Mix tapes, how I love thee.

In an effort to rekindle some attitude, ie. something I can use to kick ass in the next three weeks rather than feeling down in the dumps, I have rediscovered the mix tapes of my high school life, and a bit of college, taped from the radio and used in various dance and angst-related settings. These were times when, no matter how crappy everything was, I never gave up and I never wilted for longer than a week. I pretty much rocked everything I had to do, and I had recognized escapes that would make me feel better or at least get me out of harm's way (like the dance studio, or the extra garage my parents have). It's not like I had less emotion then, but I had more ways to get out of it and enough that I wanted to do that I always had a way to distract myself.
Some songs I have rediscovered via these mix tapes (which are lettered and which, somewhere, have lists of their contents corresponding to these letters...obsessive much?):

Nine Inch Nails "The Perfect Drug" ("...I see the truth, when I'm all stupid-eyed. The arrow goes straight to my heart...without you, everything just falls apart." How awesome is that for angst-ridden youth?)
Poe "Angry Johnny" and "Hello" (an album which I will be buying, today if possible)
Squirrel Nut Zippers "Hell"
dance mix of Soul Coughing "Super Bon Bon" (which makes much more sense at dance speed)
Garbage "Stupid Girl"
Salt n' Pepa w/ En Vogue "Whatta Man"

...and so many more.
I took mix tapes very seriously, like anyone else would, but unlike my peers I jumped on the CD bandwagon pretty late, so I have more recent songs than most people on their tapes. Fortunately, my car and my apartment have tape players. I am remembering so much of my past more accuately than I usually do (which is usually accute enough, actually).
It's occured to me often that my big thing is memory. I have an obsessive memory and my mind works very hard to commit things to memory, which is very exhausting. I forget stuff, but events, conversations, and people I know stay incredibly fresh in my brain. The emotional resonance of things, especially bad stuff, stays fresh longer than most people. That's why I heart Deanna Troi on Star Trek. I'm not really empathic, I suppose, but I feel her pain. I understand, even if I don't know exactly, what it's like to be surrounded by so much of people's emotional energy. Sometimes it makes it hard to deal with your own.
Anyway...all this from mix tapes. I love 'em.

In other news, I'm tired, and I have a giant load of grading to do. I am compensating by making plans for myself when the work is done, or for my little breaks between piles (aside from doing my taxes, of course). I plan to rent a video game system and spend at least three days playing some version of Zelda. I plan to work on my children's book. I plan to work on my modeling skills for no other reason but fun. I also am planning the layout and furniture of my "extra" apartment/office for next year. I'm not eager for that year to arrive, because I need to do some serious chilling out before then, but sometimes the planning is more fun than the having anyway.
OK, that's all. I'm giving Meijer a second chance on Dr. Pepper...Angel's fridge is looking a little bare.

Color me disgusted

Oh, please, ANTM.
Point the first: Ridiculous "shocking collapse" ad last week for this week's Top Model. I do not agree with misleading advertisement or previews based on trickery. I did not appreciate that at all.
Point the second: Stupid pranks like that are how people get hurt. You can claim "it was a joke" and give people t-shirts all you want, Miss Tyra Banks, but D minus on empathy. Thank goodness poor Furonda came back and rocked the week's activities, because that was just a cruel, stupid joke. Poor form.
To summarize, I did not enjoy this week's ANTM, and getting rid of Mollie Sue made me ANGRY. She has been my favorite because I feel like I can relate to her, and now I got nothing.

Didn't watch much of Lost. Watched Ghosthunters instead (it's not too scary this week, Paul), and then Top Chef. I was sad to see Lisa go, but not at all sad to see Tiffani and Dave win. They did a great job selling, and their sandwich looked really delicious. I liked Harold's integrity and sadness at Lisa's departure. Also loved the junk food challenge between Dave and Miguel.

Supernatural is on tonight...I know I shouldn't be watching this much TV, I really do. But my brain has been so busy and worried and overworked this last month or two, and I've just had it. I can make it, I know I can, but there's so much to be done before I get to summer, but summer always means goodbyes, and I hate that, too. I feel, like Bilbo, like butter spread over too much bread. So if I suddenly snarl and turn into an ogre...sorry.

First House-Related Post Ever

So, a little-known fact about me grading is that, as I get to the bottom of the pile, it becomes harder and harder to finish, because I know I have a giant pile of other papers to do that I'll have to begin as soon as that pile is done.
So, I watch TV.
Last night, after Gilmore Girls, House was on, and, while I do not often watch this show, I do enjoy it a great deal, and really should watch it more. Who can resist Hugh Laurie, the bumbling Bertie Wooster of, for me,Wodehouse-on-PBS fame, as a cantakerous doctor who will do what he needs to do to find the answer and be right, no matter what the cost, speaking with a better American accent than I do? I, for one, also cannot resist his friendship with the dreamy Robert Sean Leonard. He was lovely in Dead Poet's Society, Swing Kids, and Much Ado About Nothing, but I actually adore him as a more stoic divorced man in his late thirties.
Favorite line of the evening? Dr. House saying, "Oh, snap!" Utterly ridiculous, and therefore, hilarious.
Tonight, big TV lineup...ANTM, Ghosthunters, Lost, Top Chef, John Edward. It's going to be a hot one.

Hittin' the Sauce

I love applesauce; natural style, no cinnamon. Just applesauce. It's making my lunch delicious.
Yes, today my mood is quietly better. There's food in the house, and clean laundry, which has yet to be put away, but which is there nonetheless. There is simply nothing better. I don't think people realize how demoralizing it is to eat junk on the go, or to have to forage in one's own cupboards for nutrients, or in one's sock drawer for something to cover chilly feet. But when you have fresh food, it makes all the difference. You feel like a real person, someone worthy of the world, and grateful for being able to just eat what God puts down here. That's not a support for organics, just a support for produce in general.
Last night, for a late dinner, I had:
Milk, and a sort of Mediterranean devotional plate. It had grapes; olives; cherry tomatoes; Italian bread with honey, drizzled olive oil, fresh basil, and cracked black pepper (It's good. I know it sounds weird); and fresh, soft hunks of mozzarella, Italian style. So utterly delicious, and it was amazing to have milk in the house again. I had two full glasses, the first with dinner and the second with dessert, which was a few pieces of a chocolate bar with ginger pieces stuck in.
I feel like a human being.

Oh...and in case you were wondering what *that* much LUSH stuff looks like:

I Heart Church Music

Ordinarily I don't respond well to contemporary Christian music; it's like some poetry that is probably good poetry but just has no resonance for me. There's no rhyme or reason to this response, I just don't seem to get into it. Much like romantic comedies.
Today, though, was an exception...the offertory was a father and son with guitars, singing "Nothing But the Blood." It didn't capture me at first, but then they started a really beautiful harmony section, and they were both really getting into it with the guitars and the singing, especially the son (couldn't really see the father from where I was sitting). It brought tears to my eyes, because they were both showing a neat devotion at both the music and religious level. I came away from it really happy I'd heard the song.

Cosmic joke

weird-out #1: Meijer out of Dr. Pepper
weird-out #2: "Out of the Blue" playing on Meijer radio while I am in tears without my soda
that is all.

Some bits of TV junk

I was forcibly reminded last night how much Gwyneth Paltrow looks like her mother, Blythe Danner. It was a little scary, actually. I was watching M*A*S*H and Danner was in that episode, and while she has some different mannerisms--a slightly nervous way of holding and shaking her head, a difference of her vocal delivery--the two look nearly identical. Their faces are so similar. I never noticed before, actually, only familiar with how Danner looks now in such things as the X-Files. She has a lovely natural look to her, but it's still quite different. But then, when they were the same age...frightening.
I was watching Cross Country with John Edward, and there was a mother there hearing from her son. Her eyes were utterly amazing. They were the most vivid blue, and while she had them outlined, her lashes seemed naturally dark. When she was crying, I had to cry, too. The eyes were so young and so hurt.

In the Street

The issue of Paper Street that I'm in came today. In it is a poem I care a lot about, a poem I was unsure of for a while but grew to love. I'm getting to that point where I have a nice little section of magazines that I'm in, and I need to set them aside so I can pull one out when I feel like a sham.
Just went for a walk, and my face is stinging from the wind and fresh sun. I miss summer. My skin misses the heat of it. Sadly, it seems storms are rolling in.
Steve has gone a little...pink, but here's my version of his meme anyway.

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
Enjoying coffee shop runs with my friend Amber, in her pretty blue Prizm.

2. What were you doing 5 years ago?
I was getting ready to come here for grad school, having just been in the American College Dance Festival, and trying to learn to write poems pretty darn quick.

3. What were you doing 1 year ago?
Spending too much time in Beckett's.

4. Five snacks you enjoy:
Animal crackers, Cheez-Its, Cheerios with peanut butter, Sprees, Cheese

5. Five songs you know by heart but wish you didn't:
Stop/Spice Girls, Open Arms/Mariah Carey style, Who Let the Dogs Out/Baha Men, Macarena/Los del Rio (okay, I've probably forgotten this, but I used to know the whole thing), I'll Be There for You/Rembrandts

6. Five things you would do with a LOT of money:
Quit teaching full-time and write poems; buy my parents a new washing machine, a new boat, and a new dining room table, and finish their master bedroom; send my sister and brother-in-law to Paris, open a ginormous savings account in the safest bank I can find; become eccentric

7. Five things you would never wear:
shoulder pads, Hammer pants, big bangs, uber-pointy-toed high heels, this

8. Five things you should never have worn:
pegged pants, the same style glasses for seven years, stretch pants, bike shorts with neon sides, leotards in elementary school

9. Five things you enjoy doing:
dancing en pointe, taking walks in the sunshine, climbing trees, helping people with random tasks (like helping them get frisbees out of trees), making clothes for me

10. Five bad habits:
biting my nails, watching TV while grading essays, tossing clothes in heaps, obsessing about things I can't fix right now, not doing dishes right away

Bravo...the TV station that cares...

