Meltdown

Today I had a T-shirt-related meltdown. Frankly, I know I've had a good cry coming for days (last night I started crying while watching M*A*S*H) and this afternoon it absolutely erupted.
See, I lost my Princess Sparkle shirt, my absolute favoritest T-shirt ever, the lilac one with the My Little Pony on it. I was devastated. I could not find it. I ripped through the laundry, upheaved the apartment, and was seriously freaking out, thinking I'd accidentally thrown it away or lost it in the laundromat weeks ago.
My poor mother had, once again, to pick up the pieces via a phone call in which I was bawling. Bravely, she tried talking me through the places it could be, and I hung up with a renewed interest in looking and trying to stop crying.
You have to understand that my mother is amazing at finding things...so am I, but not when it's my own stuff. I can find stuff for anyone else, but when it came to finding something in my room, the calm head of my mother always prevailed.
And then I found the shirt. In a place I'd already looked, which is typical. My mother always found my stuff in places I'd already searched. I stopped crying immediately.
I don't know if this makes me immature or if I was responding to something else and therefore disproportionately upset, but let's just say if I'd really lost that shirt I would consider it a bad, bad turn. I shudder to think.
Princess Sparkle, don't ever leave me again!

PR ep.4

First, let's finish off the picture journal.
Here is my bathroom tile:




Here is the miraculously color-matching towel design I found at IKEA:







And here is my new sofa in its rightful place (though still wrapped):

My landlady is done with everything she needed to do in the apartment, so it is officially mine! Woot!



So, Project Runway. First, true to form, Keith is kicked off for reasons unrelated to those reported by rumor scouts, etc. I am not sorry to see him go, though I am sorry that he made such poor decisions in the middle of a very high-stakes competition.
Second, my favorite line from Tim Gunn's Tim's Take: "Robert draws like an angel."
As for the designs, I am distressed that we have had TWO group challenges in four episodes. It is a time when I wish to learn more about the designers as individuals, more about their aesthetics and their execution of their own work. It was too soon for another group project with team leaders. It felt rehashed rather than new and innovative. In short, I want to see more pretty dresses.
I'm pleased for Angela, though I recognize that her team tamed her. This is also not a problem for me because, as Angela rightly pointed out, it was a truly collaborative effort. It's nice when a team that gets along well wins. I'm also glad Alison and Jeffrey got some attention, though I really wish Alison would win a challenge. In this episode we saw more from Jeffrey along the lines of frustration and uncertainty rather than bitterness or arrogance, which makes me root for him also. So, in the coming weeks I want to see wins for those two and for Michael and Laura. I still can't decide whom I like best out of the crew of designers. It's still almost anybody's game, and I think that's fantastic.

And now I need to go home and try to get rid of this headache...it was supposed to storm today but it didn't, only rained, and I don't know, the pressure out there is doing something awful to my head.

The Great Sofa Caper: A picture journal

Yesterday, I went to get my sofa.
My landlady graciously said I could put my sofa in my new apt. space whenever I liked, and since Canton seemed to be quickly running out of my sofa bed, I decided I'd better do it. So, I rented a:


Dodge Ram 1500.
Check out those guns!
I walked to go get it from about seven blocks away, which was a little dumb when we were under a heat advisory, but I made it by drinking water and by remembering that, really, I'm a sturdy little brat, and this isn't any more difficult than hiking the Lighthouse trail in Ludington State Park, much of which is in open sunshine.
Before I left, I made sure to measure up my apartment. Here's what it looks like:







So, I got all my measurements, nearly passing out in the process because it was so hot in there.
And then I set off. I practiced with the truck by driving to Home Depot to buy a tarp and some rope (which I didn't use, and by the way, IKEA has twine anyway). Basically the truck handles a lot like my Dad's Jeep, but it took a bit to get used to the width of the truck. I couldn't believe I would actually fit in the lanes. It was easier on the highway where you're not right next to cars most of the time, and the lanes are wider. I listened to a mix CD by my friend Mike and felt very giddy about everything, actually laughing out loud a little bit at the thought of my little self in command of this giant truck, watching cars get out of my way even though I was going the speed limit. It wasn't like a power-happy thing, I just felt happy that I was doing something new and productive and exciting. With air conditioning.
So I got to IKEA, and was gratified to see that it wasn't as crowded as the first time I went, and certainly wasn't anywhere near the crowds Carrie and Paul encountered when they went--which, the IKEA lady told me, was actually one of, if not the, most crowded day ever, maybe even more than opening day. Who knew? I was feeling a little panicky and I admit I sort of half-ran into the store and made a beeline for sofas. The lady called down to make sure they did indeed have the item, and reserved one for me so I could go pick it up. I quickly went through furniture to see if there were anything else I wanted right then, and made a few notes on possible items I want to think about. For instance, the IVAR tv unit with casters, which I could paint with the same paint I got for my lamps, blue, just for something a little different. Anything else I wanted I know I could fit in the Saturn, so nothing else was urgent.
Then, I went down to the Marketplace section and picked up my curtains and some globe lamps to paint, along with some hangers and other odds and ends. They were out of the laundry bag I wanted, one with really sturdy handles and a shoulder strap. Hopefully if and when I go back they will have more, as it's a popular item.
Then things got a little funny. In a good way. See, the linoleum in my apartment is not what I was expecting. The floor (which I am trying to show you a picture of but the pictures function suddenly isn't working) is a russety red, gold, and cream pattern. My other bathroom, tiled in peach tones, is much different. So right then I'm thinking, how on earth am I going to find something to match this? And then I found these. Wild, right? They're about the same color, with a few other colors thrown in. I picked up one hand towel and one bath towel (fior a guest set. I still need to find a washcloth and bathmats, because they didn't have anything quite right. They were out of the Thisted Mork shower curtain, but I think I might go with a solid color anyway, maybe a gold, and get some new gold bathroom curtains. The yellow curtains already in the bathroom are fine but they're looking a little worn. Anyway, it was a good omen, followed closely by another good omen, which was this: a lady wearing an outfit exactly the same as one my mother has. It was like Mom was with me, which is a good sign when I'm shopping.
I got my sofa in good order and got some major help getting it in the truck. Good omen again--it fit, diagonally, EXACTLY. The tailgate shut and everything and I didn't have to tie it down. I called home and set off. Visibility in the rearview was poor, so I made sure my side mirrors were in good spots and then just didn't change lanes much. I made it back to find Steve and Liss waiting and Carrie and Paul quickly following, and the boys, with a bit of help from the ladies, got the sofa down and into the apartment--it just fit through the door. Thanks a bunch for your help, everybody! You are very awesome friends.
So, there it sits, ready to rock and roll. I think the apartment might be ready, but I'm going to wait until next week to get the utilities going, I think. The gas is shut off and the electricity is on, but I don't need it yet. Still haven't decided what extras are going in...cable? internet? Who knows. I just feel relieved and happy that the nervous calls to IKEA can end.

GAH! IKEA!

Damn and blast.
IKEA's website now reports that they are out, OUT, of the white version of the sofa I want. Thus, my backup plan of getting the white sofa and buying an extra blue cover when it comes in is destroyed.
ARGH!
They only have beige and a red and white stripe in right now, both of which are the same price as the blue. Oh, and the number of stores in this country that have Idemo Dark Blue has dwindled to two. How is this possible? HOW?
This is the sound of me begging:
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, BLUE, COME IN EARLY! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, IKEA, DON'T FORGET TO CALL ME WHEN IT DOES COME IN!

Update: I called IKEA in what basically amounted to furniture panic, and the lady said they did in fact have white in at Canton. Basically, I'm going to have to pull off a herculean feat of arranging transport, calling IKEA to make sure they have the sofa, and getting it into my place all at the same time. The lady also said that they actually will wait 6 weeks to *make* the order, and then it's a week until it's delivered (hence the previous 8-week timetable), but a: they may move up the order date, and b: they may not reorder the color at all.

Crocheting/Bumps in the Night

Pictures are working again; ok, so this isn't the best picture of me ever, but I made that hat. I have also since made a scarf to go with it. I am now working on a 1940s crochet design for a long snood, with a more modern yarn. So I can consider myself a crocheter, I think. I'm still not very good, but the motions are much easier now.

So, now I'm sitting here watching the weather map, and a storm/rain system I was sure was going to hit us looks like it's trying to divide and break apart in the center...it's going to be close, but I think it will still get us at least a little, and if it can do anything to make it cooler, I'm all for it. My apartment is...unthinkably warm. I keep waking up in the middle of the night feeling ill, and I think it must be from heat, even though my fan is on me.

Also, I think I'm hearing noises...my fan occasionally makes a strange click, but I'm quite certain these noises aren't that. I was getting out of the shower last night when I heard it, which scared me, because I thought it was my door, even though that was locked. I walked the apartment and didn't see anything out of the ordinary, then went to bed...and heard it again. It was a sort of noise like someone putting something like a pot and lid away close to my wall in a neighboring apartment. Those apartments are empty, though. I thought it might be an animal, but I don't know...it it's on my side, I haven't heard it anywhere else but that one spot, and if it's on the other it sure is picking its times to make the exact same noise pretty oddly. I suppose it could be pipes reacting to the heat. I'm pretty sure I'm not haunted.

