Never done this before-

This is the work of one of my friends. As much as we differ, there are some things about it that that I really like. I took the time to look beyond the things that bother me, and well, here it is. He's put his heart and soul into getting it on the streets.

Fun stuff for Friday

It's TOTALLY Melanie's fault. This video was mentioned on Ravelry's MCY thread. She mentioned it on her blog, and I started giggling and can't stop.



Please God, make my hair sizzle when I toss it over my shoulder. For THAT, I would even vote the entire Democratic ticket.

It's the closing of the year, the finishing of old...

We decided last week that it's time to close the shop. So when we lock the doors on New Year's Eve, we lock the doors. Unless some odd thing drops out of the sky that will make the coffee world more viable in East Cupcake, we are totally done.  Enough, already.

In other news, a dear friend is closing a year and a half of hell.

Rudolph!

Note: It's Jewel and her mom.

Oh, yay, Christmas music!

I don't know why I like it-I think it's because they are devoted to each other.

New.

It's been a rough week. This week, finally, some things revealed themselves for what they really are. No frills, no shiny surfaces, no happy smiles. The facades have slipped, melted and crumbled, revealing something vile. I've found that something I've worked on for a very long time did NOT work. Cannot work. Won't work. And I was sad and hurt by it, but I know it is not my "fault".

I think fault finding is generally garbage. Determining whose fault it is usually does not fix it. In this case, you could unravel it back as far as you can go, and still not find the knot in the work, the flaw in the fiber, the unsuitablity of the pattern. But as a whole, the current result is, at first glance, pleasing. And then you look again. And the longer you look, the less you like what you see. You realize what you've been looking at is tromp d' oeil on a pile of crap. There's no one to blame. I suspect that what I see has always been there, but now that it's in different surroundings, the base aspects are flourishing, dominating, and winning.

I used to think that it was funny that I came from a family that feuded so badly, they ripped each other's names out of the family bible. Then again, I used to work with a guy that would say "Sometimes, it just bes that way." Something like that, yeah. It may BE that way, but it doesn't have to BE in my life. So we can make new starts even if it's not New Year's.

And by the way, I am SOOOO not talking about my knitting. Which is aggravating me still, and warranted some frogging, which I did.

Stop your fussin', kid.

It's not fun to knit for myself. I have average body issues; everyone wants to be taller, thinner, have a better (fill in the blank). Every stitch is a reminder that (despite what my mother told me) I am NOT perfect.

The Turks hang small mirrors from chains on their walls; the mirror backs are ornately decorated, because they are flipped over after use. To them, like the Quakers, it is sinful and vain to spend a good deal of time looking in a mirror. I struggle with issues of vanity when I knit for myself.

On top of that, it's tough to produce thousands of stitches imagining how cute a garment will be, and then find it doesn't fit, the neck doesn't lay flat, the pattern is crap, or, as Heather put it in Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion, "This dress exacerbates the genetic betrayal that is my legacy. " Every garment IS a crapshoot, and the one I linked to is a good example. Knitters gamble.

Mostly, though, I think knitting for myself is lonely. My friend Shui Kuen once said "When I knit for my mother, I think of my mother." I have no happy thoughts of surprising friends and family with a new garment, a hat, a pair of socks.

I know-I got issues.

Good morning!

Still sewing. Starting to itch for a new project. I rolled out a McCalls Crafts magazine from Oct 1984 and swatched a cable pattern. Didn't care for it.

Just keep moving, kids-

Evelyn and Lib both let me know that they loved 'Sit Down'. I think it's only natural that I follow THAT with 'The Only Way is Up.' Still working on my unending project, I worked on Holiday Gift exchange things last night, and worked on a UFO yesterday.

It's tax free weekend in Texas-which means back-to-school clothing is exempt from sales tax, and the malls are jammed. So I went shopping on-line. I bought shoes. Specifically, I bought MBT shoes. My little brother told me about them months ago-he said they were designed to get rid of his 'fat-ass'. Um, ok. I happened on them when I was checking out Naturalizer's sale earlier this week. I looked at them, looked at the promo clip, and waffled. I've been wearing Birks now for two years-I snap them up every time I find them on sale. But my feet hurt-I am on them all day. I looked at the MBT video. I asked Dean about his MBTs-do they work, does he wear them? "Um, they make me tired, so they must work."

I put the MBTs in my basket. I took them out. I got up to walk around the house. My metatarsals hurt when I went into the kitchen. I put them back in. And pressed 'Buy.'

Bow wackiness

Oh, let's hear it for Boy George-totally whacked, but what a voice!

Speaking of totally whacked, if sewing is the new knitting, why can't I find crap? I've heard Wallyworld is getting rid of their fabric department-ours is as sparse as usual.

Last week on my foray to Hobby Lobby, I tried to get ribbons and lace for a project. What an ordeal. That lady at the cutting table must have taken that 'Customer Service Handbook' with her name on it and memorized it. Especially the part with her name on it, because she sure wasn't sharing any customer service with me. I finally wrangled a yard of lace and three yards of ribbon out of her, and made it out the door. Unfortunately, I didn't like it with my project.

I had extra incentive going thru the floods the other day-I knew I'd pass by a Hancock Fabrics. Their lace and trim department was a mess. My pattern called for 1 3/8" lace. It all looked like they recycled it off underpants. Not what I had in mind. I finally found some I liked (wrong size, but right look). Oh, hell, I'll make it work. And some ribbon for bows. NOT what the pattern called for, but heck, I don't have access to the whole garment district.

Scenic stuff-round two-

The scenery is spectacular. Our scenery looked like this yesterday-

I watched the Weather Channel last night and saw storm clips-I knew EXACTLY where they were filming. They were snickering about stupid people who drive thru standing water. Bastards.

