I Felt Good. (tee hee) Grammar for Knitters.

I've been in a knitting frenzy. Okay, maybe not a frenzy, but I'm having fun. I finished my knitting needle case and though it didn't turn out "perfectly" (mainly, due to my lack of precision) I rather like it. Now I just need some empty needles to put IN the case... so many of mine are occupied with half-finished projects. In order to accomplish this task as I did on Christmas Day, I had to actually quickly teach myself to crochet. This was accomplished through the help of my Grandma's how-to-crochet book I found at her house when I stopped to borrow a crochet hook. I can't believe I forgot this simple detail in the construction of my case. However, I still managed to work up some button loops. Yay!


In fact the felting process was so cool I immediately tried to felt something else. I got an idea to make a little bag-like purse out of the extra pink... that plan transformed into something a bit more and I actually really like how it turned out. I managed to create this one in two days!

Here are the before and after felting shots.

the front

the back

the front

the back

the crocheted buttonhole

Of Christmas Parties and New Recipes ....

One of my favorite things to collect during parties and gatherings are new recipes and this year during vacation I was determined to try each one. First I made biscotti from a recipe I got from Pam. It seemed so easy; I guess that was my first warning. I made it to go with coffee when my Midwestern Position pal, Sara, made an in-person appearance at my apartment for a morning coffee the day before she had to head back to PA. The visit was great... the biscotti was not. I am determined to try again and when I have it mastered I'll post the recipe and pics.

In the meantime I'll post a yummy low-cal fruit dip I acquired at a holiday party I attended for the readers theatre group. It was a great time and so fun to hear the stories of a new crew of friends. I may be the youngest one there but it's far from a dull time. One couple were former owners of a square dance supply store. I love that. They talked about how back in the day there were square dance clubs and groups that met regularly... and they sold all the music and outfits anyone could want. I haven't square danced since one fall retreat back in 1993 and before that grade school. Something in me sparked and I just can't get it out of my head how fun that would be to try again. For now, I experimented with the dip. After all, I don't have an outfit to wear!


Low-Cal Fruit Dip

Mix the following three ingredients well:
1 package of sugar-free vanilla instant pudding
3 oz. of orange juice concentrate
1 1/2 cups of milk

Fold in 8 oz. (or 1 cup) of low fat plain (or vanilla) yogurt --don't use a mixer.

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

On Christmas Eve I attended a candlelight service at the church of my childhood. As I drove home at midnight, I was struck with the wonder and beauty of a perfectly clear star-filled sky. If I could have captured it on film it would have looked like this only BIGGER and with visible constellations brighter than I remember seeing them before.

My trip home for the holidays was an emotional one as it will be the last with my Grandma. I spent the day with her in her hospital and I knitted and visited while she lay there drifting in and out of sleep and she offered me nothing but a blank look punctuated only by the glimmer of recognition she had for my brother when he stopped to visit. She's so thin it's like looking at a different woman... now without the smiles or any physical response it's like she's already gone.

I have volumes of words to say and they were choked in my throat holding back that flood of tears that I am scared to really cry. I fear starting and never stopping. Instead I chatted about school, plans, craft projects.... I told her funny stories and I sat in silence... knitting... being there. I believe that even if she can't respond she knows we are there... at least while we are there. That she hears and may not even understand who I am or why I am there or what I am talking about... but she knows love and it's important that she is filled and surrounded with that too.

At the evening service I sat alone, missing my companion. My Gram. I sang the familiar songs and listened to the scriptures and I lit my candle from the one held by Lyla B. and got a hug with sympathetic eyes that knew as she gripped me who I was missing and what I was feeling.

After I visited Gram, I had to go to her house... empty and waiting... like she's coming back any minute even though she's been gone for more than six weeks. I had to be there to drink in her smell... to feel her... the real her. I miss her already. It was an odd holiday and it had a slightly empty worried feel, but I believe that God tried to give me a little gift. Something simple... something beautiful in that night sky.


*********
Update: My grandma passed away on December 30, 2006 in the wee hours of the morning.

What is Christmas Without the White Elephant?

Each year our staff has a holiday party (often in March... because the timing works out better) but this year we managed to fit one in before the holidays. We drink, we feast, we laugh a lot... usually during out gift exchange. Shari brought in one for the record books and now we will all know to avoid the Pringles can-shaped gift next year... that can holds a treasure that is too much to behold. Of course, our regular gift giving wasn't enough and this year Max felt I needed a special gift all of my own. Allow me to present the man who gets turned on night and day in my den of iniquity.

From now on we'll have to muddle through somehow.....

I've been ordered by my friend Susan, the Queen of Christmas, not to get all "grinchy" on my blog this holiday season... but I must be permitted this one bit of holiday gloom. I recently read an article in Entertainment Weekly on the Christmas carol "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and believe it or not, I was greatly amused by the story behind this popular song.

It was first recorded in 1944 by Judy Garland in the film Meet Me in St. Louis and it's a bit somber. Yet this song had an even more sadistic version that preceded it. Check out the lyrics and see for yourself. Here's the Judy Garland version:

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
Next year,
All our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Make the yuletide gay
Next year all our troubles will be miles away

Once again as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who were near to us
Will be near to us once more

Someday soon we all will be together
If the fates allow.
Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

And here's the original one that Garland refused to sing because it was just TOO depressing....