The only problem with all this is that I watched When a Stranger Calls Back on tv the other night. For those of you unfamiliar, When a Stranger Calls, the original, is one of the scariest movies of all time (#28 on the Bravo list), about the old urban legend of the babysitter getting scary calls that turn out to be coming from inside the house. I refuse to see this movie because that really does scare me (I refuse to see the remake from this year, but mostly because I've heard it's not good), but I thought the sequel would be okay. In truth, it was. It was creepy but not really scary to me; however, when you're alone in the house, creepy is really enough to get you going. It was that way with 28 Days Later, too. I wasn't scared watching it, just a little grossed out, but it was just creepy enough to make me jumpy later that evening. Thus, in a way, my desire not to see the original Stranger is supported, because I would almost definitely need to be with people and my mind would return to it when I wasn't.

I do love scary movies, though not so much the gory ones. I've been trying to figure out for some time which scary movies I like and why, to see if I can find a pattern to help me choose new flicks for rental. I can, but there are exceptions. Jaws has always been one of my favorites; I can see why people are terrified by that movie, and I might be if I swam a lot in the ocean. Actually, I've never been swimming in the ocean but I think I'm more afraid of jellyfish. Anyway, I love creature flicks in general, counting Jurassic Park, even, in that category, and also ghost movies (but not Ghost) and sci-fi-related thrillers, except I often don't find scary what others do. Poltergeist doesn't scare me at all...I love it, but my Mom refuses to watch it.

Generally, It seems like it's the movies where man is chopped up by man that I don't like as well, unless they are supernatural in some way. For instance, I don't feel much desire to see any Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie, or a movie like Audition, which is just too much. I like Scream, though. And for some reason I favor the Halloween series over Friday the 13th, even though both have a supernatural element. I don't mind Nightmare on Elm St movies because they have nostalgia value, though they fall in the realm of too much gore for me (I stand by my Fear Factor-related rampage that fear and disgust/nausea are not the same thing. Sitting in a pile of cockroaches while someone looks for something by hand is thus more acceptable than eating guts. Fear can make you nauseous, but nausea in itself is not fear. Bad taste isn't scary, it's just bad taste.). Thus, when I'm in the mood for horror/fear I go for something involving supernatural creatures or space (even if they're terrible...watching Event Horizon is better to me than risking Audition); I'm more reluctant when a film involves just people, unless it's a suspense movie rather than gore or similar discomfort. Even then, I have to make sure it's not a situation that I experience (like being alone in a house), or I'm in for sleepless nights.

So, to sum up a little---

• Yes to House on Haunted Hill, no to The Last House on the Left.
• Yes to The Birds, no to Cujo (no, no, no to Cujo).
• Yes to anything in the Aliens franchise, no to Evil Dead (I think...gore factor)
• Yes to Wait Until Dark (unless I go blind), no to Fatal Attraction (I tried to watch this once, I actually rented it, but then I just didn't feel like it. I wasn't interested).
• Yes to The Omen, no to The Game (seen it. Bored)
• Yes to Silence of the Lambs, no to Deliverance.

(Secretly, I cherish the dream of watching When a Stranger Calls, but it's going to be a while before I'm ready.)

And now, it says it's 77 degrees outside and light rain, but that storm did in fact fall apart completely and the most we'll get is probably a mm of rain. Boo, unless it really is in fact 77 degrees, in which case I could go home without melting.

More about pedestrians

Lest my previous post be misunderstood, let me just add that:
1. I used to be interested in being a cheerleader.
2. Cows can actually be pretty smart, but they, like cheerleaders, have the reputation of standing there dumbly without thinking about much. These cheerleaders certainly fit that description. Anyone reading my completely truthful account of their behavior can only be left to agree that they were behaving stupidly.
3. I am increasingly frustrated at the idiotic pedestrian behavior of kids; just the other day, I very nearly hit a kid who didn't even bother looking for traffic before he started to jaywalk; in fact, he was dialing his phone. If his friend hadn't stopped him, and if I hadn't been watching very carefully, he would have been a smear on the busiest street in town, and I would be left with a lifetime of guilt for his stupid action...and I assure you that I am one of the more cautious drivers out there.
There. Now that's out of the way, you can save your ichor. I don't get angry at much, but if I actually feel like getting out of the car and giving you a good yell, you know that you've done something very, very dumb, but also, like a parent, I'm concerned that your stupidity is going to get you killed.
I actually knew someone who killed a pedestrian and has to go through the very guilt I mentioned above. The walker in question was standing in dark clothes in the middle of the street at night. My friend had absolutely no chance to avoid him. It wasn't his fault, and he was cleared legally, but obviously he's always going to have that on his mind. I don't want that, and you don't want to be killed, so let's just agree that people need to be more considerate of the people around them, okay?

bratty cheerleading campers

A big pack of bratty cheerleading campers were walking in the road on campus Friday late afternoon. As I drove down the road, they looked back at me and simply didn't seem to register that, in fact, I was a car and they should move. They gradually moved over, but then did the same exact thing to a white oncoming car, literally staring at it for 5 seconds before they made any effort to move the remaining three feet onto the sidewalk.
Dear bratty cheerleaders,
I realize that cheerleading equates you with being dumb as cows, but even cows generally know to get out of the road when a car is coming. MOVE IT.

PR/Crocheting/More Antiques

1. Project Runway, with Spoilers
As I have now discussed this week's episode with all but one of my regular readers who watch the show (that I know of), PR goes up top today. (Sorry, Sis).
"Gah! "springs to mind when I think about the episode this week. There was much to enjoy, oh yes, but also much that aggravated me. A few politic notes up front: I like how Bravo edited the show this week to more deftly turn the audience against Keith. He got a little weird last week, but this week he was a brat, plain and simple. Tim Gunn's comment from his blog: "Keith and his petulance are becoming irksome." Right on as always, Tim Gunn. I especially liked...I mean hated...how Keith thought he should have won since his construction was, in his mind, so far above everyone else's, even though he really didn't meet the challenge at all and could have been kicked off simply for that. Unchecked arrogance makes me cross.
Now...good things to cleanse our minds:
Tim Gunn walking 13 tiny dogs. How adorable is that?
Some truly knock-out designs: Alison, Laura, Michael, and Uli stood out to me as top 4, not necessarily in that order. I also thought Jeffrey's was attractive.
I like that there are, every week, several designs that are lovely and immaculate. I hope that continues. Tim Gunn points out how many more designers are doing sleeves this season, which is indeed interesting. Remember how hard it was for people to put together a simple jacket before?
Ambivalent things:
I was not impressed with Kayne's garment, which didn't show up well on my TV, and Bradley was really more of a middle runner than a frontrunner for me. I neither loved nor hated Robert's, and Bonnie's looked like it might have been nice, but I really couldn't see it as well as I'd have liked (and the PR website pic is too tiny).
Things that bothered me, besides Keith:
Angela. Carrie and I are in total agreement that we'd wear something like Katherine's garment, and I thought it was irksome that the judges picked on her construction, whereas Tim Gunn in his take said it was well constructed. Hmm. In any case, I would much rather have kept her on for a while and dumped Angela. Tim points out Angela's definite point of view, but I question the merit of that when there is no taste level.
I am also bothered, and I know I'm not the only one, by the scanty coverage of Michael. Perhaps he's interview shy, or doesn't talk to Tim Gunn much, but he's really the only designer we haven't heard much from...he had a couple of soundbytes last night, but honestly, I'd really like to hear more from him. I do like that I get a chance to judge him solely based on his fashion, which is nicely unbiased and lends more credence to my respect for his work, and he may simply be a quieter individual, but I feel like his airtime needs to increase, stat.
Vincent. Geez. I'm sorry, I can't deal with him. I can't believe, either, that he didn't get called out for utter ho-hum in terms of the garment. Katherine's was vastly more interesting to me. Vincent's has been done...it was called the 80s.

2. Crocheting
I made this...Darn, I can't get pictures to work. Going to have to wait on that one, I guess.

3. More Antiques
Yesterday I went to the Maumee Antique Mall, which I think might be larger than Jeffrey's, but which is sort of like an antique store combined with Goodwill or a similar thrift store, with stuff from the 80s and 90s (I spotted video tapes that can't be more than five years old, too) mixed in. It was still enjoyable, though my furniture confusion continues. This time I took notes and pictures of items that might work in my new place, so now I have notes from Jeffrey's, notes from Maumee, notes from IKEA, and shorter notes from places like Target and Pier 1's websites for further reconnaissance. Pier 1, despite its new high-end direction, still has nicely cheap glassware ($3 simple wine glasses, for instance), as well as some cute bowls and some nice dinnerware. Target has impressed me of late with its website's many products, though I'd prefer not to order things...hopefully the store will have some neat stuff.
I am simultaneously making a plan of attack for buying stuff and reminding myself I need to downsize my plans a little...I'm not outfitting the whole darn house in antiques, I'm simply seeking one or two or maybe three good pieces to go with some simple, cheap, but nice new pieces so that I have a place I can genuinely work in. Or pieces I can paint or stain, like IKEA's unfinished woods! For instance, I don't need both an antique table and an antique desk, especially when I have my eye on the previously mentioned antique china hutch and perhaps an old rocker (of which I found several, in good shape). Someday, I'll have a house, so I also want to make sure the furniture I have will blend.
Anyway, I bought three pairs of shoes!

