Mending

So I graded four essays yesterday, in my bed, between napping and watching Project Runway. It wasn't very much, but at least it was some and I got some sleep, so I feel a bit better today. My bloodwork came back with nothing serious indicated, so that was good, too. I just need to work really hard on my immune system, and I consider myself under doctor's orders to reduce stress. BG playing MSU this weekend aside, I think I can at least manage to forget about some of the less important stuff that tends to crowd my life, until I get better.

Thoughts on last night's PR:
Rami and Chris both put forward distinctive ideas. On the whole I think Rami was rewarded for refinement and broad applicability of his designs. Chris would certainly have a big niche market for his work, but I don't think that's what the judges want to support as much with corporate money.
About some of the choices for the mini-show: I was not bothered by the proportions of Rami's coat. They said it looked big, but at the same time it is a fall coat. I have to see it on the actual runway, in motion, but I at least liked its color. Some of the judges had a problem with the sides of his glamour dress, but here's the thing: Yes, the hips look bigger, but the waist looks SMALLER. It's an illusion that used to be created all the time to make the wasp waist. I was surprised no one mentioned that. It is a very Barbie shape, which is pretty popular.
When I first saw Chris's collection online, I totally thought that the hair was monkey fur. It looks almost exactly the same as 20s designs utilizing monkey fur. In all, though, I think Chris will end up being sought after in the way that finalists sometimes are by viewers. I think he'll be successful.
The show itself: I do really love that these designers get along pretty well. There is conflict, but it's not the kind that leaves you with a bad taste, at least not now. Can you imagine what it would be like if, say, Victorya were in the final three?
Did anyone notice the significance of two designers going with a military inspiration, Jillian and Rami, and two with a sort of gothic inspiration, Christian and Chris? That kind of threw me, and I'm surprised nothing was said. The judges thought Rami and Chris were both dark, but Rami isn't really gothic, and he has some very colorful pieces in his collection.
I'm a little worried about Jillian because of what Tim said on color palette...I noticed the same thing looking at her collection online. But then, Christian doesn't have much of a color palette either, so I'm not sure how that will play out.
Yikes! I'm really glad Ghosthunters is new next week, and PR finishing right after. That's good TV right there.

And now, for something completely different, copied off Cornshake:

You Are a Colon

You are very orderly and fact driven. You aren't concerned much with theories or dreams... only what's true or untrue. You are brilliant and incredibly learned. Anything you know is well researched. You like to make lists and sort through things step by step. You aren't subject to whim or emotions. Your friends see you as a constant source of knowledge and advice. (But they are a little sick of you being right all of the time!) You excel in: Leadership positions You get along best with: The Semi-Colon

What Punctuation Mark Are You?

I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry

I felt really unmotivated to do much this weekend. I didn't have any work, and I went to my hockey games and then went straight home. I watched some TV, and on Sunday I cleaned a great deal of my kitchen, including completely flipping my storage system. Pots and pans are now in the bottom cabinets, and most of my food is in the top, and plates and bowls are right above the sink. I also bought a lot of airtight canisters for my flour, sugar, pasta, potato buds, and such, to take care of the bug problem (did I mention that? I can't remember). I have great hopes that everything will be more accessible, though there are some kinks to work out.
My laziness/homebodyness caused me great guilt, since my friends were doing cool things like hearing bands play and eating fancy foods whilst watching the Oscars. Instead of joining them, I spent time in my jammies and watched Pride & Prejudice twice (yes, all 5 1/2 hours or whatever it is). And flipped my kitchen.

Things started coming into focus when on Monday and Tuesday I kept dropping things, and things were falling out of my cabinet as a result of me not fixing them in place when I pulled stuff out. I broke my favorite plastic cereal bowl, but didn't realize it and put milk in it anyway, which ran out all over my counter. Then, on Tuesday, I was inexplicably sleepy at strange times. Monday I had a small cough but didn't think anything of it. By Tuesday night, I had a raging sore throat. Now, I am miserable. I am at school, but I am actually going to the doctor during my office hours. I went to ReadyCare last time I was sick, but this time, with strep going around and the fact that I am sick for the fourth time since New Year's, I want to go to my actual doctor. Or rather, nurse practitioner.

So, please don't think badly of me, my friends, because I have been antisocial. My body has been trying to tell me something, and despite all the rest I was thinking I'd been getting, it's still not ready to roll. I promise I will do my best to get healthy all the way this time, maybe get some antibiotics if it's called for, and beat the daylights out of these stupid germs!

I'm so busy I'm not doing anything.

Oh, saints alive. I just found out I'm going to have to go after work on Tuesday to the place I'm ordering my JUNE bridesmaid dress from, with RUSH on it, in order to get it almost for sure on time. WTF? And that's not including any alteration time, which usually takes 4-6 weeks and which I certainly won't have time for.
IT SHOULD NOT BE THIS HARD. Bridal industry, you piss me off.