Have yourself a merry little Christmas
It may be your last
Next year we may all be living in the past

Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Pop that champagne cork
Next year we may all be living in New York.

No good times like the olden days,
Happy golden days of yore,
Faithful friends who were dear to us
Will be near to us no more.

But at least we all will be together
If the Lord allows.
From now on we'll have to muddle through somehow.
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

Merry Christmas to Me!

About a week ago I discovered this funky fabric made irresistible by the drastic markdown at Hancock Fabrics. In one day I whipped up this lovely little comforter-type blanket-quilt thingy. All that needed finishing was the yarn ties I used to hold the batting in place... I am not quite up to full-on quilting. It turns out that it takes a LONG time to do all those little ties, but I'm done and she's cuddly and I've got all of Christmas vacation to break 'er in. I've never been one to welcome anything PINK into my life, but this one seems like candy!

Seven Songs I've Been Craving Lately....

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley
I'll Take You There by Staple Singers
Hate Me Tonight by Blue October
Don't Go Breaking my Heart by Elton John
Groove Me by King Floyd
Unwritten by Natasha Beddingfield
Knock Three Times by Tony Orlando and Dawn

And by craving I mean, I can listen to these songs over and over and over insatiably. I know it's a little weird. ButI do this a lot. And it's not like I ever actually get "sick of them" but I just find myself moving on to some different song....

More Lefse Follies

This past weekend Marci and I decided to try the lefse making one time on our own... just for kicks. Hmmm.... How soon we forget. We made three double batches and managed to roll out and grill two of them but energy was subsiding and so I left the rest of the potato mix (sans flour) to do on my own later in the week.

We spent a couple hours on Saturday mixing the potatoes and visiting and knitting and blogging (some of my favorite things) and then as a sort of bizarre treat we dished up bowls of some of the potato mixture and snacked in the living room while we listened to John Legend on CD.

On Sunday we worked for about three hours and while we differ in our styles of rolling and grilling, I think our lefse turned out pretty well. Of course, my apartment still smells of potatoes days later.


Then on Wednesday just as the floury potato smell was beginning to fade I turned on the grill and added the flour and started to grill the lefse rounds in the final batch. I was pleased that the entire process of kneading and rolling and grilling and packaging took only two hours and I decided to leave the mess for later. I still have dishes piled high and a fine coat of flour covering everything within a 20 foot radius!

Works in Progress

My knitting needle case is nearly done. I have been sidetracked by a yummy charcoal scarf that is also nearly complete.

On the case I've gone from 30 inches of red knitted obnoxiousness to a felted piece that measures 20" b y 15" and it turned out pretty well for my first felting attempt.

The cables I am knitting for the inside of the case are surprisingly easy to do. It's sort of thrilling to attempt something and have it turn out exactly as it should. Yay!

I have my buttons poised and ready to attach and before the weekend is done I expect to have the whole project complete.

My soon to be done new scarf is made from a yarn that is made from Marks & Kattens Natura yarn: part wool, part alpaca, part acrylic and part viscose. I'm very pleased with how it's turning out. I found a pattern for a "checkerboard pattern" and it's a "kind" of ribbing but entirely different from the red scarf I completed earlier this fall. I was sure that this would require 3-4 skeins of yarn because of how small they were but I'm just starting my second skein and I'm already over halfway done.

I may be able to use this yarn I love and learn how to make mittens next.

To help with the counting of the rows for my pattern I invested in a row counter. My knitting supplies have grown to include a cable needle and row counter. Where I will stop it's hard to say.



On order: Stitch 'n Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller

(I was going to purchase this for my good friend Marcia.... but she says she's getting it for Christmas... I guess it's just going to be a treat for me.)

My Baby's First Concert

This week when some staff members from school decided to volunteer as ringers of the Salvation Army bell, Marcia and I took out the harmonicas and let 'em wail. Or perhaps I should say we squeaked out a few Christmas carols hastily practiced before we left school.

One of my favorite bits of praise was "Hey, I could tell what song THAT one was!" It's amazing how much easier it gets the more I practice or the longer I play. I do get sloppier and more tired but I also get more daring and willing to make mistakes. Watch out world. I may have found my instrument and it's not the "spoons!"

Reading to Young and Old Alike

At the high school where I teach, in an effort to promote literacy and giving, I have tried to encourage the idea of reading to small children at the Headstart program across the street. Students in our school jumped on the chance and before long I had a list of 25 volunteers to draw from. Our plan is that one day each week two students would select picture books, practice reading them, and then we'd "perform" for three different classrooms. Our first day was last Tuesday and it was a rousing success. Comments my students made were: "That was FUN!" and "They sure are an easy audience to please." I was thrilled it went so smoothly and I am looking forward to getting more high school students involved.

Later that night I gathered with ten others in a readers theatre group to perform at the local senior citizen's center. We read an old radio play... or actually an episode from a popular radio series. Perhaps some of our audience members remember the original Fibber McGee and Molly shows. I had a small part and it was rather fun to try this. Readers theatre is a nice way to perform: no memorization, props, or movement... just reading and I only hope our audience was able to actually HEAR us.

When these events were scheduled I didn't put two and two together but later I had to laugh that I was reading to both ends of the spectrum and if you counted the high school students I often read to during the day... you might say I had the full spectrum before me today.