Sad news: Mako died. He was possibly my favorite Asian actor, and one of my favorite actors period, instantly recognizable and in lots of things I loved to watch over the years. Here's his film history. Go be amazed already.

More boring furniture blather and such

Fun Fact: Only 5 IKEA stores in the United States have the color of the Ektorp sofa that I want in stock, according to the website. How very interesting. Oh, and one of them is notably NOT Canton, MI.
I put in a reserve order for my color but, according to the central offices, it isn't supposed to be in store for seven more weeks. I have to admit, I've reached the point of "I want this sofa" and when that happens, stubbornness sets in. I wasn't going to get my heart set on anything before I got into the apartment, but honestly, the price is right, the sofa is actually comfortable, more comfortable than the one I have (don't even think it...it won't fit in the space I have in my current place, so no switcheroo), the color matches that curtain I like, and this has become sort of a matter of pride. I want it! (If it will not fit for some reason, I shall have a tantrum. I have reached that point. I have even reached the point where I think I will secretly measure the door to the apartment.) It will even match my sky chair, which I have in cobalt and haven't been able to fit anywhere in my current place.
Having the thing shipped from online is not an option as the cost is...prohibitive...and I have developed an alternative plan just in case, which is to wait as long as I can, then buy the sofa in white and buy/order the blue cover separately, which it just so happens you can do with this sofa as covers are removable. It's a good plan, because even if by some chance they are completely out of the sofa by the time I'm ready to get it, at least I will have a reserve in for a new batch.
Seriously, though. 7 weeks? That's a ruddy long time.

Anyway, it's Monday again and I've been fairly productive today, for a change, having completed a few book reviews and begun the work of Winter Wheat file transfer. I realized yesterday that I really need to get a move on with this manuscript thing if I want to get it in good shape to start sending it out sometime this year or next Spring, or even see if this is possible. Unfortunately I feel icky today and the flurry of activity may need to be short lived. Certainly, there will be no jogging. What a shame.

It's coming...


















AAAAAAAHHHH!

Catch Up: IKEA and PR

1. IKEA
I'm doing this post out of chronological order so that no one who hasn't watched this week's Project Runway has to scroll down past the "spoilers." (Though, as it's Friday, you've now had several opportunities to catch up :)
OK, so Ikea. I like an adventure once in a while, even if it's simple, and to be honest, I had that rare (for me) feeling of needing to get the heck out of town. So, I decided to journey north to Ikea in Canton, MI. I've never been to an Ikea, and my goodness the experience was so energizing to me (or maybe it was the two cups of coffee with four sugars each I drank while wandering the store) that I had to text Steve several times when I could get service in the massiveness that is Ikea.
I found many things that I like, picked up prospectus sheets for various sofas, futons, and build-a-table items, and wrote down descriptions of things on my handy pink notepad. I measured seat depths, fingered drapes, and wished, WISHED, I had dimensions and a drawing for my new apartment. I saw storage solutions I enjoyed and some that merely seemed practical. I even saw an Arabian princessesque round floorbed, which was well out of my price range, but, well, it's good to know they make such things.
I'm partial to the Ektorp sofabed in dark blue, and this set of drapes...seems like I might be headed in the dark blue, green, and white decor direction, which should not surprise anyone who knows my current dishes.
Oh, and sister, have you seen this? They have a neat lamp with a spiderweb on it, too, but I can't find it on the website so as to leave a link.
Anyway. Much adventure was had, as well as much coffee, and Wendy's was eaten on the way home. Made good progress with in-car tapes of Harry Potter 5. When I have my camera cord with me, I will post the picture of the crazy jaws on the front of a semi truck that was behind me, which I took a picture of over my shoulder. Maximum Overdrive, anyone?

2. Project Runway
I was disappointed with the results of the second challenge for PR on Wednesday. Now, I didn't particularly enjoy the execution of Malan's design (though the design idea was intriguing...certainly a case of needed restraint, almost Santinoesque), but he is highly talented, and I would have liked to see what he could come up with in future, since so far he'd been a decent sort of person, and his laugh was something I could have looked forward to, not in a sexed up sort of way, just entertaining.
Furthermore, I can't stand Vincent, and Angela, though I favored her based on what I saw of the team, is getting on my nerves. I would not have been a bit sorry to see either kicked off. Vincent's dress wasn't hopeless, as Angela seemed to think...it wasn't flawless, but it wasn't a *total* disaster, but as a designer and a worker I can't bear Vincent. In an interesting interview, to which Carrie directed me, Malan points out that he didn't think Vincent wanted a partner. Hear hear. This seemed especially irritating since Angela was nearly kicked off for lack of teamwork, even though, as evidenced by many scenes in the actual broadcast, she did volunteer help countless times, which Vincent actually lied about to the judges, on camera. GAHHH! Scandalous. Angela may be irritating, but seriously, she would have been a lot less so if Vincent had simply given her a task. That's why a leader delegates. Vincent, I'm mentally voting you off the workroom island.
(Side note 1: For some added post-rant perspective, I actually just read Tim Gunn's Tim's Take, which seemed a bit short this week, though I can understand why. His paragraph about Angela and Vincent is Absolutely Dead-On, and I agree with him completely, as he seems to agree with me. A quote: "I was pissed at Vincent for his exclusionary behavior, and I was pissed at Angela for being so “whatever” about it all..." I love you, Tim Gunn!)
Now, as for dresses I liked, there were several that seemed wearable, and I'm torn between Keith and Bradley and Uli and Bonnie for the "dresses-I'd-wear" category. Laura and Michael's dress was pretty, but seemed a little...prommy? Windsorish? to me. I wasn't sorry that Kayne and Robert won, though I didn't enjoy the way the bodice moved so much. As sickening as the Angela/Vincent debacle was, there were several really inspired pairings of people, such as Laura and Michael.
All in all, a weird episode, even though it should have been simple.
(Side note 2: They still haven't done anything about the abysmal web design of the Project Runway pages, so make sure your eyes are energetic before you go there.)

Cutco

Oddly related to my last post, since I got the pearl colored handles, I got some Cutco knives today. A former student's friend sells them, and while she gets paid to give the presentations, not for selling (thus making the occasion guilt-free), I needed some good knives and so I bought five, the trimmer, a carver, two paring knives, and my favorite, the petite chef's knife. I'm very excited, as I also get the kitchen shears free, and I got a free peeler for recommending two friends for presentations. These knives cost a lot, but I think I'm going to be satisfied with the purchase. I needed the chef's knife in particular because I really am terrible at dicing and I'd like to learn to do it properly, but I can't do that with any of the knives I own. Plus what passes for my trimmer/carver now has a bent blade and has never cut straight. I'm excited, but I need to be more careful with these knives since they're so sharp.

In other news, I think I really do have a problem with my hip...by the end of my run yesterday it was aching quite a lot, and I think late last night the regular phone rang or something, and I tried to get up but I couldn't. I think I might have yelped in pain, but I was half asleep. Today it's pretty stiff. My theory is that the different shapes of my hips, which make the right one have less range of movement, are throwing everything out of whack. I have no idea what to do about this...I know a quick fix to help even them out, but sometimes I think the strain of it makes things worse. I always knew they were off because I could feel it in ballet, especially doing grand battement...one leg is slightly shorter. I had this confirmed in physical therapy, hence the quick fix. But I don't know how to figure out what's happening without expensive doctor's visits. Bleh.

Pearls

So I've been using Crest Whitestrips for less than a week.
Pros:
1. Teeth are already noticeably whiter
2. Strips are vast improvement over painting gel on teeth with a little brush and having gross pasty feeling and appearance all over mouth. Strips are much less messy.
Cons:
1. Teeth are very sensitive. Actually, I took a day off because they just hurt too much for me to want to put strips on. Generally, though, I am pleased with Strips performance.

I'm in kind of a sad place today. I don't know quite why, or rather I do, but it's all so complicated. I look pretty athletic, though, and am planning on a jog since it is about ten or twelve degrees cooler today than it was yesterday. Here's hoping the apartment is less melty tonight. I got two hours of House reruns on tap and during commercials will check in with Gilmore Girls reruns, and I also have two movies from Video Spectrum that aren't due back until Saturday. Also I have a frozen casserole portion so I don't have to cook anything new. Might knit something, too. Who knows.

