My crew, and by crew I mean my blog friends, are always putting notes up about albums they are looking to buy, or are excited about, or that are the best in the year, etc. I always feel a little left out, because I don't listen to a lot of current music, but I seem to hang around most with people who do.
Today, though, I'm excited about an album; it's not new, but it got me kind of geeked. It happened like this:
I'd never seen the entirety of Kill Bill, either vol 1 or 2. It was a lot like Pulp Fiction. It's not the type of movie I really go for much. I can appreciate why others would, but I myself would need to be in a special sort of reflective mood in order to watch. With Pulp Fiction, I made a sassy drink and got down to it. I haven't seen the whole thing since, just bits and pieces on TV, and I don't mind. The experience was encapsulated into that mildly tipsy sort of "aha. I see" mood.
This weekend, though, TNT was going to show the Kill Bill films, and I thought I'd give them a go. Friday was vol. 1 and Saturday was vol. 2; I finished my essay quota each night and sat down to it.
Well, vol. 1 starts with Nancy Sinatra singing "Bang Bang." Even if you know me pretty well, you probably do not know that I heart Nancy Sinatra. Also, I love that song. I resolved immediately (so immediately that I got up to write it down on my grocery list) to get that song in whatever manner possible. On Saturday, I traipsed my behind into Finders, looked the song up, and found the Kill Bill vol. 1 soundtrack on CD. I decided against vol. 2, since I had not yet seen the movie, but as soon as I got back in my car I put my new CD on and listened to "Bang Bang" at least six times. I didn't actually listen to the rest until quite a bit later that evening, and this is what I think of it: It rocks.
The only song I didn't care for much is the rap that follows O-Ren's speech. I might warm up to it, but the beginning, where the speaker is just sort of doing a "this is your life" sort of thing is dull, especially following the included scene after O-Ren slices Tanaka's head off. The difference is jarring in a bad way.
The remainder of the songs are exciting, and are very excellent traveling music. It's a good soundtrack because it evokes the mood of the movie very well. It has that special referential quality but also stands by itself. I love it, and it shall travel with me from car to workroom henceforth.
So take that, music flaunters.
Oh, and the films? Entertaining...more so than Pulp Fiction for me, actually. Not something I'd watch a lot, but worth a rental now and then.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Friday, September 15, 2006
This week on the small screen
Project Runway--are you kidding me? That was the biggest f-ing (that's right, I said f-ing, that's how mad I was) waste of an hour ever.
In fact, as I explained to my friend Amanda, I was so infuriated that during the commercials I watched the rest of a movie, and didn't even care when I missed a minute or two of the show if I didn't stop the tape soon enough. That's huge for me. As much of a channel surfer as I am, if I'm watching something I need to watch, the channel stays put. I mean, I put on my ballerina pajama pants! I made a huge bowl of buttery popcorn! I'd watched tapes that needing returning in the early evening so as to clear my schedule!
The challenge itself wasn't *so* bad, but it was boring. And this using scraps of fabric thing? OK, I like the whole waste not want not thing, but if you don't have rules about that, you're going to get nonsense like the purse-stuffing. Really, it was the type of "challenge" that makes you think the creators were really struggling. I don't want to even talk about how their plan for bringing back challenge winners completely blew up in their faces and ended up further eroding credibility instead.
Laura deserved her win. Michael was strong. I would wear Uli's dress, sleeves and all (but not the necklace).
That's it.
Thank goodness for Calendar Girls, which I watched immediately following this debacle. It was witty, heartfelt, and entirely entertaining, and I even watched all of the extras on the dvd to learn about the real-life ladies who stripped for a calendar in support of Leukemia research. Helen Mirren is full of sass, which I always enjoy. That lady can do absolutely anything, and it was nice to see other familiar faces like Julie Walters (Mrs. Weasley in HP), Penelope Wilton (Mum in Shaun of the Dead) and Celia Imrie (Una in Bridget Jones) doing something so completely daring, too. Now that's credibility.
Also on tap this week was The Exorcism of Emily Rose. I found parts of it creepy (mainly those all-alone with strange noises scenes), and it was worth the 2.50 dvd rental fee, or whatever it was. I like a nice, scary movie about this time of year, when it starts to get cold and the falling leaves make skittery noises across the ground when it's windy.
Evidently, Steve feels the same way. Zombies.
In fact, as I explained to my friend Amanda, I was so infuriated that during the commercials I watched the rest of a movie, and didn't even care when I missed a minute or two of the show if I didn't stop the tape soon enough. That's huge for me. As much of a channel surfer as I am, if I'm watching something I need to watch, the channel stays put. I mean, I put on my ballerina pajama pants! I made a huge bowl of buttery popcorn! I'd watched tapes that needing returning in the early evening so as to clear my schedule!
The challenge itself wasn't *so* bad, but it was boring. And this using scraps of fabric thing? OK, I like the whole waste not want not thing, but if you don't have rules about that, you're going to get nonsense like the purse-stuffing. Really, it was the type of "challenge" that makes you think the creators were really struggling. I don't want to even talk about how their plan for bringing back challenge winners completely blew up in their faces and ended up further eroding credibility instead.
Laura deserved her win. Michael was strong. I would wear Uli's dress, sleeves and all (but not the necklace).
That's it.
Thank goodness for Calendar Girls, which I watched immediately following this debacle. It was witty, heartfelt, and entirely entertaining, and I even watched all of the extras on the dvd to learn about the real-life ladies who stripped for a calendar in support of Leukemia research. Helen Mirren is full of sass, which I always enjoy. That lady can do absolutely anything, and it was nice to see other familiar faces like Julie Walters (Mrs. Weasley in HP), Penelope Wilton (Mum in Shaun of the Dead) and Celia Imrie (Una in Bridget Jones) doing something so completely daring, too. Now that's credibility.
Also on tap this week was The Exorcism of Emily Rose. I found parts of it creepy (mainly those all-alone with strange noises scenes), and it was worth the 2.50 dvd rental fee, or whatever it was. I like a nice, scary movie about this time of year, when it starts to get cold and the falling leaves make skittery noises across the ground when it's windy.
Evidently, Steve feels the same way. Zombies.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
TV Synthesis
Am I the only one who, while watching House last night and hearing that a child had two sets of DNA, when House said "How is this possible?" immediately thought CHIMERISM? Or however you spell it?
And I couldn't believe it took him an achingly long time to figure that out. The "disorder" is so weird, you'd have thought House would LOVE that and know about it instantly.
Maybe House didn't catch that episode of CSI when the criminal wasn't caught at first because of dual DNA. In any case, I thought it was a bit much for him to say "that's not possible." Even taking his level of distraction into account, I had a hard time suspending my disbelief that he wouldn't land on chimerism right away. I mean, there aren't many possibilities, but there IS one, you know?
And I couldn't believe it took him an achingly long time to figure that out. The "disorder" is so weird, you'd have thought House would LOVE that and know about it instantly.
Maybe House didn't catch that episode of CSI when the criminal wasn't caught at first because of dual DNA. In any case, I thought it was a bit much for him to say "that's not possible." Even taking his level of distraction into account, I had a hard time suspending my disbelief that he wouldn't land on chimerism right away. I mean, there aren't many possibilities, but there IS one, you know?
Monday, September 11, 2006
Weekend in Scenes
Scene 1: Don't scream unless it's an emergency.
Screaming outside my window. Children walking their bikes up my driveway and then pedaling down the hill screeching at the top of their lungs. Why is everyone always in my driveway?
Scene 2: Saturday. 2 pm.
The heart feels sad for no good reason. Everyone is out in the sun. We all seem a bit uneasy. In the afternoon I stop and visit beside the booths. It is like a play. We might be saying "How are you?" or "Isn't it hot?" but we might also be saying "Cantaloupe and watermelon" or "This is what I'm saying. Listen to me while the people in the audience can't hear us." Someone points at the sky. Minutes later I know I should walk faster. The wind takes a turn for the biting. For the first time ever, I am drinking lemonade in the street and there are no bees. Where are the bees? Minutes later, thunder.
Scene 3: Sunday. 7:30 am. Phone ring #5. This time, I catch it.
"Hello?"
"Is Dustin there?"
"Ah. No, you have the wrong number."
"Oh." Pause. "Is this Jeremy's phone?"
"No. It's my phone. It's...Abigail's phone."
"Oh." Pause. "Is this phone usually used by someone else?"
"NO. It's MY phone."
"Oh." Pause. Click.
Scene 4: Sunday. 4:00 pm.
I have burnt my lips with absurdly hot chocolate.
Scene 5: Sunday. 4:45 pm.
I am in a gigantic circle of people. I am wearing blue gloves with snowflakes on them. I am wiggling my hips and swiveling my shoulders. I am supposed to be flirting with people across the circle. I am instead enjoying that we are all moving in a circle and laughing happily in the cold.
Scene 6: Sunday. 9:00 pm.
Bags are strewn across my floor. I have been productive. I have bought: A bag with cloud fabric. Three bead bracelets. An adorable half-jacket. And things for other people. I have a quilt across my lap, and I am bent over almost double, hand-stitching the binding in place. I can't believe it is only 9 pm and my cheeks feel sunburnt but are really wind burnt. I have no work to do but this.
Screaming outside my window. Children walking their bikes up my driveway and then pedaling down the hill screeching at the top of their lungs. Why is everyone always in my driveway?
Scene 2: Saturday. 2 pm.
The heart feels sad for no good reason. Everyone is out in the sun. We all seem a bit uneasy. In the afternoon I stop and visit beside the booths. It is like a play. We might be saying "How are you?" or "Isn't it hot?" but we might also be saying "Cantaloupe and watermelon" or "This is what I'm saying. Listen to me while the people in the audience can't hear us." Someone points at the sky. Minutes later I know I should walk faster. The wind takes a turn for the biting. For the first time ever, I am drinking lemonade in the street and there are no bees. Where are the bees? Minutes later, thunder.
Scene 3: Sunday. 7:30 am. Phone ring #5. This time, I catch it.
"Hello?"
"Is Dustin there?"
"Ah. No, you have the wrong number."
"Oh." Pause. "Is this Jeremy's phone?"
"No. It's my phone. It's...Abigail's phone."
"Oh." Pause. "Is this phone usually used by someone else?"
"NO. It's MY phone."
"Oh." Pause. Click.
Scene 4: Sunday. 4:00 pm.
I have burnt my lips with absurdly hot chocolate.
Scene 5: Sunday. 4:45 pm.
I am in a gigantic circle of people. I am wearing blue gloves with snowflakes on them. I am wiggling my hips and swiveling my shoulders. I am supposed to be flirting with people across the circle. I am instead enjoying that we are all moving in a circle and laughing happily in the cold.
Scene 6: Sunday. 9:00 pm.
Bags are strewn across my floor. I have been productive. I have bought: A bag with cloud fabric. Three bead bracelets. An adorable half-jacket. And things for other people. I have a quilt across my lap, and I am bent over almost double, hand-stitching the binding in place. I can't believe it is only 9 pm and my cheeks feel sunburnt but are really wind burnt. I have no work to do but this.
Friday, September 08, 2006
Giggled-so-much-couldn't-stop quote-of-the-week
I have to say that one of my favorite parts of the week is blogging about PR and then, even better, reading the comments of people's own responses to the show! That rules. And this week, we're all so clearly in agreement it gives me a great sense of peace.
OK, this is from my new book, The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Travel, by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht, in the section on gestures:
"In most Latin American countries it is considered phallic and very rude. In Brazil, the fig gesture means "good luck." In parts of the United States, it means "I've got your nose..." (179).
The first time I read that I had to read it again repeatedly because it made me laugh so much. It just sounds so funny to have I've got your nose thrown in there with the same seriousness as good luck or f you.
Ha ha! (said in scary Heidi Klum commercial voice).
OK, this is from my new book, The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Travel, by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht, in the section on gestures:
"In most Latin American countries it is considered phallic and very rude. In Brazil, the fig gesture means "good luck." In parts of the United States, it means "I've got your nose..." (179).
The first time I read that I had to read it again repeatedly because it made me laugh so much. It just sounds so funny to have I've got your nose thrown in there with the same seriousness as good luck or f you.
Ha ha! (said in scary Heidi Klum commercial voice).
Thursday, September 07, 2006
PR from Paree
So, Project Runway.
I liked this week's challenge, though I thought it definitely favored some designers' interests. An understanding of couture methods does not make a better designer, but it seems like several designers were aided in the planning stages because of this knowledge. Thus, Jeffrey and Vincent openly exercised their senses of self-importance, as though knowledge equaled skill. (Stay with me, Jeff fans...I'm on your side this week, witness below). I might have liked this challenge better had it been farther along, for a group of five or even the final four.
I have actually pinpointed the above issue as a beef I have with this year's PR...so many of the challenges have been clearly geared toward a particular designer's interest. While this doesn't guarantee success by any means, it does prevent that all-or-nothing zeal, that all-in-the-same-boat action that marks out a more exciting challenge. Witness the results of challenge 1, season 1: at the grocery store. Under such conditions, there is no choice but to innovate and everyone has the same challenge. When you have challenges that favor some designers, despite the uncertainty of the outcome, the design process isn't nearly as interesting for me. Essentially, I prefer a challenge that puts everyone on the same page start to finish. Something that is as unexpected in the delivery for everybody as in the conclusion. Cohen's skating garment, the grocery store, the garden store, the muslin challenge, the dog outfit--these are the challenges I truly enjoy, or that I can really get behind in principle.
That being said, Jeffrey clearly deserved to win. While others employed couture techniques, as was the challenge, Jeffrey embodied the concept of couture and took the risk based on that energy. I didn't enjoy his dress as a garment, but I enjoyed it as a couture-esque piece for the runway. This is unlike Vincent's "art" dress from the recycling challenge, which was enjoyable to me as neither couture nor art, and certainly not as a garment. Jeffrey pulled through with this one.
As far as wearable garments, I prefered Uli's, though as we've encountered previously I'm not a big fan of the fabric braids (though I think she pulls them off better than Andrae or Santino did). The color was exquisite and it really fitted my desire to see something new and different from Uli, but that was still Uli.
Has anyone noticed how hypercritical the designers are getting of each other's designs now? And of course, the judges don't always agree. We're really getting down to execution and taste here rather than design itself, which is interesting. I don't really remember that peer critique as much from previous seasons, though maybe it just didn't pique my interest then.
Anyway, I enjoyed this week's episode despite my complaint on principle.
I liked this week's challenge, though I thought it definitely favored some designers' interests. An understanding of couture methods does not make a better designer, but it seems like several designers were aided in the planning stages because of this knowledge. Thus, Jeffrey and Vincent openly exercised their senses of self-importance, as though knowledge equaled skill. (Stay with me, Jeff fans...I'm on your side this week, witness below). I might have liked this challenge better had it been farther along, for a group of five or even the final four.
I have actually pinpointed the above issue as a beef I have with this year's PR...so many of the challenges have been clearly geared toward a particular designer's interest. While this doesn't guarantee success by any means, it does prevent that all-or-nothing zeal, that all-in-the-same-boat action that marks out a more exciting challenge. Witness the results of challenge 1, season 1: at the grocery store. Under such conditions, there is no choice but to innovate and everyone has the same challenge. When you have challenges that favor some designers, despite the uncertainty of the outcome, the design process isn't nearly as interesting for me. Essentially, I prefer a challenge that puts everyone on the same page start to finish. Something that is as unexpected in the delivery for everybody as in the conclusion. Cohen's skating garment, the grocery store, the garden store, the muslin challenge, the dog outfit--these are the challenges I truly enjoy, or that I can really get behind in principle.
That being said, Jeffrey clearly deserved to win. While others employed couture techniques, as was the challenge, Jeffrey embodied the concept of couture and took the risk based on that energy. I didn't enjoy his dress as a garment, but I enjoyed it as a couture-esque piece for the runway. This is unlike Vincent's "art" dress from the recycling challenge, which was enjoyable to me as neither couture nor art, and certainly not as a garment. Jeffrey pulled through with this one.
As far as wearable garments, I prefered Uli's, though as we've encountered previously I'm not a big fan of the fabric braids (though I think she pulls them off better than Andrae or Santino did). The color was exquisite and it really fitted my desire to see something new and different from Uli, but that was still Uli.
Has anyone noticed how hypercritical the designers are getting of each other's designs now? And of course, the judges don't always agree. We're really getting down to execution and taste here rather than design itself, which is interesting. I don't really remember that peer critique as much from previous seasons, though maybe it just didn't pique my interest then.
Anyway, I enjoyed this week's episode despite my complaint on principle.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Toothpaste companies make me mad.
I knew I was in trouble when I opened my toothpaste and the colored part was orange.
Aquafresh, you make me sad. I was so happy just using regular whitening aquafresh. Now there are all these boxes I don't recognize, so many varieties that I can't remember what I got before, and I can't find at all my beloved plain whitening toothpaste. I picked a box of extreme clean whitening, which seemed like it would be plainish, except that it was fluoride.
So, once I got over my color shock, I brushed my teeth. To my dismay, it tastes like Listerine. What the heck? I am all about fresh breath, but I gotta say, medicine does not smell very fresh, and that's why I seldom use Listerine.
So now I have an entire tube of toothpaste that I don't enjoy. I'm getting used to it, and I will use the whole tube, but I fear that I will never be able to find the right kind again, and I miss that wintry-fresh feeling of my old toothpaste.
Aquafresh, you make me sad. I was so happy just using regular whitening aquafresh. Now there are all these boxes I don't recognize, so many varieties that I can't remember what I got before, and I can't find at all my beloved plain whitening toothpaste. I picked a box of extreme clean whitening, which seemed like it would be plainish, except that it was fluoride.
So, once I got over my color shock, I brushed my teeth. To my dismay, it tastes like Listerine. What the heck? I am all about fresh breath, but I gotta say, medicine does not smell very fresh, and that's why I seldom use Listerine.
So now I have an entire tube of toothpaste that I don't enjoy. I'm getting used to it, and I will use the whole tube, but I fear that I will never be able to find the right kind again, and I miss that wintry-fresh feeling of my old toothpaste.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Labor Day Baking Extravaganza
OK, I'm sorry I wimped out on the BBQ this weekend, kids. If you had seen me in my kitchen, you'd know why I never turned up.
Basically, I got up quite late in the morning and within a half hour was wrist deep in French flaky pastry dough, begun when my kitchen was still pretty cool. Over the ensuing ten hours, I baked many, many cookies, including:
Basically, I got up quite late in the morning and within a half hour was wrist deep in French flaky pastry dough, begun when my kitchen was still pretty cool. Over the ensuing ten hours, I baked many, many cookies, including:
- cream cookies
- chocolate crinkles
- chocolate chip
- shortbread
- petite palm leaves
- tartines
It was madness. The French cookies, the last two, took for-evah (this is a day-long agenda full of rolling and refrigerating and other such things), and they actually ended up not being flaky pastry at all. I followed the directions as best as I could, but a: my kitchen got hot, especially with the oven on, which is a big no-no for French pastry, and b: I really am not much yet on the finesse involved in French pastry. I can make a crepe pretty well, or at least I have in the past, good enough for me, but this attempt at French cookies was not even as successful as the ones I made last time, which was using a Betty Crocker recipe for the pastry. This recipe was from a French cookie book I rather enjoy but haven't used much yet because Idon't have some of the ingredients called for. More practice is called for, and perhaps I should purchase some of the ingredients for batter cookies, which is bound to be a more successful endeavor.
I'm not going to say the French cookies were distastrous, because they taste fine. But the tartines ended up being more like pie crust sticks; tasty, but certainly not what I had been aiming for. The palm leaves are probably my least favorite of what I made...again, the taste is ok, but the texture is notably un-French. The other four varieties were easy-breezy by comparison. My favorite cookie that I made? Shortbread. Easiest to make? Shortbread.
Anyway, I was up to my eyeballs in dough and dishwater, respectively, all day. I even wimped out on decoration--the cream cookies are supposed to be frosted and the tartines dipped in chocolate, but I really only frosted a few and then decided I was done. Fortunately, I'd been cleaning as I went all day so the kitchen wasn't a super disaster. Still got some dishes to do.
Friday, September 01, 2006
PR Universe
Okay, so everything's a little better this week. I'm completely done with Jeffrey's attitude, but his outfit was very fitting this week and I don't mind his win too much. Personally, I thought the pants were atrocious, but I liked his shirt and jacket. He seems to be the type of person who (annoyingly) vents psychological frustration by belaboring a deflective point (that is, deflecting from his internal struggle) and making pointless gibes over and over until everyone is sick to death of it; in this case, since he is in the wrong in my view, it is exceptionally irritating. Basically, I'd like to see less of Jeffrey's mouth running in future, in favor of more time spent on the work.
I thought Laura's dress was adorable and also enjoyed Michael's outfit. While I liked Uli's dress, I agreed with Tim Gunn that it is a dress she already does very well, and hasn't shown much variety. She's a litle like Chloe in that she has stayed in her comfort zone a little too long and I can see the judges itching for innovation; I only hope that when she does innovate, it is something that maintains her sense of style and taste.
Does anyone find it odd that Vincent, when faced with dressing himself, said, basically, I like to be comfortable, I like to be simple? Does he imagine that women like anything different? He needs to look at some of the disasters that have emerged from his workspace and apply his own needs to that of his primary audience of consumers. Especially in light of his comments during the everyday woman challenge, I am seeing a serious disparity between what he's created and these ideals he puts forth. As for Kayne, well...he just didn't look comfortable. The outfit was indeed costumey. I'm hoping he turns on the jets pretty quick here.
This episode had the strange distinction of being one for which I knew what the challenge would be before it started. Sometimes you can guess, or find spoilers, but seeing the previews last week, I knew exactly what was coming when I saw them standing on the runway. I'm sure others felt the same...it was an odd sensation, but in a way kept me calm.
Looking forward to more Paris.
P.S. What happened to Michael Kors? It's like he woke up on the witchy side of the bed this week. While well justified in many of his comments, they were delivered with ichor this week. Sassy! Our new judge, Catherine Malandrino can pull this off...not so sure about Kors. He just ends up sounding cranky.
I thought Laura's dress was adorable and also enjoyed Michael's outfit. While I liked Uli's dress, I agreed with Tim Gunn that it is a dress she already does very well, and hasn't shown much variety. She's a litle like Chloe in that she has stayed in her comfort zone a little too long and I can see the judges itching for innovation; I only hope that when she does innovate, it is something that maintains her sense of style and taste.
Does anyone find it odd that Vincent, when faced with dressing himself, said, basically, I like to be comfortable, I like to be simple? Does he imagine that women like anything different? He needs to look at some of the disasters that have emerged from his workspace and apply his own needs to that of his primary audience of consumers. Especially in light of his comments during the everyday woman challenge, I am seeing a serious disparity between what he's created and these ideals he puts forth. As for Kayne, well...he just didn't look comfortable. The outfit was indeed costumey. I'm hoping he turns on the jets pretty quick here.
This episode had the strange distinction of being one for which I knew what the challenge would be before it started. Sometimes you can guess, or find spoilers, but seeing the previews last week, I knew exactly what was coming when I saw them standing on the runway. I'm sure others felt the same...it was an odd sensation, but in a way kept me calm.
Looking forward to more Paris.
P.S. What happened to Michael Kors? It's like he woke up on the witchy side of the bed this week. While well justified in many of his comments, they were delivered with ichor this week. Sassy! Our new judge, Catherine Malandrino can pull this off...not so sure about Kors. He just ends up sounding cranky.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
This is just a quick post to say that I hope my students were not too embarassed seeing through the top two buttons of my v-neck sweater today. Probably, I should have pretended it was a cardigan and worn a camisole underneath, but I did not. Possibly also I oughtn't to have worn a black bra underneath, emphasizing said difficulty, but the black bra in question is my favorite and most comfortable, and I always give into that appeal.
Sorry, kids.
Sorry, kids.
Monday, August 28, 2006
I heart Hugh!
Funniest part of the Emmy awards: Hugh Laurie and Helen Mirren.
Now, Helen Mirren is pretty awesome; I've said it before, in public. But it is perhaps more well known that I have a thing for Hugh Laurie, and last night I might have sighed happily if I hadn't been laughing so hard. Hugh Laurie's genius of comedic timing combined with Helen Mirren's dramatic, commanding stature? I laughed out loud through the whole thing, and in fact missed a bit of the middle because I couldn't hear it over the sound of myself in giggles.
Some people take a stab at being funny, and it's not funny, but it's okay, because it's an awards show and you're only really supposed to look pleasant. But this is not for Hugh Laurie. He's going to be deadpan and funny no matter what.
And he's hot.
That's right, I said hot.
And as far as I'm concerned, he could have read all the names for the entire Emmys and I would have listened to every word, and I might have even droolled a little bit.
Now, Helen Mirren is pretty awesome; I've said it before, in public. But it is perhaps more well known that I have a thing for Hugh Laurie, and last night I might have sighed happily if I hadn't been laughing so hard. Hugh Laurie's genius of comedic timing combined with Helen Mirren's dramatic, commanding stature? I laughed out loud through the whole thing, and in fact missed a bit of the middle because I couldn't hear it over the sound of myself in giggles.
Some people take a stab at being funny, and it's not funny, but it's okay, because it's an awards show and you're only really supposed to look pleasant. But this is not for Hugh Laurie. He's going to be deadpan and funny no matter what.
And he's hot.
That's right, I said hot.
And as far as I'm concerned, he could have read all the names for the entire Emmys and I would have listened to every word, and I might have even droolled a little bit.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
PR
1:
WHY?
I fricking quit.
2:
Reading Tim Gunn's blog and the responses to Andy's blog on the PR website, I agree with so many who feel the challenge was a perfect one, but ruined by incompetence and bratty behavior on the part of many designers. Instead of being appalled by the challenge, they should be appalled by their own ignorance. Even Vincent, who so gently claimed that designers should understand such things, had the second easiest model of the whole group, so the comments lost their credibility, as did Michael's design for this particular challenge.
My heart and best wishes go out to Uli, the only designer to avoid negativity and to produce something truly beautiful for a realistic everyday client in a shape we had not yet seen on the show.
WHY?
I fricking quit.
2:
Reading Tim Gunn's blog and the responses to Andy's blog on the PR website, I agree with so many who feel the challenge was a perfect one, but ruined by incompetence and bratty behavior on the part of many designers. Instead of being appalled by the challenge, they should be appalled by their own ignorance. Even Vincent, who so gently claimed that designers should understand such things, had the second easiest model of the whole group, so the comments lost their credibility, as did Michael's design for this particular challenge.
My heart and best wishes go out to Uli, the only designer to avoid negativity and to produce something truly beautiful for a realistic everyday client in a shape we had not yet seen on the show.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Brouhaha
Tonight it is with trepidation and not a little guilt that I will sit down and watch Project Runway. Trepidation because of last week's disaster and guilt that I am not strong enough to give it the heave-ho from my schedule. Alison was a designer I could be loyal to, like Daniel V. and Chloe, and now, no matter how talented some of the rest might be, I don't really feel loyalty to any of them. But, I do like sewing.
The good news is that I've learned from Andy's Blog that Alison is showing on her own at Fashion Week in September. That does my heart good and I hope she is wildly successful and that someday I might be able to afford an Alison creation.
An additional brouhaha comes in a more recent blog by Andy in which he posts a letter from Kathy Najimy, who was justifiably appalled by the comments made about Alison's model's size. Andy mentions that the area will be addressed again tonight, and I do look forward to that. If the show can put forth or instigate some earnest social discussion, I think I'll feel better.
In any event, I disagree with the ousting of Alison on the basis that the outfit made the model look big, or emphasized her size. She by no means looked fat, and I take umbrage to the idea that the judges were disgusted by her appearance in the outfit. I have seen outfits that are highly unflattering to a model, but personally (and I realize, subjectively) this was not one of them. It was art in a far better place than Vincent's.
And that is all I have to say about last week's PR.
The good news is that I've learned from Andy's Blog that Alison is showing on her own at Fashion Week in September. That does my heart good and I hope she is wildly successful and that someday I might be able to afford an Alison creation.
An additional brouhaha comes in a more recent blog by Andy in which he posts a letter from Kathy Najimy, who was justifiably appalled by the comments made about Alison's model's size. Andy mentions that the area will be addressed again tonight, and I do look forward to that. If the show can put forth or instigate some earnest social discussion, I think I'll feel better.
In any event, I disagree with the ousting of Alison on the basis that the outfit made the model look big, or emphasized her size. She by no means looked fat, and I take umbrage to the idea that the judges were disgusted by her appearance in the outfit. I have seen outfits that are highly unflattering to a model, but personally (and I realize, subjectively) this was not one of them. It was art in a far better place than Vincent's.
And that is all I have to say about last week's PR.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Tuesday: A reflection on laziness and then childhood
Hello my darlings.
I am wicked tired right now (and yes, I did just say wicked). I forgot how exhausting school is, or even just walking around and to and from school. I am looking forward to possibly several hours of TV tonight, including Simpsons and reruns of Gilmore Girls and House. I do like that, as tiring as school is, at least it justifies a nap when I get home, unlike doing absolutely nothing all day.
Ok...So, those of you who were present at Steve's, or who also watch It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia:
Remember when Charlie's Mom came in, in the crazy paternity episode, when I said "That is Miss Yvonne from Pee Wee's Playhouse"?
I was right.
Is anyone else watching Pee Wee's Playhouse on Adult Swim, and perhaps realizing how funny it is that little adultish jokes are slipped in there, but you just absolutely were too young back in the day to know they were there? Or to appreciate the subtle nuances? It's a little weird. But still fun to watch. Most of the time. There were some shady seasons in there, new characters that didn't make sense or that were annoying or whatever. Seriously, though, it's worth it just to watch Laurence Fishburne as Cowboy Curtis. Who knew?
I am wicked tired right now (and yes, I did just say wicked). I forgot how exhausting school is, or even just walking around and to and from school. I am looking forward to possibly several hours of TV tonight, including Simpsons and reruns of Gilmore Girls and House. I do like that, as tiring as school is, at least it justifies a nap when I get home, unlike doing absolutely nothing all day.
Ok...So, those of you who were present at Steve's, or who also watch It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia:
Remember when Charlie's Mom came in, in the crazy paternity episode, when I said "That is Miss Yvonne from Pee Wee's Playhouse"?
I was right.
Is anyone else watching Pee Wee's Playhouse on Adult Swim, and perhaps realizing how funny it is that little adultish jokes are slipped in there, but you just absolutely were too young back in the day to know they were there? Or to appreciate the subtle nuances? It's a little weird. But still fun to watch. Most of the time. There were some shady seasons in there, new characters that didn't make sense or that were annoying or whatever. Seriously, though, it's worth it just to watch Laurence Fishburne as Cowboy Curtis. Who knew?
Monday, August 21, 2006
In which I quite unusually take a stand on a religious issue that makes me annoyed and try to describe why
Church dumbness.
I know there's a lot of disagreement about this subject, but I dislike how people interpret the Bible one way, then argue against one's disagreements in a way that actually, ultimately, should apply to their own arguments, which is ignored, or, even worse, argue in logic that one cannot successfully argue against. Logic is like that sometimes...we can all be argued to that genocide, for example, is for the best of the world, but that doesn't mean it's on principles that you inherently can get behind. It presents an either/or situation that is inaccurate and misleading. Essentially, I've seen arguments that depend on a certain interpretation, for instance, here, when that very interpretation may fall into question, or ignores other quite obvious and salient facts and ideas.
Anyway, Romans 16, anyone? You can't have it one way and not the other. Some argue that Phoebe was not necessarily a teacher, and so women shouldn't teach in church, but the argument as described in the aforelinked article is actually that women shouldn't have any job in church that sets them over men, which contradicts many New Testament verses.
This verse from Timothy strikes me as one that has oft been interpreted poorly...in addition, it strikes me, as translated, as being Paul's ideas. They are his representation of what God wants, but they are a letter, an epistle to someone else. Should that be taken with more weight than, say, the Gospels? Or other words of Paul that go against this particular verse, as interpreted in the aforelinked article? Obviously, Phoebe's duties, along with others of her like, are not well defined in the Bible, which in itself makes me annoyed when such literal interpretations are adopted. I don't think it's right for us to assume we have all the information we are allowed to have, or that God wants us to have, or whatever.
Let us never forget that the first people in the Bible to report the ascension were women. I insist that women can be the bearers of the message to anyone, male or female.
Anyway, that's a bit of very unusual religious discussion from me.
I know there's a lot of disagreement about this subject, but I dislike how people interpret the Bible one way, then argue against one's disagreements in a way that actually, ultimately, should apply to their own arguments, which is ignored, or, even worse, argue in logic that one cannot successfully argue against. Logic is like that sometimes...we can all be argued to that genocide, for example, is for the best of the world, but that doesn't mean it's on principles that you inherently can get behind. It presents an either/or situation that is inaccurate and misleading. Essentially, I've seen arguments that depend on a certain interpretation, for instance, here, when that very interpretation may fall into question, or ignores other quite obvious and salient facts and ideas.
Anyway, Romans 16, anyone? You can't have it one way and not the other. Some argue that Phoebe was not necessarily a teacher, and so women shouldn't teach in church, but the argument as described in the aforelinked article is actually that women shouldn't have any job in church that sets them over men, which contradicts many New Testament verses.
This verse from Timothy strikes me as one that has oft been interpreted poorly...in addition, it strikes me, as translated, as being Paul's ideas. They are his representation of what God wants, but they are a letter, an epistle to someone else. Should that be taken with more weight than, say, the Gospels? Or other words of Paul that go against this particular verse, as interpreted in the aforelinked article? Obviously, Phoebe's duties, along with others of her like, are not well defined in the Bible, which in itself makes me annoyed when such literal interpretations are adopted. I don't think it's right for us to assume we have all the information we are allowed to have, or that God wants us to have, or whatever.
Let us never forget that the first people in the Bible to report the ascension were women. I insist that women can be the bearers of the message to anyone, male or female.
Anyway, that's a bit of very unusual religious discussion from me.
Friday, August 18, 2006
In which I sign out and sign in again to fool blogger.
The desk, w/chair, and the hutch. All gaze on their glory.
More New Stuff
Point the first:
Nathan posted this on his wife's blog, and if you don't go watch the Sparty video, I'm not speaking to you right now.
Point the second:
Project Runway's results on Wednesday nearly made me cry. I can't talk about it this week, except to say that an egregious error has been committed, and the judges should be committed.
Point the third:
I got more furniture yesterday. It was a grand adventure. I decided it would be treat day, so I started with a trip to the New McDonalds, which has a fireplace and big screen TVs, but also less seating than the old, or so it appeared. It was like a business lunch McDonalds, with several large booth-type tables among other things. Anyway, I then jumped on the highway and headed to Jeffrey's Antiques, where I agonized for about an hour and a half and finally decided to get that china hutch and also a desk that I had seen previously, and which had been slightly decreased in price.
The problem occurred when I could only (and barely) get the hutch in my car (I SWEAR I measured that out and it should have fit better), and certainly not the desk (which after all was unplanned). So I called up my good buddy Steve to ask if I could borrow his SUV, traipsed home and called him again, with Paul, to get help getting the hutch out of my car, took the SUV back to Findlay, got the desk, got it into the apartment myself, and then looked after the SUV until Carrie and Paul swung by to pick it up before we all went to Steve and Liss's.
Phew! Crazy. Thanks everyone for your help, and I owe you favors all around. The furniture, I must say, looks great. I wish I could show you how great, but one again the picture function has refused to...function.
Nathan posted this on his wife's blog, and if you don't go watch the Sparty video, I'm not speaking to you right now.
Point the second:
Project Runway's results on Wednesday nearly made me cry. I can't talk about it this week, except to say that an egregious error has been committed, and the judges should be committed.
Point the third:
I got more furniture yesterday. It was a grand adventure. I decided it would be treat day, so I started with a trip to the New McDonalds, which has a fireplace and big screen TVs, but also less seating than the old, or so it appeared. It was like a business lunch McDonalds, with several large booth-type tables among other things. Anyway, I then jumped on the highway and headed to Jeffrey's Antiques, where I agonized for about an hour and a half and finally decided to get that china hutch and also a desk that I had seen previously, and which had been slightly decreased in price.
The problem occurred when I could only (and barely) get the hutch in my car (I SWEAR I measured that out and it should have fit better), and certainly not the desk (which after all was unplanned). So I called up my good buddy Steve to ask if I could borrow his SUV, traipsed home and called him again, with Paul, to get help getting the hutch out of my car, took the SUV back to Findlay, got the desk, got it into the apartment myself, and then looked after the SUV until Carrie and Paul swung by to pick it up before we all went to Steve and Liss's.
Phew! Crazy. Thanks everyone for your help, and I owe you favors all around. The furniture, I must say, looks great. I wish I could show you how great, but one again the picture function has refused to...function.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Fun with the First Day, and Thoughts on the Common Reading
OMG it is Wednesday again, already, which means PR is on tonight, which is good, but that I have just five days of vacation left before my life is full of shtooodents again. Help help help!
Oh, wait...I have all my bidness done for the first week. I forgot.
Here are some things I might do to shake up my students on the first day of shkool:
1. Show up in KISS makeup.
2. Crack open my Dr. Pepper, drink it straight down, and then belch so loud the windows in University Hall rattle.
3. Deliver my entire opening monologue in French.
4. Deliver my entire opening monologue in Hebrew.
5. Deliver my entire opening monologue in Sindarin. (that's elvish, for those of you who aren't nerds)
6. Wear my Star Trek costume.
7. Open fire with a super soaker.
8. Do the cancan in full regalia. (I used to do a double pirouette on the first day, so maybe that's not so funny)
9. Tell "My wife is so..." jokes, ala Rodney Dangerfield, for an hour.
10. Fashion origami puzzles out of everyone's syllabi, and insist that if they can't open them in five seconds, they get Fs.
11. Pretend that I was asleep under my desk when they all come in. Do not wake up until exactly 11:30.
12. Break a piece of chalk and begin sobbing uncontrollably.
13. Insist that a fire drill is called for, and that if we can't do it in thirty seconds, we have to do it again.
14. Prepare them all for the coming of Gozer.
15. Pretend I am Dutch.
Now, about Into the Forest. I'm reading it, because I though it might be interesting, more interesting than previous Common Reading Experience books have been to me. I've read ahead, actually, meaning that I've looked at the end and at a few key points throughout the book just so I know what's going on there.
The book is interesting, certainly, but also for me very frustrating. I didn't think I'd be irritated, but to be honest, those girls strike me as being kind of useless. The girl wants to go to Harvard but she can't climb up on the roof and melt some rubber into the leaky spots (mysterious and evidently purposeless chunks of rubber found in the workshop, anyone)? I don't believe it.
My response is not entirely to the characters as people, but to the characterization: The book seems to be about how useless everyone becomes without their precious gas and electricity, and I get that, and I certainly sympathize with those concerns. I think a lot of people would be useless, and I have very vocally put forth arguments in favor of the ability to do things more than one way, and to keep written records like, you know, books. Heck, I built a bookcase without the use of any power tools whatsoever. And this is my problem: the book chooses to ignore legions of people that grew up on farms without electricity, people who to this day still do not have indoor plumbing, and people who have dealt with the dangers of rural ruffians, etc. People who can in fact do things without power, and people to whom this knowledge has been passed.
Of course, the book covers one small area, so we don't know what's happening elsewhere. But, for instance, I did not think Nell's visions of farmer's markets and so on were all that idealistic, as they were portrayed. We've seen the worst of people after the hurricanes, but we've also seen the best in the midst of the NYC blackout (which, after all, is a closer scenario to that which the book describes). Being without the comforts of life are demoralizing, there's no question. But I object to a depiction of all characters as essentially idiots without their power. One moment that particularly bothered me was discussion of the doctors... essentially, it said sure, they're still around, but they can't do anything without their tools and drugs. Are you kidding me? Especially in rural areas like the one in question, doctors would know the local folk remedies and how to use their environment. Doctors know where penicillin and aspirin came from. An associated concern is diseases that aren't responding to usual treatments. I am more than willing to buy that problem, and the consequent deaths, but the book mentions people dying from simple things other than those diseases and the problem of distance, and I'm not going along with that. We simply have not reached the point where NO ONE aside from one old lady can figure out how to get medicine or how to treat basic wounds and illnesses.
Then there are the girls themselves. They'd gone through tragedy, certainly, but for me this is not a viable excuse. I saw nothing in the character of either that justified their complete and longterm inertia following horrific events. Or their lack of common sense. Even down to the elder sister's inability to dance without music...I can sympathize with wanting music, but did anyone once mention Nell simply going and singing while her sister dances? It would be better than a metronome. I also didn't buy that, with the eccentricity of the parents and their desire to keep the kids out of school, that they would permit the daughter to ONLY study online, even for Harvard. They would make pretty darn sure that a: Each daughter had survival skills that are clearly not being employed, and b: the studying daughter had a non-power-based way to study.
Basically, it seems like the book is showing how the girls learn skills to survive, and I do appreciate that, and that's what appealed to me in the first place; but on the other side, these are skills that, with the nature of the characters, they should already know (who runs around the woods without learning to build, let's say, a bird house?), and that others certainly know. In the larger implications, are we to believe that there are NO leader-types in the town that could and would step up and inspire others to do so? NO Samaritans? The book simply ignores some more obvious plot and character points that become gaping holes in the book's logic. I'm not willing, as a reader, to play into the book's isolated atmosphere and believe in the characters' struggles, or be invested in them, when there are so many things that cause my suspension of disbelief to crumble.
In short, if I'm going to read what comes across partly as a cautionary tale, then the cautionary tale part of it should be more realistic in examining the nature of humanity. We've gone a long, long way down a problemmatic road of dependency on and learning through power that could disappear in an instant. But essential character of humanity does not change...people with skills and values are still out there, people still have the instinct to band together to survive, and there are certainly still people who know how to fix a roof and teach it to their children.
Oh, wait...I have all my bidness done for the first week. I forgot.
Here are some things I might do to shake up my students on the first day of shkool:
1. Show up in KISS makeup.
2. Crack open my Dr. Pepper, drink it straight down, and then belch so loud the windows in University Hall rattle.
3. Deliver my entire opening monologue in French.
4. Deliver my entire opening monologue in Hebrew.
5. Deliver my entire opening monologue in Sindarin. (that's elvish, for those of you who aren't nerds)
6. Wear my Star Trek costume.
7. Open fire with a super soaker.
8. Do the cancan in full regalia. (I used to do a double pirouette on the first day, so maybe that's not so funny)
9. Tell "My wife is so..." jokes, ala Rodney Dangerfield, for an hour.
10. Fashion origami puzzles out of everyone's syllabi, and insist that if they can't open them in five seconds, they get Fs.
11. Pretend that I was asleep under my desk when they all come in. Do not wake up until exactly 11:30.
12. Break a piece of chalk and begin sobbing uncontrollably.
13. Insist that a fire drill is called for, and that if we can't do it in thirty seconds, we have to do it again.
14. Prepare them all for the coming of Gozer.
15. Pretend I am Dutch.
Now, about Into the Forest. I'm reading it, because I though it might be interesting, more interesting than previous Common Reading Experience books have been to me. I've read ahead, actually, meaning that I've looked at the end and at a few key points throughout the book just so I know what's going on there.
The book is interesting, certainly, but also for me very frustrating. I didn't think I'd be irritated, but to be honest, those girls strike me as being kind of useless. The girl wants to go to Harvard but she can't climb up on the roof and melt some rubber into the leaky spots (mysterious and evidently purposeless chunks of rubber found in the workshop, anyone)? I don't believe it.
My response is not entirely to the characters as people, but to the characterization: The book seems to be about how useless everyone becomes without their precious gas and electricity, and I get that, and I certainly sympathize with those concerns. I think a lot of people would be useless, and I have very vocally put forth arguments in favor of the ability to do things more than one way, and to keep written records like, you know, books. Heck, I built a bookcase without the use of any power tools whatsoever. And this is my problem: the book chooses to ignore legions of people that grew up on farms without electricity, people who to this day still do not have indoor plumbing, and people who have dealt with the dangers of rural ruffians, etc. People who can in fact do things without power, and people to whom this knowledge has been passed.
Of course, the book covers one small area, so we don't know what's happening elsewhere. But, for instance, I did not think Nell's visions of farmer's markets and so on were all that idealistic, as they were portrayed. We've seen the worst of people after the hurricanes, but we've also seen the best in the midst of the NYC blackout (which, after all, is a closer scenario to that which the book describes). Being without the comforts of life are demoralizing, there's no question. But I object to a depiction of all characters as essentially idiots without their power. One moment that particularly bothered me was discussion of the doctors... essentially, it said sure, they're still around, but they can't do anything without their tools and drugs. Are you kidding me? Especially in rural areas like the one in question, doctors would know the local folk remedies and how to use their environment. Doctors know where penicillin and aspirin came from. An associated concern is diseases that aren't responding to usual treatments. I am more than willing to buy that problem, and the consequent deaths, but the book mentions people dying from simple things other than those diseases and the problem of distance, and I'm not going along with that. We simply have not reached the point where NO ONE aside from one old lady can figure out how to get medicine or how to treat basic wounds and illnesses.
Then there are the girls themselves. They'd gone through tragedy, certainly, but for me this is not a viable excuse. I saw nothing in the character of either that justified their complete and longterm inertia following horrific events. Or their lack of common sense. Even down to the elder sister's inability to dance without music...I can sympathize with wanting music, but did anyone once mention Nell simply going and singing while her sister dances? It would be better than a metronome. I also didn't buy that, with the eccentricity of the parents and their desire to keep the kids out of school, that they would permit the daughter to ONLY study online, even for Harvard. They would make pretty darn sure that a: Each daughter had survival skills that are clearly not being employed, and b: the studying daughter had a non-power-based way to study.
Basically, it seems like the book is showing how the girls learn skills to survive, and I do appreciate that, and that's what appealed to me in the first place; but on the other side, these are skills that, with the nature of the characters, they should already know (who runs around the woods without learning to build, let's say, a bird house?), and that others certainly know. In the larger implications, are we to believe that there are NO leader-types in the town that could and would step up and inspire others to do so? NO Samaritans? The book simply ignores some more obvious plot and character points that become gaping holes in the book's logic. I'm not willing, as a reader, to play into the book's isolated atmosphere and believe in the characters' struggles, or be invested in them, when there are so many things that cause my suspension of disbelief to crumble.
In short, if I'm going to read what comes across partly as a cautionary tale, then the cautionary tale part of it should be more realistic in examining the nature of humanity. We've gone a long, long way down a problemmatic road of dependency on and learning through power that could disappear in an instant. But essential character of humanity does not change...people with skills and values are still out there, people still have the instinct to band together to survive, and there are certainly still people who know how to fix a roof and teach it to their children.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Back to the Machine
I got the most adorable light flannel print fabrics yesterday. Why, you ask? Baby quilt, duh.
one has baseball bears on it. One has rubber ducks wearing sombreros and berets. One has baby hand- and footprints. One has summer garden stuff and words. One has moons. One has safari animals. One has a cloudy print.
All are darling.
Oh, such fun will be had.
one has baseball bears on it. One has rubber ducks wearing sombreros and berets. One has baby hand- and footprints. One has summer garden stuff and words. One has moons. One has safari animals. One has a cloudy print.
All are darling.
Oh, such fun will be had.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Rocks in the Atmosphere
Many summers as teens, my sister and I would head outside in the pitch black of our yard, march through the dew to the floating dock stretching out in the water, lie back, and check out the Perseid meteors in August.
Often we would bring a strawberry shortcake Good Humor bar or two with us as a snack. Often the cat would join us, appearing silently out of nowhere--we learned to distinguish his arrival as an almost-imperceptible dip in the dock, so as not to jump out of our skins when his silk-soft head touched our hands. I think, though I may be remembering wrongly, that it was usually pretty warm out, and living in the country as we did, the stretch of stars available to us was intensely bright.
I relied on my sister's knowledge here...she knew a ton about astronomy and pointed me in the right direction for my scanning eyes. I'd stay out there as long as I could, and we'd count the number of meteors we saw. My sister had more staying power than I did, but it was a great time to experience sisterhood and awe of the universe.
Last night, after a busy day, at 2 am, I headed onto campus, found a dark spot on a knoll between two dark parking lots, bundled into my electric blanket (which is surprisingly warm even without electricity) and stared upward. It was cold, and my wet hair needed to be hidden under the hood of my sweatshirt, but the rest of me was pretty warm. As a matter of fact, it felt kind of good to be something other than hot for a change.
Not two minutes after I'd gotten out there, I saw a fairly big one, long and medium bright, though it was lower in the sky than I'd expected. I had to wait for a while for others, picking up one or two over about twenty minutes. Then a police officer came to check on my lone car. "Everything all right?" he asked the white bundle in the grass. "Watching meteors!" I called. "Good night for it," he said, and shut off the spotlight. I'm pretty sure he brought me luck, because I saw two pretty great ones right in a row after that, including one I could see burning up. I was just about done, wanting one more nice one, and I got it pretty quickly, shorter than the others but very bright, another "burn up." In half an hour, I'd seen about five really nice meteors, despite the brightness of the moon (last year the moon was new, but it was too overcast during the peak days). I felt pretty content and headed home to fall back into bed.
It felt good to get back in touch with a much-loved activity of my past; it was lonely this time, but it was special in its own way, being out there in the grass and the silence. I'm vowing to myself to pay more attention each year so I can restart the tradition.
Often we would bring a strawberry shortcake Good Humor bar or two with us as a snack. Often the cat would join us, appearing silently out of nowhere--we learned to distinguish his arrival as an almost-imperceptible dip in the dock, so as not to jump out of our skins when his silk-soft head touched our hands. I think, though I may be remembering wrongly, that it was usually pretty warm out, and living in the country as we did, the stretch of stars available to us was intensely bright.
I relied on my sister's knowledge here...she knew a ton about astronomy and pointed me in the right direction for my scanning eyes. I'd stay out there as long as I could, and we'd count the number of meteors we saw. My sister had more staying power than I did, but it was a great time to experience sisterhood and awe of the universe.
Last night, after a busy day, at 2 am, I headed onto campus, found a dark spot on a knoll between two dark parking lots, bundled into my electric blanket (which is surprisingly warm even without electricity) and stared upward. It was cold, and my wet hair needed to be hidden under the hood of my sweatshirt, but the rest of me was pretty warm. As a matter of fact, it felt kind of good to be something other than hot for a change.
Not two minutes after I'd gotten out there, I saw a fairly big one, long and medium bright, though it was lower in the sky than I'd expected. I had to wait for a while for others, picking up one or two over about twenty minutes. Then a police officer came to check on my lone car. "Everything all right?" he asked the white bundle in the grass. "Watching meteors!" I called. "Good night for it," he said, and shut off the spotlight. I'm pretty sure he brought me luck, because I saw two pretty great ones right in a row after that, including one I could see burning up. I was just about done, wanting one more nice one, and I got it pretty quickly, shorter than the others but very bright, another "burn up." In half an hour, I'd seen about five really nice meteors, despite the brightness of the moon (last year the moon was new, but it was too overcast during the peak days). I felt pretty content and headed home to fall back into bed.
It felt good to get back in touch with a much-loved activity of my past; it was lonely this time, but it was special in its own way, being out there in the grass and the silence. I'm vowing to myself to pay more attention each year so I can restart the tradition.
Friday, August 11, 2006
Customer "Service"
First, let me just say that there's hope for the world after all. I hate those stupid shows! Hate them.
Anyway, so for the last week I have been patiently waiting for my landlady to have time to get my stove going, since the Columbia Gas people last Friday said the gas is on in there and my service was to start Monday. It's not urgent, since I'm not spending time in there much yet. But then she got in there and later called me to say there is no gas. Huh what? I am instructed, which gives me glee, to give them heck.
So I call the gas people and tell them, and this incredibly snippy woman just REFUSES to understand what I am telling her, that my hot water is not on my account, but the main house account, so the fact that it is working has nothing to do with whether I have gas in my apartment or not. She gets very huffy when I am trying to see if my furnace works (it doesn't) and warns me that, even if she sent someone out there that night, if it turns out to be a stove problem, I am out 60 bucks since it isn't a Columbia Gas problem. Oh, and if you have hot water you should have gas. (I think she repeated this about eight times, again, unable to understand that I don't pay for hot water, just cooking and heating). She is looking at my account info, and I am explaining that I have two apartments, and she has trouble finding apt 2 (my apartment I've had for five years), but then finally does...the hesitation should have been a clue to me. Remember that. So finally, intensely frustrated I tell her I am going to call with my landlady and call them back later.
I go to Grounds for Thought for some chai, and then I have a brainwave: I would be willing to bet money that the first time I called, last week, instead of putting me on apt 1, the new place, they've gone and put me on the MAIN HOUSE LINE, which is where all the hot water and other miscellaneous gas that isn't heating and cooking-related for each apartment comes from.
I call them back and this time get a very nice girl (I talked to billing this time, thinking it would get me further) and explain exactly what the problem is, and sure enough, the ...okay, I'm just going to call him an idiot...from last week, instead of putting me on apt 1 as I asked (I repeated "I have apt 2, and I'm adding apt 1" at least five times to make sure he had it, throughout the call), put me on the house account. GAH!
So instead of looking at my account and realizing that, if my old account said 2 after the address, the new account should say 1 after the address, the first girl I talked to completely ignored this discrepancy and was snarky to me. The second girl I talked to was calm, smart, and very polite. And, she informed me, the gas was decidedly off in apt 1 and, sadly, I won't be able to get service until sometime next Tuesday (which means I have to be over there and stay there virtually all day until they come, starting in the morning. Bleh.)
I thought this was over until I got a gas bill this morning for the house...almost 9 bucks in the two days I had "service." I called immediately to make sure I could disregard that and that the account was in my property manager's name.
The upshot of all of this is that I felt, once again, like a genius, because coming up with the main house line idea was really pretty inspired, in my opinion.
Picture me shuddering and trying to wash my hands of this whole thing. My landlady was very sympathetic when she called me later in response to my second message cancelling the red alert, acknowledging past poor customer service from CG.
So...WAKE UP, Columbia Gas. Some of your personnel are not getting the job done, and no customer likes to be bullied. Thank heavens for the girl whose name, I think, was Michelle, who straightened things out for me.
Anyway, so for the last week I have been patiently waiting for my landlady to have time to get my stove going, since the Columbia Gas people last Friday said the gas is on in there and my service was to start Monday. It's not urgent, since I'm not spending time in there much yet. But then she got in there and later called me to say there is no gas. Huh what? I am instructed, which gives me glee, to give them heck.
So I call the gas people and tell them, and this incredibly snippy woman just REFUSES to understand what I am telling her, that my hot water is not on my account, but the main house account, so the fact that it is working has nothing to do with whether I have gas in my apartment or not. She gets very huffy when I am trying to see if my furnace works (it doesn't) and warns me that, even if she sent someone out there that night, if it turns out to be a stove problem, I am out 60 bucks since it isn't a Columbia Gas problem. Oh, and if you have hot water you should have gas. (I think she repeated this about eight times, again, unable to understand that I don't pay for hot water, just cooking and heating). She is looking at my account info, and I am explaining that I have two apartments, and she has trouble finding apt 2 (my apartment I've had for five years), but then finally does...the hesitation should have been a clue to me. Remember that. So finally, intensely frustrated I tell her I am going to call with my landlady and call them back later.
I go to Grounds for Thought for some chai, and then I have a brainwave: I would be willing to bet money that the first time I called, last week, instead of putting me on apt 1, the new place, they've gone and put me on the MAIN HOUSE LINE, which is where all the hot water and other miscellaneous gas that isn't heating and cooking-related for each apartment comes from.
I call them back and this time get a very nice girl (I talked to billing this time, thinking it would get me further) and explain exactly what the problem is, and sure enough, the ...okay, I'm just going to call him an idiot...from last week, instead of putting me on apt 1 as I asked (I repeated "I have apt 2, and I'm adding apt 1" at least five times to make sure he had it, throughout the call), put me on the house account. GAH!
So instead of looking at my account and realizing that, if my old account said 2 after the address, the new account should say 1 after the address, the first girl I talked to completely ignored this discrepancy and was snarky to me. The second girl I talked to was calm, smart, and very polite. And, she informed me, the gas was decidedly off in apt 1 and, sadly, I won't be able to get service until sometime next Tuesday (which means I have to be over there and stay there virtually all day until they come, starting in the morning. Bleh.)
I thought this was over until I got a gas bill this morning for the house...almost 9 bucks in the two days I had "service." I called immediately to make sure I could disregard that and that the account was in my property manager's name.
The upshot of all of this is that I felt, once again, like a genius, because coming up with the main house line idea was really pretty inspired, in my opinion.
Picture me shuddering and trying to wash my hands of this whole thing. My landlady was very sympathetic when she called me later in response to my second message cancelling the red alert, acknowledging past poor customer service from CG.
So...WAKE UP, Columbia Gas. Some of your personnel are not getting the job done, and no customer likes to be bullied. Thank heavens for the girl whose name, I think, was Michelle, who straightened things out for me.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Genius/Apt update/PR
I've been calling myself a genius lately, not for any real reason, just trying to boost my spirits a bit before the school year. Getting everything into my car at IKEA made me a genius, for instance.
I had rather a stroke of brilliance yesterday when I was helping my friends Carrie and Paul to move. They had this picture left by previous tenants of a statue of a bull licking the hand of a maiden sitting on his back.
"I bet it's Zeus and...um...Europa," says I.
Know what? It was. I used to be quite a classic myths freak, and even though I haven't studied them in quite a while, somehow I came up with the name Europa. You know the story...how Zeus changes into a bull to carry Europa away and seduce her...I was thinking that was linked to the Minotaur story but I am misremembering that; in fact Europa's daughter-in-law had the Minotaur, so it is still linked. I had the Europa part right. The statue's replica is at Cranbrook in Michigan.
Anyway, I am a genius.
The apartment is coming along. I stained/painted (as in, stain that thickened into paint as I worked) my coffee table blue on Tuesday and am looking forward to getting more whatnot over there from my living space. I need to make it all conducive to my work. My stove isn't on yet, though, so I'm crossing my fingers that happens soon. Then I can buy a tea kettle and make cocoa. I can't decide what appliances to buy...a second TV? with VCR or DVD? Microwave? It's all very light and airy, which I think will help me settle down and write or grade or whatever. And there's room for my dance barre. Hooray! At last!
Project Runway.
Was anyone else kind of bored with PR this week? It's a malingering feeling from previous weeks, too, actually. Somehow there's some zest missing this season. People are fighting, sure, but that's never that interesting to me anyway. It all seems...sullen or sulky in a way, no fire to it. The challenges should be interesting, but the material we're being given to watch just isn't living up to PR standards. Some have complained that we're not getting enough of the designs themselves, and I can see that point; we aren't shown much of the sketch-to-product timeline, we're not getting much Tim Gunn critique, and we don't see some designs at all (unless they're crumpled up on a table) before runway. I looked at the clock when Tim Gunn was finishing his round of the workroom, and it was 10:20...forty minutes left for the two hours they have in the morning and the runway show? No, no, no. It's all off. And a "personal" consultation with the TRESemme guy? Really not that interesting. Maybe fun for the designers, but it didn't make intriguing TV. Having the models pick their designers was sort of interesting, but it still didn't quite have the investment of, say, the wedding dress challenge of season 1. I liked seeing more of Michael, so that earlier complaint is taken care of, but seriously. The show needs some life that isn't grumpy. I'm starting to like Angela more just because she has some energy!
As an additional, but unrelated complaint, the PR website is a disaster. I know I've mentioned that before, but today they have Tim's Take divided up into eleven separate little pages, which will take forever to navigate, and it's still in that tiny little print. WAKE UP, BRAVO!
Anyway, they've indicated that the next few challenges are going to be really tough, so let's hope they're not lying. I want to see grit, not just insecurity.
Okay, spoilers section.
I was glad Michael won. His outfit wasn't my favorite, but it was very sassy and I think he had one of the biggest design challenges with his icon. Pam Grier is such a strong personality, and he did really well with her. I really liked Angela's dress this week, actually wish I owned it, and the aforementioned element of fun in her life radiated from that dress. Laura created the perfect Katherine Hepburn outfit, smooth and not fancy, because Kate didn't like fancy all that much. Kayne also came through with his "dark Marilyn" ensemble, and Uli once again showed mastery of prints, though I'm starting to want a little more variety from her.
I didn't think Vincent's outfit was too bad this week, but Bradley's was a clear disaster. Poor Bradley. I don't feel like I ever saw his real design personality. I'm scared for Robert. He's letting the comments infect him, and he's really shaky right now. He has great talent, but he's too scared to use it to meet a challenge. That being said, his outfit wasn't terrible, and I actually didn't think he needed the scare of the bottom two this week, when that spot should have been Vincent's. Jeffrey...not so much for me this week. I wasn't gung-ho for Alison, either, though it was closer to the good side than the bad. Let's call both of them indifferent.
I had rather a stroke of brilliance yesterday when I was helping my friends Carrie and Paul to move. They had this picture left by previous tenants of a statue of a bull licking the hand of a maiden sitting on his back.
"I bet it's Zeus and...um...Europa," says I.
Know what? It was. I used to be quite a classic myths freak, and even though I haven't studied them in quite a while, somehow I came up with the name Europa. You know the story...how Zeus changes into a bull to carry Europa away and seduce her...I was thinking that was linked to the Minotaur story but I am misremembering that; in fact Europa's daughter-in-law had the Minotaur, so it is still linked. I had the Europa part right. The statue's replica is at Cranbrook in Michigan.
Anyway, I am a genius.
The apartment is coming along. I stained/painted (as in, stain that thickened into paint as I worked) my coffee table blue on Tuesday and am looking forward to getting more whatnot over there from my living space. I need to make it all conducive to my work. My stove isn't on yet, though, so I'm crossing my fingers that happens soon. Then I can buy a tea kettle and make cocoa. I can't decide what appliances to buy...a second TV? with VCR or DVD? Microwave? It's all very light and airy, which I think will help me settle down and write or grade or whatever. And there's room for my dance barre. Hooray! At last!
Project Runway.
Was anyone else kind of bored with PR this week? It's a malingering feeling from previous weeks, too, actually. Somehow there's some zest missing this season. People are fighting, sure, but that's never that interesting to me anyway. It all seems...sullen or sulky in a way, no fire to it. The challenges should be interesting, but the material we're being given to watch just isn't living up to PR standards. Some have complained that we're not getting enough of the designs themselves, and I can see that point; we aren't shown much of the sketch-to-product timeline, we're not getting much Tim Gunn critique, and we don't see some designs at all (unless they're crumpled up on a table) before runway. I looked at the clock when Tim Gunn was finishing his round of the workroom, and it was 10:20...forty minutes left for the two hours they have in the morning and the runway show? No, no, no. It's all off. And a "personal" consultation with the TRESemme guy? Really not that interesting. Maybe fun for the designers, but it didn't make intriguing TV. Having the models pick their designers was sort of interesting, but it still didn't quite have the investment of, say, the wedding dress challenge of season 1. I liked seeing more of Michael, so that earlier complaint is taken care of, but seriously. The show needs some life that isn't grumpy. I'm starting to like Angela more just because she has some energy!
As an additional, but unrelated complaint, the PR website is a disaster. I know I've mentioned that before, but today they have Tim's Take divided up into eleven separate little pages, which will take forever to navigate, and it's still in that tiny little print. WAKE UP, BRAVO!
Anyway, they've indicated that the next few challenges are going to be really tough, so let's hope they're not lying. I want to see grit, not just insecurity.
Okay, spoilers section.
I was glad Michael won. His outfit wasn't my favorite, but it was very sassy and I think he had one of the biggest design challenges with his icon. Pam Grier is such a strong personality, and he did really well with her. I really liked Angela's dress this week, actually wish I owned it, and the aforementioned element of fun in her life radiated from that dress. Laura created the perfect Katherine Hepburn outfit, smooth and not fancy, because Kate didn't like fancy all that much. Kayne also came through with his "dark Marilyn" ensemble, and Uli once again showed mastery of prints, though I'm starting to want a little more variety from her.
I didn't think Vincent's outfit was too bad this week, but Bradley's was a clear disaster. Poor Bradley. I don't feel like I ever saw his real design personality. I'm scared for Robert. He's letting the comments infect him, and he's really shaky right now. He has great talent, but he's too scared to use it to meet a challenge. That being said, his outfit wasn't terrible, and I actually didn't think he needed the scare of the bottom two this week, when that spot should have been Vincent's. Jeffrey...not so much for me this week. I wasn't gung-ho for Alison, either, though it was closer to the good side than the bad. Let's call both of them indifferent.
Monday, August 07, 2006
(grins sheepishly)
This is just a quick blog to say that I went home this weekend and, since I was going to be so close driving back to Ohio, I might as well stop at IKEA to pick up the rest of the furniture I want. I also had spent much of Saturday with my dear mother buying stuff for the apartment in such places as Target, Pier 1, and Bed, Bath and Beyond, and rounded it off in World Market on Sunday (and bought some dreamy velvet for some unknown project in Super-JoAnn Fabrics).
The car was packed to bursting, but everything fit and I am a genius.
I have spent much of today assembling my furniture and listening to the remainder of Harry Potter 5 on tape. GOODTIMES!
The car was packed to bursting, but everything fit and I am a genius.
I have spent much of today assembling my furniture and listening to the remainder of Harry Potter 5 on tape. GOODTIMES!
Friday, August 04, 2006
Meltdown
Today I had a T-shirt-related meltdown. Frankly, I know I've had a good cry coming for days (last night I started crying while watching M*A*S*H) and this afternoon it absolutely erupted.
See, I lost my Princess Sparkle shirt, my absolute favoritest T-shirt ever, the lilac one with the My Little Pony on it. I was devastated. I could not find it. I ripped through the laundry, upheaved the apartment, and was seriously freaking out, thinking I'd accidentally thrown it away or lost it in the laundromat weeks ago.
My poor mother had, once again, to pick up the pieces via a phone call in which I was bawling. Bravely, she tried talking me through the places it could be, and I hung up with a renewed interest in looking and trying to stop crying.
You have to understand that my mother is amazing at finding things...so am I, but not when it's my own stuff. I can find stuff for anyone else, but when it came to finding something in my room, the calm head of my mother always prevailed.
And then I found the shirt. In a place I'd already looked, which is typical. My mother always found my stuff in places I'd already searched. I stopped crying immediately.
I don't know if this makes me immature or if I was responding to something else and therefore disproportionately upset, but let's just say if I'd really lost that shirt I would consider it a bad, bad turn. I shudder to think.
Princess Sparkle, don't ever leave me again!
See, I lost my Princess Sparkle shirt, my absolute favoritest T-shirt ever, the lilac one with the My Little Pony on it. I was devastated. I could not find it. I ripped through the laundry, upheaved the apartment, and was seriously freaking out, thinking I'd accidentally thrown it away or lost it in the laundromat weeks ago.
My poor mother had, once again, to pick up the pieces via a phone call in which I was bawling. Bravely, she tried talking me through the places it could be, and I hung up with a renewed interest in looking and trying to stop crying.
You have to understand that my mother is amazing at finding things...so am I, but not when it's my own stuff. I can find stuff for anyone else, but when it came to finding something in my room, the calm head of my mother always prevailed.
And then I found the shirt. In a place I'd already looked, which is typical. My mother always found my stuff in places I'd already searched. I stopped crying immediately.
I don't know if this makes me immature or if I was responding to something else and therefore disproportionately upset, but let's just say if I'd really lost that shirt I would consider it a bad, bad turn. I shudder to think.
Princess Sparkle, don't ever leave me again!
Thursday, August 03, 2006
PR ep.4
First, let's finish off the picture journal.
Here is my bathroom tile:
Here is the miraculously color-matching towel design I found at IKEA:
And here is my new sofa in its rightful place (though still wrapped):
My landlady is done with everything she needed to do in the apartment, so it is officially mine! Woot!
So, Project Runway. First, true to form, Keith is kicked off for reasons unrelated to those reported by rumor scouts, etc. I am not sorry to see him go, though I am sorry that he made such poor decisions in the middle of a very high-stakes competition.
Second, my favorite line from Tim Gunn's Tim's Take: "Robert draws like an angel."
As for the designs, I am distressed that we have had TWO group challenges in four episodes. It is a time when I wish to learn more about the designers as individuals, more about their aesthetics and their execution of their own work. It was too soon for another group project with team leaders. It felt rehashed rather than new and innovative. In short, I want to see more pretty dresses.
I'm pleased for Angela, though I recognize that her team tamed her. This is also not a problem for me because, as Angela rightly pointed out, it was a truly collaborative effort. It's nice when a team that gets along well wins. I'm also glad Alison and Jeffrey got some attention, though I really wish Alison would win a challenge. In this episode we saw more from Jeffrey along the lines of frustration and uncertainty rather than bitterness or arrogance, which makes me root for him also. So, in the coming weeks I want to see wins for those two and for Michael and Laura. I still can't decide whom I like best out of the crew of designers. It's still almost anybody's game, and I think that's fantastic.
And now I need to go home and try to get rid of this headache...it was supposed to storm today but it didn't, only rained, and I don't know, the pressure out there is doing something awful to my head.
Here is my bathroom tile:
Here is the miraculously color-matching towel design I found at IKEA:
And here is my new sofa in its rightful place (though still wrapped):
My landlady is done with everything she needed to do in the apartment, so it is officially mine! Woot!
So, Project Runway. First, true to form, Keith is kicked off for reasons unrelated to those reported by rumor scouts, etc. I am not sorry to see him go, though I am sorry that he made such poor decisions in the middle of a very high-stakes competition.
Second, my favorite line from Tim Gunn's Tim's Take: "Robert draws like an angel."
As for the designs, I am distressed that we have had TWO group challenges in four episodes. It is a time when I wish to learn more about the designers as individuals, more about their aesthetics and their execution of their own work. It was too soon for another group project with team leaders. It felt rehashed rather than new and innovative. In short, I want to see more pretty dresses.
I'm pleased for Angela, though I recognize that her team tamed her. This is also not a problem for me because, as Angela rightly pointed out, it was a truly collaborative effort. It's nice when a team that gets along well wins. I'm also glad Alison and Jeffrey got some attention, though I really wish Alison would win a challenge. In this episode we saw more from Jeffrey along the lines of frustration and uncertainty rather than bitterness or arrogance, which makes me root for him also. So, in the coming weeks I want to see wins for those two and for Michael and Laura. I still can't decide whom I like best out of the crew of designers. It's still almost anybody's game, and I think that's fantastic.
And now I need to go home and try to get rid of this headache...it was supposed to storm today but it didn't, only rained, and I don't know, the pressure out there is doing something awful to my head.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
The Great Sofa Caper: A picture journal
Yesterday, I went to get my sofa.
My landlady graciously said I could put my sofa in my new apt. space whenever I liked, and since Canton seemed to be quickly running out of my sofa bed, I decided I'd better do it. So, I rented a:
Dodge Ram 1500.
Check out those guns!
I walked to go get it from about seven blocks away, which was a little dumb when we were under a heat advisory, but I made it by drinking water and by remembering that, really, I'm a sturdy little brat, and this isn't any more difficult than hiking the Lighthouse trail in Ludington State Park, much of which is in open sunshine.
Before I left, I made sure to measure up my apartment. Here's what it looks like:
So, I got all my measurements, nearly passing out in the process because it was so hot in there.
And then I set off. I practiced with the truck by driving to Home Depot to buy a tarp and some rope (which I didn't use, and by the way, IKEA has twine anyway). Basically the truck handles a lot like my Dad's Jeep, but it took a bit to get used to the width of the truck. I couldn't believe I would actually fit in the lanes. It was easier on the highway where you're not right next to cars most of the time, and the lanes are wider. I listened to a mix CD by my friend Mike and felt very giddy about everything, actually laughing out loud a little bit at the thought of my little self in command of this giant truck, watching cars get out of my way even though I was going the speed limit. It wasn't like a power-happy thing, I just felt happy that I was doing something new and productive and exciting. With air conditioning.
So I got to IKEA, and was gratified to see that it wasn't as crowded as the first time I went, and certainly wasn't anywhere near the crowds Carrie and Paul encountered when they went--which, the IKEA lady told me, was actually one of, if not the, most crowded day ever, maybe even more than opening day. Who knew? I was feeling a little panicky and I admit I sort of half-ran into the store and made a beeline for sofas. The lady called down to make sure they did indeed have the item, and reserved one for me so I could go pick it up. I quickly went through furniture to see if there were anything else I wanted right then, and made a few notes on possible items I want to think about. For instance, the IVAR tv unit with casters, which I could paint with the same paint I got for my lamps, blue, just for something a little different. Anything else I wanted I know I could fit in the Saturn, so nothing else was urgent.
Then, I went down to the Marketplace section and picked up my curtains and some globe lamps to paint, along with some hangers and other odds and ends. They were out of the laundry bag I wanted, one with really sturdy handles and a shoulder strap. Hopefully if and when I go back they will have more, as it's a popular item.
Then things got a little funny. In a good way. See, the linoleum in my apartment is not what I was expecting. The floor (which I am trying to show you a picture of but the pictures function suddenly isn't working) is a russety red, gold, and cream pattern. My other bathroom, tiled in peach tones, is much different. So right then I'm thinking, how on earth am I going to find something to match this? And then I found these. Wild, right? They're about the same color, with a few other colors thrown in. I picked up one hand towel and one bath towel (fior a guest set. I still need to find a washcloth and bathmats, because they didn't have anything quite right. They were out of the Thisted Mork shower curtain, but I think I might go with a solid color anyway, maybe a gold, and get some new gold bathroom curtains. The yellow curtains already in the bathroom are fine but they're looking a little worn. Anyway, it was a good omen, followed closely by another good omen, which was this: a lady wearing an outfit exactly the same as one my mother has. It was like Mom was with me, which is a good sign when I'm shopping.
I got my sofa in good order and got some major help getting it in the truck. Good omen again--it fit, diagonally, EXACTLY. The tailgate shut and everything and I didn't have to tie it down. I called home and set off. Visibility in the rearview was poor, so I made sure my side mirrors were in good spots and then just didn't change lanes much. I made it back to find Steve and Liss waiting and Carrie and Paul quickly following, and the boys, with a bit of help from the ladies, got the sofa down and into the apartment--it just fit through the door. Thanks a bunch for your help, everybody! You are very awesome friends.
So, there it sits, ready to rock and roll. I think the apartment might be ready, but I'm going to wait until next week to get the utilities going, I think. The gas is shut off and the electricity is on, but I don't need it yet. Still haven't decided what extras are going in...cable? internet? Who knows. I just feel relieved and happy that the nervous calls to IKEA can end.
My landlady graciously said I could put my sofa in my new apt. space whenever I liked, and since Canton seemed to be quickly running out of my sofa bed, I decided I'd better do it. So, I rented a:
Dodge Ram 1500.
Check out those guns!
I walked to go get it from about seven blocks away, which was a little dumb when we were under a heat advisory, but I made it by drinking water and by remembering that, really, I'm a sturdy little brat, and this isn't any more difficult than hiking the Lighthouse trail in Ludington State Park, much of which is in open sunshine.
Before I left, I made sure to measure up my apartment. Here's what it looks like:
So, I got all my measurements, nearly passing out in the process because it was so hot in there.
And then I set off. I practiced with the truck by driving to Home Depot to buy a tarp and some rope (which I didn't use, and by the way, IKEA has twine anyway). Basically the truck handles a lot like my Dad's Jeep, but it took a bit to get used to the width of the truck. I couldn't believe I would actually fit in the lanes. It was easier on the highway where you're not right next to cars most of the time, and the lanes are wider. I listened to a mix CD by my friend Mike and felt very giddy about everything, actually laughing out loud a little bit at the thought of my little self in command of this giant truck, watching cars get out of my way even though I was going the speed limit. It wasn't like a power-happy thing, I just felt happy that I was doing something new and productive and exciting. With air conditioning.
So I got to IKEA, and was gratified to see that it wasn't as crowded as the first time I went, and certainly wasn't anywhere near the crowds Carrie and Paul encountered when they went--which, the IKEA lady told me, was actually one of, if not the, most crowded day ever, maybe even more than opening day. Who knew? I was feeling a little panicky and I admit I sort of half-ran into the store and made a beeline for sofas. The lady called down to make sure they did indeed have the item, and reserved one for me so I could go pick it up. I quickly went through furniture to see if there were anything else I wanted right then, and made a few notes on possible items I want to think about. For instance, the IVAR tv unit with casters, which I could paint with the same paint I got for my lamps, blue, just for something a little different. Anything else I wanted I know I could fit in the Saturn, so nothing else was urgent.
Then, I went down to the Marketplace section and picked up my curtains and some globe lamps to paint, along with some hangers and other odds and ends. They were out of the laundry bag I wanted, one with really sturdy handles and a shoulder strap. Hopefully if and when I go back they will have more, as it's a popular item.
Then things got a little funny. In a good way. See, the linoleum in my apartment is not what I was expecting. The floor (which I am trying to show you a picture of but the pictures function suddenly isn't working) is a russety red, gold, and cream pattern. My other bathroom, tiled in peach tones, is much different. So right then I'm thinking, how on earth am I going to find something to match this? And then I found these. Wild, right? They're about the same color, with a few other colors thrown in. I picked up one hand towel and one bath towel (fior a guest set. I still need to find a washcloth and bathmats, because they didn't have anything quite right. They were out of the Thisted Mork shower curtain, but I think I might go with a solid color anyway, maybe a gold, and get some new gold bathroom curtains. The yellow curtains already in the bathroom are fine but they're looking a little worn. Anyway, it was a good omen, followed closely by another good omen, which was this: a lady wearing an outfit exactly the same as one my mother has. It was like Mom was with me, which is a good sign when I'm shopping.
I got my sofa in good order and got some major help getting it in the truck. Good omen again--it fit, diagonally, EXACTLY. The tailgate shut and everything and I didn't have to tie it down. I called home and set off. Visibility in the rearview was poor, so I made sure my side mirrors were in good spots and then just didn't change lanes much. I made it back to find Steve and Liss waiting and Carrie and Paul quickly following, and the boys, with a bit of help from the ladies, got the sofa down and into the apartment--it just fit through the door. Thanks a bunch for your help, everybody! You are very awesome friends.
So, there it sits, ready to rock and roll. I think the apartment might be ready, but I'm going to wait until next week to get the utilities going, I think. The gas is shut off and the electricity is on, but I don't need it yet. Still haven't decided what extras are going in...cable? internet? Who knows. I just feel relieved and happy that the nervous calls to IKEA can end.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
GAH! IKEA!
Damn and blast.
IKEA's website now reports that they are out, OUT, of the white version of the sofa I want. Thus, my backup plan of getting the white sofa and buying an extra blue cover when it comes in is destroyed.
ARGH!
They only have beige and a red and white stripe in right now, both of which are the same price as the blue. Oh, and the number of stores in this country that have Idemo Dark Blue has dwindled to two. How is this possible? HOW?
This is the sound of me begging:
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, BLUE, COME IN EARLY! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, IKEA, DON'T FORGET TO CALL ME WHEN IT DOES COME IN!
Update: I called IKEA in what basically amounted to furniture panic, and the lady said they did in fact have white in at Canton. Basically, I'm going to have to pull off a herculean feat of arranging transport, calling IKEA to make sure they have the sofa, and getting it into my place all at the same time. The lady also said that they actually will wait 6 weeks to *make* the order, and then it's a week until it's delivered (hence the previous 8-week timetable), but a: they may move up the order date, and b: they may not reorder the color at all.
IKEA's website now reports that they are out, OUT, of the white version of the sofa I want. Thus, my backup plan of getting the white sofa and buying an extra blue cover when it comes in is destroyed.
ARGH!
They only have beige and a red and white stripe in right now, both of which are the same price as the blue. Oh, and the number of stores in this country that have Idemo Dark Blue has dwindled to two. How is this possible? HOW?
This is the sound of me begging:
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, BLUE, COME IN EARLY! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, IKEA, DON'T FORGET TO CALL ME WHEN IT DOES COME IN!
Update: I called IKEA in what basically amounted to furniture panic, and the lady said they did in fact have white in at Canton. Basically, I'm going to have to pull off a herculean feat of arranging transport, calling IKEA to make sure they have the sofa, and getting it into my place all at the same time. The lady also said that they actually will wait 6 weeks to *make* the order, and then it's a week until it's delivered (hence the previous 8-week timetable), but a: they may move up the order date, and b: they may not reorder the color at all.
Crocheting/Bumps in the Night
Pictures are working again; ok, so this isn't the best picture of me ever, but I made that hat. I have also since made a scarf to go with it. I am now working on a 1940s crochet design for a long snood, with a more modern yarn. So I can consider myself a crocheter, I think. I'm still not very good, but the motions are much easier now.
So, now I'm sitting here watching the weather map, and a storm/rain system I was sure was going to hit us looks like it's trying to divide and break apart in the center...it's going to be close, but I think it will still get us at least a little, and if it can do anything to make it cooler, I'm all for it. My apartment is...unthinkably warm. I keep waking up in the middle of the night feeling ill, and I think it must be from heat, even though my fan is on me.
Also, I think I'm hearing noises...my fan occasionally makes a strange click, but I'm quite certain these noises aren't that. I was getting out of the shower last night when I heard it, which scared me, because I thought it was my door, even though that was locked. I walked the apartment and didn't see anything out of the ordinary, then went to bed...and heard it again. It was a sort of noise like someone putting something like a pot and lid away close to my wall in a neighboring apartment. Those apartments are empty, though. I thought it might be an animal, but I don't know...it it's on my side, I haven't heard it anywhere else but that one spot, and if it's on the other it sure is picking its times to make the exact same noise pretty oddly. I suppose it could be pipes reacting to the heat. I'm pretty sure I'm not haunted.
The only problem with all this is that I watched When a Stranger Calls Back on tv the other night. For those of you unfamiliar, When a Stranger Calls, the original, is one of the scariest movies of all time (#28 on the Bravo list), about the old urban legend of the babysitter getting scary calls that turn out to be coming from inside the house. I refuse to see this movie because that really does scare me (I refuse to see the remake from this year, but mostly because I've heard it's not good), but I thought the sequel would be okay. In truth, it was. It was creepy but not really scary to me; however, when you're alone in the house, creepy is really enough to get you going. It was that way with 28 Days Later, too. I wasn't scared watching it, just a little grossed out, but it was just creepy enough to make me jumpy later that evening. Thus, in a way, my desire not to see the original Stranger is supported, because I would almost definitely need to be with people and my mind would return to it when I wasn't.
I do love scary movies, though not so much the gory ones. I've been trying to figure out for some time which scary movies I like and why, to see if I can find a pattern to help me choose new flicks for rental. I can, but there are exceptions. Jaws has always been one of my favorites; I can see why people are terrified by that movie, and I might be if I swam a lot in the ocean. Actually, I've never been swimming in the ocean but I think I'm more afraid of jellyfish. Anyway, I love creature flicks in general, counting Jurassic Park, even, in that category, and also ghost movies (but not Ghost) and sci-fi-related thrillers, except I often don't find scary what others do. Poltergeist doesn't scare me at all...I love it, but my Mom refuses to watch it.
Generally, It seems like it's the movies where man is chopped up by man that I don't like as well, unless they are supernatural in some way. For instance, I don't feel much desire to see any Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie, or a movie like Audition, which is just too much. I like Scream, though. And for some reason I favor the Halloween series over Friday the 13th, even though both have a supernatural element. I don't mind Nightmare on Elm St movies because they have nostalgia value, though they fall in the realm of too much gore for me (I stand by my Fear Factor-related rampage that fear and disgust/nausea are not the same thing. Sitting in a pile of cockroaches while someone looks for something by hand is thus more acceptable than eating guts. Fear can make you nauseous, but nausea in itself is not fear. Bad taste isn't scary, it's just bad taste.). Thus, when I'm in the mood for horror/fear I go for something involving supernatural creatures or space (even if they're terrible...watching Event Horizon is better to me than risking Audition); I'm more reluctant when a film involves just people, unless it's a suspense movie rather than gore or similar discomfort. Even then, I have to make sure it's not a situation that I experience (like being alone in a house), or I'm in for sleepless nights.
So, to sum up a little---
- Yes to House on Haunted Hill, no to The Last House on the Left.
- Yes to The Birds, no to Cujo (no, no, no to Cujo).
- Yes to anything in the Aliens franchise, no to Evil Dead (I think...gore factor)
- Yes to Wait Until Dark (unless I go blind), no to Fatal Attraction (I tried to watch this once, I actually rented it, but then I just didn't feel like it. I wasn't interested).
- Yes to The Omen, no to The Game (seen it. Bored)
- Yes to Silence of the Lambs, no to Deliverance.
(Secretly, I cherish the dream of watching When a Stranger Calls, but it's going to be a while before I'm ready.)
And now, it says it's 77 degrees outside and light rain, but that storm did in fact fall apart completely and the most we'll get is probably a mm of rain. Boo, unless it really is in fact 77 degrees, in which case I could go home without melting.
More about pedestrians
Lest my previous post be misunderstood, let me just add that:
1. I used to be interested in being a cheerleader.
2. Cows can actually be pretty smart, but they, like cheerleaders, have the reputation of standing there dumbly without thinking about much. These cheerleaders certainly fit that description. Anyone reading my completely truthful account of their behavior can only be left to agree that they were behaving stupidly.
3. I am increasingly frustrated at the idiotic pedestrian behavior of kids; just the other day, I very nearly hit a kid who didn't even bother looking for traffic before he started to jaywalk; in fact, he was dialing his phone. If his friend hadn't stopped him, and if I hadn't been watching very carefully, he would have been a smear on the busiest street in town, and I would be left with a lifetime of guilt for his stupid action...and I assure you that I am one of the more cautious drivers out there.
There. Now that's out of the way, you can save your ichor. I don't get angry at much, but if I actually feel like getting out of the car and giving you a good yell, you know that you've done something very, very dumb, but also, like a parent, I'm concerned that your stupidity is going to get you killed.
I actually knew someone who killed a pedestrian and has to go through the very guilt I mentioned above. The walker in question was standing in dark clothes in the middle of the street at night. My friend had absolutely no chance to avoid him. It wasn't his fault, and he was cleared legally, but obviously he's always going to have that on his mind. I don't want that, and you don't want to be killed, so let's just agree that people need to be more considerate of the people around them, okay?
1. I used to be interested in being a cheerleader.
2. Cows can actually be pretty smart, but they, like cheerleaders, have the reputation of standing there dumbly without thinking about much. These cheerleaders certainly fit that description. Anyone reading my completely truthful account of their behavior can only be left to agree that they were behaving stupidly.
3. I am increasingly frustrated at the idiotic pedestrian behavior of kids; just the other day, I very nearly hit a kid who didn't even bother looking for traffic before he started to jaywalk; in fact, he was dialing his phone. If his friend hadn't stopped him, and if I hadn't been watching very carefully, he would have been a smear on the busiest street in town, and I would be left with a lifetime of guilt for his stupid action...and I assure you that I am one of the more cautious drivers out there.
There. Now that's out of the way, you can save your ichor. I don't get angry at much, but if I actually feel like getting out of the car and giving you a good yell, you know that you've done something very, very dumb, but also, like a parent, I'm concerned that your stupidity is going to get you killed.
I actually knew someone who killed a pedestrian and has to go through the very guilt I mentioned above. The walker in question was standing in dark clothes in the middle of the street at night. My friend had absolutely no chance to avoid him. It wasn't his fault, and he was cleared legally, but obviously he's always going to have that on his mind. I don't want that, and you don't want to be killed, so let's just agree that people need to be more considerate of the people around them, okay?
Friday, July 28, 2006
bratty cheerleading campers
A big pack of bratty cheerleading campers were walking in the road on campus Friday late afternoon. As I drove down the road, they looked back at me and simply didn't seem to register that, in fact, I was a car and they should move. They gradually moved over, but then did the same exact thing to a white oncoming car, literally staring at it for 5 seconds before they made any effort to move the remaining three feet onto the sidewalk.
Dear bratty cheerleaders,
I realize that cheerleading equates you with being dumb as cows, but even cows generally know to get out of the road when a car is coming. MOVE IT.
Dear bratty cheerleaders,
I realize that cheerleading equates you with being dumb as cows, but even cows generally know to get out of the road when a car is coming. MOVE IT.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
PR/Crocheting/More Antiques
1. Project Runway, with Spoilers
As I have now discussed this week's episode with all but one of my regular readers who watch the show (that I know of), PR goes up top today. (Sorry, Sis).
"Gah! "springs to mind when I think about the episode this week. There was much to enjoy, oh yes, but also much that aggravated me. A few politic notes up front: I like how Bravo edited the show this week to more deftly turn the audience against Keith. He got a little weird last week, but this week he was a brat, plain and simple. Tim Gunn's comment from his blog: "Keith and his petulance are becoming irksome." Right on as always, Tim Gunn. I especially liked...I mean hated...how Keith thought he should have won since his construction was, in his mind, so far above everyone else's, even though he really didn't meet the challenge at all and could have been kicked off simply for that. Unchecked arrogance makes me cross.
Now...good things to cleanse our minds:
Tim Gunn walking 13 tiny dogs. How adorable is that?
Some truly knock-out designs: Alison, Laura, Michael, and Uli stood out to me as top 4, not necessarily in that order. I also thought Jeffrey's was attractive.
I like that there are, every week, several designs that are lovely and immaculate. I hope that continues. Tim Gunn points out how many more designers are doing sleeves this season, which is indeed interesting. Remember how hard it was for people to put together a simple jacket before?
Ambivalent things:
I was not impressed with Kayne's garment, which didn't show up well on my TV, and Bradley was really more of a middle runner than a frontrunner for me. I neither loved nor hated Robert's, and Bonnie's looked like it might have been nice, but I really couldn't see it as well as I'd have liked (and the PR website pic is too tiny).
Things that bothered me, besides Keith:
Angela. Carrie and I are in total agreement that we'd wear something like Katherine's garment, and I thought it was irksome that the judges picked on her construction, whereas Tim Gunn in his take said it was well constructed. Hmm. In any case, I would much rather have kept her on for a while and dumped Angela. Tim points out Angela's definite point of view, but I question the merit of that when there is no taste level.
I am also bothered, and I know I'm not the only one, by the scanty coverage of Michael. Perhaps he's interview shy, or doesn't talk to Tim Gunn much, but he's really the only designer we haven't heard much from...he had a couple of soundbytes last night, but honestly, I'd really like to hear more from him. I do like that I get a chance to judge him solely based on his fashion, which is nicely unbiased and lends more credence to my respect for his work, and he may simply be a quieter individual, but I feel like his airtime needs to increase, stat.
Vincent. Geez. I'm sorry, I can't deal with him. I can't believe, either, that he didn't get called out for utter ho-hum in terms of the garment. Katherine's was vastly more interesting to me. Vincent's has been done...it was called the 80s.
2. Crocheting
I made this...Darn, I can't get pictures to work. Going to have to wait on that one, I guess.
3. More Antiques
Yesterday I went to the Maumee Antique Mall, which I think might be larger than Jeffrey's, but which is sort of like an antique store combined with Goodwill or a similar thrift store, with stuff from the 80s and 90s (I spotted video tapes that can't be more than five years old, too) mixed in. It was still enjoyable, though my furniture confusion continues. This time I took notes and pictures of items that might work in my new place, so now I have notes from Jeffrey's, notes from Maumee, notes from IKEA, and shorter notes from places like Target and Pier 1's websites for further reconnaissance. Pier 1, despite its new high-end direction, still has nicely cheap glassware ($3 simple wine glasses, for instance), as well as some cute bowls and some nice dinnerware. Target has impressed me of late with its website's many products, though I'd prefer not to order things...hopefully the store will have some neat stuff.
I am simultaneously making a plan of attack for buying stuff and reminding myself I need to downsize my plans a little...I'm not outfitting the whole darn house in antiques, I'm simply seeking one or two or maybe three good pieces to go with some simple, cheap, but nice new pieces so that I have a place I can genuinely work in. Or pieces I can paint or stain, like IKEA's unfinished woods! For instance, I don't need both an antique table and an antique desk, especially when I have my eye on the previously mentioned antique china hutch and perhaps an old rocker (of which I found several, in good shape). Someday, I'll have a house, so I also want to make sure the furniture I have will blend.
Anyway, I bought three pairs of shoes!
As I have now discussed this week's episode with all but one of my regular readers who watch the show (that I know of), PR goes up top today. (Sorry, Sis).
"Gah! "springs to mind when I think about the episode this week. There was much to enjoy, oh yes, but also much that aggravated me. A few politic notes up front: I like how Bravo edited the show this week to more deftly turn the audience against Keith. He got a little weird last week, but this week he was a brat, plain and simple. Tim Gunn's comment from his blog: "Keith and his petulance are becoming irksome." Right on as always, Tim Gunn. I especially liked...I mean hated...how Keith thought he should have won since his construction was, in his mind, so far above everyone else's, even though he really didn't meet the challenge at all and could have been kicked off simply for that. Unchecked arrogance makes me cross.
Now...good things to cleanse our minds:
Tim Gunn walking 13 tiny dogs. How adorable is that?
Some truly knock-out designs: Alison, Laura, Michael, and Uli stood out to me as top 4, not necessarily in that order. I also thought Jeffrey's was attractive.
I like that there are, every week, several designs that are lovely and immaculate. I hope that continues. Tim Gunn points out how many more designers are doing sleeves this season, which is indeed interesting. Remember how hard it was for people to put together a simple jacket before?
Ambivalent things:
I was not impressed with Kayne's garment, which didn't show up well on my TV, and Bradley was really more of a middle runner than a frontrunner for me. I neither loved nor hated Robert's, and Bonnie's looked like it might have been nice, but I really couldn't see it as well as I'd have liked (and the PR website pic is too tiny).
Things that bothered me, besides Keith:
Angela. Carrie and I are in total agreement that we'd wear something like Katherine's garment, and I thought it was irksome that the judges picked on her construction, whereas Tim Gunn in his take said it was well constructed. Hmm. In any case, I would much rather have kept her on for a while and dumped Angela. Tim points out Angela's definite point of view, but I question the merit of that when there is no taste level.
I am also bothered, and I know I'm not the only one, by the scanty coverage of Michael. Perhaps he's interview shy, or doesn't talk to Tim Gunn much, but he's really the only designer we haven't heard much from...he had a couple of soundbytes last night, but honestly, I'd really like to hear more from him. I do like that I get a chance to judge him solely based on his fashion, which is nicely unbiased and lends more credence to my respect for his work, and he may simply be a quieter individual, but I feel like his airtime needs to increase, stat.
Vincent. Geez. I'm sorry, I can't deal with him. I can't believe, either, that he didn't get called out for utter ho-hum in terms of the garment. Katherine's was vastly more interesting to me. Vincent's has been done...it was called the 80s.
2. Crocheting
I made this...Darn, I can't get pictures to work. Going to have to wait on that one, I guess.
3. More Antiques
Yesterday I went to the Maumee Antique Mall, which I think might be larger than Jeffrey's, but which is sort of like an antique store combined with Goodwill or a similar thrift store, with stuff from the 80s and 90s (I spotted video tapes that can't be more than five years old, too) mixed in. It was still enjoyable, though my furniture confusion continues. This time I took notes and pictures of items that might work in my new place, so now I have notes from Jeffrey's, notes from Maumee, notes from IKEA, and shorter notes from places like Target and Pier 1's websites for further reconnaissance. Pier 1, despite its new high-end direction, still has nicely cheap glassware ($3 simple wine glasses, for instance), as well as some cute bowls and some nice dinnerware. Target has impressed me of late with its website's many products, though I'd prefer not to order things...hopefully the store will have some neat stuff.
I am simultaneously making a plan of attack for buying stuff and reminding myself I need to downsize my plans a little...I'm not outfitting the whole darn house in antiques, I'm simply seeking one or two or maybe three good pieces to go with some simple, cheap, but nice new pieces so that I have a place I can genuinely work in. Or pieces I can paint or stain, like IKEA's unfinished woods! For instance, I don't need both an antique table and an antique desk, especially when I have my eye on the previously mentioned antique china hutch and perhaps an old rocker (of which I found several, in good shape). Someday, I'll have a house, so I also want to make sure the furniture I have will blend.
Anyway, I bought three pairs of shoes!
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Sad news: Mako died. He was possibly my favorite Asian actor, and one of my favorite actors period, instantly recognizable and in lots of things I loved to watch over the years. Here's his film history. Go be amazed already.
Monday, July 24, 2006
More boring furniture blather and such
Fun Fact: Only 5 IKEA stores in the United States have the color of the Ektorp sofa that I want in stock, according to the website. How very interesting. Oh, and one of them is notably NOT Canton, MI.
I put in a reserve order for my color but, according to the central offices, it isn't supposed to be in store for seven more weeks. I have to admit, I've reached the point of "I want this sofa" and when that happens, stubbornness sets in. I wasn't going to get my heart set on anything before I got into the apartment, but honestly, the price is right, the sofa is actually comfortable, more comfortable than the one I have (don't even think it...it won't fit in the space I have in my current place, so no switcheroo), the color matches that curtain I like, and this has become sort of a matter of pride. I want it! (If it will not fit for some reason, I shall have a tantrum. I have reached that point. I have even reached the point where I think I will secretly measure the door to the apartment.) It will even match my sky chair, which I have in cobalt and haven't been able to fit anywhere in my current place.
Having the thing shipped from online is not an option as the cost is...prohibitive...and I have developed an alternative plan just in case, which is to wait as long as I can, then buy the sofa in white and buy/order the blue cover separately, which it just so happens you can do with this sofa as covers are removable. It's a good plan, because even if by some chance they are completely out of the sofa by the time I'm ready to get it, at least I will have a reserve in for a new batch.
Seriously, though. 7 weeks? That's a ruddy long time.
Anyway, it's Monday again and I've been fairly productive today, for a change, having completed a few book reviews and begun the work of Winter Wheat file transfer. I realized yesterday that I really need to get a move on with this manuscript thing if I want to get it in good shape to start sending it out sometime this year or next Spring, or even see if this is possible. Unfortunately I feel icky today and the flurry of activity may need to be short lived. Certainly, there will be no jogging. What a shame.
I put in a reserve order for my color but, according to the central offices, it isn't supposed to be in store for seven more weeks. I have to admit, I've reached the point of "I want this sofa" and when that happens, stubbornness sets in. I wasn't going to get my heart set on anything before I got into the apartment, but honestly, the price is right, the sofa is actually comfortable, more comfortable than the one I have (don't even think it...it won't fit in the space I have in my current place, so no switcheroo), the color matches that curtain I like, and this has become sort of a matter of pride. I want it! (If it will not fit for some reason, I shall have a tantrum. I have reached that point. I have even reached the point where I think I will secretly measure the door to the apartment.) It will even match my sky chair, which I have in cobalt and haven't been able to fit anywhere in my current place.
Having the thing shipped from online is not an option as the cost is...prohibitive...and I have developed an alternative plan just in case, which is to wait as long as I can, then buy the sofa in white and buy/order the blue cover separately, which it just so happens you can do with this sofa as covers are removable. It's a good plan, because even if by some chance they are completely out of the sofa by the time I'm ready to get it, at least I will have a reserve in for a new batch.
Seriously, though. 7 weeks? That's a ruddy long time.
Anyway, it's Monday again and I've been fairly productive today, for a change, having completed a few book reviews and begun the work of Winter Wheat file transfer. I realized yesterday that I really need to get a move on with this manuscript thing if I want to get it in good shape to start sending it out sometime this year or next Spring, or even see if this is possible. Unfortunately I feel icky today and the flurry of activity may need to be short lived. Certainly, there will be no jogging. What a shame.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Friday, July 21, 2006
Catch Up: IKEA and PR
1. IKEA
I'm doing this post out of chronological order so that no one who hasn't watched this week's Project Runway has to scroll down past the "spoilers." (Though, as it's Friday, you've now had several opportunities to catch up :)
OK, so Ikea. I like an adventure once in a while, even if it's simple, and to be honest, I had that rare (for me) feeling of needing to get the heck out of town. So, I decided to journey north to Ikea in Canton, MI. I've never been to an Ikea, and my goodness the experience was so energizing to me (or maybe it was the two cups of coffee with four sugars each I drank while wandering the store) that I had to text Steve several times when I could get service in the massiveness that is Ikea.
I found many things that I like, picked up prospectus sheets for various sofas, futons, and build-a-table items, and wrote down descriptions of things on my handy pink notepad. I measured seat depths, fingered drapes, and wished, WISHED, I had dimensions and a drawing for my new apartment. I saw storage solutions I enjoyed and some that merely seemed practical. I even saw an Arabian princessesque round floorbed, which was well out of my price range, but, well, it's good to know they make such things.
I'm partial to the Ektorp sofabed in dark blue, and this set of drapes...seems like I might be headed in the dark blue, green, and white decor direction, which should not surprise anyone who knows my current dishes.
Oh, and sister, have you seen this? They have a neat lamp with a spiderweb on it, too, but I can't find it on the website so as to leave a link.
Anyway. Much adventure was had, as well as much coffee, and Wendy's was eaten on the way home. Made good progress with in-car tapes of Harry Potter 5. When I have my camera cord with me, I will post the picture of the crazy jaws on the front of a semi truck that was behind me, which I took a picture of over my shoulder. Maximum Overdrive, anyone?
2. Project Runway
I was disappointed with the results of the second challenge for PR on Wednesday. Now, I didn't particularly enjoy the execution of Malan's design (though the design idea was intriguing...certainly a case of needed restraint, almost Santinoesque), but he is highly talented, and I would have liked to see what he could come up with in future, since so far he'd been a decent sort of person, and his laugh was something I could have looked forward to, not in a sexed up sort of way, just entertaining.
Furthermore, I can't stand Vincent, and Angela, though I favored her based on what I saw of the team, is getting on my nerves. I would not have been a bit sorry to see either kicked off. Vincent's dress wasn't hopeless, as Angela seemed to think...it wasn't flawless, but it wasn't a *total* disaster, but as a designer and a worker I can't bear Vincent. In an interesting interview, to which Carrie directed me, Malan points out that he didn't think Vincent wanted a partner. Hear hear. This seemed especially irritating since Angela was nearly kicked off for lack of teamwork, even though, as evidenced by many scenes in the actual broadcast, she did volunteer help countless times, which Vincent actually lied about to the judges, on camera. GAHHH! Scandalous. Angela may be irritating, but seriously, she would have been a lot less so if Vincent had simply given her a task. That's why a leader delegates. Vincent, I'm mentally voting you off the workroom island.
(Side note 1: For some added post-rant perspective, I actually just read Tim Gunn's Tim's Take, which seemed a bit short this week, though I can understand why. His paragraph about Angela and Vincent is Absolutely Dead-On, and I agree with him completely, as he seems to agree with me. A quote: "I was pissed at Vincent for his exclusionary behavior, and I was pissed at Angela for being so “whatever” about it all..." I love you, Tim Gunn!)
Now, as for dresses I liked, there were several that seemed wearable, and I'm torn between Keith and Bradley and Uli and Bonnie for the "dresses-I'd-wear" category. Laura and Michael's dress was pretty, but seemed a little...prommy? Windsorish? to me. I wasn't sorry that Kayne and Robert won, though I didn't enjoy the way the bodice moved so much. As sickening as the Angela/Vincent debacle was, there were several really inspired pairings of people, such as Laura and Michael.
All in all, a weird episode, even though it should have been simple.
(Side note 2: They still haven't done anything about the abysmal web design of the Project Runway pages, so make sure your eyes are energetic before you go there.)
I'm doing this post out of chronological order so that no one who hasn't watched this week's Project Runway has to scroll down past the "spoilers." (Though, as it's Friday, you've now had several opportunities to catch up :)
OK, so Ikea. I like an adventure once in a while, even if it's simple, and to be honest, I had that rare (for me) feeling of needing to get the heck out of town. So, I decided to journey north to Ikea in Canton, MI. I've never been to an Ikea, and my goodness the experience was so energizing to me (or maybe it was the two cups of coffee with four sugars each I drank while wandering the store) that I had to text Steve several times when I could get service in the massiveness that is Ikea.
I found many things that I like, picked up prospectus sheets for various sofas, futons, and build-a-table items, and wrote down descriptions of things on my handy pink notepad. I measured seat depths, fingered drapes, and wished, WISHED, I had dimensions and a drawing for my new apartment. I saw storage solutions I enjoyed and some that merely seemed practical. I even saw an Arabian princessesque round floorbed, which was well out of my price range, but, well, it's good to know they make such things.
I'm partial to the Ektorp sofabed in dark blue, and this set of drapes...seems like I might be headed in the dark blue, green, and white decor direction, which should not surprise anyone who knows my current dishes.
Oh, and sister, have you seen this? They have a neat lamp with a spiderweb on it, too, but I can't find it on the website so as to leave a link.
Anyway. Much adventure was had, as well as much coffee, and Wendy's was eaten on the way home. Made good progress with in-car tapes of Harry Potter 5. When I have my camera cord with me, I will post the picture of the crazy jaws on the front of a semi truck that was behind me, which I took a picture of over my shoulder. Maximum Overdrive, anyone?
2. Project Runway
I was disappointed with the results of the second challenge for PR on Wednesday. Now, I didn't particularly enjoy the execution of Malan's design (though the design idea was intriguing...certainly a case of needed restraint, almost Santinoesque), but he is highly talented, and I would have liked to see what he could come up with in future, since so far he'd been a decent sort of person, and his laugh was something I could have looked forward to, not in a sexed up sort of way, just entertaining.
Furthermore, I can't stand Vincent, and Angela, though I favored her based on what I saw of the team, is getting on my nerves. I would not have been a bit sorry to see either kicked off. Vincent's dress wasn't hopeless, as Angela seemed to think...it wasn't flawless, but it wasn't a *total* disaster, but as a designer and a worker I can't bear Vincent. In an interesting interview, to which Carrie directed me, Malan points out that he didn't think Vincent wanted a partner. Hear hear. This seemed especially irritating since Angela was nearly kicked off for lack of teamwork, even though, as evidenced by many scenes in the actual broadcast, she did volunteer help countless times, which Vincent actually lied about to the judges, on camera. GAHHH! Scandalous. Angela may be irritating, but seriously, she would have been a lot less so if Vincent had simply given her a task. That's why a leader delegates. Vincent, I'm mentally voting you off the workroom island.
(Side note 1: For some added post-rant perspective, I actually just read Tim Gunn's Tim's Take, which seemed a bit short this week, though I can understand why. His paragraph about Angela and Vincent is Absolutely Dead-On, and I agree with him completely, as he seems to agree with me. A quote: "I was pissed at Vincent for his exclusionary behavior, and I was pissed at Angela for being so “whatever” about it all..." I love you, Tim Gunn!)
Now, as for dresses I liked, there were several that seemed wearable, and I'm torn between Keith and Bradley and Uli and Bonnie for the "dresses-I'd-wear" category. Laura and Michael's dress was pretty, but seemed a little...prommy? Windsorish? to me. I wasn't sorry that Kayne and Robert won, though I didn't enjoy the way the bodice moved so much. As sickening as the Angela/Vincent debacle was, there were several really inspired pairings of people, such as Laura and Michael.
All in all, a weird episode, even though it should have been simple.
(Side note 2: They still haven't done anything about the abysmal web design of the Project Runway pages, so make sure your eyes are energetic before you go there.)
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Cutco
Oddly related to my last post, since I got the pearl colored handles, I got some Cutco knives today. A former student's friend sells them, and while she gets paid to give the presentations, not for selling (thus making the occasion guilt-free), I needed some good knives and so I bought five, the trimmer, a carver, two paring knives, and my favorite, the petite chef's knife. I'm very excited, as I also get the kitchen shears free, and I got a free peeler for recommending two friends for presentations. These knives cost a lot, but I think I'm going to be satisfied with the purchase. I needed the chef's knife in particular because I really am terrible at dicing and I'd like to learn to do it properly, but I can't do that with any of the knives I own. Plus what passes for my trimmer/carver now has a bent blade and has never cut straight. I'm excited, but I need to be more careful with these knives since they're so sharp.
In other news, I think I really do have a problem with my hip...by the end of my run yesterday it was aching quite a lot, and I think late last night the regular phone rang or something, and I tried to get up but I couldn't. I think I might have yelped in pain, but I was half asleep. Today it's pretty stiff. My theory is that the different shapes of my hips, which make the right one have less range of movement, are throwing everything out of whack. I have no idea what to do about this...I know a quick fix to help even them out, but sometimes I think the strain of it makes things worse. I always knew they were off because I could feel it in ballet, especially doing grand battement...one leg is slightly shorter. I had this confirmed in physical therapy, hence the quick fix. But I don't know how to figure out what's happening without expensive doctor's visits. Bleh.
In other news, I think I really do have a problem with my hip...by the end of my run yesterday it was aching quite a lot, and I think late last night the regular phone rang or something, and I tried to get up but I couldn't. I think I might have yelped in pain, but I was half asleep. Today it's pretty stiff. My theory is that the different shapes of my hips, which make the right one have less range of movement, are throwing everything out of whack. I have no idea what to do about this...I know a quick fix to help even them out, but sometimes I think the strain of it makes things worse. I always knew they were off because I could feel it in ballet, especially doing grand battement...one leg is slightly shorter. I had this confirmed in physical therapy, hence the quick fix. But I don't know how to figure out what's happening without expensive doctor's visits. Bleh.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Pearls
So I've been using Crest Whitestrips for less than a week.
Pros:
1. Teeth are already noticeably whiter
2. Strips are vast improvement over painting gel on teeth with a little brush and having gross pasty feeling and appearance all over mouth. Strips are much less messy.
Cons:
1. Teeth are very sensitive. Actually, I took a day off because they just hurt too much for me to want to put strips on. Generally, though, I am pleased with Strips performance.
I'm in kind of a sad place today. I don't know quite why, or rather I do, but it's all so complicated. I look pretty athletic, though, and am planning on a jog since it is about ten or twelve degrees cooler today than it was yesterday. Here's hoping the apartment is less melty tonight. I got two hours of House reruns on tap and during commercials will check in with Gilmore Girls reruns, and I also have two movies from Video Spectrum that aren't due back until Saturday. Also I have a frozen casserole portion so I don't have to cook anything new. Might knit something, too. Who knows.
Pros:
1. Teeth are already noticeably whiter
2. Strips are vast improvement over painting gel on teeth with a little brush and having gross pasty feeling and appearance all over mouth. Strips are much less messy.
Cons:
1. Teeth are very sensitive. Actually, I took a day off because they just hurt too much for me to want to put strips on. Generally, though, I am pleased with Strips performance.
I'm in kind of a sad place today. I don't know quite why, or rather I do, but it's all so complicated. I look pretty athletic, though, and am planning on a jog since it is about ten or twelve degrees cooler today than it was yesterday. Here's hoping the apartment is less melty tonight. I got two hours of House reruns on tap and during commercials will check in with Gilmore Girls reruns, and I also have two movies from Video Spectrum that aren't due back until Saturday. Also I have a frozen casserole portion so I don't have to cook anything new. Might knit something, too. Who knows.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Brainstream re: Apartment and Internet Shopping
Have suddenly felt a slightly positive attitude shift regarding second apartment. Have been feeling really dumb/guilty about excessive spending lately and worrying if it would interfere with apartment shopping, but on reading Chasing Paper's recent furniture shopping exploits and hearing about Ikea's sofa offerings, I checked the website. Have looked there for other things and not always liked appearance/price of products, but have discovered several sofa beds that would be tolerable, under $700, though have now noticed that prices change depending on color of fabric. White is cheapest, but also dumbest with my habit of writing on sofa by accident. Anyway, sofa beds are expensive and have been seriously considering futon ownership, but now may not have to. Wish could figure out how Ikea futons would be comfortable with no arms to snuggle on, because one option is gorgeous-on-website dark purple. Hm. They show an apartment picture with arm cushions on futon but can't find on website. GAH! What to do?
(sidenote: Am currently reading Bridget Jones 2, so post is in manner of diaryspeak through no fault of self. Simply am chameleon and cannot help it)
Must wait until can get in apartment anyway, so as to measure space and doors and not rush in with furniture that won't fit. Though beds, etc come with assembly required, so perhaps not such an issue with doors. Wish, just once, could have craft table, dining table, and desk in one apartment, but not be crowded. Am hopeful that will have enough room to set up portable dance barre regularly.
*giggle* Am on La-Z-Boy website now and am gleeful that could have a pink sleeper sofa if so chose. Do not however enjoy website's total lack of price information. Generally, don't wish to bother going to a store if I don't know how much I'd be shelling out. Rather pointless. Especially as LZB is expensive.
Hmm. Have been exploring Ikea's Canton store website. Seems like it may be more fun than previously supposed. May need to visit immediately or as soon as have apartment measurements, or both. Will enjoy exploring alone as in manner of hunter. Can I wait until whenever apartment is available, which is not for another two weeks at least and possibly more since lease does not officially start until August 15? Have already been to Jeffrey's antiques to scope furniture there. Have already been on countless furniture websites. Why not explore? Perhaps will go this week for reconnaissance mission. If allowed to drink coffee while shopping, will be sold.
Have just remembered that exciting curtain-buying and bathroom accessorizing must also take place. Yay! Love love love textiles. Also have two rugs made by great-grandmother so learning to make rugs not so urgent. Very soft circle rugs. Could make all things, of course, but have enough sewing and knitting projects, really.
V. sorry, all, for being so boring. Realized today that now there are three blogs AND a personal diary, along with family journal twice a year. Drawback to not talking to people much is needing more outlets. Realized have not really talked with people about inner self much due to time, life events, etc., on both sides, nor have really reflected much on paper. Realized that Mom has also had to bear the brunt of self rattling on about anything in particular. Thanks, Mom.
(sidenote: Am currently reading Bridget Jones 2, so post is in manner of diaryspeak through no fault of self. Simply am chameleon and cannot help it)
Must wait until can get in apartment anyway, so as to measure space and doors and not rush in with furniture that won't fit. Though beds, etc come with assembly required, so perhaps not such an issue with doors. Wish, just once, could have craft table, dining table, and desk in one apartment, but not be crowded. Am hopeful that will have enough room to set up portable dance barre regularly.
*giggle* Am on La-Z-Boy website now and am gleeful that could have a pink sleeper sofa if so chose. Do not however enjoy website's total lack of price information. Generally, don't wish to bother going to a store if I don't know how much I'd be shelling out. Rather pointless. Especially as LZB is expensive.
Hmm. Have been exploring Ikea's Canton store website. Seems like it may be more fun than previously supposed. May need to visit immediately or as soon as have apartment measurements, or both. Will enjoy exploring alone as in manner of hunter. Can I wait until whenever apartment is available, which is not for another two weeks at least and possibly more since lease does not officially start until August 15? Have already been to Jeffrey's antiques to scope furniture there. Have already been on countless furniture websites. Why not explore? Perhaps will go this week for reconnaissance mission. If allowed to drink coffee while shopping, will be sold.
Have just remembered that exciting curtain-buying and bathroom accessorizing must also take place. Yay! Love love love textiles. Also have two rugs made by great-grandmother so learning to make rugs not so urgent. Very soft circle rugs. Could make all things, of course, but have enough sewing and knitting projects, really.
V. sorry, all, for being so boring. Realized today that now there are three blogs AND a personal diary, along with family journal twice a year. Drawback to not talking to people much is needing more outlets. Realized have not really talked with people about inner self much due to time, life events, etc., on both sides, nor have really reflected much on paper. Realized that Mom has also had to bear the brunt of self rattling on about anything in particular. Thanks, Mom.
Friday, July 14, 2006
Vanity, thy name is Ben Roethlisberger.
In a Sports Illustrated article, accessible on cnn.com, Roethlisberger remarked, on forgetting his helmet:
"I had just gotten my bike all custom done. It was painted up and it was really nice," he said. "I was supposed to take my helmet that day with me to get painted to match my bike so I could wear it all the time when I rode that bike and I totally forgot it."
What I draw from this is that the boy didn't wear his helmet all the time because it didn't match his bike.
I know I tend to be a little hard on the younger athletes, who often seem inexcusably dumb, and who also often say things that aren't really what they mean, but sheesh.
Grow up already.
"I had just gotten my bike all custom done. It was painted up and it was really nice," he said. "I was supposed to take my helmet that day with me to get painted to match my bike so I could wear it all the time when I rode that bike and I totally forgot it."
What I draw from this is that the boy didn't wear his helmet all the time because it didn't match his bike.
I know I tend to be a little hard on the younger athletes, who often seem inexcusably dumb, and who also often say things that aren't really what they mean, but sheesh.
Grow up already.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Bath/PR
On Monday I bought...
Bringing my total LUSH product stash to...
Lotta, lotta stuff. I actually took a previous picture of everything I have, but forgot a few elements from my sink area, so I had to retake it. Yesterday, witnessed by Steve, I had to buy a basket because I have more stuff than my current basket, which also contains other delicious bath products, could handle.
I took a bath last night with half of one of the new bubble bars, called "The Comforter," which smells like black currants and turns the water a frothy pink. I got a lot of bubbles out of it, and it felt much like I was a movie star in one of those baths where the bubbles are piled high and strategically placed. I listened to some of Harry Potter 5 on tape and ate a Twix bar. For dinner, I'd had pizza and salad, and a cold glass of milk whilst I watched Project Runway. This is living.
So, Project Runway. Let me first say that the new layout of the website sucks. I sent Bravo an email politely describing why it was user unfriendly, and I hope they listen, because I don't know if I can keep reading Tim's Take in such infinitessimal and poorly colored print. Ouch. And the pictures for Rate the Runway are too small to see detail. Why? Because over half the screen is taken up by ads, schedules from other shows, and irrelevant browse material that I don't want to look at because I don't believe it is any better than PR and I can only handle so much eyestrain.
Now, about the fashions and designers. I was sad to see Stacey go, because I think she had more to offer than some of the other contestants might prove to in upcoming episodes...though her sewing machine difficulty (which I would probably have, too) was a serious liability. I was also sad for everyone when they had no furniture after this challenge. How demoralizing is that? This isn't boot camp. It's not even fashion camp, as Tim Gunn said in the season 3 casting show (which was fun).
Now, Keith got a lot of flack for the simplicity of the design, and I, like Tim was also surprised when the judges didn't pick on innovation, as they did so often last season, but the dress was adorable, and the accessorizing was well chosen. Should Robert or Laura have won? I don't want to take sides at this date, but I liked Keith's look and I'm certainly not sorry that he won. I am looking forward to seeing more of these three down the line.
Also strong was Michael Knight. His dress was absolutely adorable and I love love love the way you know people look at him and make judgments about who he is, and then the confections he designs shatter that stereotype. I don't get a reading on him yet as a person, but I loved his dress.
Four very wearable designs in the very first challenge! Others were certainly interesting, and some wearable but perhaps not well made or not fully conceived.
I don't dislike anyone yet, though I would feel distinctly uncomfortable around Malan, Vincent, and possibly Jeffrey if I were among them. Malan's laugh will keep me entertained, though I don't think he really "needs" the show as much as some of the others, and I don't like his arrogance. Vincent...I can't get him at all. I admire what he's doing in re-starting his design career, but I am baffled by him as a person and designer. Jeffrey...I liked some of the stuff in his bio video, and I think it's great that he's designing for rock stars, but there's something about him I can't quite place that disturbs me. Something that turns me off. I'm down with rock and roll, but I think he, too, might have that special sort of arrogance that makes him a pest, not a genius. That may be a too-quick judgment, and I might be projecting on him feelings about similar people from high school. We'll see.
Anyway, it was an enjoyable first show, I'm piqued for the remaining shows, and glad there's something new on that I like. I can only survive on reruns of House, Supernatural, and Gilmore Girls for so long. I also note that PR has gone the way of Top Chef and gotten a lot more current professionals into the mix. I wonder how that will spark the attitudes?
Bringing my total LUSH product stash to...
Lotta, lotta stuff. I actually took a previous picture of everything I have, but forgot a few elements from my sink area, so I had to retake it. Yesterday, witnessed by Steve, I had to buy a basket because I have more stuff than my current basket, which also contains other delicious bath products, could handle.
I took a bath last night with half of one of the new bubble bars, called "The Comforter," which smells like black currants and turns the water a frothy pink. I got a lot of bubbles out of it, and it felt much like I was a movie star in one of those baths where the bubbles are piled high and strategically placed. I listened to some of Harry Potter 5 on tape and ate a Twix bar. For dinner, I'd had pizza and salad, and a cold glass of milk whilst I watched Project Runway. This is living.
So, Project Runway. Let me first say that the new layout of the website sucks. I sent Bravo an email politely describing why it was user unfriendly, and I hope they listen, because I don't know if I can keep reading Tim's Take in such infinitessimal and poorly colored print. Ouch. And the pictures for Rate the Runway are too small to see detail. Why? Because over half the screen is taken up by ads, schedules from other shows, and irrelevant browse material that I don't want to look at because I don't believe it is any better than PR and I can only handle so much eyestrain.
Now, about the fashions and designers. I was sad to see Stacey go, because I think she had more to offer than some of the other contestants might prove to in upcoming episodes...though her sewing machine difficulty (which I would probably have, too) was a serious liability. I was also sad for everyone when they had no furniture after this challenge. How demoralizing is that? This isn't boot camp. It's not even fashion camp, as Tim Gunn said in the season 3 casting show (which was fun).
Now, Keith got a lot of flack for the simplicity of the design, and I, like Tim was also surprised when the judges didn't pick on innovation, as they did so often last season, but the dress was adorable, and the accessorizing was well chosen. Should Robert or Laura have won? I don't want to take sides at this date, but I liked Keith's look and I'm certainly not sorry that he won. I am looking forward to seeing more of these three down the line.
Also strong was Michael Knight. His dress was absolutely adorable and I love love love the way you know people look at him and make judgments about who he is, and then the confections he designs shatter that stereotype. I don't get a reading on him yet as a person, but I loved his dress.
Four very wearable designs in the very first challenge! Others were certainly interesting, and some wearable but perhaps not well made or not fully conceived.
I don't dislike anyone yet, though I would feel distinctly uncomfortable around Malan, Vincent, and possibly Jeffrey if I were among them. Malan's laugh will keep me entertained, though I don't think he really "needs" the show as much as some of the others, and I don't like his arrogance. Vincent...I can't get him at all. I admire what he's doing in re-starting his design career, but I am baffled by him as a person and designer. Jeffrey...I liked some of the stuff in his bio video, and I think it's great that he's designing for rock stars, but there's something about him I can't quite place that disturbs me. Something that turns me off. I'm down with rock and roll, but I think he, too, might have that special sort of arrogance that makes him a pest, not a genius. That may be a too-quick judgment, and I might be projecting on him feelings about similar people from high school. We'll see.
Anyway, it was an enjoyable first show, I'm piqued for the remaining shows, and glad there's something new on that I like. I can only survive on reruns of House, Supernatural, and Gilmore Girls for so long. I also note that PR has gone the way of Top Chef and gotten a lot more current professionals into the mix. I wonder how that will spark the attitudes?
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
The Awkward Years
I wanted to share some pictures of my newly expanded LUSH-from-Chicago-trip pile today, but forgot my camera.
Instead, I shall gabble about the phenomenon of Family Movie Night in my house.
When I say family movie, I don't mean, we all pick a movie and watch it together. What I mean is, my sister and I drag the projector, table, and screen down from upstairs, select some super-8 reels from the cabinet, and all gather around in the living room to relive our younger days.
We all enjoyed two nights of movies this past weekend, as all the family was in one house and enjoying rather sedentary activities. The idea this time was that my sis and I would run the show and learn, at last, how to use the projector. We did learn, but Dad still did most of the work. At least we know, now. I also learned about how to splice film. My Dad's system is very organized, with a little notebook about where sections of the film have gone on which reels, and what roughly is on them.
So we started with some of the really older films, when I was a baby or toddler and my sister was 5 or 6. We also watched some when I wasn't born and she was a toddler, "helping" my Dad hammer part of the house addition. To be honest, even though she was small she was pretty good with a hammer. Later footage reveals her pounding nails into a board, "helping" make a "jiminy" (chimney). For my part, probably the best footage of me at a young age was a: dancing in a diaper to some jazz in front of our fireplace, or b: singing in the shower (sounding much like Boo in Monsters, Inc., which you should see immediately if you haven't) and then emerging starkers and soaking wet.
But then, the second night, I snuck in some later films. My sister has a definite thing against the films of her awkward years, and certainly I used to. I was awfully obnoxious or squeaky, and I had some truly awkward times. Recently, though, I've sort of started to embrace them. The other thing is that my awkward years and my sister's are a bit different, so in order to watch the old recital footage, or our My Little Pony plays, or whatever, I have to convince my sibling to put up with it. Really, neither of our awkward years are as bad as we make them out to be, we just get shy about glasses, bad haircuts, and dumb things we said, and it felt good to me to watch some of the films we haven't seen in ages, including "The Teenie Genie of the Lamp" (pony play #2) and ice skating out on the lake.
Our current reel selection, I think, doesn't quite hit the 90s, since there are some films not yet on reels, and they'll stop about 92 or 93 when they're done (we refused to be filmed after that, which is a shame, because we got sort of glamorous). I'm looking forward to seeing the films I haven't seen yet, and hope there's a day when we can get them on to DvD and all have a copy of everything, though I hope we'll always gather around for family movie time. The transfer process is pretty expensive if you don't have the equipment and software, so we'll see. If anyone has any suggestions about transferring super-8 reels to dvd, let me know.
And sister, I know you're reading this: Thanks, or "Thank you, Sawah!"
In other news, two new poems accepted by Backwards City Review!
Instead, I shall gabble about the phenomenon of Family Movie Night in my house.
When I say family movie, I don't mean, we all pick a movie and watch it together. What I mean is, my sister and I drag the projector, table, and screen down from upstairs, select some super-8 reels from the cabinet, and all gather around in the living room to relive our younger days.
We all enjoyed two nights of movies this past weekend, as all the family was in one house and enjoying rather sedentary activities. The idea this time was that my sis and I would run the show and learn, at last, how to use the projector. We did learn, but Dad still did most of the work. At least we know, now. I also learned about how to splice film. My Dad's system is very organized, with a little notebook about where sections of the film have gone on which reels, and what roughly is on them.
So we started with some of the really older films, when I was a baby or toddler and my sister was 5 or 6. We also watched some when I wasn't born and she was a toddler, "helping" my Dad hammer part of the house addition. To be honest, even though she was small she was pretty good with a hammer. Later footage reveals her pounding nails into a board, "helping" make a "jiminy" (chimney). For my part, probably the best footage of me at a young age was a: dancing in a diaper to some jazz in front of our fireplace, or b: singing in the shower (sounding much like Boo in Monsters, Inc., which you should see immediately if you haven't) and then emerging starkers and soaking wet.
But then, the second night, I snuck in some later films. My sister has a definite thing against the films of her awkward years, and certainly I used to. I was awfully obnoxious or squeaky, and I had some truly awkward times. Recently, though, I've sort of started to embrace them. The other thing is that my awkward years and my sister's are a bit different, so in order to watch the old recital footage, or our My Little Pony plays, or whatever, I have to convince my sibling to put up with it. Really, neither of our awkward years are as bad as we make them out to be, we just get shy about glasses, bad haircuts, and dumb things we said, and it felt good to me to watch some of the films we haven't seen in ages, including "The Teenie Genie of the Lamp" (pony play #2) and ice skating out on the lake.
Our current reel selection, I think, doesn't quite hit the 90s, since there are some films not yet on reels, and they'll stop about 92 or 93 when they're done (we refused to be filmed after that, which is a shame, because we got sort of glamorous). I'm looking forward to seeing the films I haven't seen yet, and hope there's a day when we can get them on to DvD and all have a copy of everything, though I hope we'll always gather around for family movie time. The transfer process is pretty expensive if you don't have the equipment and software, so we'll see. If anyone has any suggestions about transferring super-8 reels to dvd, let me know.
And sister, I know you're reading this: Thanks, or "Thank you, Sawah!"
In other news, two new poems accepted by Backwards City Review!
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Open Letter to Person Whose Car I Scratched
Dear Person,
I am so sorry. As I was heading in to church, the wind tore my door out of my hand and sent it clunking into your car door. I left a little paint and a bit of a dent in your door. I'm sorry.
I wanted to catch you after church, but somehow you're quicker than I am, which is hard to believe. I ought to have left my address before church, but I didn't think of it. I'm sorry.
If you're anything like me, you might be angry right now. I take my car very seriously, I love it perhaps a bit too much like a child or a pet...it sleeps right outside my door, after all. Whenever it gets a new scratch or dent I'm sad. I noticed you had another scratch, not caused by me, on the same side, so perhaps you won't notice, but if you're anything like me you'll have noticed immediately. I'm sorry.
Thank you for not leaving me a nasty note on my car, because it was probably pretty obvious, if you noticed the scratch, that it was me. The paint I left will come right off, but I am sorry to have left any other marks, if in fact I did and I'm not just exaggerating out of guilt.
You'd think after five years in "Blowing" Green I'd have learned to hang onto my door, but the truth is, my car shocks me nearly every time I step out of it, and I'm a little gun shy. I'm sorry.
Please Forgive Me!
Avacious
I am so sorry. As I was heading in to church, the wind tore my door out of my hand and sent it clunking into your car door. I left a little paint and a bit of a dent in your door. I'm sorry.
I wanted to catch you after church, but somehow you're quicker than I am, which is hard to believe. I ought to have left my address before church, but I didn't think of it. I'm sorry.
If you're anything like me, you might be angry right now. I take my car very seriously, I love it perhaps a bit too much like a child or a pet...it sleeps right outside my door, after all. Whenever it gets a new scratch or dent I'm sad. I noticed you had another scratch, not caused by me, on the same side, so perhaps you won't notice, but if you're anything like me you'll have noticed immediately. I'm sorry.
Thank you for not leaving me a nasty note on my car, because it was probably pretty obvious, if you noticed the scratch, that it was me. The paint I left will come right off, but I am sorry to have left any other marks, if in fact I did and I'm not just exaggerating out of guilt.
You'd think after five years in "Blowing" Green I'd have learned to hang onto my door, but the truth is, my car shocks me nearly every time I step out of it, and I'm a little gun shy. I'm sorry.
Please Forgive Me!
Avacious
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