...about my mental health.
I was reading the blogs for Top Chef this week, and there was an apologetic blurb at the end from Bravo about the grammar and typo errors in the blogs; something about the program they're using loses characters and punctuation. I buy that for the characters, but not so much for the punctuation/syntax. Consider Tim Gunn, same channel, whose blog did have the character problem, but had reasonably clean syntax. A fragment is a fragment, and spelling a name wrong is still poor spelling, but I appreciate the gesture of apology. Evidently I'm not the only anal, eagle-eyed Bravo blog reader.
In other news, my back hurts, I have a lot of papers to grade, and I have to get groceries and do laundry. Nevertheless, I watched TV last night (while I was grading, of course). I put on my pretty new Vicky Secret babydoll nightie, with blue sky and cloud print, snuggled up with a blankie, and watched ANTM, bits of Lost and last week's Top Chef, the new Ghosthunters, and the new Top Chef. I did not watch The Evidence, because by that time I was so tired of channel flipping I needed to just settle.
ANTM was fairly normal; some drama, but I didn't grow to dislike or like anyone more. The photo shoots, one for a Sears and one editorial shoot, were interesting enough, not super exciting but just interesting.
Ghosthunters was spooky and delicious. Don't tell Paul.
Last week's Top Chef...I didn't watch that much of it, actually. This week's was exciting, and I decided that I'm on the outs with Harold, and am even more on the outs with Stephen than I was. Come on...you're cooking for humans with lives. It's nice to have people come to a restaurant, but if the only place you can cook is in that restaurant, or in what Tom Colicchio calls a controlled environment, you're not much of a chef. I like a versatile chef, not a specialist. (And Bravo, Tom, for bitching out the snobs last week.) Snubbing the microwave is a dangerous game indeed, and I love that Bravo showed that moment of one of the working-mother-judge's faces when Stephen was asking if they'd heard of plantains. Come on. These people have gone grocery shopping for 15-20 years. They have eyes. This lady rolled hers beautifully. Harold, boo to your microwave snobbery, but Bravo to finally embracing the challenge and opening up a bit. Stephen, you're 24, and already you have the snobbery of four people squirming around inside you. It's an amazing feat and I hope it gets you fired a lot. Sugar will catch more flies than your sourpuss (have you considered acting?)
And this is why I don't know if I could ever date or marry a chef. I like to cook, but if that person is going to turn his nose up at anything I make, my comfy squash casserole for instance, then I want no part of it. Chefs make me nervous. But, Abs, wouldn't you love it if that chef would cook for you all the time? No. Frankly, I'm not a fan of eating in restaurants that make me intimidated by the food, and I wouldn't want to eat that kind of stuff all the time. Squash casserole, with Campbell's cream of chicken, sour cream, and stuffing cubes, rules.
And can I just add that I'm sad Lee Anne and Tiffani got into it a couple of weeks ago? That was my dynamic duo. They both can be snotty, and I've lost respect for them both, but they're still my favorites.
If there's one thing I'm learning from this show, and wish the contestants would learn, it's that you absolutely have to respect and appreciate every single client that comes near you. You don't need to "work" them all, but you need to be nice, assess their needs fairly, and treat them empathetically. I think that's what I hate about the top chef system, actually. Certainly, the culinary world involves a lot of art, but it's art that has to be taken into the body and soul, that has to nourish, and if you can't be a nourishing person, then that art will never belong to you, nor you to it.

"Dream come true...I never thought..."

So, who out there left a recording of Debbie Gibson's "Out of the Blue" on my answering machine? Come on. 'Fess up.
And are you aware that I have that tape in my car?
Hmm...maybe my car is calling me secretly. Maybe it missed me yesterday.
What's extra funny...or creepy...was that I heard that (circa 1987) and then watched Pee Wee's Big Adventure on Bravo (1985). I had this incredible urge to put on some legwarmers, crimp my hair, and apply bright blue eyeshadow all over my lid. Strawberry lip gloss, anyone?

Dumb news item of the day:

Why do people say silly things?
From CNN.com:
"But Robert Lang, director of the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech, which tracks urban growth trends, scoffed at the notion that mansionization means a loss of community.
'All the research shows that sense of community is not driven by the design of the structure but by demographics,' he said. 'It's all fallen away since the inventions of telecommunications and the automobile.'"

Are you kidding me? Are you seriously suggesting that we've come so far that structure is not *determined by* demographics? That income is homogenized? Community *is* determined by demographics, but how on earth can you divorce structure from community, as inextricably linked as it is to demographics?
Boo!

addendum

I *did* get a Bathos bubble bar, bringing that total to four, and rather than getting Softy *or* Chelsea Garden bath bombs, I got them both, bringing that total to nine.
That is all.

What I Did on My Chicago Vacation

P.S. The "Cool Pool" has some sort of crazy mushroom-shaped waterfall in it and a crab toy.
And now, a photo journal of some of my trip:

I presented in Parlor E, 6th Floor

I enjoyed the abundance of the LUSH window before I went inside. Inside, I took a sneaky picture of the same wall. I will not post it here.

The Shedd Aquarium is a mighty fine sight.










Teeny-weeny yellow frogs!


Scary underwater anaconda shot. This thing is massive. Seriously, in its thickest part it is thicker than me, I think. There was only a little bit of it out of water, so I had to work hard for this shot on the far side of its pool.


Pretty, frilly lion fish, just hanging out.













This shark was obsessed with showing his white, white belly.
He's in the awesome Wild Reef, with a ton of other sharks that were harder to capture.


Cute dolphins; they line up like little torpedos after their show. I tried to get a picture of them all in the air and failed miserably. There are actually five, but I only got four here.


Sweetest Beluga Whale ever. He was sitting up looking at these people for ever, so I bent down and snapped a shot between some bodies.














Moon Jellies! Whoo hoo! Some silly people were trying to get them with flash (not allowed, but also not very successful. )
This is an au naturel shot, which looks better on the ELPH and which I had to augment for you.


The Maneaters of Tsavo. Maneless males. I missed out on the good old Mfuwe maneater this time.


Pretty, pretty park sculpture, dancing winged lady. I haven't been able to find out much about her.

Home Turf

So, I am back from the mightiness that is Chicago.
Here's how things went down:

Wednesday--Got into town in the late afternoon, called my Mom, and then vegetated for hours, pretending that I was going to do work and instead playing with the internet on my TV (a pay-service that, unfortunately, was not worth it), then watching said TV while eating room service (burger, fries, apple pie with cinnamon ice cream, and coke, on an elaborately linened and silvered tray) and pretending that I was going to do work some more. Watched America's Next Top Model, and Lost.

Thursday--Got up and sloooowly got ready to go to the conference. Got on the hotel's shuttle to the EL station, and met two funny guys who were, coincidentally, from University of Toledo. Took the half hour EL ride downtown, and led the aforementioned gents to the Palmer House. Registered, wandered around, figured out where my presentation was going to be, and graded a couple of essays on the sixth floor. Gave the presentation to a whopping crowd of 10 (we sat in a circle). Ran into some friends. Left.
Then things got wild. I took the EL north, had some McDonald's, and went to the LUSH store on Michigan Ave. It was heaven. I loved it. They have a nice little corner shop in Marshall Fields, right next to the MF cosmetic department, but separated by the overwhelming awesomeness that is LUSH. I met some workers who, like me, are LUSHes, and with whom I had great fun talking about products, conveying my knowledge of Amazon.com's selling of LUSH, and testing some things out. I received a hand massage with ocean salt, and generally bought as many things as I could conceivably use and that smelled amazing, including a Bio Fresh product that I can't get off amazon. Here is what I bought:
Bio Fresh Sacred Truth face mask Party On temple balm Ocean Salt face/body scrub Skin Drink moisturizer Eau Roma toner spray Aqua Marina facial cleanser Extra Virgin Olive Soap Olive Branch shower gel Ring of Roses Buttercream Bath Melts: Elixir (with glitter) and You've Been Mangoed Bubble Bars: Turbo, French Kiss, Amandopondo...did I get a Bathos too? Can't remember. Bath Bombs: Golden Slumbers, Honey Bee, Ginger, Blackberry, Black Pearl, Butterball, Romance in a Stone, and then either the Chelsea Garden or Softy...can't remember.
I think that's it. But all that was pretty heavy. Nevertheless, I carried it through the Victoria's Secret in the same mall as I bought a pretty sky nighty and some undies.
Then I went home, called my Mom, ate some leftovers, graded some essays, and passed out.

Friday--Took the El downtown and up to Roosevelt, then walked the rest of the way to the Museum Campus for some Shedd Aquarium and Field Museum action. The Pompeii exhibit in the museum was closing soon, and the tix were selling out, so I went and got a late-entry time (free general admission with my conference badge), and went to the aquarium first (whose line was shockingly fast). I walked about, took pictures of an anaconda and some frogs, tried to get Moon Jelly pictures, pictures of dolphins and a cutie Beluga.
And now I'd like to break from the action to say how much I heart my ELPH. Many pictures were retaken as a result of instant review. But let me just say that, even so, it is extremely difficult to get a picture of a shark's shadow on a rock.
I love me my aquarium. That is one of my favorite places on earth. Once, I went there on my fourteenth birthday, after eating room service danish for breakfast. How is that for awesome? That was the same year I got pointe shoes.
Then I went to the Field Museum and hastily ate half a tomato and mozzarella sandwich with roasted red peppers and fresh basil (amazing), then jumped on line for the Pompeii exhibit.
It made me cry, I won't lie. I was very moved by the pieces of jewelry and pottery, and the casts they included of bodies (I know...spooky). The exhibit felt sort of enormous and crowded, and I didn't get out of it until 4:30 or so, then spent some time in the gift shop. By the time I got back out to the museum they were starting to herd people toward the center of the museum and closing exhibits.
Okay...I admit it. I ducked under an unattended guard rail and practically ran through the hall of animals to find the Tsavo lions. I REFUSED to leave the museum without seeing them. And then promptly passed them, as I was coming from a direction I am unused to. I had to have a guard point me back in the right direction, and fortunately he seemed to understand my desire. I love those darn lions. I've seen them many times, but I have to see them every time I'm in Chicago. I prefer to sit and stare at them for a while, but this time I was about to be in trouble so I snapped a photo, stared them in the eyes, then left.
EL trip gave me a headache and I had to take a nap when I got back. Then I went down and ate a ridiculously lonely dinner in the hotel restaurant. It was very tasty; spinach-artichoke dip then some lemon caper chicken picatta, and a beer. I should have brought a book, though. There was a handsome guy across from me with the same problem, but he had his phone and was talking to a girlfriend, I think. It was all very silly. Then I ran into my friend Adam just before he was going into have a similarly solo dinner. I was glad to talk to him for a few minutes, but wished it had been an hour earlier. He, too, had his phone and was probably going to be talking to his wife. Ah, traveling alone.