Brainstream re: Apartment and Internet Shopping

Have suddenly felt a slightly positive attitude shift regarding second apartment. Have been feeling really dumb/guilty about excessive spending lately and worrying if it would interfere with apartment shopping, but on reading Chasing Paper's recent furniture shopping exploits and hearing about Ikea's sofa offerings, I checked the website. Have looked there for other things and not always liked appearance/price of products, but have discovered several sofa beds that would be tolerable, under $700, though have now noticed that prices change depending on color of fabric. White is cheapest, but also dumbest with my habit of writing on sofa by accident. Anyway, sofa beds are expensive and have been seriously considering futon ownership, but now may not have to. Wish could figure out how Ikea futons would be comfortable with no arms to snuggle on, because one option is gorgeous-on-website dark purple. Hm. They show an apartment picture with arm cushions on futon but can't find on website. GAH! What to do?
(sidenote: Am currently reading Bridget Jones 2, so post is in manner of diaryspeak through no fault of self. Simply am chameleon and cannot help it)
Must wait until can get in apartment anyway, so as to measure space and doors and not rush in with furniture that won't fit. Though beds, etc come with assembly required, so perhaps not such an issue with doors. Wish, just once, could have craft table, dining table, and desk in one apartment, but not be crowded. Am hopeful that will have enough room to set up portable dance barre regularly.
*giggle* Am on La-Z-Boy website now and am gleeful that could have a pink sleeper sofa if so chose. Do not however enjoy website's total lack of price information. Generally, don't wish to bother going to a store if I don't know how much I'd be shelling out. Rather pointless. Especially as LZB is expensive.
Hmm. Have been exploring Ikea's Canton store website. Seems like it may be more fun than previously supposed. May need to visit immediately or as soon as have apartment measurements, or both. Will enjoy exploring alone as in manner of hunter. Can I wait until whenever apartment is available, which is not for another two weeks at least and possibly more since lease does not officially start until August 15? Have already been to Jeffrey's antiques to scope furniture there. Have already been on countless furniture websites. Why not explore? Perhaps will go this week for reconnaissance mission. If allowed to drink coffee while shopping, will be sold.
Have just remembered that exciting curtain-buying and bathroom accessorizing must also take place. Yay! Love love love textiles. Also have two rugs made by great-grandmother so learning to make rugs not so urgent. Very soft circle rugs. Could make all things, of course, but have enough sewing and knitting projects, really.

V. sorry, all, for being so boring. Realized today that now there are three blogs AND a personal diary, along with family journal twice a year. Drawback to not talking to people much is needing more outlets. Realized have not really talked with people about inner self much due to time, life events, etc., on both sides, nor have really reflected much on paper. Realized that Mom has also had to bear the brunt of self rattling on about anything in particular. Thanks, Mom.

Vanity, thy name is Ben Roethlisberger.

In a Sports Illustrated article, accessible on cnn.com, Roethlisberger remarked, on forgetting his helmet:
"I had just gotten my bike all custom done. It was painted up and it was really nice," he said. "I was supposed to take my helmet that day with me to get painted to match my bike so I could wear it all the time when I rode that bike and I totally forgot it."
What I draw from this is that the boy didn't wear his helmet all the time because it didn't match his bike.
I know I tend to be a little hard on the younger athletes, who often seem inexcusably dumb, and who also often say things that aren't really what they mean, but sheesh.
Grow up already.

Bath/PR

On Monday I bought...












Bringing my total LUSH product stash to...


Lotta, lotta stuff. I actually took a previous picture of everything I have, but forgot a few elements from my sink area, so I had to retake it. Yesterday, witnessed by Steve, I had to buy a basket because I have more stuff than my current basket, which also contains other delicious bath products, could handle.
I took a bath last night with half of one of the new bubble bars, called "The Comforter," which smells like black currants and turns the water a frothy pink. I got a lot of bubbles out of it, and it felt much like I was a movie star in one of those baths where the bubbles are piled high and strategically placed. I listened to some of Harry Potter 5 on tape and ate a Twix bar. For dinner, I'd had pizza and salad, and a cold glass of milk whilst I watched Project Runway. This is living.

So, Project Runway. Let me first say that the new layout of the website sucks. I sent Bravo an email politely describing why it was user unfriendly, and I hope they listen, because I don't know if I can keep reading Tim's Take in such infinitessimal and poorly colored print. Ouch. And the pictures for Rate the Runway are too small to see detail. Why? Because over half the screen is taken up by ads, schedules from other shows, and irrelevant browse material that I don't want to look at because I don't believe it is any better than PR and I can only handle so much eyestrain.
Now, about the fashions and designers. I was sad to see Stacey go, because I think she had more to offer than some of the other contestants might prove to in upcoming episodes...though her sewing machine difficulty (which I would probably have, too) was a serious liability. I was also sad for everyone when they had no furniture after this challenge. How demoralizing is that? This isn't boot camp. It's not even fashion camp, as Tim Gunn said in the season 3 casting show (which was fun).
Now, Keith got a lot of flack for the simplicity of the design, and I, like Tim was also surprised when the judges didn't pick on innovation, as they did so often last season, but the dress was adorable, and the accessorizing was well chosen. Should Robert or Laura have won? I don't want to take sides at this date, but I liked Keith's look and I'm certainly not sorry that he won. I am looking forward to seeing more of these three down the line.
Also strong was Michael Knight. His dress was absolutely adorable and I love love love the way you know people look at him and make judgments about who he is, and then the confections he designs shatter that stereotype. I don't get a reading on him yet as a person, but I loved his dress.
Four very wearable designs in the very first challenge! Others were certainly interesting, and some wearable but perhaps not well made or not fully conceived.
I don't dislike anyone yet, though I would feel distinctly uncomfortable around Malan, Vincent, and possibly Jeffrey if I were among them. Malan's laugh will keep me entertained, though I don't think he really "needs" the show as much as some of the others, and I don't like his arrogance. Vincent...I can't get him at all. I admire what he's doing in re-starting his design career, but I am baffled by him as a person and designer. Jeffrey...I liked some of the stuff in his bio video, and I think it's great that he's designing for rock stars, but there's something about him I can't quite place that disturbs me. Something that turns me off. I'm down with rock and roll, but I think he, too, might have that special sort of arrogance that makes him a pest, not a genius. That may be a too-quick judgment, and I might be projecting on him feelings about similar people from high school. We'll see.
Anyway, it was an enjoyable first show, I'm piqued for the remaining shows, and glad there's something new on that I like. I can only survive on reruns of House, Supernatural, and Gilmore Girls for so long. I also note that PR has gone the way of Top Chef and gotten a lot more current professionals into the mix. I wonder how that will spark the attitudes?

The Awkward Years

I wanted to share some pictures of my newly expanded LUSH-from-Chicago-trip pile today, but forgot my camera.
Instead, I shall gabble about the phenomenon of Family Movie Night in my house.
When I say family movie, I don't mean, we all pick a movie and watch it together. What I mean is, my sister and I drag the projector, table, and screen down from upstairs, select some super-8 reels from the cabinet, and all gather around in the living room to relive our younger days.
We all enjoyed two nights of movies this past weekend, as all the family was in one house and enjoying rather sedentary activities. The idea this time was that my sis and I would run the show and learn, at last, how to use the projector. We did learn, but Dad still did most of the work. At least we know, now. I also learned about how to splice film. My Dad's system is very organized, with a little notebook about where sections of the film have gone on which reels, and what roughly is on them.
So we started with some of the really older films, when I was a baby or toddler and my sister was 5 or 6. We also watched some when I wasn't born and she was a toddler, "helping" my Dad hammer part of the house addition. To be honest, even though she was small she was pretty good with a hammer. Later footage reveals her pounding nails into a board, "helping" make a "jiminy" (chimney). For my part, probably the best footage of me at a young age was a: dancing in a diaper to some jazz in front of our fireplace, or b: singing in the shower (sounding much like Boo in Monsters, Inc., which you should see immediately if you haven't) and then emerging starkers and soaking wet.
But then, the second night, I snuck in some later films. My sister has a definite thing against the films of her awkward years, and certainly I used to. I was awfully obnoxious or squeaky, and I had some truly awkward times. Recently, though, I've sort of started to embrace them. The other thing is that my awkward years and my sister's are a bit different, so in order to watch the old recital footage, or our My Little Pony plays, or whatever, I have to convince my sibling to put up with it. Really, neither of our awkward years are as bad as we make them out to be, we just get shy about glasses, bad haircuts, and dumb things we said, and it felt good to me to watch some of the films we haven't seen in ages, including "The Teenie Genie of the Lamp" (pony play #2) and ice skating out on the lake.
Our current reel selection, I think, doesn't quite hit the 90s, since there are some films not yet on reels, and they'll stop about 92 or 93 when they're done (we refused to be filmed after that, which is a shame, because we got sort of glamorous). I'm looking forward to seeing the films I haven't seen yet, and hope there's a day when we can get them on to DvD and all have a copy of everything, though I hope we'll always gather around for family movie time. The transfer process is pretty expensive if you don't have the equipment and software, so we'll see. If anyone has any suggestions about transferring super-8 reels to dvd, let me know.
And sister, I know you're reading this: Thanks, or "Thank you, Sawah!"

In other news, two new poems accepted by Backwards City Review!