Reading, Watching, Listening..... November in Review

What I Was Reading in November
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

I finished all of these titles and didn't "love" any of them. Never Let Me Go is one I was wanting to read for months after reading a review and I have to say it left me a bit disappointed. Mainly in the ending. It was grim and hopeless... perhaps THIS BOOk is to blame for my gloomy spirit lately. Ha! I Feel Bad About My Neck, a collection of essays by the writer of When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle, was amusing but aimed at a slightly older female demographic. The Glass Castle is a memoir that was fairly gripping from start to finish. Her opening paragraph guaranteed it.

"I was sitting in a taxi, wondering if I had overdressed for the evening, when I looked out the window and saw Mom rooting through a Dumpster. It was just after dark. A blustery March wind whipped the steam coming out of the manholes, and people hurried along the sidewalks with their collars turned up. I was stuck in traffic two blocks from the party where I was heading. "

For some reason, though, I didn't LOVE the book. There were times early on where I felt like her narrative voice didn't ring true. Later as I was more gripped by the subject matter I no longer noticed. The story also made me sad and angry. It made me just want to cry "Why?" .... yes, we are to believe that this woman, our author, has made it... has survived... has displayed that necessary resiliency to flourish despite her parents.. however I just felt so frustrated that her parents who were so creative and intelligent and wonderful in small ways could somehow screw up so big. Well, I'd recommend reading it if you are interested in reading a memoir that details a family unlike any other.

What I was watching in November
On TV
Grey's Anatomy
The Bachelor in Rome
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Two and a Half Men
The New Adventures of Old Christine
The Office
Desperate Housewives
Brothers and Sisters
Alias Season Five

This month Six Degrees seems to have disappeared and Brothers and Sisters wasn't on last week. Are we already losing the new shows? LOST dealt me a bitter blow by putting things on hold until February. The Bachelor in Rome was okay. I am not sure why I watch it other than to have something on while I am knitting. I wanted him to choose Sadie. Maybe it's my fondness for San Diego. But I am sure he and Jen will be happy. I actually didn't really love any of the women or him on this show this season. Oh well. Grey's Anatomy can still make me cry. Desperate Housewives is somewhat annoying lately. I think I just enjoy the comedic sitcoms best of all. Alias Season Five was released on DVD on Nov. 21st and I'm still watching it. I can't wait to see how all this Rimbauldi stuff resolves itself. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this show.


On DVD
The Notorious Bettie Page
Lucky Number Slevin
Mission Impossible 3
American Dreamz
Sylvia
Over the Hedge
The Pink Panther (2005)
The Da Vinci Code

This has been a slooooowwww month for movies and me, mainly because life has been anything but slow. None of these films were terribly remarkable to me. I felt that The Notorious Bettie Page had a bit of a Inside Deep Throat feel to it because of the subject matter. It was a decent film, but it didn't change my life. Lucky Number Slevin was entertaining with its twists and turns and much like most films of its kind I really liked it. It was a bit too bloody for me at times though. Mission Impossible 3 met my expectations for a sequel +1. American Dreamz had mixed reviews and I can sort of see why based a bit on the overall "feel" of the film. Still, in my opinion, no one could argue with the entertaining plot. Overall, I really enjoyed the satirical look at our country, its leaders and shows like American Idol. I thought Hugh Grant and Mandy Moore were terrific and Dennis Quaid did an excellent job in his role too. Sylvia just bummed me out. It was pretty much like I imagined the story to be based on the little I knew of her life and death. I always had a slightly different view of Ted Hughes though and I was wondering how accurate this film was in that regard. Over the Hedge was a huge Thanksgiving hit with my siblings and I only got to see part of it since I was cleaning up the kitchen and putting away leftovers when they started the film. The Pink Panther was pretty funny and I only wish I had seen the original more recently. The Da Vinci Code is one that I was warned not to bother seeing. I didn't think it was terrible. I am not sure I would rush out to read the book based on this either. Though, I do love Audrey Tautou and she was one of the leads.


At the Theatre
Flicka

This was the film I got to see at Curt's Theatre back home with my dad. I thought it was a little flat. Tim McGraw and Maria Bello made great rancher parents.. very believable and I thought it all worked... but as my dad said later, "it was a little slow." I sort of want to read My Friend Flicka now that I've seen this film.... out of curiousity.


What I was listening to in November

I pulled out my newest CD... The Weepies a few times this month. I also listened to the Walk the Line Soundtrack a few times as well.
When we did our lefse fundraiser I even listened to some Christmas music... and some Connie Smith, Patsy Cline, and Johnny Horton just for mom.