Saturday--Supremely uneventful. Easy drive back; I was taking 294 south to 80 east, which I reckoned was less crowded than taking 90/94 through town, and I got to see the quarry. We've taken that route to Wisconsin lots of times so I'm pretty familiar with it. I was a little sleepy, but made it back unscathed thanks to car tapes.

And that's all! Now I have a ridiculous amount of work to catch up on. So stop pestering me!

Garden Inn O'Hare

Things I heart: Hotels with internet access via a nice little enclosed business center.
Things I hate: Ditto...or rather, the fact that I can't go for more than...oh, say six hours without computer access. Sad. I suppose I could go without, but since it's here...
The Garden Inn O'Hare is pretty nice, and I'm getting a good conference rate. There's a hotel shuttle to the nearest EL station, and I will be taking that downtown tomorrow. It'll be great. I think.
Tonight, I will be reviewing essays from the greatness that is my room, and then I will be eating something hopefully delicious and watching a ludicrous amount of hotel TV. Doesn't that sound great? I know, I really live it up. I know that there are two pools and a whirlpool here, but I have yet to decide if that's really going to be a part of my stay. One of them is a "Cool Pool." I have no idea what that means.
Big presentation tomorrow. Wish me luck. Wish it, I say!

Ah, Chicago

Glad to say that, after a spate of horrible dreams, I had a nice one last night. I can't remember what it was about, but I know I woke up and said sleepily, "thas better" and went back to sleep. It had something to do with sunshine.

In other news, I am going to a conference and giving a presentation; the rest of the time will be spent in museums and the Chicago LUSH store, and in my hotel room grading essays. I have a theory that I might be able to do a massively better job of this in a hotel room than I am currently doing at home and office. I even intend to eat at the hotel restaurant or get "carry-up" all three nights, and treat this like a semi-seclusion, AND, I plan to do some good old fashioned writing of a poem whilst there. 'twill rock.

More bad dreams.

STOMP

STOMP, viewed back home in East Lansing in the glory that is the Wharton Center, ruled. Much laughter and fun was had as thrilling and daring things took place onstage with newspapers, oil drums, lighters, etc.
The sad news is, it's over; don't you hate when you look forward to something and then it's gone, and you don't have something else to anticipate at that level? I do.

ATTENTION

ROOT HARD FOR MSU TONIGHT!
HOCKEY AND BASKETBALL ON THE LINE HERE.

In Which I Mull Over the Universe

Most of us are familiar with the space travel theory in which space is "folded" to bring two points, stupefyingly far apart, together, so that a ship can navigate from point a to point b in an instant.
But here's my question: Why not coil space instead?
Recently, and according to research reported by CNN, a nebula was found with astonishing order to its shape; rather than being a blob (the whole point of nebula), it took the shape of a double helix, a la DNA. The double helix shape is a naturally-occuring event in our DNA systems and in other objects, and evidently is caused in this nebula by black holes causing the magnetic field to twist.
I'm also reading about a theory in which a space ship could take off with a rotating magnetic field. VERY hypothetical at this point, but still intriguing.
It seems to me that with the need for rotation and the many and various forms of gravity involved in these processes, that treating space travel like a helix or coil is an appropriate step.
These are the things I think about on Fridays.

A Little Traveling Music, if you please.

Today, I'm stealing song-related memes from other blogs (you know I don't really love anyone else's but yours!)

First, the shuffle game (my Windows Media Player, because it's enormous):
How does the world see you? Omnia Sol Temperat (Carmini Burana, Carl Orff)--The sun warms everything
Will I have a happy life? Members Only (Sheryl Crow)
What do my friends really think of me? Comes Love (Ella Fitzgerald)
Do people secretly lust after me? They Won't Go When I Go (George Michael)
How can I make myself happy? Little Lamb (Gypsy)
What should I do with my life? Stetit Puella (Orff again)--There stood a maid
Will I ever have children? Agenais (Donna Lewis)
What is some good advice for me? Am I Getting Through (Sheryl Crow)
How will I be remembered? I'll Fly Away (Krauss, Welch)
What is my signature dancing song? The Magic Piper (of Love) Edwyn Collins
What do I think my current theme song is? Courante--09, Suite no. 2 in D Minor (Bach)
What does everyone else think my current theme song is? All Is Full of Love (Bjork)
What song will play at my funeral? Send Me On My Way (Rusted Root)
What type of men do I like? Anything You Can Do (Annie Get Your Gun)
What is my day going to be like? Whistle Down the Wind (Webber)

Funniest answer? Funeral Song, Send Me On My Way. One might to so far as to say, eerie.
But what the heck is up with my friends thinking about me in love and sunshine? You all are weird.

Next, the song title game. The artist today today: Tori Amos
1.) Are you a male or female? Girl
2.) Describe yourself: Happy Phantom
3.) How do you feel about yourself? Little Earthquakes
4.) Describe where you currently live: In the Springtime of His Voodoo
5.) If you could go anywhere, where would you go? Past the Mission
6.) Your best friend is Not the Red Baron
7.) Your favorite color is Talula
8.) You know... The Wrong Band
9.) What's the weather like? Winter
10.) If your life was a TV show, what would it be called? Cloud on My Tongue
11.) What is life to you? Tear in Your Hand
12.) What is the best advice you have to give? Twinkle
13.) If you could change your name, what would you change it to? Marianne
14.) What's the worst situation you could be in? Crucify
15.) What's the best situation you could be in? Pretty Good Year
16.) What do you want most right now? Spark

On the nature of TV blogs

I always got into reading Tim Gunn's blog re: Project Runway. Occasionally, I was disturbed by mistakes overlooked by editing and proofreading; he's a fashion design guru, not an English one, it's true, but having the life I do I was still sometimes bothered...surely a TV show can afford a good editor before such things are posted (I don't blame Gunn, you see; just those who put the stuff into the very public eye). Since I like and respect Tim Gunn, however, I let such things slide, and continued to read the blog, since mistakes were at least minimal and he remained, in my eyes, appropriately literate.
Imagine my horror when reading the Top Chef blogs and seeing mistakes like run-ons and pronoun issues, and even an incorrect reference to Madame S., the episode 2 judge, in one of the blogs, to the effect of, "Mister S.'s Bondage and Fetish shop." I was disappointed.
These blogs say very little about the contestants' dishes and about the stuff the camera doesn't show, or about the inside of the cooking. What they tend to put in the blog is generic and offering little in the way of insight. Some of the ideas are mildly interesting, but hey...I want to learn about the life of a Top Chef. I want to know the inside scoop on the challenge, and the more complex opinions not able to be included on camera. In other words, give me something above and beyond what I can see on the show.
One thing a judge did this week was offer a few sexy recipes. I thought that was okay, and a nice touch, but frankly, I'm not interested in the judges' visions of sexy. I'm interested in their judgments of the contestants and the chefs' processes in cooking. In short, I miss Tim Gunn.
Top Chef blogs, I hope that, as the season continues, this area will improve for those of us who are truly wanting to learn and see more about the show.

Newsies

No, not just a clever Christian Bale reference, although I did have a dream about him the other night, in which he came to my home in Michigan, but a comment on all the great news I've been hearing.
A lot of my friends have had some good news lately, engagements, a baby on the way, a fellowship, a new job and move...I just want to say congratulations to all of you. This is an extra-great thing because so many of my friends have been going through hard times, too, and it's wonderful to see some bright lights in our lives.
And to the rest of you not included in the above, I celebrate whatever good news you're having, and wish for you more of it.

Fashion, it's just Fashion

Ok, so I had some requests for photos of my projects; here are a couple of the most recent. Sorry about the goofy poses. It's awfully hard to take pictures of oneself in a poorly lit room while distracted by the movie Pillow Talk. I aim eventually to have pictures of all the clothes I've made, but...well, who has the time?

I don't know you! That's my purse!

If anyone can tell me what the subject line is from, I will give you...my respect.
Today feels so surreal to me. Nothing is standing still. No, I'm not drunk. I know it's nearly a full moon, and I always get a little weird at that point, but the trouble is it's not even me being weird. It's everything else.
For instance, the storm last night. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, and wasn't nearly as bad as places to the southwest of us, but even so, with a particularly solid bolt of lightning, my phone rang. Just a half a ring, but a ring nonetheless. If I'd been on the phone, I would have been electrocuted. It gave me a headache.
Today, we are under weather watches, and I am feeling fussy and tense. It's sunny right now, but I don't trust the sky. I think we'll be okay, though. The weather map is pretty clean for now.

