Courtney Suzanne (blog)

Life Lessons from Charlie Chaplin

2010-02-24T16:03:00.001-06:00

Life Lessons from Charlie Chaplin

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Stitch and Beach

2009-09-23T09:03:00.000-05:00

I got this in my email this morning: http://www.stitchnbeach.com/

Thinking forward to another winter in Iowa, this sounds like heaven. Of course, going anywhere where there's sun in February sounds good to me.

A Link to Marriage Tips

2009-09-11T15:31:00.000-05:00

Joanna Goddard of the blog A Cup of Jo just got married and is taking a two-week honeymoon. While she's out, she has guest bloggers posting marriage tips. The tips are great, but I'm really enjoying the photographs that accompany each post. It would be great if she'd continue with these after she gets back!

Here's one of my favorites so far, to get you started.

Martha Stewart Eats Babies

2009-09-04T09:41:00.000-05:00

Or, at least, she likes to dress babies up like food. This was in my inbox from the Martha Stewart Craft of the Day Newsletter today:

I clicked on the link to the site and was relieved to find comments like this:

"Is it just me, or is this creepy???"

"I think it's bizarre."

Then I noticed Martha has a whole line of babies-as-food costumes. The horror, the horror:

That's supposed to be a pie...I think the baby's trying to escape!

There were also instructions on making your baby look like a salad, but there was no accompanying picture. This is a letdown for me, for one because I can't see how that would work, and number two because it sounds delicious!

Martha, I've seen Anne Geddes pictures, and you, Madam, are no Anne Geddes. Behold:

See, THIS is how it's done! I don't find anything remotely creepy about this, except I do worry about their exposure to pesticides and whether they're getting watered enough.

10 Tips for Traveling to London

2009-08-26T11:19:00.001-05:00

Here I am posing with the statue of Paddington Bear at Paddington Station with the bear I bought there.

I just got back from a week in London। It was my first overseas trip, and I did weeks of research to prepare for it. Most of my research really prepared me well, but there were a few things I wish I'd known before going. Combining everything I read with my own experience, here's a list of my tips for traveling to London:

1. If you are planning on using the tube a lot, including getting to and from the airport, don't use a wheeled suitcase. Only a few tube stops are handicapped-accessible, which means you're going to have to use a lot of stairs. Also, my suitcase got stuck in every turnstile at every Tube and train station. Take a tip from the Amazing Race contestants and get a carry on-sized backpack to use as your suitcase.

2. Pack light, carry on all of your luggage, but bring a spare carry-on bag. Here’s what we did, and it worked really well: Pack a flat, lightweight, carry-on bag in your suitcase/backpack. Carry on all of your luggage on the flights to London. On the way back, pack all of your souvenirs and valuables in the spare carry-on bag, and check your other suitacase/backpack. You won’t have to worry about lost luggage while you’re in London, and when you get back, you will make sure you have all of your souvenirs with you when you arrive. If the checked bag gets lost, at least you’re home. By the way, as far as what to wear, don’t worry about looking like a tourist, because unless you’re wearing a suit, speak with a British accent, and never look at the sights around you, you already look like one.

*A note on the whole liquid law: since you can only carry on so much liquid, I packed as much as I could in the little quart ziplock and bought the rest when I got there at Superdrug. You can either abandon what you bought when you leave or pack it in your checked luggage.

3. Bring two pairs of comfortable shoes. If a pair gives you blisters one day, you’ll have an alternate. Also, if you wear running shoes, they take at least 24 hours to dry out and bounce back to their original shape after wearing.

4. Be prepared to walk up a lot of stairs. If you hate climbing stairs, you’re going to HATE taking the Tube. Yes, there are escalators, but you have to take some stairs to get to them. Only a few Tube stops are handicapped-accessible. Work out on a Stairmaster for a few weeks before you leave, and you’ll be good to go.