Here are my MP3 shuffles of the month of November (golly.... just one of these again!)-------------------------
Nov 3

Jingle Jangle by The Archies
The Dignity of Man by Donovan
Free Money by Patti Smith
Easy to Be Hard by Cheryl Barnes from HAIR
(I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence, Dear by Blondie

Clean as a Whistle

I have rather limited experience with laundromats. I once used coin operated machines in the dorms and have used ones in some apartment buildings I lived in. My experiences have often been those of frustration with people who were there before me... doing laundry and then magically disappearing just as their loads finished washing. The proper etiquette eludes me. I know that I would understand if someone removed MY clothing from a completed washer and placed it within my handy waiting basket or piled it neatly on the counter nearby... BUT I would never be the person who left her laundry unattended. So, I'm stumped. This is typically the trouble with apartment laundry rooms, and I sure don't want to get in a shouting match with a laundry-pro who believes I've crossed the line. So, imagine my surprise when I strolled into Busy Bubbles and found only a few open washers and a room full of completed washers stuffed with clean clothes and no one to be found... not even a car in the parking lot. I wandered counting empty washers seeking enough for the seven average sized loads I needed to wash and doing the calculations to determine which could be combined for a larger washing machine. Finally I gave up in disgust and found a different laundromat. I spent more money than I expected, but my laundry was done in record time and now most of it is happily air drying all over my apartment... I love the smell of clean clothes in the morning!

Oh Deer. Oh Deer.

On Friday, my brother and I drove to the hometown to see Grandma. It was heartbreaking to think of her in that hospital bed, missing out on family time over the holidays. She liked the tulips we brought. I showed off the scarf I finished this week and showed her my new knitting project. She got mail while we were there and she was so excited I decided I needed to immediately start writing letters to her. I keep thinking, why haven't I done that already, then I remember I was recently mired in a lefse-making-induced near-breakdown. The bad news is she seems worse... she's on oxygen and her IVs keep blowing out her veins... her skin looks papery and she seems more tired than ever. We visited her when we got there but also visited again right before we left and I suspect she'd turned down the hearing aid because we were nearly yelling and she couldn't hear anything. She was a lot more fuzzy in the late afternoon. Also she accused me of smoking. (tee hee.) Anyone who knows me at all knows that is just crazy talk!

Between visits with Gram I stopped to see my high school pals--sisters, Cindy and Cathy, home for the holidays. Cindy and George proudly showed off the video of the ultrasound for the baby on the way and Cindy looked so darn cute with her little baby belly I just wish we lived closer so I could share in this exciting time for them. Cathy was home without Shane (tending the ranch, I suppose?) and she had her 7 month old daughter Adee along. This was the first time I met their little honey and I was totally love-struck. It felt so good to be sitting in the living room with my old pals and the memories just came flooding back of all the fun we used to have and in an unsuspecting moment I was hit by a wave of thanksgiving.... who knew? I AM thankful for my friends, that they are healthy and happy and I only regret I don't get to see them as much as I'd like.

My brother was just along for the ride on this trip... wanting to see Grandma mainly and so he napped and read while I visited my friends. After we said good-bye to Grandma we stopped at the farm for a yummy meal, compliments of dad. Before long we were back on the road. At least four times throughout the day we'd been admonished to "watch out for deer" on our drive home and since I knew I would be careful I wasn't too worried. After all, I had not seen even one deer the entire trip the last time I drove home. This time was different. We spotted 13 deer on the drive in three different instances. Good news. We only hit two. Just 10 miles from my dad's place about 8 deer jumped out of the ditch on the left side of the highway and were running across. I braked but couldn't stop and managed to only hit two deer. There seemed to be NO damage to my car, though we discovered otherwise when we got home. The deer may not have fared so well. I guess, what I should be thankful for here is that I didn't get killed or total my car.... wait, that's back to that same old twisty way of thinking...

Thanksgiving. Bah Humbug.

If I think too deeply about Thanksgiving.... the holiday for "giving thanks" I just get all twitchy and feel like.... like ..... kicking a dog (no, not really--that's just insane). It's a time when the Pollyannas of the world all pull out their gratitude journals and look for the items that are starred for this annual celebration of all that is good in life... for their many blessings. Hummphhh. Most of the time, I AM a bit Pollyanna and I like that about myself. However, lately I feel like the clouds are gathering and the only silver lining is just some silver iodide that was seeded by weather mod planes in an effort to bring some rain and it's not working anyway. I feel like everyone is really good at seeing silver linings in someone else's life... and if they don't they try to force one in.

I try to think of all the reasons to be thankful and it usually falls into the well, this was super shitty, but it could have been way worse... just think how it could have been worse.... Ahhh... yes, now I feel better. Thank you, God, for the way you've only maimed my life and not mortally wounded it. Hmmmm.... Of course I am exaggerating, but there have been dark days lately. And no I don't blame God. I kind of feel as if He's not real involved. And that's a good thing or else I'd have to kick some divine ass.

I refuse to get specific. To wallow any more than these paragraphs have already wallowed. So, I think the best way to think of Thanksgiving is like my sister, Ashley, does..... Turkey Day. She was supremely excited. And for good reason... who doesn't love a turkey? (well, maybe vegans and the like, but hey!)My mom decided to invite us all over for our Turkey Day meal and then on Monday decided that while she was up for all the cooking (or most of the big stuff) she wanted me to host it at my apartment. No problem. I actually LIKE having house guests. I love my little cozy world and I like to invite others in; we feasted at my place and after everyone promptly fell asleep Sleeping Beauty-style.... it was like a spell was cast and only Ashley and I were immune. We surfed the Net and visited instead. We watched some films and mom and I played Scrabble. The night ended with watching The Da Vinci Code and it wasn't nearly as bad as everyone said.