In better news, the second half of my break was better than the first. Once I resigned myself to grading my essays in peace and working on various conference presentation stuff, I was okay. I did still do some fun stuff, like:

Finishing Wicked

Reading the entirety of Lost, also by Gregory Maguire. That's right! I read one and a half books! It felt awesome. I didn't like Lost as much as I liked Wicked. It was very cluttery, and I have trouble with books where all the people are abrasive and quick to anger; you'll be reading a conversation and, two lines in, someone gets mad or offended right away and you have no idea why, even at the end when everything is explained. I hate that...I wasn't willing to suspend my disbelief that people were really like that, but it wasn't magical enough for me to accept it as it was. Part of that was certainly growing out of who the characters were, but after a while it felt like a device, like when dialogue is written with a very obvious and cluttery accent for too long. It was annoying rather than intriguing. I got frustrated in a bad way. There was also a lot of incoherence involved in the writing, the plot development, that went beyond the ghost story it was. Ironically, reading it went much faster than Wicked, though. In all, I'm glad I bought it, I'm glad I read it, but it's not a book I'll return to over and over. I'm looking forward to some of his other books, though.

I also finished a knit shirt out of the leftover fabric I had from that dress. Getting the pattern pieces cut was a challenge, because I didn't have much left. The answer? Front and back seams, and not caring that much what angle they were cut on. It wasn't the best designed top, since I sort of made an extreme modification of another pattern to do it, but it worked all right and it's pretty cute. Yes, it's a low back. It's sort of the original low back top I'd planned after seeing something out there on the market. I didn't do a great job planning the armhole/small sleeve, but as it's knit it doesn' t matter too much. It is pretty good, I think, for something I just did in a couple of hours with some leftover fabric. It's "out" worthy, and shall be worn soon with a pink shantung skirt.

Watched Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. How I love that show. This week I bawled without restraint as they brought home the widow and five kids of a pastor, who had had to leave the parsonage after the loss and had some tough times. I have the unfortunate habit of trying to eat during that show, and I need to stop it. Crying and eating scalloped potatoes at the same time is not a workable scenario.

Also played some quality games of mah jongg solitaire and electronic yahtzee. Ah, good times.

In Which I Equate Spring Fever with Shoes

So, I have the VS lookbook in my hands, and the shoe book at home, and I've just realized that I am hungering...HUNGERING...for some new shoes.
I don't need any new shoes, in the conventional sense. I have more pairs than I know what to do with as it is. But as I look at the prettypretty spring heels, one pair of which is a peep-toe with a sunflower and clear straps, one of which is an adorable pair of espadrilles (AlthoughI still haven't learned to walk in these, I want some), I want some new cute summery shoes, appropriate for warm, sunny days. In fact, I want two pairs; one pair of heels, and one thong sandal pair to replace my one pair of flip-flops for "specialer" occasions, since mine, purchased for a pedicure day, are falling apart. I have faced the reality of flip flops and given in to a one or two pair extent. But I love wearing some comfortable heeled shoes in the summer (my feet being flat as Kansas, I need a little lift). I must have some new shoes!

In other news, my legs are still complaining loudly about my athletic activities at the beginning of the week. Obviously I need to work out a little more often.

Glued to my set

These days, I'm terrified that my TV is going to die; I've had it since sophmore year of college, which was a while ago. Fortunately, it did not die last night, because three interesting shows were on:
1. Cycle 6, America's Next Top Model
Now, I don't watch ANTM all the time, because I hate stupid girly drama and I get tired of watching these people who are inept at speaking in public or emitting valuable emotion. For instance, here's my answer for Gina, who was asked in the "press conference" about how she'd feel if she won, as an Asian woman--evidently she clammed up (I didn't watch that part of the show):
"The idea or allure of Asian-inspired fashion and popular culture is enormous now; figures of Asian women are everywhere. But does anyone know their names? They are anonymous. To me, winning ANTM would be putting a name on that figure."
But at the same time, I was glad I watched the photo part of the show, and the judging. The bald challenge was unique and refreshing, and I think we got to know a lot about those models' true looks. I also enjoyed watching Nigel put Jade in her place; he's the one most able to do so in a cool and refined way, to make her feel stupid without being bitchy himself...though of that he's certainly capable.

2. Project Runway FINALE
You go, Chloe Dao. Truthfully, I wasn't impressed by anyone's collection as a whole. These were weaker collections than Jay's and Kara's last year. Everyone had pieces I liked, and on the whole I liked more of Chloe's than anyone else's. And her fitting? As the judges rightfully pointed out, immaculate. I understood the tough decision they had to make, but when all factors are considered, they made the right choice. I feel sure that all three designers will find a place in the industry.
Interestingly, the clearest and most consistent point of view belonged to Kara, who also showed at Fashion Week (you can find her video on the PR website). Her pieces were collected and colorful. The only problem is that they had the same overall feeling as Jay's collection from last year. Their goals were different, and their fits, but the use of color in a sort of punk beauty, whether casual or evening, was similar. Jay had the head phones, Kara had the woolly caps.
Now, on the same note as the above, in terms of people being dull in official and special places, what is up with the designers looking like crap and sounding like automatons? I understand Olympus, let alone Bryant Park, is the hugest experience, but so is getting married. People write their own vows to recite. Can't you write a vow for Bryant Park? At least Daniel had the jacket. I don't care how tired you are (and this is actually one of Daniel's pet things, I read in an interview), you need to look nice when you appear in public. Put some effort in. You don't want to outshine the clothes, but since you're on the runway for a whole of about five seconds before, and ten seconds after, that isn't likely anyhow. Sheesh, put on something special. It doesn't even take that much time or talent to look special. You don't have to amaze anybody. GRR.

3. Top Chef premiere
I wasn't going to watch this show, but it was on after PR and I was working on finishing a dress and was, anyway, curious about it. I do not approve of the host...she may be smart, but her demeanor and style of speaking doesn't sound it. But the actual challenges were interesting. The first, trying to hold one's own in Fleur de Lys (note the host is the only one who called it 'Fleur de Lease'...qu'est-ce que c'est, ca?), under the watchful eye of Chef Hubert...scary. Just flat scary. I can understand how some of these guys got nervy, and was impressed with the three or so who "passed" that challenge. The second, well, not as exciting, but at least interesting to see people's points of view as they prepared their signature dishes.
I am rooting right now for Tiffani. She rocked the kitchen, and she rocked the final dish. She didn't win either challenge, which made me sad. I am hoping she will be the Chloe Dao, finishing strong in each challenge, and coming back to win the whole thing. She was also the one who had the energy to slap stupid Ken around (yes, Ken, I called you stupid. Your excuses of "that's just the way I am" and "I tell it like it is" are weak and ineffectual; you could just as easily have made similar excuses about being an alcoholic. An uncontrolled temper and disrespect to people you are under is no less a vice.). You go, Tiffani, for calling him out. I also like Lee Anne. Her dish was not so strong, but her kitchen demeanor and drive are great.
I am entertained that Bravo decided a show about the often obsessive and closed-door culinary world would be good TV. It's not like PR, where I can look and say "I could do that, if I applied myself." I could never cook like these people. That's not the way I eat. Maybe that's just my own personal perception working, and it is really on the same level of PR. I like to cook, though, as much as I like to sew, but I know which show I'd succeed more on. ANTM! Just kidding. Well, maybe. Got a camera?

Anyway, so Wednesday night TV turned out to be a good distraction. I finished a cute little black knit dress, though I'm going to let out the hem a little, I think. After the shows I watched some of HP and the Goblet of Fire as I stitched away.
Today it is gray and rainy, with storms possible. My heart feels like it is being squeezed in a rough-hewn box. I need a hug.

Spring Break is such a tease

Good news: Going to get warmer tomorrow.
Bad news: Going to thunderstorm tomorrow.
Weather Channel: Please do not ever again place a Tornado Week advertisement right before the local weather report.

And now, because I heart Steve's memes, here's me once again copying.
Books
...and I'm trying to list something different for every one

A book that made you cry: Julie (Andrews) Edwards, Mandy
A book that scared you: Betty Ren Wright, The Dollhouse Murders
A book that made you laugh: David Sedaris, Me Talk Pretty One Day
A book you loved in Elementary School: Madye Lee Chastain, Emmy Keeps a Promise
A book you loved in Middle School: Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles
A book you loved in High School: Elizabeth Goudge, Linnets and Valerians
A book you hated in High School: John Knowles, A Separate Peace
A book that challenged your imagination: Michael Ende, The Neverending Story
A book that challenged your identity: Gregory Maguire, Wicked
A book series that you love: Harry Potter (duh)
Your favorite Horror Book: Dean Koontz, Phantoms
Your favorite Science Fiction Book: Robert Heinlein, Tunnel in the Sky
Your favorite Fantasy story: Piers Anthony, On a Pale Horse
Your favorite Mystery story: Dick Francis, Straight
Your favorite Coming-of-Age story: edit:Anne of Green Gables/Anne of Avonlea
Your favorite book that isn’t on this list: anything Agatha Christie, but especially Death on the Nile and Murder on the Orient Express. Also Brenda Hillman, Death Tractates. Also Hitchhiker's Guide, and the Dirk Gently series from Douglas Adams.

In a creepy twist, when I was looking up the author for Dollhouse Murders, another of my old scary books, Wait Till Helen Comes, came up on the amazon suggestions.

Run Abby Run

Today I learned that I usually, in fact, go about a mile and a half jogging. I used mapquest to get the distance between my house and the place I usually turn to make my loop. How nerdy is that? Then I quadrangulated something. No, I didn't.
Anyway, I shall test this theory today whilst I jog on the jogging trail, which is 1/3 of a mile long. Granted, it's been a while since I jogged, and yesterday I had a whopper of a dance workout (for which my thighs are saying, what the heck?), so this may not be an accurate test. But it shall be a testament to my sister's hard work at running two miles plus, for her determination is leaking over to me a little bit.

Edit: one hour later.
One mile. That's how far I made it. Could I have made it farther? Yeah, probably. But my legs were tiiiiiired from yesterday's shenanigans. And my cardio system? Not in good shape. Obviously I have some work to do to get back into fighting form. Whatever that means. Currently, my thighs and bottom are asking each other, "how can we get her back for this?"

In other news, I am nearly finished with Wicked. Also, I intend to buy a Harry Potter 4 DvD as soon as possible. Conveniently enough, the milk is in the process of going off several days early, necessitating a trip to Meijer, where I will buy HP 4.

Save Me

I've been on break for a day and a half.
And...I'm...Going...INSANE.
Yes, I have stuff to do, of a teacherly nature and of a project nature, but I am so restless I think I'm going to explode.

Mail Call

Petit Juror

So today I got this on-call notice for jury duty for the month of April. I have to fill out a form and send it in, and then if I get selected for petit term jury duty I get a yellow notice in the mail a week before the trial.
I don't know how I feel about this. I'm willing to do my civic duty, but I'm absolutely praying that, should I be selected, it is something ridiculously small and simple, with truly obvious evidence. Is that wrong?
I remember my Mom had to go for jury duty once, and I think she got excused because we kids once sold Girl Scout cookies to the defendant. Or something like that. Maybe that wasn't suitable grounds for dismissal. I can't remember. Anyway, our family knows everybody back home (and not because we're particularly important, just because we're busy) and it would be hard to find a suitable case in which we had no personal connection.
Nobody do anything illegal for a while, okay? I don't want to have to send you to jail, and as honest as I try to be, I would have to if you, say, knocked over an ATM or stole a pack of gum from a gas station, on video. And don't even get me started on drug charges or drunk and disorderly.
Has anyone ever had jury duty? Tell me about your experience.

Dream a Little Dream

I had this weird, crazy dream last night that was some sort of playful Victorian mystery...I was the female head of a household of kids, and these pesky kids got into all sorts of trouble on the beach, including bothering the old neighbor lady, who was a mysterious old...witch? crazy woman? imperious harridan? gentle but misunderstood widow? The last part I remember is my husband and myself taking some pies, secretly, under cover of moonlight, to her house in our carriage, and riding through her orchard just off her driveway considering how we'd sneak in undetected. Evidently we were doing this to apologize because our children had troubled her in some way, but we ourselves were apprehensive of her.
Like I said. Weird. But at least not truly scary. The ocean was kind of frightening at one point in the dream, and of course the old lady was scary. I woke up thinking I'd write a book of some sort, but now I haven't the faintest idea how I'd do it. It was all very theatrical.

Fourth Genre are my new friends

So, I got a rejection letter from Fourth Genre today, which prints essays. Why are they my friends then, you ask? Well, they sent me two comments in a nice letter, from readers, about the first literary essay I've ever sent out. One said, "There is some interesting architecture and insight displayed here." The other said, "An authentic piece that draws me in as a reader. However, I wonder if the italicized segments are too much of a literary device." I'm working on digesting that one, since I think I might agree but can't think what to do about it.
The essay was written for my grandmother's birthday, but I tried to make it edgy and meaningful in a literary way. I had a real issue with transitioning, and also wanted to make the essay somewhat lyrical. So, I have these italicized segments recounting how it must feel to be chased and bitten by a dog (which is what the essay is about) placed throughout. They are a literary device, because I wanted to make the essay at least somewhat poetic, since that's my life. I don't want to do without them, but am wondering if the placement and arrangement are making me rely too much on them for those transitions between sections.
I don't know. This was sort of an experiment, and I was really encouraged by FG's letter, especially since they said to keep trying them as they'd be glad to look at other work. If only I had other work to send. That's the only essay I have! I'd like to try more places, but am not sure where to send, and am not sure if I should do some work on the essay first. So, FG rules, and made me feel good, even if it was a rejection (and I've gotten several of those lately...one of my Spring Break goals is to get more work out).

Break Has Begun

Let it ring forth: I am officially on break.
Granted, I have a pile of 90 essays to grade, and the pile is daunting. But I don't have to give them back right away when school resumes, and I have plenty of time in the interim to get them done, so the usual quota per day will be cut in half. And will not begin until tomorrow. Tra la. Perhaps I shall even spend one or two days in frenzied grading next week to reduce said quota even further. You know. If I get bored.
I plan to sew, write poems, watch TV, and vegetate. I may take a few field trips, assuming my car is behaving. I also plan to rekindle my romance with my bed. Some noon wakeup times are definitely in order.

Haven't caught up with Project Runway from last night, but I did read some of the questions and answers with Tim Gunn on the website; for anyone who has considered the same question, he says yes, the clothes do look very different in person. He specifically mentioned Zulema's Inspiration dress, which was one that made me wonder; the judges sharply criticized her construction, but most of the difficulties weren't visible to the TV viewer. I trust the judges' opinions, but definitely wondered at the difference. You can only imagine how bad some of the problems visible to the TV viewer look in person (though I gather some of the garments look worse on TV also).

Two Days 'til Break!

In TV news, Supernatural is moving to Thursdays, just when I got used to watching Gilmore Girls then Supernatural. This makes me kind of sad.
Funniest line of Supernatural: Why don't you try a little thinking with your upstairs brain?"
Or something to that effect.
The season finale of Project Runway starts tonight; I shall be watching it in rerun, as I will not be home until later.

In sewing news, I am working on finishing a blouse which, of course, I made with a plunging back. Again. So far, so good. I made a pattern choice and went with it, and altered it. This one has some long, flowy sleeves that I need to put in yet, then I need to hem the thing. I think it will work. Plunging backs rule!

Plunging Backlines

Point one. There's a bird up here. I don't know where it is, but I'm pretty sure someone brought a bird to the office. I can hear it whistling somewhere.

Point two. The kimono top is finished; I'd chosen a very thin fabric, and I'm very skinny, so in a way I'm not as happy with the top as I could be because it sort of enhances my lack of figure. It needs to be Static Guarded, which might help. It's pretty, just perhaps not *quite* what I'd envisioned.
However: I made it with a plunging back. I folded the pattern for the back in from the neckline and made a V that goes down to my waist, just above the waist tie when you blouse the top out. I then made a tie for the top of the back, to keep it closed enough that it wouldn't fall off me. This is pretty daring, but let me tell you: The back frickin' rocks. It looks amazing, and I wish the front were equally as cool, or that I had the bosom to carry off the front as well.
The long and the short of it is that the top won't probably go with the new skirt I made, as I'd intended, but will probably rock a good pair of jeans or my white pants come spring.
I think the kimono top will work in some of the other fabrics I got, which are chiffony and have patterns and so will be less overwhelmingly big and black. I am faced now with the decision of what to do with this gold fabric I got, which I was going to use with another kimono top but I now am having second thoughts. I have a cute wrap pattern I've used before which will work, but I have to admit that the sexiness of the plunging back is appealing to me a lot (I got the idea from a Victoria's Secret shirt of a totally different style but with that plunge). I'm trying to figure out a way to make a sexy top with a better front and a plunge back, that will work with a modification of a pattern I already own. I'm actually trying to think of a way to modify the kimono pattern to suit my need a bit better...V in the front rather than boatneck? Plunging V with closures in front? Is that too much? Some totally other neckline? Short, fitted sleeves instead?
Or am I barking up the wrong tree completely?
I am obsessed with the plunging back idea and don't know why...well, yes I do, it's because I have a nice back and never show it off. And I want something pretty but not overdone...I have some patterns that are perfectly pretty but they don't seem right somehow. This decision is kicking my butt.

Point three. I am going to pick my car up from the Marathon garage. They could not figure out what was wrong with it either. Boo. Going to have to figure out what to do about this.

End Games

I have to say I was much more impressed with the closing ceremonies than those for the opening of the Olympic Winter Games in Torino.
Particular highlights:

O Canada: Props to Vancouver for bringing out the Native tribes and for the awesome ice cracking and whale song of the ice fisherman scene. That rocked.
Angels and Ministers of Grace: Va Pensiero sung by little ones in angel and devil costumes. That was cute and sounded pretty.
Little Brides: Likewise, the young brides lining up to make a peace dove was pretty exciting.
Better Parade Music: While the YMCA during the festivities seemed wildly out of place, the songs played during the athletes' entrance were much more in keeping with the Italian spirit.
Dancing Tarot Cards: All Carnivals should have dancing tarot cards. Period.

In all, the sounds and sights of these ceremonies seemed better choreographed, more visible, and more thematically resonant.
Huzzah, Torino!

Weekend Potpourri

Ah, weekends. A time for rest, a time for frenzy, a time for best-laid plans to go unseated, a time for things to come together anyway.

On Friday, despite my post about not putting on my pajamas as soon as I got home, I put on my pajamas as soon as I got home. I rested my back, had some dinner, watched the Olympics, and knitted. The store, I said to myself, can wait.

Saturday, I lazily rolled out of bed and back in front of the TV to watch the last biathalon event. That really is something dramatic. It seems so boring while they're skiing, but then when they get toward the shooting range, suddenly everyone's out of their minds. I was sad Ole Einer Bjorndalen did not get his gold, but happy that Poland, who I was cheering for, got its first biathalon medal...that happened last week, too, when I was cheering for France...not their first medal, but they did get gold.
Then I decided I should not only go to the store, but also to Jo-Ann's. There, I spent a ludicrous amount on new fabrics, most of which have plans in store. I found a lovely burgundy paisley brocade on clearance...I love those brocades and get some every time they're on sale, because they're just too darn pretty to ignore. I also got some knits to experiment with, and some charmeuse-like fabric, along with ridiculous yardage of tulle, more black, and burgundy and pink. More scarfs are on their way.
Kroger was uneventful, except that for once I stuck to my list and even discarded items from it. I did find something a student gave me a tip about: Girl Scout cookie ice cream from Edy's. They had a gallon of Samoas, which I later ate a bit of. It's rich, but it certainly tastes exactly like those cookies, my favorite kind.
That evening I finished up a velvet corset top I'd been working on forever, looked over some patterns to use with my new fabrics, had a steak and some antipasti, and watched more Olympics and the Saturday Brit coms. It was really a pretty brilliant day.

I thought I'd be in for more of the same on Sunday. For starters, the BGSU women's chorus was singing at church, to my surprise, and one of my students is in it. It was a special occasion, and then they sang Siyahamba at the end, which is one of my favorite pieces of all time, as I mentioned in my last post.
Then things went awry. My car wouldn't start. At this time I'd like to thank the unnamed chorus member who jumped out of her friend's car, and, in her long black dress, tried to help me jumpstart it. She was amazing, and reminded me of me a little bit in her willingness to work in her dress, and not at all of me in her immediate friendliness. Alas, the car would not start, and I declined a ride, which was a mistake.
For some stupid reason ("Who needs a phone at church?") I left my cellphone at home. Dumb. I went to Sunoco and a girl there (thank you, unnamed girl) let me use her phone, but I really needed mine, so I set about walking home in my church clothes, scarfless ("Who needs a scarf from the car to the church?"), but with gloves and a coffee purchased at Sunoco. It was a long walk. When I arrived, I changed and put a bandage on my new blister from illfitting shoes, and called my Mum...to wish her a happy birthday and to ask where Dad was. Called Dad, got some advice. Called AAA, and set about walking back, bundled up this time, to the car. The parking lot was a little full, because Anything Goes was being performed at the church, but the tow truck found me and, after listening to the car, the guy got it started. It wouldn't start reliably in the normal way, so he too gave me some advice. I got it home, though, and resumed having a pleasant day.
I made a skirt on Sunday, out of brocade. I also got most of the way through a kimono-style top. I'm a little skeptical about it, but I think it will be fine. I'd like to finish it tonight, because I want to make several of those in different fabrics, and I need to see how it looks. Watched the closing ceremonies, ate some leftover steak...all was back to normal.

Now, I need to go to a meeting, so I'll post on the closing ceremonies later.

Wait...What day is it?

So, it's Friday again. What the heck happened?
This time last week, I was home home with the folks, hanging out, getting ready for a concert, making hockey plans. Now, I'm getting ready to go home and fall asleep for three days. Well, maybe not, but I think a nap is called for and within my rights. The only problem is, I have no soda, so I think I might have to go to Meijer or Kroger at some point today. I'm also almost out of milk. So I should probably not get pajamafied right away.
Today it's sunny, but chilly. I walked to school and my eyes were blurry. I can't wait until it's warm and my eyes stop watering every time I go outside.
I feel weird right now and am desperately hoping that my ill and ill-carrying students didn't give me something atrocious. I told them all they need to stop making out, but they're not listening to me. I heard flu A is here, which is not good news. Darn kids.

So, this week was the reunion show for Project Runway. Because of the Olympics, it was really the only interesting non-sport thing on this week (no Gilmore Girls, no Supernatural...seriously, what do Steve and I have to text message each other about if there is no Tuesday TV?) I was not home for most of the PR episode, but have caught up on it and Project Jay in reruns. PR was less uncomfortable than last year's PR reunion. There were some uncomfortable moments (ie whatever Guadalupe was getting at, and having to watch much, much more of Andrae's first breakdown than they showed on TV the first time), but a lot of things were said and it felt more zen than last year, like things came into balance. I also enjoyed the musical numbers provided, and watching Daniel V crack up over Santino's Tim Gunn impressions.
I am apprehensive about the upcoming Fashion Week episodes. I've seen a few spoilers of the collections, but those little surprises they always throw in make me nervy. I have to keep reminding myself I don't really care that much who wins this time.
It was nice to catch up with Jay McCarroll. He's very much a real person, perhaps unprepared for the demands and heartwrench of being a popular designer. It was good for me to see what he's learned and how he's growing. I liked his first collection idea that they showed, with the east meets west thing, but then after his surgery he started going quite another direction, and that was interesting, too. As much as we think of design as being keeping up with the competition, being part of the fads, its true eruption must be from the core of the designer, and has to be open to such wide vision changes. I wish him success.
Austin Scarlett's collection was....very Austin Scarlett. I loved that first little pleated dress in...blue, I think.

Speaking of pleats, I was catching some sort of Oscar roundup for dresses...a preview show or something, and there was a flat out GORGEOUS dress with black tulle pleated and folded in patterns in the bodice and skirt. It was the most amazing dress I've ever seen in my life. I want it. I want it bad. Alas, I cannot share a picture of it since I can't find it.
In homage to that dress, I have begun the "Darci scarf" from my cool knit book, which is a long scarf made out of tulle and in itself an homage to Darci Kistler, a famous ballerina. The one in the book is pink, but I'm going with black this time. Tulle is a pain to knit, but it looks pretty awesome and I am enthusiastic, although I sense I'm going to have to go get more tulle.
Ah, crafts.

Walking Out of My Hip

Am I the only one who has this feeling: You're walking along, everything's cool, but then you take a step, your pelvis opens up to the side just a little too much, and your hip feels like it's going to pop out of socket? Sometimes, it happens a couple of times in one stretch of walking, and it's scary, because what if your hip really did pop out of its socket? What the heck would you do then?

One week round-up

I have had many complaints about no new posts, and I'm sorry, but if you were me and having the workload I have had this last week, you would stop whining. Otherwise, you'd be talking to yourself. If you were me.
But actually, I have had many adventures this past week, with which I will now regale you; happily, I will be finishing the stack of essays I have today and will be free for a whole week. Free meaning, I can maybe write something, and do a knitting project, and watch Olympics without having to do anything at the same time.
So, Wednesday was better than Tuesday. I was still a little shaky and tired, but I got a damn fine hug that day and got to play around with my camera a little bit, which was fun. I need to practice with that a lot more.

Homeward Bound
Things started getting crazy on Friday. I went home because my college dance teacher and director is retiring, and Friday night was the concert at which they were to surprise-present her with a memory book and video. She's a truly great lady, and I wanted to be there, and I also wrote up a little essay that I'd sent for the book. Basically, she's responsible for several of the decisions I've made in the last six or seven years.

A story
When I was a junior in college, I gave up Classical Studies as a cognate and needed another arts cognate, so I picked dance (duh...don't know why I didn't think of that before, except that I had a full load of dance classes at the studio). I had choreography with Dr. Dixie Durr, and learned more in that class than most of my other classes combined. Dr. Durr has a great way of making learning about living, about being a person. I loved that class, and was encouraged by her to take modern that summer with Whitley Setrakian. I did, despite never having summer class before, and once again was staggered by an amazing dance and choreographic experience.
Fresh from these events, I decided to try out for Evita in the fall, despite a crazy course, dance, and library workload...see how this is getting good? I had Dr. Durr for several courses that year, including dance history and an independent study in Labanotation, and...Evita was directed by Dr. Durr. I had yet again a phenomenal learning experience, and felt like I was really contributing to the world as a dancer. Despite twisted feet and the need to eat while I was walking places, or else no eating at all, I was in heaven.
Whitley (remember her? Awesome modern in the summer?) was doing a piece for the rep company concert the following year; since I was graduating, I didn't try out, but she asked me to be in the piece, and so I agreed to dance it at the American College Dance Festival in the spring, and then my friend Liz would do it in the fall at the rep concert. Yet another smart decision...now here's where things get tricky.
The ACDF was in Bowling Green, OH, that year, and my mom recently reminded me that that wasn't even the ACDF region MSU would normally go to, but our normal region was full or something. So we went to BG, which coincidentally, I had applied to for grad school. On our first day there, I went and met some faculty, and got acquainted with campus.
Then, we danced, were adjudicated *well*, despite many other schools being heavily criticized, and, surprise of all surprises, we were selected to close the gala concert. We were ecstatic, we were in heaven, we were amazing. We really were! The piece ruled, the dancing was so comfortable for all of us...it was just, once again, everything coming together. Dancing in Kobacker Hall was pretty sweet.
Then, about two weeks later, the creative writing program called me and offered me a grad school place! How crazy is that? And I'm still here, I have a full time job, and I have publications.
Certainly, there are a lot of twists and turns we take in our lives, but it's amazing how, in such a short time, Dr. Durr became an absolute force.

The Concert
So anyway, back to the weekend. I went to the concert with my Mum, which was fun, because we got to chat and walk around the auditorium a little and reminisce. The concert was very interesting, and there were several things I liked and several things I didn't; part of my education via Dr. Durr was making thoughtful critiques and owning my opinions about them. The video after the program was very funny and sweet, and reminded me of a lot of things that Dr. Durr always has done in class, like call us her "little birds" (name of Whitley's piece? "Birds in the Air.") and spell words...D-O M-O-R-E. B-E S-T-R-O-N-G-E-R. My Mom thinks that is great because it slows down your thoughts enough to actually absorb the message. She also says, "Never apologize for being alive."
She was genuinely surprised and moved, and as my friend Kim said, someone finally was able to make her cry. She's an amazing lady, and it was my very great honor to be there, along with several others of my dance generation and others, to support her life's work.

The Game
Saturday, for some reason, is sort of a blurr to me at first. I rolled out of bed ridiculously late and then watched Olympics and did some essays. I think. Yeah, I remember something about the biathalon where they ski and then shoot guns. And the guy I decided to cheer for won.
But THEN, my parents and I went to the MSU vs. Miami-Ohio hockey game! It was bitterly cold out, but the game was, as they say, hot. MSU beat no. 1 Miami, rather emphatically, actually. It was the last home game of the season, so it was senior night, and it's always great when they win on that night. Many years ago, on Chad Alban's senior night, he scored a goal. He was MSU's goalie. We cheered until we cried. Saturday was more low key, but still amazing.

Church
Sadly for me, the UUMC pastors back home are moving on. Methodists do that, move pastors around a lot, and we've been lucky to keep Frank and Carol for so long. I am glad to be able to see them a couple more times, I hope, before they go.
The choir and bell choir did some spiritual pieces, which was really fun. They sang Siyahamba, which is one of my favorite pieces of all time. It's so pretty, and it always gives me a warm and sunny feeling.

And that's it! Then I came back, have been grading like a crazy lady, and am finally catching up.
And now I have to go teach.

February and I have irreconcilable differences.

This day has just decided it's going to be ridiculously bad. I got very little sleep last night, despite my goal to utterly relax with no work to do. I really have no idea what that's about, except that I had too much coffee at work. That's the only thing I can think of. But since I drank the coffee in the early afternoon, and I had very little caffeine after that...I dunno. Now my entire system is whacked out and I don't feel like eating today, possibly because of the no sleep, and possibly because I feel unloved, and possibly because I may have eaten something that didn't agree with me yesterday, and possibly still because of the coffee.
And then some crazy woman had the audacity to, as I was clearly turning into the parking lot, try to walk into my car, as if I should have waited for her when she was walking in the middle of the adjoining lot lane, and, had she gotten into the crosswalk, would have been far away from my car. Please don't try to shortcut and then look at me like I'm to blame for you nearly walking into my car when you can clearly see me and, were you a car, would have had to wait for me. Pedestrians should never be so convinced of their superiority that they try to play chicken with a hunk of metal and, in my case, plastic.

On the other side of things, that Chinese skater didn't break her knee, evidently, despite the most sickening fall I've seen in a while (with the possible exception of the 2004 fall by the Russian pairs skater, which they also thoughtfully showed in one of their lead-up stories for pairs skating. )
Also, it's almost time for men's Olympic hockey, and considering that there are some former Spartans among the bunch, hoorah. For instance, JM Liles is playing for the US...he was at State when I was. Also Tony Tuzzolino and Jason Muzzati are playing for Italy. I won't get to see them much, probably, but I will remember with fondness Tony Tuzzolino's many penalty minutes as a Spartan.

Just When You Thought It Was Safe...

Sadly, Peter Benchley died. Jaws being one of my favorite movies of all time, I will mourn the loss of its creator. I have also read The Island by Benchley (good old Literary Thrillers class with Gary Hoppenstand) and he's a fun writer, sort of bridging a gap between fine contemporary literature and fluff horror/sci fi. In other words, what I like to read.

Today is Monday, February 13. Garfield the cat's least favorite day. I do need to note, people, that in fact Stirf the cat is not my cat. He is, however, extremely photogenic and thus a good subject for experimentation with my new digital camera. He was on loan from Steve and Melissa.

Stirf vs. Everything in the Room

And here is a picture of Stirf just as he's deciding, "Everything's agin' me." He was masterfully hiding behind his toy basket while he selected his first target; the verdict? The plantlife in the corner. They didn't know what was coming, and didn't stand a chance.

I heart my Canon tech support guy

Canon support guy, whoever you were, thank you for your patient and smart assistance, and for explaining the problem to me when I asked, when I couldn't get Camera Window to start.
As a reward, here is a picture of Stir Fry, taken with my ELPH. He is saucily choosing a toy from his basket.

MUMMIES! And Italians.

Little known fact about Abigail:
Interested in Egypt and its mummies.
My favorite section of natural history museums is almost always mummies, followed closely by animal tableaus, including dinosaurs. I frickin' love Egypt. I don't know why. I always have been fascinated.
That's why I have been gung ho about this new tomb discovery in the Valley of the Kings. New mummies! New treasures! New hieroglyphics! I hope they learn a ton. I want to go there and see for myself. I want to go to the Pyramids and see the Sphinx.
Like I said, I have no idea why I'm so interested in Egypt; my second-favorite Hercules Poirot is Death on the Nile. My favorite kids' books were often about mummies. I will watch The Mummy and The Mummy Returns countless times, even if they are a little dumb. Stargate rules. There's a dark corner of the Chicago Field Museum with a whole bunch of animal mummies, and I always spend at least ten minutes there. It's not like I love history, I just seem to have picked up that period of interest. Part of it is probably their religious mythology. Egypt had a very complex god system, and I always liked learning about that. Then there was the Sesame Street Goes to the Metropolitan Museum special, when Big Bird found a little Egyptian prince trapped in there. That seemed pretty awesome. So, Egypt. Who knew?

I'm also obsessed with Greek mythology, which is what made the Athens Olympics opening ceremonies so good to me. And that segues into...
Commentary on the Torino opening ceremonies.
To be brutally honest, the first half of the ceremonies was ridiculous. It didn't look exciting or cohesive from any angle, and frankly with the way some of the scenes were lit I was surprised anyone in the crowd could see what was going on...the reasonably fun stuff with the cows and the folk dancing was dimly lit indeed. The transitions between sections were weak, and far too much time was given to walking, as in the segment with the model and the Italian flag. The whole thing lacked coherence and unity, to pull out my rhetoric terms. The skier of many people was interesting, but again, note that it was the best lit of anything that went on in the first half.
The parade of nations is always fun, but the music choice was inept. American pop/disco, particularly songs that aren't that interesting but that stick out so glaringly, was not the way to go. The songs even sort of overrode the whole point, which was the athletes coming in to glory. There were a few exceptions, but it was much more interesting and unique when the Italian pop music was playing. Why not play a medley of tunes from different countries?
The second half of the ceremonies, the Renaissance to Baroque section particularly, was much more interesting visually and had more transitional effects. And, of course, Pavarotti is always cool. I liked the race car, but did anyone else feel like the actual use of the race car was sort of mundane, and brought back that poor transitioning from the first segment? They went from this exciting building of the car, to making rings, but the car was sort of drifting around and looked like the driver had no idea what to do but sit there and make smoke, and then limp onto the ramp.
In evaluation, the ceremonies spent too much time on hyper-technical gadgetry and not enough on choreography and symbolism that would translate well to a large crowd, and on the so-important segment segues. Some moments that could be genuinely touching were lost on a too-large canvas with too-small tools. I had favorite parts, to be sure, such as the Birth of Venus, the little girl singing Italy's anthem (a simple and more appropriate use of the vast, white space), and the dancing of Bolle (weird, but in a comprehensible way, though he, too, sometimes looked like he had no idea where to go next). But for a ceremony entitled "Rhythm, Passion, and Speed," the results felt like none of the three to this viewer.
Torino, I still love you.
Oh! And best dressed? The English. Way to go!

Annoying Quote of the Day

From an article on CNN.com regarding a gap between parents and teachers:

"I don't see where the testing is going to come in handy for 90 percent of students down the line," said Hungerford, a truck loader from Syracuse, New York. "For science-minded kids taking English tests, I don't think they care where the period goes when you are up in space."

Well, that's great, Hungerford. Did you see Apollo 13? How will you feel when your kid can't understand what Houston is saying, can't take correct and precise notes, and can't understand technical manuals required to avoid death?

Parents piss me off sometimes. Testing is a hot subject I will not take a stand on here; but please don't try to tell me your kid can stop learning where the period goes.

HOTT!

I defy you to think these people aren't absolutely amazing. The girl, Yulia, is like a bird, and Maxim, while occasionally scary, is sharp like a knife. This piece they did (photographed by Jeffrey Dunn) is from America's Ballroom Challenge, and it was so stunning my jaw dropped and I didn't move the whole time. I couldn't believe they didn't win the International Latin division. I disliked the piece by the couple that did win, which made me even more annoyed.
This dance was incredible; fast, with Yulia doing all kinds of little, tight, precise swivels that made the fringe go crazy...but the fringe wasn't exaggerating the movement, you could tell it was all honest effort. I wish I had film footage of this because they were out of control awesome.

Culinary Friday

Ah, Friday. Last night, whilst I was reading my Cook's Illustrated (get it! get it now!), I was thinking, maybe I would like to do a weekly foodblog. Like, hey guys, I found this recipe, it rules. Or, hey, here's the kitchen experiment of the week.
But guess what I'm eating?
If you said McDonald's, you're right.
But at the risk of being hypocritical, I'm still gonna say some stuff about food.
Lately, I've been trying some new desserts. Hence, the Lemon Schaum Torte (meringue thing) last weekend, which is very delicious and, I'm sure, tres fattening, and some crazy peaches and cream ambrosia type of deal (jello...non fattening. whipping cream...well...). I feel most comfortable with desserts, because they usually turn out all right even though I don't always have the right kitchen utensils. Because I am lacking in kitchen space, my kitcheny plans often turn out a little smaller that I'd like.
But I've been wanting to try some more adventurous main dishes, too. The recipe I was reading last night was for peppercorn encrusted filet mignon. The experiments in the kitchen were very interesting to read about, and the end result dish sounded fantastic. It involves peppercorns in oil and a process of searing and baking that sounds pretty great. I want to do it! It didn't seem too difficult, and would be a tasty, expensive-looking dinner.
One of the things I love about Cook's is that they test expensive and inexpensive products, and their findings often coincide with one of my philosophies, which is that middle-of-the-road, on the lower end, is often a better bet than something expensive with little reason. Be a normal person. Avoid the pretense. They did a good review of mail-order vs. store steaks, and found that a good 20 bucks a pound steak from the butcher was a-ok.
This subscription, by the by, is a Christmas gift from my sister. It is pretty darn awesome, and it came with a bunch of yummy good spices; of recent use, the Bouquet Garni to kick up some gravy. Mmmm. Gravy.

And now, the kitchen lady's necessary tool of the week:
A jello mold.

Catwalk

And now for this week's Runway commentary:
I did not see much of the beginning of this episode, the first 25 minutes or so, but I did record it; ultimately, though, I felt like I might not bother watching it, or maybe just wait for one of its many reruns. If you catch, like, the first ten minutes, and the last half hour of the show, you've really gotten most of the good stuff without dealing with drama queens.
Anyway.
Daniel V., WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? I had to laugh that Heidi kept saying, "I hate what you've done to Chloe," as if he's slashed her face or something. I did not agree with the assessment of dressing up in a grandmother's closet, put forth by Tim Gunn. The dress fit was indeed dowdy in movement on Chloe (who is short and curvy, and therefore needs something of a more fluid or flat-out stiff texture, and different skirt cut), but the end result was more like old-time Vietnamese bar girl. (And I have just now confirmed that she is, in fact, Vietnamese, which is worse to me somehow). The corset would have been SO much better in another context; I think it could have worked for her, but only if it were put together with something funky, not tawdry.
I actually liked Kara's design best this week, for Santino. The work done by Chloe for Nick was immaculate, and I'm not upset that she won, but Kara's work was much more thought-provoking. Sometimes fastidious isn't best, as impressive as it may be. Kara's hat kicked ass.
I was in complete agreement with Tim Gunn's blog that Santino's design was exciting and his execution...um, poor. I loved that Gunn invoked Emma Peel, because that's exactly what I was thinking during the show, and I thought Kara could walk it well (I sympathized with her trying to stand in it...that kind of outfit has to move). I especially liked the striping across the back. But. Wow. Next week, I want to see him put together a completed, finished piece. I mean it, Santino. Finished. You are often agitating, but there's so much talent in there, and I will be pissed if you don't get it together and make it a real competition based on style and execution.
Nick...Saddest exit for me; the puckering problem was uncharacteristic but also glaring, and made me wonder, dear Nick, what happened to you the last couple of weeks? You haven't been the same since Tarah. But you KNOW you can't be so attached to one muse that you lose control of your design focus. I sympathized a lot with Nick because he, surprisingly, experienced the problem I do, which is choosing the wrong fabric and trying to make it fit the wrong project. You will be missed.
Next week looks bitchy, which makes me sigh with trepidation. Hopefully people will chill out enough to get stuff done and we can have a real confidence in our final 3.

RIP Mar-Mar Superstar

Well, it happened. Mar-Mar lost a long and difficult battle with fin rot and cotton disease and heaven knows what else. We tried to medicate, we tried to change water, we tried fishy cheering dances. We could not save him.
Mar-Mar, you were a good fish. A busy fish. A fish who spoke up at editorial meetings. A fish who loved to dance. A fish who hid in his plant. A fish who once jumped into a sink. A fish who spoke volumes with a single, mysterious popping noise. A fish we will miss.

Avert Your Eyes.

So, sorry to anyone I've flashed today. I can't do a thing about it.
I got my favorite sweater at New York & Co last year. It's pink, soft, and cozy. It has a v-neck, and I like it, but the v-neck tends to dip a bit low throughout the day, leaving it to anyone's guess who all has seen my bra. I pull the sweater back a lot, not often enough to be annoyed, but often enough for me to wonder if I should do it more.
This semester, for the first time, I was smart enough to schedule a lunch hour in, so that I'm not working or having office hours when I should be resting and eating a sensible meal. Boy do I like lunch. Sometime, let's talk about sandwiches.

The Elph of My Heart

Elph, and not the Legolas Variety:
I got my camera! I got it good.
I FINALLY found the Canon SD 450; Circuit City in Holland had one, and so I ordered it online and went to pick it up at the store Friday night. Then I played with it a little and read some of the manual, and took a few test pictures. I have a lot to learn, and I still need to make an effort to take better pictures, but at least I can dump the ones that don't turn out! Knowing me, that will be a lot. The camera is tinytiny, as I told my mum about four packs of gum stacked together, not much more. I have to be very careful with it. Test pictures will arrive when I get to the stage of putting them on the computer.

Film of a different kind:
My usual Sunday shows aren't on tonight, so I will be watching Flightplan and possibly some of the Charmed episodes they are showing on TNT. I also watched a few other movies this weekend, namely:
The Brothers Grimm--kind of funny, but frankly didn't make a whole lot of sense. Badly paced, but interesting in a visual way, and since I love fairy tales I got along with this movie all right.
Corpse Bride--let us be honest. Was anyone else irritated when the dead people had their first song and it was virtually identical in sound to one or more of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Oompa-Loompa songs? Danny Elfman and Deep Roy being involved in the songs notwithstanding, COME ON. I hated the OL songs in Charlie, and I didn't like the song anymore in Corpse. I give good marks for the story and animation, but I was appalled by the music thing.
Batman Begins--I intended to see this in the theater...after all, as my friend Nate remarked, there's a fire-breathing horse. But I didn't. And then I got skeptical. And I waited. But then, I saw it, and I now believe Steve that it is awesome. Christian Bale is a perfect young Batman, and has returned to heartthrob status for me. I'm not crazy about Katie Holmes and never have been, but I sure do like Liam Neeson even when he's naughty.

In other movie news, Indiana Jones 4 has an official year attached to it, 2007, and according to imdb.com, Virginia Madsen is very possibly on board to play the love interest.

Today's Special:
One of my new favorite hymns: Saranam, Saranam
We sang this today in church, and it's from a Pakistani word "refuge" to a Punjabi melody. We sang the first two verses as the prayer chorus, and it was very pretty.
P.S. Today's sermon was about demons. I wonder if Pastor Andy has been watching Charmed.

What's Cooking?:
I must away now, to finish the meringue I began earlier today and to make a jello-related dessert, for no apparent reason except to entertain myself and to use the lemon and whipping cream I have in the fridge.

Dear God, please forgive me for throwing the chips out.

I always feel intensely guilty when I throw food out. We've sort of gone past the old parental admonishment of "starving kids in Ethiopa/Somalia/India/wherever would be grateful to have anything to eat let alone what you're tossing out," but I still feel it. Immense guilt for being a heavy-consuming, greedy American.
But sometimes, I think it's just not preventable. Today I tossed out somewhat stale Avocado flavored tortilla chips; not because they're stalish...I would eat stale chips out of guilt. But they leave this taste in my mouth that makes my breath smell, too, and it's so hard to get rid of. I have to use Listerine, which is okay except then my breath smells like medicine. Today I ate some of these chips, forgetting how awful the results are, and I'm trying to come up with things to fix it. Seriously...brushing teeth three times doesn't even get rid of it completely. The remainder of these chips (true, there weren't that many) are in the trash.
I've always had that issue...many years ago I ate a bowl of vegetable beef soup with a little garlic powder thrown in, and then brushed my teeth. I think it was even the next DAY after two teeth brushings, or at least several hours, and my Mom helpfully pointed out that my breath stank. She was right though, it did, and I couldn't do a blessed thing about it. I asked my dentist about this once and he didn't really have any helpful tips that I wasn't already trying, except for giving me the Listerine sample. Bleh. I need at least to get some cinnamon mouthwash, because I can't deal with that fake mint stuff. It's not minty at all.

So, going back to those five weird habits from a while ago, when I promised to come up with something better, I guess that's it. I have to be very careful about my breath.

I heart Trocks

Trockadero.
Go here. It's funny.
Last night I went to the ballet. It was glorious. I was all dressed up in a brand new dress, a cute boy came with me, we ate pizza, and then laughed with and at dance.
What's great about the Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo is that their repertoire can be appreciated by balletomanes and "normal" people alike. I, for instance, was laughing at the precise renderings of truly ridiculous ballet poses; these were honed to be only exaggerated enough to provoke giggles. They were accurate, but with a special extra something to send them over the edge into hilarity. This is why they are known for both homage and teasing at the same time.
Dancers really do silly things, onstage and off. The Trocks gave me the opportunity to laugh at myself as a dancer and to just flat out laugh.
Oh, and they're all men. In tutus. And pointe shoes.
Funniest piece: Les Sylphides
Most amazing piece: Le Corsaire pas de deux

The Runway; or, where the heck is my time going?

Presently, I am feeling appalled because someone seems to have made my time into sand. I can't seem to get a grasp on it, and little pieces keep falling out of my hand.
It is another week, another episode of the Runway. This week's theme: garden party, literally.
Did anyone else panic for all of the designers that none of them was close to finishing a garment at the time the show usually shows them almost done? I'm wondering of the directors were trying to trick us a little, which I resent.
Also interesting: Read Tim's blog on the Runway website. There's an interesting bit there about him wanting to tell the judges that you can't have flowers for the little $100 they gave the designers. They're too expensive. Everyone always wonders about that, if Tim talks to the judges; it appears not. There's also a funny reference in a later page to Santino's story about Andrae and Tim at the Red Lobster. God Bless Tim Gunn.
In any case, I was impressed with all the designs, doubly so because they looked like disasters early on. I was glad Kara got some positive attention, not because of the garment but because she needed it. I also, of course, liked Daniel's and Chloe's creations. The Andrae vs. Nick ending was a bit of a surprise; Nick really fell off the horse, in my humble opinion. I wonder if things would have been different if the judges had been aware of Tim's feeling about cost and flowers, above. Santino's garment was interesting this week, but I was a little sad that one of his earlier mannequin arrangements of the mesh didn't survive...it had a really exciting shape, sculptural but wearable. Ah, well. It may have been a little too much.

That's all...very dramaless this week, for me. Everything was just pleasant to look at, very low on tension.

Wish I could say the same for my own life. Much to my delight, Lush bath and massage products are on their way. They will be used immediately.

Red Pulse

First, a little something for Steve: Supernatural. Click on the car. Do it now!

Of note today: My blond streaks are now red. And when I say red, I don't mean titian. It is in fact, Red Pulse. This washes out in 8-10 days, which is good, because it doesn't look that great to me. We'll see what happens tomorrow when it's curly.

Tirade of the Day

Something I hate: Peacefully walking along, then passing through the University-Moseley connection and running smack dab into someone's cloud of smoke that he or she has just thoughtfully blown into the path of everyone who walks through there. I especially like it when smokers stand on the door side, so that anyone entering the building has no choice but to plunge through their foul air. I also like it when they do that outside East Hall.
Now, when I'm going to the bar, I know what I'm getting into. If I don't feel like getting smoky, I can avoid it. But how the F am I supposed to avoid my own workplace?
Smokers, get the F out of my way.

Next Tirade: People who ignore the stop line.