5. Bring a bottle of reliable water with you everywhere. Rick Steves pointed out that even if the local water is safe to drink, it may contain minerals and bacteria that your body is not used to, so you can still get sick. I was fine drinking the London tap water, but one bottle of Welsh water made me sick. I stuck with tap water or Evian the rest of the trip and was fine. With all the walking you'll do, you will need to stay hydrated, especially if it gets warm (most places do not have air conditioning, including the tube). Don’t depend on vendors at the tourist sites for water, as it will be more expensive and some of them only take cash.

6. Bring a coin purse. Most of the money you'll use in London will be coins, and they get bulky and heavy.

7. Don't bother exchanging money, just go to an ATM when you get there. The service charge at the ATM will be lower than what a money exchanging service will charge you, and there are ATM's everywhere.

8. Make a list before you go of all the things you'll need to buy for others and yourself. My family told me what they'd like me to bring back, so it made souvenir shopping easier and I didn't forget anyone. I forgot to put down a charm for my charm bracelet, which I always get on every trip, so I didn't get one. I luckily was able to order one online from a London shop, but it just isn't the same.

9. Leave one day on your itinerary with nothing planned at the end of your stay. You may find you didn't get to do all the things you scheduled, so this can be a catch-up day. Also, you won't want to do anything to stressful the day before you go, as traveling home will be exhausting enough, so this can be a good day to rest up. We had a pretty physically-demanding last day, and it made it even more tiring to run through the train stations and airports the next day.

10. Use the Oyster Card. It’s cheaper, it’s easier, and you’ll use it like crazy. You can even register it so if it gets lost, you won’t lose all the money you’ve put on it.

If I could put an 11th tip on here, it would be to go there only when you are really wealthy, because everything is so expensive, but what can you do about that?

Finally, a wedding and honeymoon post!

2009-08-07T10:13:00.001-05:00

It took a couple of hours and some tears, but I finally uploaded all the wedding and reception pictures to flickr. There were so many pictures that Flickr Uploader actually crashed twice in the process. I didn't put descriptions on all the photos because I needed time to eat and sleep, and it was either the pictures or my health and sanity, so I chose the latter.

Here's a picture of the wedding party:

From Left: my dad, middle sister Leslie, youngest sister Kendal, me, Sean (the groom), his best man Erin, friend Lane, and his younger brother Lee, in front of the Polk County Court House in Des Moines, where we got hitched.

The reception was at the Walnut Woods Lodge in West Des Moines. I was so busy getting ready that morning that I went with wet hair. It was crazy, but we pulled it off:

The Location

Interior

We bought all the flowers that morning and Leslie frantically arranged them. The ones on this table are actually the bride's and bridesmaids' bouquets. I baked the cake and cupcakes myself because they needed to be gluten-free for my sister and father. My sister Kendal decorated the cake and Leslie decorated the cupcakes. We ordered the sheet cake and all the food from HyVee. We had TONS left over.

We provided these fruit and veg plates, plus a meat and cheese trays and sammich-making stuff.

Bought these metal tubs at Lowes. Unfortunately they were leaking melting ice like crazy.

Bought these personalized fans for everyone, thinking we'd have a typical mid-July day in Iowa (hot and humid). The weather turned out to be so unbelievably cool that we now have $100 worth of personalized fans sitting in our kitchen. Any takers???

Leslie brought her amp and mic, so we used that for the toasts. Here., the best man salutes me for putting up with Sean.

Here, Leslie sings my requested song, "Grow Old With Me" by John Lennon. She was a hit, and did an encore.

Eating. Drinking.

After the speeches, we all went outside for some non-dancing entertainment.

Sean brought his mini soccer nets and hockey gear. He said it was for the kids, but I think we all know better:

After the wedding, we went out for Karaoke, which I pooped out on early. After the reception, the groom and his friends went out to the BBQ and Blues fest downtown, but I was too tired for that, too. They all eventually came back to our place and played with our Wii, and if that sounds dirty, it's probably because it is. I fell asleep, so I have no idea what other shenanigans went on.

So, the next step is our honeymoon trip to London, which starts August 17th. I am feverishly preparing for that now in advance, packing, planning, etc. I don't travel well, and I anticipate the jet lag will not be much fun for me. Still, this is a trip of a lifetime for me, so I will try to suck it up.