My Math Skills Fail Me Again... but the Lefse Was Delicious

Last week I wanted to write... to complain.... to weep on the keyboard in exhaustion and panic. However, I just didn't have time. We had two nights of parent-teacher conferences this week.... Because of the timing of that my yearbook staff decided to host our big yearbook sales kick-off at school which included selling preorders during breaks and lunches all week ... making posters... scheduling students to work.... collecting prizes to be awarded daily.... Unfortunately, we also planned our big lefse fundraiser the weekend before Thanksgiving in order to draw in a lot of orders just in time for the holiday dinner. Sheesh. Everything converges. And I think I am lucky to have escaped without a huge crash.

My "hell week" ended with our final day of lefse production. Lefse production, alone, is time consuming at best and the pressure to find student workers, to collect order forms and money, to remember all the supplies and ingredients was a bit overwhelming. Truly, the event went off without a hitch and we made some decent money for our school's yearbook. But I did make a few small blunders that added up to more work than we anticipated. I'm not sure realizing it earlier would have changed things much, but so it goes. Last year we sold our packs of lefse for $5 and we included three rounds. This year, there was competition and they were selling theirs for less so we compromised and sold our packs with four rounds for $5. Naturally I should have realized that if we sold 100 packages that meant an additional 100 rounds we needed to make. Never occured to me. Hmmmm.... so, in the end we didn't have quite enough potatoes to make the dough and so my dear old mom bought another 20 lbs and we peeled some more on Friday night hoping to be covered.

In class on Friday before right before the day ended I had all my students peeling potatoes. I was really impressed with how they stepped up to the challenge and we got those 50 lbs done in no time. Last year, a student and I did it alone. I guess I learned from THAT mistake. With the help of one student, my mom and I managed to get all the potato mixture cooked and riced. (with proper ingredients added too).

On Saturday I set up at 8 am and mom joined me at 9. Then we added the flour and got everything ready to start rolling and grilling. Just as we were ready to start the grilling, students began to arrive. At our peak we had seven helpers and three grills going. By supper, we had four of us including my mom and me and by this time we were practically automated. We stayed until 10 pm and for the last few hours my coworker, LeAnn, stopped by to help us out. When we packaged everything up we realized we were about 100 rounds short of what we'd sold. We still at least two more batches of potato mixture we hadn't used and my mom wanted to make a bit more lefse from her own potatoes she'd prepared as long as we were all set up. So....

Sunday morning mom and I were back at school at 8 am and I almost fell over when the two students showed up a half hour later. I was amazed at the dedication and willingness of these students to help. Of course the money goes to them and their fellow students but in the past I have found it rather difficult to find kids wiling or able to do as much as they did! We were done with everything by 2 pm and had only to deliver it today. By 5 pm, Monday every piece was sold and even the extra. Yay!

Thank goodness for short weeks or I might not make it to the weekend. By the time we were done on Sunday, I estimated that I'd worked 24 hours making lefse and on Saturday while other switched jobs some, I rolled the entire time. I have never had that kind of muscle fatigue: my body ached in the most bizarre places... the palms of my hands and every inch of the soles of my feet, my lower back, my shoulders, my forearms, my pecs, my calves, my thighs......

Recipe for pain... I mean, lefse is here.

E-I, E-I, O.......

I have acid fingers. I think that MUST be true. And I type loudly.
That combination is not a good one.

It seems I am wearing the letters right off my keyboard.... it's like the Nollop statue in Ella Minnow Pea... Goodbye, O, I, M, K, L, E, D.... U and S will be the next to go.

What's funny is that I mostly use the wireless keyboard I bought a year ago... but even the laptop letters on my VAIO are starting to fade... O, L, M, C.....

Is there a way to repair this? Am I the only person with the acid finger curse? Thank goodness for muscle memory.

If only the pattern of life was so predictable.... knit, knit, purl, purl....

A year ago, I picked up my knitting needles determined to learn how to knit something-- how to follow a pattern. I bought a book. I took a class. I wrote an article. And I learned some new "skills" how to do ribbing... how to create the seed stitch... how to increase and decrease... I learned about kinds of yarn and the wonder of bamboo needles. I had plans to knit my first hat. I didn't make it that far because I am still in the midst of my last project of the winter: a red ribbed scarf. When last you heard from me I had about two inches done and now after one week of high stress and a need for meditation I have managed to knit three FEET.... I think after another day or two I'll be done and this is one scarf I might actually USE.

My next knitting goal is to make a knitting needle case using two new knitting skills for the season. I am going to felt the fabric for the case and learn how to cable in order to make the part the needles slide through. Watch for updates as I begin that task. After that one, then I think I'll try the circular needles and the hat making process.

As I told Marci earlier today, I think this could be a breakthrough year for me and knitting. Marci and I went to Starbucks for lattes and our first knitting lesson. She successfully learned how to cast on and how to knit and I showed her briefly how to bind off. I'm excited to share this hobby with her and she's a good little learner considering I'm not sure I know how to "teach" a skill like this.

When I was visiting my grandma at the hospital, I knew she was in pretty good spirits as she wryly said, "It sure is funny to see how some people knit..." Hmmm.... and she was the one who originally taught me. At least I could bring her some "amusement!"

Oh Deer.

Seriously. I mean, what is THAT?