Open Letter to Person Whose Car I Scratched

Dear Person,
I am so sorry. As I was heading in to church, the wind tore my door out of my hand and sent it clunking into your car door. I left a little paint and a bit of a dent in your door. I'm sorry.
I wanted to catch you after church, but somehow you're quicker than I am, which is hard to believe. I ought to have left my address before church, but I didn't think of it. I'm sorry.
If you're anything like me, you might be angry right now. I take my car very seriously, I love it perhaps a bit too much like a child or a pet...it sleeps right outside my door, after all. Whenever it gets a new scratch or dent I'm sad. I noticed you had another scratch, not caused by me, on the same side, so perhaps you won't notice, but if you're anything like me you'll have noticed immediately. I'm sorry.
Thank you for not leaving me a nasty note on my car, because it was probably pretty obvious, if you noticed the scratch, that it was me. The paint I left will come right off, but I am sorry to have left any other marks, if in fact I did and I'm not just exaggerating out of guilt.
You'd think after five years in "Blowing" Green I'd have learned to hang onto my door, but the truth is, my car shocks me nearly every time I step out of it, and I'm a little gun shy. I'm sorry.
Please Forgive Me!
Avacious

Dance Nostalgia...again.

First, Happy Birthday, Carrie! You rock!

I was watching my old dance recital videos from 2000 and 2001 today. Basically, while I was home helping at this year's recital I noted that two things had changed in the cancan choreography, and wanted to confirm that I was right. Of course I was. I did that dance for ages, and even though I hadn't danced that particular cancan in five years, muscle memory doesn't lie. In fact, that's what I was known for back then, an almost uncanny ability to remember dances exactly as they were taught to me. I was wrong once in a while, but if I had conviction about something, best to go with Abby's version.
Anyway, I watched the cancan and ballet from each tape, and jazz and modern. I skipped the tap and opening numbers, which would have involved too much fast-forward and rewind action. I remembered little things that went on during the shows, and some big things. On reading in someone's blog today that she was having calf problems, I remembered the year my calves caused me to collapse as soon as the final curtain went down. I had to be massaged by my teacher and a doctor...I actually can't remember if that was the year I pulled my hamstring, the last year, or the year before, or what. I noted in a survey recently on myspace that the worst pain I'd ever felt was a bad cold/flu ache, but I lied. My calves were really bad that year, and when I was in Evita they were so bad--tight and painful-- I couldn't put my heels down for two days. I know 2001 was the year I pulled my hamstring in two places, because I remember my dread when it happened, my very last recital ever, not knowing if I'd be able to dance. If you look really hard you can see my Ace wrap under all my tights. 2000 was the year Alina had a bad ankle, and almost collapsed in the final cancan kickline; I don't know how she didn't fall, but the line was strong that year and probably helped pull her up.
And I remember other things, like the quick change from jazz to cancan, from a three piece costume to a ...oh, thirteen piece costume. I was the first one off the stage and I remember stripping as I ran behind the back curtain to get to the senior dressing room, changing into my top on the fly. I remember that 2001 was the first time I'd done jazz in the recital, but I was front and center anyway.
2000 ballet was a really pretty one. I got to dance with my teacher and my dance husband both, and I contributed by making little sleevelets and flower garlands for our hair. The costumes were very pretty white and blue and the dance was particularly well composed. In 2001 my partner Dan and I made up most of the partnering work, and to this day we always talk about what we could have done differently, even though it was pretty.
As I said, I've always had a pretty good memory, and it's funny how much of the backstage stuff comes back just by watching a simple tape. As frustrating as it sometimes was, I actually miss the tiny little senior dressing room, with eight girls crammed into a closet with an expansion curtain, and all our costumes, at least four apiece, sometimes as many as six. How well I remember touching up lipstick or fixing eyeshadow between acts, the year my toe shoes kept sliding off my heels, all the moments when we'd make eyes at each other when we couldn't be seen. How all the little girls would ooh and ahh as the cancan girls made their way through the backstage rooms to get out to the lobby, where the dance began (we ran down the aisles to make our entrance). That perfect combination smell of sweat, face foundation, leather, theater air, and flowers. How excited that smell still makes me whenever I'm backstage anywhere.
When I go home I hope to find some time to watch some of the older videos. We have tons, and are only really missing 1990 (the Circus year), I think. I have big plans to make a scrapbook someday of all my dance stuff, with pictures and programs and mementos. Someday being the operative word.

A little from column a...

In elevator news, I almost got stuck in the elevator this afternoon. It was pretty thrilling. There we were, between the third and fourth floors, and the 4 light went off and we stopped. And by we I mean the elevator and me. I pressed the button again and the elevator moved an inch and then stopped. I tried this two more times and finally got to the fourth floor. I will not be riding the elevator again today.

In pain news, my hip problem mysteriously vanished. There I was, in literal agony a few hours after I ran on Monday because (I think) the muscle was swollen and pushing the tendons around uncomfortably. Now, it feels fine. Ice is really a miracle drug in and of itself.

In beverage news, I've tried Dr. Pepper berries and cream, and can't decide quite what I feel about it. It's not going to replace Dr. Pepper for me, but it makes a nice addition sometimes in the evening. I got a 2-Liter of it so I actually drink it out of a glass.

In hospital news, my Dad is having thyroid surgery next week. Prayers/thoughts are appreciated.

An open discussion about breasts.

Here is an interesting blog/article about Bosoms, or more specifically that women are finally starting to get the message about bra sizes.
I have a complicated relationship with my bosom. I like that I have one, finally, after years and years of a dancer-sized bust, which is virtually invisible. I don't like that its new size signals the absence of the intense exercise I used to get as a dancer, because really, I'm not doing enough, despite the jogging. I don't like that the breasts in question have decided to be slighly different sizes, nor do I like the new pain I feel each month when they get bigger. That never used to happen. I like that my bosom is still small enough to be properly squished into a leotard without taping or binding, as a few of my friends had to do in the studio. I like that I can go braless if I want to, but that there are a wide variety of bras suited to my size, including, at last, the beauty that is the balconet. Sometimes I wish that I were able to wear dresses that required me to be taped into them, but in the long run I'm glad that I probably won't start to sag for a long time, that my bosom will remain firm and young-looking. I don't like that I now spend so much on nice bras, but I like that I am able to find nice bras, and God bless the gal who measured me into my proper size. She was a 34B, too. I'm glad I have need of a bra tree, though I still don't own one. I'm glad that I can answer Alex Means' question (from, oh, fifteen years ago, on the school bus) "Do you wear a bra yet?" with a Yes, thanks. Do you?

Things I Am Newly Addicted To

• Cruncheros

For some reason, this taquito product appeals to me. I don't eat them very often because more often than not, I'm like, what the h was I thinking? And I eat them late when I do eat them, which is even more dumb. They're bad for me, and really, they probably aren't the best representation of their kind. Why keep eating them? Addiction, duh.

• Puzzle books

Variety puzzle books are amazing. I get the Penny Press ones, and I don't have a subscription because when I have them I waste too much time on them as it is. But here's the thing: I am almost incapable of watching TV and doing nothing else, unless the program is really amazing or new to me. I have to have something to do with my hands, and frankly I can only take so much hand-held Yahtzee before I start to go bonkers. It turns out it's not just my hands, but also part of my brain that needs appeasement, and crosswords, word finds, cryptograms, in all types of arrangements, take care of me just fine.

• Flavorice

No one in his or her right mind can say no to Flavorice.

Things I Might Soon Be Addicted To

• X-Files on dvd. Eight episodes per two-disc set, three sets for the first season? Come on. EIGHT HOURS STRAIGHT OF X-FILES. Love it.
• Grilling. I made some pretty sweet burgers last night.

Had a fantastic...
no, that's not it...
I mean, dismal 24 hours in which I was repeatedly scared by lightning and tornado sirens, and liberally hid my head in some blankets. Fortunately, Bowling Green did not get smeared like it could have and my sanity and apartment are still intact.

Anthropomorphizing in the News

Hilarious tidbit from a local news website about a recent earthquake in Cleveland probably resulting from the Akron Magnetic something-or-other:
"It was formed when North America tried unsuccessfully to split a billion years ago."
It's OK, North America. We all fail sometimes.

So my eyes sting today because it was storming this morning and I was awakened at 7:20 am as opposed to remaining obliviously asleep until 10:30. Boo. It was the type of lightning/thunder that makes me cringe and cower a little, but then a particularly shocking flash will come along and I have to open my eyes, I just have to, to make sure a bomb didn't just go off.
We're supposed to have more storms today, but the sun has been "reluctant to participate," so perhaps we won't get hot enough to make anything happen.

Frankly, I need to get some sleep tonight so I can get up fully charged for the US vs. Ghana footie game tomorrow. That's right, I said footie. Not the kind that you put on before you try on shoes at the shoe store, but the kind that we so stubbornly call soccer when no one else does. I don't really care, I just want to see good looking boys run around and kick a ball.
Speaking of which, did anyone else find the ESPN headline "France Blow It" disturbing? We can argue about whether France is a collective noun, but wouldn't it have been easier to write, "French Blow It," which ultimately sounds better? It's the same number of letters, and is more consistent with the announcers, who would have said "France blows it," and have in fact said similar things all World Cup long.
Furthermore, I have finally identified the Irish voice I was hearing in some of the World Cup matches; his name is Tommy Smyth, his accent is mad fun, and did you know there is an entire organization for Gaelic games?