For more exciting photos, feel free to peruse my flickr uploads in the Wedding collection.

This is a great idea!

2009-07-21T08:53:00.002-05:00

This could be great for folks with kids.

Anti-Boredom pocket kit - More DIY How To Projects

Oh, yea, and I got married last week. More info forthcoming.

How to get a lot of free (and reduced-price) stuff on your Birthday

2009-07-07T19:00:00.001-05:00

Today I celebrated my 34th Birthday with a free caramel soy latte for breakfast and free sandwich for lunch, and no one had to open their wallet. These were all perks I received because I signed up for email updates from Caribou Coffee and Planet Sub.

If you have an email address, a printer, and the ability to leave the house, you too can enjoy free stuff and discounts on your birthday. All you have to do is put up with a bit of clutter in your in-box. (Planet Sub, by the way, doesn't send me email except on my Birthday.)

This year was an all-time record for freebies and discounts on my Birthday. Here's what I got:

A free Birthday Burger of my choice at Red Robin.
A free drink of my choice at Caribou Coffee.
A free six-inch sub of my choice at Planet Sub.
25% off one item at Borders Books and Music. (I also have a $5 Borders Bucks coupon to use with it.)
$10 off a pair of shoes at DSW. (I combined this with a $5 coupon I already had, getting my wedding shoes for 35 bucks!)

Doing a little research in the bloggersphere, there are websites and blogs devoted to finding where you can sign up for free stuff on your birthday. Here's a top ten list on about.com. This website is dedicated to Free Birthday Treats. This writer for the Star-Tribune has discovered the joy of free Birthday stuff, too.

See? Now your friends don't have to shell out any bucks for your Birthday dinner. Hell, you don't even NEED friends at all! (This blog does not endorse friendlessness, however).

Whenever your birthday is, have a good one, and a free Blizzard on me.

Funny and True

2009-06-30T16:42:00.003-05:00

Michael Jackson

2009-06-26T10:46:00.000-05:00

When I was in the third grade, a friend came up to me and told me about this musician she was "in love with." His name was Michael Jackson, and she showed me a picture. I had never heard of him, and I couldn't understand why she liked him. I would have been 8 at the time, I'm guessing, so I wasn't really into boys yet. Apparently, she was.

A couple of years later, I went over to a friends house after school and saw "The Making of Thriller" on MTV. I had grown up watching shows about the making of movies, but this one was different for me. I remember vividly watching Rick Baker make the werewolf mask for Michael Jackson and thought, "I want to do that!" I think it was the first time I wanted to do something behind the camera rather than in front of it. I credit this show as one of the reasons I studied film in college.

Even though I bought my first and only Michael Jackson album last year (the 25th Anniversary release of Thriller), you could not grow up in the 1980's and early 90's without being inundated with Michael Jackson music, videos, and, sadly, the tabloid news about him. It seems strange that he's gone, but almost fitting that it was so fast and unexpected, kind of like his solo career.

Roald Dahl's Writing Hut

2009-06-10T11:13:00.000-05:00

I have always been interested in the workspaces of artists. We Love You So posted an excerpt from an article about whether it was better to write standing, sitting, or lying down, according to several writers, but they also posted this wonderful link to a virtual tour of Roald Dahl's writing hut, which includes clippings and artifacts. It makes me wish I had my own little writing hut, though I'd probably never want to come out of it some days!

If you, too, are interested in workspaces, check out the On My Desk blog for some inspiration.

Another really good tea to try

2009-06-09T14:32:00.001-05:00

I bought this tea for myself at the Gateway Market, even though I'm in my thirties and have no kids. I am wary of buying herbal teas, as I've had quite a few that tasted like they were mixed with battery acid or some maple syrup that had gone bad, but I figured if this was aimed at kids, it must be pretty mild. I was right, and it's really good! It smells really sweet, like Strawberry gum, but it tastes very mellow. I think this would be great to give to kids instead of pop or juice, even if you had to add a little honey to it. This is just another reason I love Republic of Tea teas...they should pay me to say that!