On Friday, I drove north to visit my grandma in the hospital and felt the need to wear my bright red jacket in the car because I had a slight fear of being shot. I had the day off from school in honor of Veteran's Day... but what they really mean is in honor of "The Opening Day of Deer Season." Sigh. It's not as if I have never hunted before (though I didn't manage to shoot anything) but somehow, years later, after all the news stories of fools getting shot or houses having bullets carelessly rip through the walls just inches above a sleeping infants head... Well, I have to say it gives me chills. It's not like I feel some animal rights compassion for the deer, but I do worry about hitting one with my car. Especially with all the hunters driving them out of their normal hangouts. So I drove on, vigilant. Eyes perpetually scanning the fields for deer and every car I met had hunters in blaze orange with trigger happy fingers....

My grandma was having a better day and she had a huge line-up for visitors later in the day. I got to hang out for a few hours and then spend a few more hours watching my Aunt Heather bake cardamom rolls and visiting with my cousin Brooke about her upcoming wedding. My dad and Cindy and I went to a movie at the theatre and though it's nicely renovated, it was still the same old theatre from my youth. We saw Flicka and I was pleased to see my aunt and uncle and cousin slide into the seats behind us. It was a regular family event and the theatre was packed out. For Flicka. I love it. Actually I loved the idea of it more than I actually loved the movie. That was a bit slow and simplistic. But it was a decent family flick.

On Saturday as I drove into town to visit Grandma again I noticed this deer hide collection box by the school. I can only imagine this is for some ag-related purpose.... tanning perhaps? Regardless it gave me reason to pause and I couldn't pass up a picture of this truly bizarre connection to my past.

Red, Red, Wine.....

As a response to my wine-ignorance I decided to start a wine-tasting group. I don't expect to ever become highly knowledgeable or reach an "expert" level, but I am hoping to discover if I prefer red or white..... sweet or dry..... THAT could be a good starting place. I'd also like to be able to successfully match various wines to their proper color and sweet/dry status. (what a goal, eh?) Having next to no experience in the matter aside from boxed white zinfandel at friend's house or sampling what the relatives bring to our Christmas day event, I am starting from scratch.

I hosted our first gathering, which meant I provided food (meat, cheese, crackers, artichoke dip, grapes etc.) and I provided some music which was a side feature.... Seven friends showed up and we had a grand time. We discussed some name options for our group. Pam had some great ideas and we settled on Kindred Spirits, though we were leaning toward Corks and Cleavage (because we are just that kind of group!) We sampled a cabernet sauvignon, a shiraz cabernet blend, a pinot grigio, a local wine... honey apple wine made in Casselton, and a moscato di pantellario that Matt brought back from Rome. I think my favorite might be the first wine we tried, the cabernet sauvignon, and that truly surprised me because it was pretty dry in comparison with the others. However I felt it was the most flavorful. With the exception being, the Tanit (the moscato) which was like drinking liquid raisins... that one had a lot of flavor! Five bottles of wine was the perfect amount and everyone got to taste something and no one drank too much. In short, it was a lovely Thursday night. We'll meet again in early January and decide then if we want to do this monthly or bi-monthly. We tried to decide if we wanted to limit our choices to either red wines or white wines or specific kinds.... but for the next meeting we just decided to pick a region.... our pick? Australia. If you have any suggestions on a good wine from an Australian region, feel free to comment!

Check out the new blog that will detail my adventures in wine tasting!

'Snot Fun

I managed to catch a cold on Halloween and it's lingering, trying to decide if it's getting worse or better. I was feeling spry all day Sunday as I tripped around town running errands in the warm weather. But by 10 pm I was starting to feel pretty low and so I succumbed to the devil of cold medicine and took a Contac, which years ago (when they still had capsules) used to do the trick. It's a 12 hour pill and yet in recent years because of problems with the manufacture of meth or other "abused" drugs that require cold medicines, the companies changed their formulas. Now NOTHING works to make my head colds better. I took a pill at 10:30 pm and went to sleep. I awakened at 2:00 am to a head so full of snot loosening and dripping that I used about half a box of kleenexes and gagged and coughed for about an hour before I finally was able to go back to sleep. It was like my brain was melting or there was some sort of mucus factory in my head. I haven't been that miserable in awhile. If I were smart I might have called in sick today instead of going to work and infecting everyone around me, if in fact, I am contagious. But I realize I have a job where a missed day is twice as much work as it would be if I'd just go in and go through the motions. I was cursing the failure of cold medications last night and the failure of my body to repair itself and stop this ridiculous sinus/head cold. I don't think I've slept an entire night of sleep in a week. It's starting to wear on me. Look out. I might start writing delirious nonsense.

Reading, Watching, Listening..... September/October in Review

What I Was Reading in September/October
Rule of the Bone by Russell Banks
The Tent by Margaret Atwood
Wicked by Gregory Maguire
Not the End of the World by Kate Atkinson
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser

I've actually managed to finish nearly all of these books except Never Let Me Go and I just started that on the 31st.. so it hardly counts as an October book. I completely disliked Rule of the Bone by Russell Banks. It immediately went into the discard pile. Running with Scissors wasn't a favorite either. I had heard him compared to David Sedaris and I'm sorry but it's no comparison. I found myself stuck in the horror zone without any humor there to trigger a smile. It was absurd and awful, but not amusing at all. The Tent is an unusual read. It's a collection of short stories, prose poems, satirical snippets... I really don't know how to describe it. Some of it I loved, other bits simply mystified me. Included are illustrations by the author. I wrote down a list of my favorite parts and now I can't find it. Sorry. Not the End of the World by Kate Atkinson started out promising but was a letdown by the finish. The best story in this short story collection may have been the very first one: "Charlene and Trudi go Shopping." Her tales were all sort of depressing and not in a good way. I guess combining Atwood and Atkinson in such a confined space of time may have been a bad move. Fast Food Nation is one I am reading with some students at school andI've not made it very far, even though it's a reread for me.