Hot Monday

Here I am in my office eating a gigantic ham and munster sandwich. I just dropped ham down my dress by accident. I also ate some cottage cheese because I can't get enough dairy. I love lunch.
I also love Bing cherries, and yesterday I got some at Meijer and ate too many last night. It's hard to stop eating Bing cherries. My mom used to get them a lot and she'd put out a bowl on the table, and they'd be pretty much gone by the end of the day. It's a good system.
Today it's hothothot, and we're under a storm warning; at this point a storm might be a blessing (and I can't believe I just said that) because it'd probably cool things down a little. My apartment is absurdly warm. I almost--ALMOST--got out of my bed last night to take a cool bath...considering my love for my bed and my dislike of cold water, that was something to think about.
So far I'm doing a really great job avoiding writing my book review. I don't know what the fuss is; I usually do a decent job, and it takes me no time at all once I get going, but for some reason starting it is so hard. I even have notes, like always, of poems I could talk about and lines I particularly responded to. No dice.
I plan to grill this week. I got some thin t-bone steaks to experiment with, and I have some ribeyes in the freezer, along with burger, so I have some options. I can't explain how much I enjoy a fairly cheap, well-marbled ribeye steak on the bone. I've really only ever had one bad one, and that was my fault, because I bought one where the fat was sort of grainy and disintegrating off the steak. Gross. And dumb. But a nice one with some soy sauce, Accent, pepper, and parsley rubbed in there and broiled...awesome. I've never grilled before, so we'll see what happens. My neighbor, who I said could break in the new grill while I was home, said it works great, but he's probably grilled before. I am a grilling novice.
I have eaten too much for lunch and I believe I will be going for a walk before I settle in to work.

Hello, children.
I'm back from Lisa and James's wedding in Hobart/Valparaiso, Indiana, the first wedding I've been to where I've known the groom for longer than the bride, but also where I know both bride and groom equally well, as do many of my friends.
The wedding was lovely, the bride and groom relaxed (at least they looked it) and clearly a handsome couple. I love weddings where there isn't any nervous or tense silence. Even when people make mistakes it should feel normal, or just comfortable and familylike. At this wedding, there weren't any mistakes, and even the silences felt natural. It was a good wedding.
The reception was a good time for everybody. We ate buffet, and even before we ate they did the toasts. The cake was even cut right away, without a lot of fanfare. Same with the couple's first dance. It was sort of like, ok, let's do the wedding stuff while we are calm and unsweaty, then relax more and cut loose and spend time with people without having to be pulled away for duties. A lot of times they space that stuff out through the reception, and it's hard to get everyone together, especially when they're talking to people. Here, everything was all done and we could dance, and early-to-bedders didn't have to miss those moments.
I'm throwing a shout-out to The Safes here. There was a DJ for the first part of the reception, then the band played, and they really got the dance floor working, with a good mixture of songs from different times. I got very sweaty, the strapless bra ended up about two inches lower than it should be a few times, and I got told by the dance superstar of the evening, who is four, that since she did such a good job dancing, I owe her money. It was hilarious.
I have some nice pictures of people, but I feel leery about posting without their permission, so instead, here's my room at the Courtyard Marriott:

More stitchery adventures

So I'm nearly done with dress number two for the week. It's made out of this blue patterned crinkled fabric, not the ordinary crinkled cotton, but...well, it's hard to describe. It's a bit heavy, sort of like that material you see demi-pleated satiny pillow cases made out of. I had a very hard time trying to figure out how on earth to cut it and sew it, and selected a pattern I thought I could work with only to decide another was better and cut out pattern pieces twice.
After discovering that this fabric would NOT sew as is, I decided to treat it sort of like a knit, so have produced stretch seams with a ball-point needle. Thing of that is, the dress would then be slightly too big (and it is), but oddly enough that problem can be mostly fixed by eliminating the zipper and just stitching a tighter seam in the back. The fabric and seams will give enough for me to get it on without a zipper, which actually eliminates some work. It also may give me enough fabric to make straps out of, because I'll be able to cut off some of the extra (I bought all of the fabric of this type there was, which wasn't much. Straps were going to have to be ribbon).
Sewing this stuff is insanely hard, though, because the machine skips stitches, or makes really long stitches intermixed with normal knit-style stitches. Basically, the machine hates, hates, hates this fabric. I've gone over seams multiple times (which you ordinarily do with knits anyway, just not because of stitch gaps) and hand-stitched a few stubborn spots.
Basically, I'm winging it. Probably Tim Gunn is rolling over in his Parsons School desk chair, but I think I'm doing pretty well for fabric I have no idea how to use and a pattern that really doesn't go with the fabric. I think it will look pretty good once I get that back seam in and some adjustments made. Really, I am actually sort of enjoying the obstacles...I'm frustrated, but it's keeping my mind and hands busy. My knee isn't really enjoying the sewing positions on the floor, but the rest of me is enjoying the design challenge.
Speaking of which, Project Runway 3 starts JULY 12! MARK YOUR CALENDARS! I think that's the date. Maybe don't rely on me to mark your calendars.

Finished in Two Days

If you're wondering how cute I am going to be this weekend, here:





What's that? You want to see the dress more closely?

Hair - 4 inches

Do you love my haircut?










Here, why don't you look at it in color?

Are my eyes usually this gi-normous?

Busy Weekend

My weekend was pretty busy; I was at home working the dance recital of the studio I attended for 18 years. It was good to see everybody, and to participate backstage in a routine I know so well. I miss being onstage a lot. I was sort of the mother hen of our group, since I was older than most of the girls, and now I've just been applying those skills to assisting the stage manager with all the needs during the show. For instance, we had one dance in which to "quick change" four girls from a tap costume to a jazz costume.
I also got to spend some time with my parents, though not a whole lot because I was running around so much during the day and at the theater at night. It was nice to sit down to a family meal with them on Sunday before I left, and to eat some dinner leftovers Friday night. My Mom is a great cook and I needed a little fattening up. My parents were amazed that I was drinking so much milk. In the few days I was home, I drank over a half gallon myself.
And now I'm back. I watched the US lose to Czech Republic in World Cup today, which was a shame. They weren't playing the fiery footie of which they are capable, that's for sure. Everyone says this is a great team this year, but they sure didn't look the way, say, the 1996 team did, with energy and panache. Those players had charisma. These guys probably do, too, but they weren't showing it. I'm hoping for better luck with Italy.
I also have to sew rather a lot this week in order to have my dress (or dresses...I need options) ready for my friends' wedding this upcoming weekend. I guess I better go home and do that.

American Girls

When I was young, I wanted desperately a Samantha doll from the American Girls collection. I saved up for her, and relatives sent me money for her at birthdays and Christmas. Then, I decided that if I was going to have the doll, I wanted all her stuff (over a thousand dollars worth), so I kept saving. Then, I decided that having the money was pretty great, too, and I never got the doll. Possibly some day I will still get Samantha...if I can get Nintendo 64 for nostalgia, a doll is not out of the question.
Today, I was perusing the American Girl catalog. They still have the historical dolls I remember, and the prices are pretty much the same. Much of the stuff has gone away, now that they have a lot more dolls, both historical and otherwise. They've had to balance the stuff with the variety of dolls. One of the cool things back in the day was that they had dresses you could wear to look like your Kirsten doll, or your Samantha doll. I always wanted Kirsten's prairie dresses and Samantha's birthday dress. Mostly they only have the nighties now, and other, less historical wear if you want to match your AG doll. But, oh lordy, have they added stuff. There are more historical dolls, for sure, but also dolls that look like you. They have one that looks like me, with light skin, brown hair, and blue eyes, but they also have a doll that has (get ready for it) light skin with freckles, blue eyes, and brown hair with HIGHLIGHTS! Highlights? Are you kidding? Sun-bleaching, natural style, I can understand, but these look dyed in. Are there eleven-year-old girls out there with dyed-in highlights? Why?
Not only that, but the pure abundance of whatnot you can get for your doll is crazy...Irish, African, or Native American dance costumes, ice skates, soccer uniforms, a whole schoolroom, canopy beds, three different horses, a brocade ballgown, fake lunch money (5 dollars! where do you go to school, American Girl?)...I thought it was pretty great when they had an accessory set for each historical doll for each book they wrote about her. Now, they've replaced that with hair salons and sleepover gear. I feel overwhelmed, but I also wonder about the state of imagination for kids today. I remember making caps and tents for My Little Ponies out of wallpaper samples and milk caps, thanks to my sister's craftiness. Do kids *make* stuff anymore? Certainly, this American Girl stuff is pretty amazing, but I have to ponder how much is too much.

Today I Ran....

TWO MILES. And then walked another mile.
I had a break of several days, there was grass being mown, my allergies are going nuts, but I ran two whole miles without stopping.
Who am I and what have I done with myself?