I've been waiting for an ENT appointment at the VA since MAY. It was a tough choice-do I go, or wait eons for another appointment? Figures, doesn't it? I have to go back again in 8 weeks. Hope this isn't anything serious. I already HAVE brain damage. ;-) Don't need more!

On the way in, (60 miles) I took the back streets that I didn't think would flood, because the loop is under construction. There were low spots filled with water. Of course, I drove behind a big pickup truck going 10, and he'd eaaaasssse down to 6 mph when he came upon high water. (Everyone knows your car stays drier if you ease it into big puddles in the pouring rain, right?) I slowed my little sedan down to 5 mph, and prayed I wouldn't stall. Honestly, I've been a 'grandma driver' since I was 17. If I say you are going too slow, buddy, you ARE.

I saw the most fucked up thing at my appointment. The ENT clinic shares its lobby with speech pathology and audiology. A tech popped his head in the door. "Mr. Gomez? Mr. Gomez?" He repeated himself a few times. Finally, someone caught an old fella's attention and pointed to the door. Mr. G swiveled around to see, then got up and toddled off to his appointment. I guess all the OTHER deaf patients in the clinic can hear the tech.

On the way home, I took the loop slowly. I passed a red Corvette like it was standing still....well, ok it was. Stalled in the right lane of a 70 zone, I snuck around him on the shoulder. A mile later, water from a neighboring field was POURING onto the roadway. Concrete construction barriers interupted its passage across the highway, creating a dam. A foot of water swirled in the highway's left hand lane.

Places that never flood flooded yesterday.

An unofficial radio station-

I'm begging your pardon-for the next few days, I plan to post a lot of music videos. I've nominated myself for this job thru the 21st. The Shepherd could use some friendly thoughts and wishes, I think. I love this song. Annie sounds like an angel. The video is garbage.

I finished my mystery project (all will be revealed at a later time) yesterday, and it's pinned and drying RIGHT NOW. Whew. Sewing tomorrow.

What to knit now? (Not like I don't have three projects on the needles and a Wren that needs sewing.) I got home last night and there was a hugemongous box from Herrschner's on the doorstep. Like I need yarn. The Elann DenMknit is also enroute. I think I am grounded for the rest of the year. I REALLY don't need any more. For a long time.

A rallying cry-

I think this finale is wonderful.

Out of all 13 languages used, Polish is the one that intimidates me. I am pretty sure that I would be hopeless if I had to learn it.

You are familiar with the Japanese singer already. He's the host from the Japanese "Iron Chef". No kidding.

Oh heck-let's all have a good week.

I am coasting down the last slope of my unending project, my cousin from Tokyo sent my kids a package, and I managed to reprogram the cash register. Smiles all around! This song is for my friend the shepherd, who's going thru a bit right now. I KNOW it's a cheesy clip-that's why I think it's funny.



Have a good week, all.

64 rows-

Oh, man, the end of the endless lace project is in sight. Holy crap. Fortunately, half of the upcoming rows are just purled. Just. A few. More days. Can I do 10 a day? Can I get FIRED UP???



I was looking at Walk Score, which rates a neighborhood's accessiblity for people on foot (terrain not evaluated.) Dang. My cousin's house (it used to be my grandma's) rated an 89/100. Mine rates a 9/100.

My brother and I play a game....I call it "What weird shit can you find on YouTube?" He was floored when I found Minami Haruo's Tokyo Gorin Ondo, my hunt inspired by a coin I got last weekend from my father's safe deposit box, and a vague memory of my mother practicing the fan dance to it.

It wasn't all that easy to find-I knew it was the Olympic theme for the '64 Olympics, and that was all. On-line, I found souvenir documentation from the Olympics, and watched Hirohito's speech. This image was vaguely familiar...you know 45 slipcases had a life expectancy of two months, especially with pre-schoolers in residence, and I had nothing but that memory to guide me. I had to play "match the characters" on a few sites to find the right version of the song. Sakamoto Kyu sang one very clear version, and I knew it was the right song, but the wrong voice. It's funny; when I was a little girl, Minami's voice scared me. Now, it is familiar and comforting.



This moved me to tears. The old oba-san in the front row touched my heart, she clapped so enthusiastically...the Olympics must have been a glorious sign of post-war recovery, and a source of great national pride and hope for her, and others of her generation. The end of starvation, no more waiting for neighbors and friends who didn't come home.

Of course, baby brother had to top me. Equipped with a better command of Japanese spelling, he found this:

which my mother owned. It was released in 1963, and I remember the 45 slipcase. (Isn't it a kick to hear a song with a xylophone in it?) Hearing this song reminds me of good intentions Mom had for us. I was a little startled to see the post date. Tsuko te hoshi noh? (What is it you want?) I wanted to hear the song again, Ma. Thanks.

Happy 4th

I was on my first overseas tour when I connected with this song. I was unpacking and organizing, and flopped this album (a gift from my brother) on the turntable. That's right, the turntable. By the end of the song, I was a sniveling mess.

I don't know how this song, crafted in a divided Europe, and sung pre-Glasnost, can be more relevant today than it was when it was released. Somehow, it is. If we ever switch anthems, I'll vote for this one. Even if it is sung by a Swedish guy who obviously doesn't dance. And written by Abba.

Move over, Dancing Queen, you are hogging the floor.

Chess (Cast Recording)

A little Friday fun!

I'm a little excited-my Wren sleeves, fronts and back are done! Here's a little happy girl music!

Now, for a little knitting music

I like this ad. Wish we had a unifying ad campaign.

This makes me grin-

I had no idea this even had a video until a few weeks ago. Back when this video was new and dinosaurs roamed the earth, I lived in a house with no TV signal available.