Speaking of fashion.
I totally betrayed my plan and watched all my TV so far this week. Because Ghosthunters repeats at 11 and who really wants to grade at that time? And I was home so late Wednesday I had to eat at 10, which is when PR is on, so that took care of that guilt. And then Supernatural. Oh, how I knew the Trickster would be back. I knew it!
PR:
First of all, Roberto Cavalli...how adorable is he? I understood him perfectly without the subtitles...you just have to let yourself be seduced by the rhythm and lilt of his voice.
Chris--Oh, Chris. While I think there is such a thing as over-editing, I, like Tim Gunn, was stunned that Chris chose just to take a nap rather than doing anything else with his garment, even sitting and thinking about it. And he seemed completely unfazed by Tim's commentary, the points of which were obvious to everyone else. I was left wondering how he could be so blind...the dress was exciting, yes, but there was only one judge who hadn't seen it. That being said, I also think the shape of the top of the dress, the torso, wasn't all that great. It looked a little hasty and bulgy, and Chris's nap only confirmed that impression for me.
Christian--Tim Gunn admits his look was costumey, but also editorial and dramatic. I agree with those comments, but at the same time it was editorial because it's what he always does...a black jacket and black pants. Theme and variations is very cool, but it is possible to do that and still re-invent until it's almost unrecognizable but equally fierce; he hasn't. I feel like Christian is good, very talented, and with a successful future, but I really want to see him turn his penchant upside down or do something without it.
Jillian--As usual, I liked Jillian's garment. And, even more, I liked that she was on track with it through the challenge, and didn't have a melt down. It seemed like for the time being that's out of her system. The jacket was adorable. I wasn't crazy about the dress, but I liked the inspiration-to-garment results. Her model remains my favorite model, too. I really want these girls to succeed.
Rami--His dress was lovely, there's no question. I love the side with the draped sleeve, and I love the color. But, as with Christian, I thought this would be a great challenge to take what was expected and twist it, to amaze us by doing something consistent with his taste but also extending outside his comfort zone. That being said, I feel like he was sabotaged a little by being offered the Greek and Roman sculpture wing at the museum. It would be like drugs to him, don't you think?
Sweet P--I didn't hate her dress, and I didn't love it. It looked like Sweet P, but it didn't seem masterfully put together, and I think at this stage the judges were really looking to be amazed by craftsmanship. The dress was wearable, but not stunning. I can't really think of more to say, which says something.
As far as the results go, I am most intrigued by the showdown between Rami and Chris. That excites me and promises me more fashion than I usually get. And now that I know the story, I feel more inclined to go look at the pictures of Bryant Park online again. I should be doing work, but...well...okay, there's no excuse. I should be doing work.
Part 2 of Pride and Prejudice on Saturday!

Abigail is thinking...

she's going to have to record most of her TV shows this week in order to read essay drafts so as to not feel guilty taking many hours out for a bridal shower in Michigan.

of buying a Lite Brite.

it shouldn't be this hard to order a bridesmaid dress.

that receiving a "Romance Party" coupon in her blue ValuPak mail is really both hilarious and mortifying. I love you, friends, but I don't want to get together and look at "romance enhancement products" with you.

she should be dancing more, but...

her knee really needs to be less bursitisy, or whatever it's doing on the 7-year anniversary of being twisted.

'If you want to make it, twinkle while you shake it."

My favorite part of this week's challenge was when all the designers, like children lined up in a row by their mother, dutifully said:
"Thank you, Spandex House."

Designwise, and I know this opinion might be unpopular, but my favorite was Jillian by far. Chris and Christian did a nice job, don't get me wrong, but I loved the bright and cheery design Jillian did, and if I were a Diva wrestler, that's what I'd want to wear. It was also great to see her sort of get her wind back; she worked away with energy and conviction and had a beautiful product. I love that blue with the white; so crisp, so pretty yet fierce.
Chris' outfit was indeed masterful. He listened to his client and gave her something perfect to fit her. I wouldn't wear it, but really, I'm not a Diva wrestler.
Christian's outfit was also good, but (and here comes another unpopular opinion) I think for me he's turning into a one note, too, in a weird way. I mean, how many times is he going to make a fitted jacket and fitted skirt or pant? Seriously, I wish Bravo had a way to see all of one designer's outfits side by side, but I actually just looked at all his clothes on Rate the Runway, and so many of them fall into one box. And I think we had a peek at what he's doing next week, and it was, guess what, a black jacket or blouse with similar details to those of a previous challenge. I'm done watching him make jackets.
Rami...oh, Rami. How quickly the man that seemed like a serious contender is getting buried. I actually did not mind his color; I think Barbie was an acceptable direction. I also liked the ruffles on the top. But the fit of the whole look was kind of crazy. Things seemed to sag.
Sweet P...her outfit looked like jammies. I think dripping with diamonds would have been the way to go, and it didn't happen. I feel like she might have done better with a different client; it wasn't the challenge that derailed her, it seemed like it was her client's gimmick. It was like she wanted "If you want to bump it, bump it with a trumpet" and instead she got "If you want to grind it, wait 'til you've refined it." Ah, Gypsy. I knew I'd get to work you in here somewhere.
Anyway, I loved this challenge. It was weird, it required people to get outside their comfort zones, and it involved sassy "models." And Jillian did well.