Don't need no lullaby

Today I am that unbelievable kind of drowsy where, no matter what I do or how many naps I take or how much fresh air I get, I can't wake up. My good buddy Michelle has come and gone from Colorado, dance recital is on the near horizon, at which I will help, but today I have just done absolutely nothing and I can't even care.

el futbol

Sabres lose, Tigers win, Pistons....well, we'll just wait and see.
But in other sports news, the World Cup is just around the corner.
Why do I love soccer? Here's a few reasons:

1. The boys are, on average, cuter than in any other sport, except perhaps baseball.
2. It's like hockey on grass; slower, maybe, but only because the field is huge.
3. When I was catsitting with my sister, we used to watch the 1994 World Cup on cable when we visited, since we didn't have it. We actually timed our visits to watch big US games. This was the first big year when there was a lot of fuss over the US team, and it was on US turf. I remember the People magazine article about it, with pictures of men like John Harkes, who is one of the most handsome men in the world. I had a crush on Claudio Reyna at the time. Ah, the 90s.
4. When I was in Italy, I went to a Fiorentina game with my friend Jelena, since a relative of hers, Pedja Mijatovic, was playing with the club at the time. Pedja had been a crazy-huge star in Spain and was still with the Yugoslavian team at the time also. I have one of his jerseys. The game was intensely crazy, even I started yelling "Vai! VAI!" (Go! GO!) and even though Fiorentina lost, it was hella fun to watch the players getting stripped by a mob of fans after the game. Those Italians love their pallone.

The only thing that no longer appeals to me so much about soccer is that the US team has a whole cadre of players who are younger than I am (10) or about my age (6). I've reached that point, friends, where pro athletes are younger than I am and, if they're my age, they better start looking over their shoulders.

A little hockey love.

Let me just give a couple of shout-outs here to Shawn Horcoff and Ryan Miller.
These former Spartans have really torn up the NHL, and I couldn't be more proud to have seen them on the ice many times in person.
Take Shawn: one year ahead of me. I had three years to watch him with season tickets at Munn Arena, though I actually watched him a few games the year before as well. And now? Best center in the west, according to Sports Illustrated, playing for the Oilers, where before him Anson Carter (now a Canuck) and Mike York (now an Islander) tread. He's called one of the best penalty killers, which certainly squares with a season when the Spartans had just as many shorthanded goals as they had power play goals...which was a lot. Yay for Shawn for being in the Stanley Cup finals, even if they did have to play the Wings to do it. Sing the fight song with Rem Murray for me, will you?
Now let's size up Ryan Miller, the shutout king for the Spartans. Many were confused when the Sabres started to play awesomely, but not me. They had Miller, and I'd seen him play. Certainly he struggled initially with pro play, but that's natural. I expected that, but knew greatness was in store. He was skinny, not untried. He bulked up, studied in the minors for a year, then came back to help the Sabres rip up the season and these playoffs. They've got a tough game 7 against Carolina coming up, but I feel pretty satisfied that one of my home-grown boys has been working for his team Spartan-style. He was part of the Spartan goaltending legacy, and has pushed that legacy to further glory.
And what happens if my guys go head to head for the Cup? Do I start cheering for the Oibres or the Salers? Everybody wins. It doesn't get any better than that.
Fight! Fight! Rah Team Fight! Victory for MSU!

Another post about running.

So, lately I've been jogging...regularly.
I'm trying to make this make sense. Consider:
When I was young, I was an awesome runner. I was faster than any girl in my class, and faster than most of the boys. In fact, I was the only girl who ran the fifty-yard playground dash during recess in elementary school that wasn't trying to get boys to like her and therefore intentionally losing. I could beat almost anyone in my class, except Mikey Bargey and Gordon Kiewiet, and on occasion Brian Boldizar or Jason McHenry. I wasn't good at such President's Physical Fitness Test events as "Steal the Bacon," but when it came to a straight track shot or a couple of laps, I was usually first.
Gradually things changed, and my friends Tracy Schmelzer and Ann Siegrist caught up with me, and later Sunshine Nelson, maybe one or two others. I was dancing a lot more, which changes your musculature, while they were playing basketball and softball. Still, I was pretty darn quick, and I remember in middle school when we'd go over to run on the high school track (which involved walking through the woods), and sometimes my sister's class would be out there. That's how I achieved the name "Flo Jo," after winning a particularly big race (I can't even remember what the heck it was, just that I won and then collapsed), and having her cheer for me, which ruled.
In seventh grade I ran track officially, hurdles, which was pretty great. I was trying to get out of distance running at that point, because it made me queasy, and while I wasn't a particularly great hurdle runner, I was more flexible than most of the girls who hadn't done that sort of thing before. Basically, I was the best beginner we had. I ran 60s and 100s, but did better at 100s because I could get up more speed between the hurdles. I have a picture of me flying over a hurdle, actually...it was during my awkward stage, so I won't be showing you unless I'm tipsy. My best friend Ann ran 60s with me, and we often went 1-2 in a race, me at #2, but I won quite a few 100 races, too, or at least came in first out of our runners. I hated running hurdle relays, though...I didn't like being dependent on others' performances.
One big track meet we needed another 4X400 runner, and I got tapped. I was coordinated with a baton, and I remember very clearly that I had a lot of ground to make up on my lap. We actually came in 8th, which was good enough for a medal. After that race, my coach tried to make me a permanent 400 runner, but I actually refused. The season was almost over, I was beginning to hate the queasiness from running a distance, and I wanted to dance more. So, by eighth grade, track was out. It wasn't good for my dance muscles, and I knew my Mom didn't like watching me on hurdles. She'd seen me wipe out a few times in practice.
I still had to run in gym, though, and I plunged on through the required 1-mile and 2-mile races, along with others. I can honestly say I only missed track once or twice, while watching others run hurdles in practices. I was too busy with dance, piano, and other projects, and I sure didn't miss feeling sick...I mean, if you're going to be so overheated and tired you're nauseous, you might as well be wearing a tutu, right?
But I was a bit harassed by Mr. Greider, who was coaching cross country at the time. He wanted me to go out for cross, and I probably would have been good at it, but I resisted. It felt nice to be pursued for cross, but there was no way I was going to run that much. I remember once I had a past dance injury bothering me; I didn't realize I was limping at all until he pointed it out. I think at that point I made some explanation about dance and I remember he didn't bother me much after that. I'd made my choice and was obviously dedicated to it.
After 9th grade gym I didn't run much, and I was dancing intensely for hours every week, so I sure as heck didn't miss it. When I pulled my hamstring (dancing) after college I was in physical therapy, which involved a treadmill once in a while, and here at grad school when I was really angry I ran around town, sometimes throwing a sprint in for good measure, but that's about it. I love walking, and hiking, and have done a lot, but running...well, that was pretty much out of the picture.
Until this last couple of weeks. For some reason, I started jogging once a week, then every few days, then every other day. Last week I ran four times. What the heck is going on? I'm not dancing much now, but I do make sure to stretch properly before and after so as not to damage those muscles; I have plans for dancing later this summer. But why running now? What's changed?
I know I've had an aggravating year; in fact, I just got back some poor semester evaluations, in my opinion, and I know part of this is running out the frustration. I also know my sister can now run over two miles comfortably, which I haven't been able to do in years, and I'm jealous. The weird part is that, while I'm quick, the only reason I was really good at running was competition. I wanted to beat other people, and in independent racing, it was easy to measure myself against others. But I'm not competing against anyone now. I know my cardio system has been in a slump and needs to improve. I know I've been feeling sluggish and wanted to make sure I got exercise. I also know I have exercise and allergy asthma, and running isn't really the best for that (especially outside; I hate running indoors). But I also know that I'm terribly bored.
I can't explain why I am suddenly obsessed with running. Well, not obsessed, but returning to the fold. It's confusing, but at the same time weirdly satisfying. So if you see me, browned and lean, in short shorts, just think of a little girl running like a cheetah across the blacktop, beating all the boys. She's probably wearing a dress, or barefoot, and if you blow the whistle, she will just keep running.

The Fifth Position

So, has anyone else ever wanted a fifth position for sleeping? I mean, there's left side, right side, back, and stomach, and pretty much everything else is some variation. Even sleeping with your butt in the air is a variation of being on your stomach.
So, these last few late nights when I've been tossing through the four positions (no butt in the air...my knee bursitis is a little much for that), I've been really wanting some other option. I almost actually slept with my head at the foot of the bed instead just for some alternative. Weird.

Meanwhile, church is an hour earlier now, and I remembered but lots of other people didn't. It was a nice service for the first summer one; special music by a lady who sang and played an old Quaker hymn, and we seemed to sing extra, too, with an extra hymn, which I am all about. I do loves me my singin'!

Mystery Solved

So the mystery of the creepy phone messages about an important customer issue is marginally solved.
Today, it was a different message, though I'm pretty sure the number to call was the same; but the message was preceded by "Michael Dunham," did not involve a teenaged voice saying, "Again, I repe-eat," and actually included a case reference number along with the phone number. Thus, the calls are for someone who evidently used to have my phone number. I've gotten calls for this Michael Dunham before from businesses, and once for a particularly human sounding message I called them back to tell them they're barking up the wrong tree. It's only a matter of time before I call back this time and beg them to quit hounding my phone.

Whoah....what?

Read this, from CNN:
"Barnes' mother, Mary, told The Associated Press her son has battled mental illness.