The book I liked best was Wicked. I talk about it more here. I'd recommend it but it appears to be daunting to some. I am now VERY eager to see the musical and I've got a copy of Son of a Witch here for November!

What I was watching in September/October
On TV
Grey's Anatomy
Dancing with the Stars
Project Runway
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Two and a Half Men
The New Adventures of Old Christine
Six Degrees
The Office
Desperate Housewives
Brothers and Sisters
Lost Seasons 1-3
PBS Documentary on Andy Warhol

The new fall schedule for TV has put a serious crimp on my TV viewing... that combined with the need to watch all of seasons one and two of LOST. Project Runway is done now and I was glad Jeremy won, even though I didn't like him all that much I thought his collection was great. I did love Uli and it really was a toss up for me. Michael was very disappointing in that I liked almost everything he did during the season but then his collection was terrible. Sigh. Dancing with the Stars is heating up and I've already talked about that show a bit too much.

I am still watching The Office, Grey's Anatomy, and Desperate Housewives this season but I've added The New Adventures of Old Christine (terrible name for a show) and Two and a Half Men. I find that I really am enjoying BOTH of those new Monday night shows. Christine is a bit like Elaine but her relationship with her brother is great. I get a big kick out of him. The Office continues to amaze me with the depths to which Michael manages to sink.

New shows I have started watching are Studio 60, Brothers and Sisters, and Six Degrees and I like all of them so far or I'd have given up on them. I am a fan of Matthew Perry in his role on Studio 60, and though I don't care for Calista Flockhart, I do find myself enjoying Brothers and Sisters. Six Degrees might be the show I discard if I'm gonna ditch any.

LOST consumes me if I think about it too much. It's best if I don't. I have theories. They aren't well thought out. I do love this show.

The documentary on Andy Warhol was another one of those American Masters specials on PBS and I really liked getting to know this artist that way.


On DVD
Ultraviolet
Friends With Money
The Libertine
The New World
A Good Woman
The Good Thief
The Cooler
Match Point
Connie and Carla
The Three Musketeers
An Unfinished Life
Thank You For Smoking
The Cat's Meow
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
Curious George
Hoot

Many of these titles I watched back in September and I watched few films in October for the same reason I couldn't get around to writing this post--life was out of control. Of these titles I liked nearly all of them except Ultraviolet, which was a little too cheesy. I reminded me of that Final Fantasy movie and I guess a bit like Aeon Flux. It wasn't terrible but not just not great. Friends with Money had promise because of the cast, but I was unsatisfied with it. I wanted some more laughs or a warm feeling and instead I was left with a similar feeling as I had with watching Jennifer Aniston in The Good Girl. The Libertine was also one that I didn't like much at all. I love Johnny Depp but this one wasn't a favorite. I wouldn't recommend it.

On the other hand, The New World left me eager to know more about the true story of what happened with John Smith and Pocahantas. The actress who played her was wonderful and I found myself really liking this remarkably "silent" film for its beauty and depiction of a historical time. And lest you get confused A Good Woman is nothing like A Good Girl. Based on an Oscar Wilde play, A Good Woman ,stars Helen Hunt and Scarlett Johansson and is set in Italy. I won't say too much and give away the plot, but if you enjoy Wilde's wit and his clever plot lines you'll like this film too.

While we are talking about all things "good" let me say I also enjoyed The Good Thief. This is a remake of Bob Le Flambeur, the french film I watched in August about a gambler. This version is also set in France but the gambler is an American, played by Nick Nolte. I loved the way it compared to the original and how they updated it, though I did feel that the original Bob had a bit more style and class. I should probably have written an entire post just on those films. If you watch Bob Le Flambeur, I'd recommed The Good Thief as a way to extend the experience.

The Cooler is set in Las Vegas and it's a bit dreary. William H. Macy, Maria Bello, and Alec Baldwin star in this film about Macy's job as a "cooler" a person who has an aura of "bad luck" about him that uses that "power" to make people lose... things are going well for him until he finds his "lady luck." This one was pretty good and if you like casino, mob type films I'd recommend it. Woody Allen's film Match Point was different from most of his and though it got rave reviews over at Midwestern Position I am not sure I'd rank it that highly. I did like it better than Closer, though. This entire film made me uneasy, but I was sucked in desperate to know if Jonathan Rhys Meyers was going to get caught. In this movie too, luck was of utmost importance. And for that I enjoyed the film more... Scarlett Johansson's temper tantrum on the street outside his work place was particularly unsettling in that fatal attraction vein.

One film I had never heard of but watched upon recommendation was Connie and Carla and I loved it. Toni Colette and Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) play lounge singers on the run. It's reminiscent of Billy Wilder's Some Like it Hot only in reverse when they hide out as drag queens. I thought this film was loads of fun with great song and dance numbers.