Anyway, Carrie tells me there are pictures of the collections up on the web, and while I thought I might last until Tuesday at the least, I feel like I might be headed in that direction, now that I'm on this road. Oh dear. Where has all my willpower gone?
And tonight? Pride and Prejudice!

Alive, after a fashion.

Aside from the physical whatnot, the grossness of which I'll spare you, I know I'm really sick because of two things:
1. Last night, while doing a logic puzzle, I looked down at a name I'd written in a blank about five minutes previously. The name was supposed to be Duncan. I'd written Dunkin.
2. Today, while getting ready to do a little dance workout, I noticed that my right pointe shoe was not feeling as good as it should. About a half hour later, I realized that I'd put my shoes on the wrong feet. (And with this pair, it matters, because they're precurved a bit and they're marked right and left...you can't tell to look necessarily, but, well, I still felt dumb. I didn't even LOOK when I put them on. That's bad.)

Also, I have a hole in my sweater. And I didn't get a Friday hug.

On the good side of things, the weather wasn't as bad today as it could have been, students are standing me up right and left (shouldn't be a good thing, but I'm damn tired), there's hockey on the radio tonight, I got a trip to Michael's planned tomorrow for crafty things, and there was new Supernatural last night. I'm very worried about Dean, and I want to hug Sam immediately.
I believe I shall go to ReadyCare after conferences tonight and investigate whether I need antibiotics, am dying, or need to just suck it up and try not to cough up unpleasant things in the mornings. I asked my Mom if I should get some whisky and she said no, so...there goes that. Did I mention I tasted Laphroaig for the first time when I was in Madison, Wis? I believe I left that out; I noticed it on the bar's shelf and asked Kate about it, and she gave me a snort for free to see what it was like, since I'd never tasted whisky. Good times.

PR: In the Jeans

I shouldn't be doing this because I have a HUGE load of stuff to do, but...
Tim said something interesting in his blog, which was this: "On the show, you hear me say, “It’s stunning,” and it’s true that I did say it, as in, “Fix all of this and make certain that it’s stunning.” That was about Ricky. He says he was baffled by Ricky's win, and that the editors couldn't use much of what he said about the look in the workroom. I like reading Tim's Take because it reminds me that everything we're getting is chopped up into rounded pieces.
Anyway, Rami or Sweet P should have won. However, I was irritated that everyone kept oohing over the zippers on Rami's garment. Uh, hello! Jeffrey? The zipper dress? Rami's was a cute garment, though, with interesting neck draping. I liked Sweet P's fix to her dress, and it looked very wearable. I will note that I wish for fewer strapless dresses from these people (there aren't too many ways to add straps to a denim dress without making it look bad, I mused to myself last night, but all the same...)
Not sorry to see Victorya go. It really looked like the model for Victorya was wearing a jacket over a skirt...they didn't look attached in the front, and the matte of the underside of the fabric which she used as the top was confusing. Concept was good, execution baffling.
Not a fan of Chris's work this week. His work and a few others reminded me how challenging this challenge was...making denim into anything other than its usual pieces is hard to make look good.
Christian...both Tim and the judges rhapsodized about his use of a sleeve for the leg, but I do not believe that to be very innovative. I've seen buttons on the back of skinny jean legs before, and maybe I'm influenced by my interest in making over clothes, but...it just wasn't that genius to me. It just seemed sort of logical.
Jillian's design confused me. I liked the neck design she did. It reminded me of the crazy deconstructed 2050 or whatever challenge from a few years ago, and I bet if she did something like that she could have won. Sort of futuristic denim. Wouldn't that be iconic in a way? As is, the top and bottom didn't mesh and I didn't blame the judges for putting her on the block. But I'm glad she didn't go home.
Guess that's it...the competition is dwindling! So what did you all think?

Weekend's Brief Escape

Aside from hockey overload, here are some things I did at home this weekend:

• Watched the extras on my mother's HP 5 dvd (I got the one with just the movie).
• Ate delicious and balanced meals prepared by my mother (seriously, I never make roast beef and Yorkshire pudding for myself, so I ate kind of a lot).
• Ate lunch at Panera with my Mom.
• Looked at a picture of my niece's first playdate about a thousand times, because it's too cute for words.
• Did a lot of laundry.
• Went to church, and got to see the new baby of one of the pastors.
• Watched the almost incomprehensible but still enjoyable Northanger Abbey on PBS with my folks. At one point my Dad said something to the effect of, "I can't follow this, but it does suck you in!" (Carrie, how did you do with this one?)
• Looked at all seven of my old yearbooks. I was a total geek, you know. But I sure was in good shape in high school. I rediscovered such hilarity as the boys dressed up in the cheerleaders' uniforms to support the Powder Puff football game, the glory of our senior year air band to "Love Shack," and the inane ridiculousness we used to write in each other's middle school books...but also the secret codes we had. I can't remember what they all mean.
• Went to the eye doctor.
• Went to Bottom's Up, the best dance store ev-ah. I bought blue pointe shoes (except my laces are also blue) and some new pointe shoes with thermosomething technology, and some new leotards and warmups, and generally had the time of my life. The store is tiny and packed with dance stuff and lingerie, and there were four helpers there, so I had lots of input. The lady who does the pointe shoe fittings, just by checking sizes for me, could tell that my achilles tendons are as hard as rocks, and she gave me a marble to do exercises with to help loosen them up. I hope it works, because my calves and achilles are indeed always tight, and it would be awesome if they didn't hurt so much. I was jumping up and down when I got home to show my parents my purchases, and when I got back to BG I went straight to the arena to test out the blue pair (ostensibly to see if I needed to do any work on them, like sewing elastic, but really because they're fun).