'He's been suffering with depression for years,' she said, her voice shaking after being told by a reporter what happened. 'Lord have mercy.'"

Told by a reporter? What? In what crazy world should media reporters be allowed to tell parents their son ran over people at McDonald's? And then have their immediate reaction and words be spread out in the headlines?

I Dream of...the Candyman?

I'm in a stretch of crazy dreams again. Last night was kind of scary.
Basically, I (along with a group of friends) was being chased by a cross between the Mothman from the Mothman Prophecies (or the Creeper from Jeepers Creepers; can't decide) and the Candyman. Basically it was the Candyman with wings. I don't remember very much of the dream except for a very clear picture of me looking up to some pedestal or tower and Tony Todd's face blazing in the night down at us. We thought we could make it if we ran. We were wrong.
I do remember that at that point after the face, I faded out and then faded back in, I think for the running scene. Sometimes my dreams are alarmingly cinematic.
Anyway: Guy friend at the back of the group, whoever you were, I'm sorry.
I haven't seen any of these movies in a while, and I'm not sure where this came from. I did watch the final three episodes of Charmed on tape before I went to bed, but nothing that dramatically scary went on, at least not involving creatures.
I will miss Charmed. I can't believe it is over, but I'm glad they gave me a solid happy ending, even if the last episode was unbelievably confusing. Whenever time travel gets involved...well, I'm going to have to watch it again. It was great, and I'm thinking I might accumulate the dvds of the series. There aren't too many series that successfully pair magic and girl power, and I need more of that in my life.
Also of note was this week's two-hour episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition which made me cry not just for the last twenty minutes, but through nearly the whole darn two hours. I've decided to blame hormones.

Doo Doo Doo, Do-Doo Do-Doo

So, I was unlucky in locating a business to rent me a game system. So, I bought one.
I know what you're thinking, but hear me out: It was 15 dollars. I got a used Nintendo-64. Now, I know this is not the best Nintendo game system, and I know it may not even be the best old school system, which is what I wanted. But it was cheap and the guy at 2-Play sold me his own personal copy of Zelda because it didn't need the expansion pack like the two the store had, and I bought Mario, too. I think that's all pretty great, and is equally capable of turning me into a total zombie.
When I was a kid, we didn't have Nintendo. We had a couple of PCs, an Atari and a self-built machine, and on those we played our fair share of Blue Max (flight simulator), Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man, all the Carmen Sandiegos we could get our hands on, and then when the internet hit, we played MUDs (Multi-User Dimensions) and such. That's all great, but when I went to my friend Season's, I always wanted to play Zelda on her Nintendo (I mastered Duck Hunt, but wasn't so great at Mario). When I went to my friend Katie's, we played Wheel of Fortune ALL the time. So now that I am a Nintendo owner, I feel like my childhood is complete. I can now participate with the rest of society on the same level.
Okay, that's not true. I felt a little superior because our family had real computers and played games that no one else had, or games that made us smart. But a little part of me always wanted Nintendo like the other kids.
And now, let me just say this: Super Mario Bros in 3-D makes me just a little bit dizzy. I spent two hours losing at level one, but just trying to get oriented in that space with all the view angles and such under control. I don't even fully comprehend the buttons yet, and being able to move in more than four directions. I've tried to play it simple a lot, but that isn't always working since you need to see stuff to get stuff. It's the opposite of MUDs where you are wholly reliant on descriptions to "see." With this jazz, you have to actually look.
So, if my eyes look a little bloodshot next time you see me, you'll know what I've been up to.

In Which She Is Freezing Her Fingers Off

My office is so cold! I don't know why I'm here when I'm so cold!
I'm trying to decide whether this is better or worse than the fever I was running Thursday-Friday. Is this like the age-old burn or freeze to death question?
It's been a fake-busy week, meaning I've done a lot, but very little was at all productive for the world.
Take TV for example. Tuesday's episode of House was good enough, but I wish the shows I watch would stop involving vomit on such a regular basis. I actually liked the re-run on last night on USA better, but it too involved throwing up. Only for you, Hugh Laurie, will I tolerate this.
Wednesday's TV was also engrossing. ANTM says goodbye to Sara, which is okay, I guess. I don't agree with questioning the girl's commitment to the process...remember, as a discovery from a mall, she has further to come in terms of her understanding. However, her copying of poses sort of turned me off her. Jade...well, I'm tired of Jade. I respect that she's older than the other girls, but her behavior is the poorest. I wonder if she's going to be the Stephen...see below. I do like the looks of the finale's runway. It looks absolutely beyond gorgeous...wickedly difficult, but like a dream.
Back to Stephen. As I watched the Top Chef reunion show, I was gratified and warmed to watch Stephen's demeanor, even when he wasn't speaking, and his apology to Candice. I think of all the TC characters, Stephen grew the most, or made the most profound personal discoveries in watching himself on TV. I was genuinely glad for him and loved watching him giggle while watching the tapes (Jade, pay attention). The TC reunion was not a little disturbing, but I stand by my feeling since a few weeks ago: Harold. Harold, despite some misses attitude and serve-nervewise, should win. Tiffani is a great chef. Dave is a charismatic person. Harold should win.
Ghosthunters was largely uneventful this week, and Supernatural was nonexistent since the finale was last week. Jared and Jensen, how I missed you. While watching a TV Guide channel supernatural shows special, I learned that Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles (who is eight months older than me) look at websites or message boards about themselves. So, guys, if you're watching, I heart you both, as the kids say, and can't wait until you're both conscious again...and if you're shirtless, so be it.
About the season finale of Gilmore Girls, I can't talk about it yet. Many's the time I would feel the same way after a season of X-Files. Suspense and I...well, we get along on a short-term basis, but long-term tests my patience.
I think that's enough. My fingers aren't typing so well...freezing and a week of knitting and guitar playing have sort of done them in. Enjoy the rain, everyone.

Party Central

I've been to a lot of parties lately. Good times were had by all. Here is documented photo evidence:

The ladies I know really understand how to put a shower together. Here is a picture of the spread.




Here, Lisa promises to love, honor, and obey Carrie. See that veil? I made it.




Lisa's friend, who shall remain nameless to protect her genius, impressed us all by tackling Mensa sudoku.






On a wholly different day, different for many reasons, Mike practices for his incoming little one. Not in photo: Karen's look of concern.

Creepy Phone Messages

I think I may be the target of a phone scam. I've gotten some three or four calls from this one place; the message does not identify any company but asks me to call a 1-800 number about "an important customer matter." The kicker is when it says to use the reference number to follow, but instead of giving a number it beeps back into the beginning of the message with a really crazy "Again, I repeat" or something like that, said in an exasperated teenaged voice that makes all words have three times as many syllables as they should. I can almost see the rolling eyes. Do they think that's businesslike in any way? Even if it was legitimate I wouldn't want to call back. Weird.

I am a zombie.

Wow, so it has been a whole week since I blogged here. Sorry about that.

So last night was a CRAZY TV night. It was all suspense all the time. I had to eat an ice cream sandwich to stay calm.
I started with a little warm-up action with the Simpsons, just to get my funnies in, and then watched a re-run of the Ghosthunters I've never seen before at 7. Then, at 8 o'clock, it was all on.
I confess that I taped America's Next Top Model. I'm not sure how much of it I'll watch, but it definitely lost out in the immediate need to watch House on a special night from the two-parter, in which Dr. Foreman has a mysterious disease and Dr. House breaks all kinds of rules to save him. I do love Hugh Laurie, as I've previously made clear here, and there was some pretty good RSL (Robert Sean Leonard, to those of you who didn't have a huge crush on him in high school) action thrown in there, too. Good times. Looking forward to next week's episode when we find out if Foreman's right/left disorientation is permanent.
Then, it was time for a new episode of Ghosthunters that seriously made me jump and made my heart race. I can never really tell about that show...they usually go in with the mindset of debunking, but then you always wonder, when something does happen, are you being played? But the footage they showed was pretty awesome, it gave me chills, and I'm just going to throw out to Paul that you should probably not watch this episode by yourself in the dark. (And thanks, Paul and Carrie, who helped me out bigtime by loaning me a tape with Supernatural on it from last week, since I inexplicably forgot to watch it. It was, as they said, a doozy.) So--the night is ruling at this point.
Then, we headed into Top Chef, the show that determines the final three. The results were not all that surprising, as it was a similar situation to Project Runway with several strong contenders. I know a few of the chefs (and one of the judges, and maybe me) were a little disappointed in the results, but I still think these finals in Vegas are going to rock. I did feel sorry in a big way for Harold, who was ill during proceedings but managed to kick out a superb dish. Lee Anne, you will be missed.
Mmm. Delicious TV goodness. Now I have an episode of ANTM to watch, and Sunday's Charmed, a show which is alas winding down, and tonight's season finale craziness of Supernatural. AAAA!
In other news, on the rental of a video game system front, no luck. I might check with a place downtown, but I'm starting to lose hope of a weeklong game fest in which to further my zombiehood. I don't want to buy a system, because I really don't have time for that degree of goofing off, but I just want to play Zelda on a near-continuous basis for a while.