The Cat's Meow is a Peter Bogdanovich film I've rented many times and never gotten around to. This time I did and I am glad. It's based on a scrap of Hollywood legend. "In November 1924, a party of showbiz A-listers—including Charlie Chaplin, British novelist Elinor Glyn, gossip maven Louella Parsons, and silent-film star Marion Davies—gathered aboard the yacht of media magnate William Randolph Hearst to celebrate the birthday of studio mogul Thomas Ince. According to the story, one of the partiers ended up with a bullet in their brain. Writer Peros's dialogue is catty and incisive in the way that only beautiful, flawed people talk; and the performances, especially Eddie Izzard (as Chaplin) and Kirsten Dunst (as the vastly under-appreciated Davies) are excellent. "Works as a reminder that Bogdanovich, who hasn't made a feature film since 1993, is still very much a force as a director—and as another signal of Dunst's astonishing talent" (Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times). She said it so well, I decided to go with her description!

An Unfinished Life is a family drama featuring an all-star cast of Morgan Freeman, who plays the injured-by-bear friend and ranch worker, Robert Redford, as the angry, embittered father who lost a son and didn't even know he had a grand daughter, and Jennifer Lopez, as a battered daughter-in-law on the run with nowhere to go but the one place she's least welcome. It's a nice story. Thank You for Smoking had such a build-up that I sort of expected more. I did like it though. I thought the circle of friends who represent alcohol, gun rights, and big tobacco were entertaining. IMDB describes it this way "a satirical comedy which follows the machinations of Big Tobacco's chief spokesman, Nick Naylor, who spins on behalf of cigarettes while trying to remain a role model for his twelve-year-old son."

Finally, my children's movies of the month: Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Hoot, and Curious George. Hoot was okay, cute and all, but I'd recommend reading the book. I enjoyed that so much more. I think I was annoyed by the soundtrack of this film and mullet fingers didn't look the way I'd imagined him. Ultimately, it's a great book and the movie is a "fair" representation that many kids would probably enjoy. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is a Terry Jones film put out in 1996 and it's a live-action version of The Wind in the Willows. They change things and while it cannot really compare to the greatness of the book, it was entertaining and I felt that the actors who played Rat, Mole, and Toad nailed their parts. You may need to be a fan of Kenneth Grahame's book The Wind in the Willows to be so enthusiastic though. Curious George, I've already gone on about in this post. I love him. He's precious and adorable and I'm buying that film even though it is "G" rated and aimed at the under age 5 audience. They did a terrific job with this film. I was so in love with that little monkey that I didn't even notice it was Will Ferrell providing the voice for the man with the yellow hat.

Foreign Films
Le Professionnel
Le Cercle Rouge
Touchez Pas Au Grisbi

Le Professionnel stars the same actor as in A bout de Souffle, Jean-Paul Belmondo, only 20 years later. It's a rather sad story about a hitman. Le Cercle Rouge stars Alain Delon, the same actor as in Le Samourai. Both were directed by Jean-Pierre Melville I liked this one quite a bit. I thought it was an interesting story and had great style. It's a heist story, essentially. Touchez Pas Au Grisbi also features Daniel Cauchy from in Bob Le Flambeur, but he's not the main character.

Classic Films
North by Northwest
Charade
Father Goose

Every time I get a good dose of classic films I am AMAZED that I have lived this long and somehow managed to miss these fantastic films. I loved, loved, loved Charade. It was this terrific blend of suspense, comedy, romance, and adventure. Audrey Hepburn was terrific and Cary Grant was at his best. I loved the shower scene, for those of you who have scene it. I thought North by Northwest was great and I'd almost felt as though I HAD seen it because of how familiar so many stills from the film are to me. Father Goose was sweet and funny. The "scavenger hunt" for rum was entertaining and I liked the marriage scene. I'm a sap.

At the Theatre
Pirates of the Carribean--Dead Man's Chest

I actually saw this one at the drive-in theatre in the very beginning of September. We loaded up on buttery popcorn and diet coke and had a great time of it. Movie-wise I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as the first one. Johnny Depp is still great, though.


What I was listening to in September/October

I really fell behind in all blog related posting but that doesn't mean I didn't actually listen to music because I did. On the road to Rolla for both trips to see Grandma I listened to Dwight Yoakam, Connie Smith, Patsy Cline, Wanda Jackson and sang at the top of my lungs. On one trip I listened to my Midwestern Mix CD and another mix CD I made for myself. I also listened to soundtracks to Hair, RENT, and Mamma Mia....

On vinyl I've been listening to Joni Mitchell's Blue. Thanks to Sara at The Midwestern Position's suggestion. At school I've been playing ABBA, Blondie, Neil Diamond, and more.


Here are my MP3 shuffles of the month of Sept. (I didn't update it even ONCE in Oct.)


Sept 3
You Might Think by The Cars
Bang a Gong by T. Rex
Crazy Love by Van Morrison
If You Leave Me Now by Chicago
Sweet Child of Mine by Guns and Roses

Sept 15
Wonder Boy by Lesley Gore
Bankrobber by The Clash
Time Trap by Built to Spill
These Eyes by The Guess Who
Honky Tonk Man by JOhnny Horton


Sept 23

Hey Tonight by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Best of My Love by The Emotions
Feel Like Makin' Love by Bad Company
Better Together by Jack Johnson
Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd