey Jr., so I thought what the heck. RDJ is fantastic, actually everyone plays their roles to perfection, even Matthew McConaughey was good and I despise him! I laughed through the whole movie, which almost never happens when I see comedies, there always seems to me some message that they want to promote. The only message here is that everyone involved in the movie industry are morons. There were no hand knits because most of the movie takes place in the jungle. I am giving the movie 3 ¼ knitting needles.

And on the baby front, The Girl told my mom the news this week. I was going to have her tell all her grandparents over Labor Day weekend, but my mom called and left me a message wondering how I was because she had not heard from me in such a long time. I figured it would be best just to have it out. Plus, I knew I could not lie to my mom. I really do not like not telling the truth. I have always sort of felt the truth is better. I will not tell people stuff and I know sometimes people call that a lie of omission, but I think it is okay unless they ask me directly. If my mom asked how The Girl was doing, I knew that saying she was fine would be a lie.
The Girl actually tried to argue that they did not have to know because she did not see them often. I said, “What you are going to tell them a year from now, that you found a baby?” She lost the argument. It was hard for her. She was tearing up as she spoke to my mom. And afterwards, she was mad at me for making her do it. My mom did not yell at her, in fact, she told her what ever she decided, she would support. But The Girl said she sounded disappointed. Which, I am sure she was. I spoke to my mom afterwards and she did sound really shocked. I asked her how things were with her and all she could come up with is that it was hot (she lives in AZ). I do not think she will ever call to see how I am doing again.
The Girl also got her 1st sonogram. There is just one baby (which is good) and it is moving around.