I got way lucky with weather both directions, and had a great drive. I listened to the radio most of the way back, which I hardly ever do, but the trip seemed short, so that was ok.
In other words, I had an awesome weekend, and I hope yours was groovy too!

Fisticuffs

This weekend, among other things, I watched and listened to a heck of a lot of hockey. The action began on Friday night, when I witnessed one of the, if not the biggest fight of my hockey-watching career. I mean, I've seen lots of dustups, and on TV I've seen some two or four man boxing matches, but this was all 10 players on the ice, and I was right there.
Let me make two things clear:

1. I hate boxing. I can't watch it, and seeing people hit each other makes me upset in a generally awful way I can't really describe or defend.
2. I have officially discovered the drawback to knowing guys on the BG Falcons team.

The fight happened 12 seconds to the end of the game, with BG up on Western 4-1. Western is a chippy team anyway, and BG has had more of a physical presence this year. I have no idea what precipitated this fight; all I know is that for a long time I had no idea who was in a four-man pile, and the other three Falcons became involved in various fracas with some Broncos.

The worst for me was when my favorite successfully tugged a guy away from a Falcon teammate and this Bronco just started maniacally punching anything he could get hold of. He landed some blows to the head, neck, and face area, and I'm just going to admit that I kind of freaked out, quietly and invisibly, but certainly internally, especially since the officials were busy elsewhere. When my guy got up his face was bloody and I couldn't tell from where and as I observed to some friends, when you mess with my favorite, I'm going to get mad. And worried.

Then I finally saw that one of my other former students was at the bottom of the main pile, and that wasn't great either. Another of my acquaintances was stripped of most of his top equipment. The upshot of all this was that all ten players got disqualified for fighting. For Saturday's game, Western was so short that their fourth line had one person on it to rotate in the other lines. BG barely had enough players to make up its lines, and was missing some of its major workhorses, but it was in better shape. Fortunately, BG pulled out an overtime win on Saturday, which I listened to on the radio (along with the Michigan State game, win; the Sabres, in a game I watched on mute while I listened to two games on the radio, sadly did not win).

In any case, I'm anxious to see the guys, maybe pick up some hugs, and reestablish some normality in my brain, making sure they're all right...the first time I've ever felt that anxious about a fight, and certainly due to knowing them personally. I seem to remember a game fight somewhere in which the benches got involved (the people on them, not the benches themselves) but I didn't know the players in that instance. This was much worse. I know it's totally girly, but I worry about my guys, and while I respect that they had to stand together on this, I hope they're not called to do so in quite such a dramatic melee again!

PR Points for the week

• First, Nina mentions in her PR blog that, as she watched the episode on TV, she "anticipated" (even though she knew the outcome) that Rami would be the one to go, based on his conflict with Sweet P. I gotta be honest, while I was worried about them, as soon as I heard Kit say, "It's awesome, it's fine, it's great," while Ricky was fussing worriedly over the ready-to-wear, I was almost positive she'd go. I thought to myself, "She got lazy about this challenge" and sure enough, auf'd.
• I loved the avant garde outfit of team Jillian-Victorya. While the judges passed the ready-to-wear dress, I didn't care for it. It looked kind of little girly to me, and the top part was uninspiring in cut. Sure, they had practically no time, but the taste level seemed off to me. I think, if they hadn't both had time problems (Team Last Minute) they could have knocked out a winner there.
• I was not at all sorry that Chris and Christian (Team Fierce) won. I am an established Christan naysayer (I don't think people with bad attitudes and poor people skills should receive fame and financial success, in the natural order of the world...that's me), but their team spirit was incredible, and from start to finish it felt good to see them joyful about a project together. It was like reveling in fashion playtime, which is really how things could be in the best world and how things should be for avant garde. I loved their interpretation of the romantic hairstyle (which I would love to do with my own hair, in a slightly less exuberant way). The blouse they did for the ready-to-wear is very similar to things I've seen in Victoria's Secret and Kohl's and such. Not sure that's a point in their favor, though it was tidy.
• Add two inches to Sweet P's dress, and I would buy it, to wear with jeans, maybe. Hearts.
• I don't know what the heck Rami was thinking...I expected him to understand avant garde for some reason. Did anyone else have this perception? In the end, I was really confused about what he was doing. I could see a sort of Midsummer Night's faerie queen thing with the hair, but...yikes. It needed to be overdone more, be more dynamic. Instead, it was drab.
• On the model side of things, I was not sorry to see Katie go. If you're looking at models as clothes hangers, fine, but her walk was really not strong. I don't think she really showed anyone's work off well.
• No more team challenges!

Ghost Hunters in the House! Well, Air Force Base.

Pretty geeked this week to find out that Ghost Hunters is filming for an episode in Dayton this week. How beyond cool is that? Can't wait for the episode. I hope they find something ridiculously creepy that makes certain people and I text message each other for reassurance, and that other certain people can only watch in the daytime.

A heartwarming story for you.

Prom and Ghosts

Reality TV...I don't like it, but last night I was grateful that two of my shows are realityesque, because they had new episodes for me last night, which kept me fat and happy (figuratively speaking) on my couch for hours.
So, our weekly PR report: rarely have I disagreed with judges on so many points than I did this week, not the least point of which is Heidi's comment that they only liked two of the dresses...since I disliked Victorya's garment and loved Chris's, this struck me as ridiculous. I will pass over the color comments about Victorya's dress (electric blue is fine by me), but I really cannot stand bejeweled placards like the one she had. Interestingly, Tim Gunn is with me on this point: "Furthermore, the jewel emblazoned panel on the front of the halter made the dress look more appropriate for a hostess at a Vegas cocktail lounge than a teenager attending a suburban prom." So. Not a winner for me.
I was for Sweet P or Chris, and that is that (also the top two favorites of the Rate the Runway on Bravo's website). I would have liked a better look at the back of Chris's dress...I thought it looked interesting, but couldn't commit to it if I couldn't see it clearly. But his dress was tasteful and looked very nice on the model, as did Sweet P's. I was, thus, SO irritated by the judging. I thought Chris's dress was more unusual, but I would love to have worn Sweet P's because it was so sleekly feminine and flattering.
I also disagreed with a lot of the judges' visions on prom. It was increasingly clear to me that they had no idea of what goes on at proms, and that they had a skewed picture of being a 16-18-year-old girl. They kept talking about "teenagers" and what they want, but these girls are about to be adults. They are trying to leave standard clothes behind and take this first step into looking like a woman. Well I remember the search through Gantos in particular, wading through racks and racks of colors and shapes. You can have a similar experience now in the back of Windsor, and find a wide range of garments...and though it's a younger woman's store, many of the popular looks are adult shapes. Furthermore, looking whorish is not about age, and looking adult, even if it's not sophisticated, does not make a girl either matronly or whorish.
Kevin's color, for example. Passing over the lack of finishing on his garment, I have to say that bright red is a popular prom color. My own junior prom dress was red, and I looked fabulous in it, in my own opinion. I loved my dress. Now, the dress Kevin made was a little trampy, but others described it as matronly...I begin to suspect that this is now a byword like "society" that doesn't actually mean anything anymore. Looking older is not looking matronly. Red is not an inappropriate prom color.
I felt similarly about Ricky's color. Sure, they wanted something that popped, but I think with a different garment, that color would have been absolutely ethereal. I've mentioned before my hatred of bubble skirts, so that knocked his dress out for me, but the color, I think, suited his model...and ballet pink is also a popular prom color.
Rami...what to say about Rami? I did not agree that his look was matronly (again that word--it doesn't mean what you think it means!) or that the dress was too adult. The way a lot of proms work, that look would have been perfectly appropriate, and even admired. I didn't love the dress, and I didn't love the color, but I didn't think it was as far out of whack as they seemed to think it was. I firmly believe you could find a shape like that (excepting the front drape) in Windsor. Ladies wear women's dresses to prom. That's the whole point for a lot of girls!
And the rest: I liked the color of Jillian's dress...the camera angles made the bust look weird so I didn't like it on the show; it looks better on the website pictures. I didn't care for Kit's dress much; just didn't add up for me. Christian? Gah. Has there ever been a challenge that that kid didn't complain about from the get-go? What DOES he like doing? I sympathized with his situation, but his people skills are frightening. The dress, to be frank, was ridiculous. It reminded me of a four-year-old flower girl's dress. But his complete lack of will to fix it hurt me, especially when Tim expended so much energy trying to get him motivated, as if he were, indeed, a Parsons student. I feel like he got coddled in the workroom because he's young and was suffering a lack of confidence. I'm kind of done with his whining, I guess.
Ultimately, I was disappointed not just in the judges' decision, but in their attitudes about young women and prom in general. If you're talking about homecoming, fine, but prom is a whole other entity, and I think they seriously missed the mark.

Fortunately, my frustration was mitigated by the two hours of Ghosthunters that preceded it. I about laughed myself off the couch when Kris got stuck (totally saw that coming) and I enjoyed the spooky thermal footage in particular. My jury is still out on International Ghosthunters. I get a kick out of Irish Barry most of the time, but I think the whole group is a little too...harsh? Grant and Jay sort of balance each other out, but I feel like most of the Int'l group is a little too grr. Donna is very nice, but she's not one of the major leaders at this point. Ultimately, I am still geeked, though.

New Supernatural and Pushing Daisies? I miss you heartily.

I'm still sick, with about three quarters of a voice, and I haven't slept well for coughing.
So, please enjoy this hilarious commerical starring former Spartan goalie, Ryan Miller, whom I heart:

PR ep. 6

Righteo, let's get on with it, shall we?
It always seems like right after I say something, PR gets there. So, when I was ready for group collections, bam. When I was ready for the unconventional materials, bam. Maybe a LITTLE late, but close. I probably would have switched the two. This week's candy challenge was fun--it didn't quite force everyone to work outside the comfort zone (witness how many people chose to work with fabric) but it did reveal who was willing to. I give major props to Jillian, but also to Jillian's model, who was open to the experience and participated in the creation of the garment by handsewing Twizzlers. Good on ya, Lauren. She is a model who seems to have a personality, which I appreciate (she was also Jillian's bib model from ep. 4)
Has anyone besides me noticed how much more scared this year's designers are? I think back to the grocery store challenge of season 1 and how everyone just sort of leapt in, some reluctant and some freaking out, but everyone his or her own private tornado. Now so many seem to just be in a corner rocking back and forth mentally.
Anyway. About our winner, Daniel V. in his blog writes: "She looks like [a] perky, little robot that would be stationed at the front of a candy store in the year 2046, handing out free Chiclets and pinching little kids['] cheeks." And I agree with that. In a good way (as Daniel in fact meant it). Rami's dress is pretty adorable, it showed innovation, and it was dangerous, being made mostly of paper. I wouldn't call it super wearable, and I thought it was interesting that the judges disregarded that when they called others out on it, but I had no regrets about it being named the winner. I felt that Chris's dress represented more a personal triumph; it was tasteful, a little undercooked I thought, but for him I think that is a remarkable achievement. Next to others, not as grand, but for him a great job. I've already commented on Jillian--I think she like Rami caught the purpose of the challenge and I admired her guts. Tim, in his blog, indicates that she won for him, and I was definitely torn between her and Rami. I'd really like to see those two in the finale.
Christian...Christian's dress reminded me of Mario's dress in season one...the shower curtain thing. It was pretty, but he himself seemed to point to his unwrapping of hundreds of candies to be his major achievement. I liked that he had a little hat with his garment, and his piece was certainly attractive, but...I really question whether it had enough difficulty to it. I also wondered if those candies had foil wrapping as well...wouldn't an accent of that gold foil somehow have been stunning? Tim Gunn mentions in his blog that he thinks Christian will be very polarizing, and I think he's dead center with that. He has so much to offer, and some gravitate towards his attitude, while others want to punch him. I cannot stand it when people are high on themselves to that degree, and I feel like I probably would not be friends with him. And he wouldn't care.
And the rest of our cavalcade: Not a fan of Victorya (not confectionary enough, or ice princessy), Elisa (good concept, but execution not so much), or Sweet P (who was not really a fan of her own work, either, this challenge). Ricky's garment seemed slick, but I am sick to death of bubble skirts, and frankly I think they're grotesque when used outside of the costume world. I liked Kit's garment more than the judges seemed to, but mostly because I really liked the bustier, and because I love KitKats. Kevin's garment was well put together, but I was disappointed that he didn't select any more challenging materials. It was cute, but safe.
I still don't feel like I know the designers well enough to pick favorites; often I do, and then they do or say something horrible, and I can't stand them anymore. Jillian is my frontrunner on average at this point. I think Rami is skilled, though I don't always like his style. Ditto for Kevin and Kit.
Next three weeks are going to be pretty crucial as we get down to less than half of the original set of designers. I have to count on major mistakes being made, and I think the judges will too, because I believe we have a larger than usual set of talents here.

If you needed any more reasons...

to go and see the new Star Trek film when it comes out, I just found out that Karl Urban will be playing Dr. Leonard H. "Bones" McCoy.
Yes, that's right, Eomer is a doctor, not a bricklayer.
Hearts!
And Scotty? Simon Pegg.
Is this even possible?

She sends her regrets

Yes, it's true; Avacious missed yet another New Year's celebration, this time due to a fever, coughing, and loss of voice.
Good times.

Today's *Headdesk* Moment

I have three Andrews and a Drew in one class! Help!

Live Long and Prosper

Saturday, Dec. 22
Drive to Appleton. Some rain spatters down, and the phone tag with Mom in the middle of Chicago traffic stoppages is diverting, but the big story is the dense fog in the Wisconsin night. It feels as though dementors are breeding out there, though I don't feel sad.
Get reacquainted with Ruthie. She won't let me hold her yet, but she smiles at me and bounces on her Mama's lap. Parents finally arrive from the hotel, and when Ruth is in bed we eat Mom's gumbo. It is delicious, and she does not get kicked off the island. I begin reading The Golden Compass.

Sunday, Dec. 23
It snows. A lot.
I spend some time with Ruth in the morning and get her acceptance, so get to hold her. We play on the floor quite a bit, and I try to teach her to crawl.
Later, Mom and I go get groceries for my guest chef night. I plan a pork roast, with sauteed zucchini and yellow squash and (gulp) boxed scalloped potatoes decided on in the store (my own scalloped potatoes have never worked, and, as my Mom points out, there is absolutely nothing wrong with boxed potatoes).
When it is time for me to cook, the directions go like clockwork, although a minor hitch with the food processor sets me behind by about half an hour, and I need my mother's assistance to monitor the squash.
When dinner is ready, we sit down. The roast, crusted with basil-caraway-mustard-parmesan, is good and moist; the mustard sauce is hardly necessary, but also tastes interesting, if strong. The potatoes rock. I find I don't care if anyone else enjoys the squash or not, because I need that sort of palate-cleansing normal taste with the flavor of everything else. I do not get kicked off the island.

Monday, Dec. 24
At this point, life is falling into a pattern; we get up one by one, I come down to find Sarah with Ruth, I take over and play with Ruth for a bit, our parents arrive, they play with Ruth, she goes to bed and we eat lunch (today it is sandwiches made by Dave; I hear they have mustard smileys in them), we take naps and read and so on, we get up after Ruth's nap and play with her some more....etc.
Tonight, though, we go to church. We all get glammed up, and go to the local First United Methodist Church, where we enjoy a pleasant service. Ruth likes the handbells, but grandma takes her out for the sermon when she gets restless. At one point, though, I swear she makes a kiss face close to grandma's cheek. The sermon is funny, and I manage to keep my church giggles to a low ebb.
For dinner, we have Dave's stroganoff, which is creamy and hot and makes me very sleepy indeed. Dave does not get kicked off the island. It is Christmas Eve, though, so we also put out the presents and close the stockings away where the cats can't get them. My sister and I also decorate the tree and make the cranberry sauce for tomorrow's big event.

Tuesday, Dec. 25
Christmas. Eventually, we are all gathered together, safe and warm. I think this is the day when Dave makes a great breakfast, with eggs, sausage, bread, cinnamon rolls, and so on. Actually, it's brunch, and we all leave the table stuffed. So, we unstuff our stockings. This is Ruth's first stocking, and she has a great time chewing on everything that comes out of hers, including her special baby food desserts (in their packages...though she is learning how to work the spoon, and will take it out of the hand of whomever is feeding her. She is particularly fond of orange squash, which I cannot relate to.).

Once she's in bed for her nap, we begin the presents in earnest, setting Ruth's giant pile aside for later. This process takes forever, and by the time Ruth is up we all still have a pile to open, but we do some of hers, so I finally get to hand over Paddington Bear, all the way from London.

Eventually, Christmas dinner must be cooked, so presents go on hiatus until tomorrow. Mom and I pitch in where we can in the kitchen and entertaining the baby. The end result is a beautiful and delicious capon dinner, with all the trimmings. My sister's prayer makes me cry. She is not kicked off the island.

Due to various elements, new or simply out of the ordinary, my sister pronounces it a weird Christmas. That might be true, but we were all together, surrounded by love and introducing the baby to this strange, new world of holidays, and all told I think we did a pretty good job.

Wednesday, Dec. 26
Boxing Day. We finish opening presents, particularly the giant stack that is Ruth's. She receives a lot of clothes and some pretty neat toys, but finds particularly interesting her new bib overalls, which offer an enticing set of buttons. Her I'm a Little Teapot book, which sings, is also riveting.
The rest of the day leads up to the current tradition of Chinese takeout and a movie, this year HP 5, which we don't finish because we are all tired. I work on the little white knit pixie hat I have for Ruth. When finished, it will frame her face with white fuzzies.
The weather for Friday is iffy...there is a snow watch out, and I may need to leave a day early. I agonize about this.

Thursday, Dec. 27
The snow watch is canceled, but snow is still in the forecast, so I decide to leave for Madison after lunch, and book my hotel for an extra day. I am going for the Badger Showcase hockey, which BG is playing in and which I am doing as a Christmas present to myself before heading back to Ohio.

Our parents come to say goodbye and depart for Michigan. Ruthie goes to bed for her nap, and my sister and I settle in with soup and salads, and Poirot's Christmas, then some Christmasy desserts--pudding for her, ice cream pie for me. After, I clean the snow off my car and sadly leave.
The drive to Madison is fine. The sun is going down, and I listen to Feist while zipping past snowy fields and houses. I do get lost for quite a way when I get stuck in a lane that has to turn off, and then there is no way to get back on. This is frustrating, especially because it is dark, but I eventually work it out and check in to the Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor's Club, which is right downtown and walking distance to the arena. There is practically no one around.

I am cranky, so I go to sit in the hot tub, and there is no one there, in the entire pool room. The hotel does have some guest rooms that open right onto the pool, which is weird, but the family is in the arcade and I have the place to myself, even though it is about 7 pm. I soak out some of my anxiety, and then get showered and changed to seek out dinner. The Bar, one of the hotel's restaurants, is also empty, but I order some wine and a burger anyway, and chat with Kate, the barkeep. Then some guys come in, then some more guys, and a few more scattered people. I eavesdrop on the guys behind me, and it turns out they are official-type people from Colgate, one of the schools in the Badger Showdown that I will be attending on Friday. Also, one of the hotel's manager-type people is evidently bored, because he comes into The Bar to chat with Kate, and ends up getting my takeaway box for me. I mention this only because he looked a little like Judd Nelson, in a good way. He says no one ever told him that before, which makes me feel old.
I sleep badly.

Friday, Dec. 28
Snow Snow Snow. I go shopping on State Street in the snow. It is really coming down, and I am glad I drove in before it hit. I buy some bath stuff, some ski vests, some arm warmers, and a really cute and sparkly jacket and black dress. I sit down for some chai and journaling, and then set off to loop past the Kohl Center on my way back to the hotel, so I can see where it is. About an hour later, I head back there, pick up my ticket, and walk into the arena. It is huge...three tiers of seats. There is hardly anyone there, but the very first people I see I know, which was fun.

Sadly, BG loses their game to the Northeastern Huskies, a game they could win, but in keeping with their unfortunate trend, they play awesome for a half hour, and then the second half of the 2nd period it's like they get distracted and then never get back on focus until the last half of the 3rd. Every team has a period or stretch in which they struggle; MSU's used to be the 2nd period. But BG just seems to slide too far during their bad stretch. Some of the opposing fans are jerks, too, which doesn't help. I do manage to catch up with the rest of my guys after the game, just to say hey. I watch part of the Colgate vs. Wisconsin game out of curiosity, but want to get home before it gets too dark and revelers get drunk. It turns out this is wise, because the game went into overtime and then an 8-man per side shootout! I later catch this part of the game when they replay it on TV...after I've already seen the Colgate team come back to the hotel looking tired but cheerful.

I spend some more time in the hottub and pool, too, which had a few people there this time. Later I realize my swim might have been a bad move, because my shoulder is killing me. I cannot sleep in this room very well, for some reason, and the problem is made worse by the bed springs of my neighbors. They are enjoying their hotel time. I eventually drop off, but keep waking up.
Funniest moment of the day: I had the closed captioning on while watching the end of the Colgate vs. Wisconsin game. At the end, the announcer says the Badgers will be playing the Falcons tomorrow, only he says Falcons like "Fulcons," and the closed captioning reads: Badgers vs. Vulcans.

Saturday, Dec. 29
I check out of my hotel, not without a little sadness. I begin my drive home and aside from brief stops for tolls, I only really stop once to get gas and lunch. This is really pretty amazing, if you know me. Also, I realize that I look sort of like the Unabomber with my hood up.
I arrive home around 6, get situated, and then begin my new London jigsaw puzzle while eating a cheeseburger and listening to the Falcons lose to the Badgers, though all my guys played, which I enjoy, and the game sounded like it went better than the night before, with, as the announcers point out, better teamwork and aggressive play. While I had a wonderful time on my vacation, I am glad to be back in my space. I'm not glad to return to the cares I'd temporarily left behind, and I have some new cares shoving the old ones around in my brain. But soon I will have a fridge full of food and some places to wear my new T-shirts, and that ain't half bad, is it?

Does anyone else have that problem where they can't relax, but they can't get motivated to actually do anything either? That describes me yesterday, when any normal person would have just accepted that it was ridiculous outside and stayed in to be nice and warm, and when I, instead, got bundled up and walked in to school since the town library was closed. Then, I looked at recipes and watched TV (movies I've already seen, no less...and own) for hours and sewed TWO, yes two squares of my hockey scarf together, rather than actually making strides towards finishing the scarf and wrapping presents, which is what I was supposed to do.
Today, I cleaned off my car. I took a picture of how much ice is on my left passenger door and window...it's bubbled up in great bulbs of solid ice from the roof dripping on it. I had to get some off my driver door, and of course scratched the window casing up because I'm an idiot.

In other news, if anyone was considering buying Irresistible Apple anything at Bath & Body Works, thinking it is their new version of Country Apple, don't. It's basically like strongish perfume that doesn't smell like anything in particular. It does not smell like apples. I don't dislike it, but I sure would not be able to wear it around my allergic papa, and it sure ain't what I was expecting.
Actually, my whole shopping experience the other day was kind of a wreck. Every place was crowded, I scared a girl when all I wanted to do was ask where she got her snood, and it turns out she was with one of my students who didn't pass, the dance store I tried to go to has moved, and all sorts of crazy people were out. I did finish my Christmas shopping, but I wish it had been a little more uplifting. For once, though, I didn't cry after I put money in the Salvation Army bucket (Why cry? I don't know. It's Advent). I staunched it with a hearty Merry Christmas and momentary inability to get my money in there.