The Republic of Tea will donate a dollar for every cannister of their Little Citizens line of tea purchased to Room to Read, an organization promoting education for the children of the world, so it's worth trying.

This video tutorial is inspiring me today

2009-06-05T14:18:00.000-05:00

This is a how-to video, but it's actually artistic itself. You're watching someone create something that is then used to create something else. I wish I could draw better.

Stamp Carving from Geninne D. Zlatkis on Vimeo.

C/O Geninne's Art Blog

Is anyone else Tumblr-ing?

2009-05-20T14:08:00.000-05:00

I discovered this new service today called Tumblr. It's kind of a hybrid between Twitter and blogging. I found it through another blog, and thought it would be handy to use it like she does, as a place to post things you found on the 'net, stuff that's not worth a whole blog post. I don't know how long I'll stick with it, as I could probably do something on Blogger that's similar. lookieloo.tumblr.com

Has anyone else tried this service? So far, I'm not totally digging the interface.

Wedding Accomplishment: Dress Purchased

2009-05-18T10:28:00.000-05:00

As I was running out of time to attempt to make my own dress, and the one I wanted was sold out in white at JCrew, I decided to go shopping with my sisters/bridesmaids on Saturday. I set my deadline as June 1st for choosing something. I walked into the White House/Black Market store and found my dress in about 5 minutes. Leslie picked out the winning number:

Here's a link to it on their website.

The amazing thing is, at this store I was two sizes smaller than predicted. Scary! I'm so relieved to have found something, and so quickly.

Links: Homemade Bubble Bath, "Wild" Blog, Grilled Cheese

2009-05-14T09:46:00.000-05:00

I haven't done a links post in a while, but I found a few inspiring/interesting things today, so what the hell...

Some recipes for homemade bubble bath at Real Simple: http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/ask-real-simple/ask-real-simple-make-own-bubble-bath...

I'm very excited about the movie Where the Wild Things Are, and I really like the new blog set up to explore the things that inspired the movie: http://weloveyouso.com/blog/

After reading this, I wanted to run out and make myself a grilled cheese sandwich, and it was 9 o'clock in the morning: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104057146

The case of the missing bacon...

2009-05-13T16:59:00.000-05:00

see more pwn and owned pictures

If Mike Nelson wasn't already married to the lovely Bridget, I think we've found his perfect match in Grand Rapids.

Twitter really IS blogging for people with ADD, plus updates on life

2009-05-04T16:57:00.000-05:00

...or short attention spans.

I find it so much easier to "tweet" because you don't have to type a whole meaningful paragraph. I don't think in paragraphs. I think in fragments. Short ones. Some people complain about the 140 character limit. It is rarely a problem for me. I also don't worry about what I'm saying being meaningful or insightful, as it seems to be released into the internet heavens, impermanently. Someone might read it, someone might not, but everyone moves on. A blog is a commitment. It takes more than a second to read. It's more permanent. A blog is like a journal, whereas a tweet is like a random phrase scribbled on a wall. I know you could go and read my twitter page and see all the stupid/profound things I've tweeted, and that they aren't anonymous or ephemeral, but with the feed readers most people use, it just feels that way to me.

For those who are following me on Facebook and were wondering, I'm still sick, though I'm getting better. I had a cold and strep throat in the same week, and that just made my sinus infection insanely bad. I'm on antibiotics for both the strep and sinus infection, but I've still had a 99-100 degree temperature since Tuesday, so I'm healing very slowly. The sore throat went away after less than a day on the drugs, but the sinus infection continues to kick my ass. I'm no longer bedridden, but I'm still a bit dizzy and stuffy. I remarked the other night that I've become a real-life Liz Lemon, going to bed with my humidifier and a heating pad. Glamourous!

I'm behind on my knitting. I was too sick to knit, which really stinks, as knitting is a great sick-bed activity. I've been trying to finish projects that were started long ago, rather than buy more yarn and start new ones. I'm working on a really fun raspberry-red lace shawl (you can see it on my Ravelry page) and the second sock of a pair I started last summer. I've been terribly bad about updating that darn Ravelry page with info and photos, but there's only so much time in the day, what with wedding planning, illnesses, and excessive Twittering...excuses, excuses.

The invitations are supposed to be going out today. That was the first big hurdle to overcome. I'll have to take a snapshot of one, as they're pretty nice. We used a couple of Martha Stewart invitation kits, which cost me less than 200 bucks, including the stamps and paper punches we bought to decorate them. Not too bad. Still need to buy a dress, which I've already picked out, get rings, get the license...yes, the important things. At least we've got the registries pretty much done! Gotta get something out of all this planning, right?

I just started reading French Milk by Lucy Knisley. I'm really enjoying it. I'm surprised at all the negative reviews on Good Reads...I guess "to each his own." It's a lovely little real-time illustrated journal of the 22-year-old author's month with her mother in Paris. The cartoons make me wish I were better at drawing! I already have a journal purchased for my trip to London in August, and I hope I can make time to write in it while I'm there.

A Little Monday Morning Inspiration

2009-04-06T10:06:00.000-05:00

J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.

Bacon

2009-02-20T11:22:00.000-06:00

Mike Nelson (my second favorite MST3K host, though it's a close race) has been eating nothing but Bacon all month. Someone was finally crazy enough to interview him on TV about it:

Is it just me, or did the uncooked bacon in the pan look really gross, and yet the cooked version very tasty? That is a magic frying pan.

Letting Sleeping Dogs Lie

2009-01-26T09:45:00.000-06:00

Taken by my sister, Leslie, on January 19, 2009

It's REALLY, REALLY, REALLY cold here.

2009-01-15T09:17:00.000-06:00

As I type this, it is -16 degrees Farenheit. That's right, NEGATIVE 16 degrees. I think I might be in the 9th circle of Dante's hell. I haven't seen Satan yet, but he might be hiding under several feet of snow.

My sister is flying in today from Sacramento, where it will be a high of 66 F. Welcome back to Iowa! She's interviewing for a job here, so I hope this weather doesn't put her off too much.She was born and raised in the Midwest, so it will just take her some time to acclimate.

It is so cold here, even the dogs are refusing to go out. Beau is the toughest, since he's a labrador and built for colder temps, so he'll go out for a couple of minutes before racing back into the house. Buddy, on the other hand, is smart enough to refuse to go out unless I put a sweater on him (which requires me to chase him around the house just to get it on), and then he usually just relieves himself on a pile of snow on the deck and comes back in. It's delightful! Cabin fever has turned to doggie depression, as they realize they are prisoners in the house until it warms up. Luckily, the weather should be warming up to above-freezing next week.

I've added a link under "Me Elsewhere" on the sidebar if anyone wants to be my "friend" on Netflix. That way we can compare what we're Netflixing, which helps me decide what to put in the queue.

I hope everyone out there is keeping warm!

A Video For Book Lovers

2009-01-02T15:12:00.000-06:00

This Is Where We Live from 4th Estate on Vimeo.

They even mangaged to use a Spike Milligan book!
(I found this at Craftzine.)

Snowpocalypse (or Snowmageddon) in Iowa

2008-12-23T13:22:00.000-06:00

By the first official day of Winter here in Iowa, we already had snow and below-zero wind chills. This week we are getting more snow and more cold. When will it end!?!? I've lived in the Midwest most of my life, and I'll never get used to the snow and ice and cold.

This is Christmas week, which usually involves stress and lots of sugar for me, and this year is no exception. I've been rushing around trying to buy last-minute gifts and wrap them. I bought a bunch of holiday-themed cookie cutters a year or two ago and I haven't had a chance to use them this year. I think I'm going to bake some dog cookies tonight and use them for that. Of course, only one out of the two dogs will probably eat them, as Mr. Beau doesn't really like biscuits. I've been researching recipes online for cookies involving mostly cheese or meat in the hopes I'll find something he'll eat. I found a couple involving large amounts of cheddar or bacon, so that might work. He's very picky. Buddy, on the other hand, will eat just about anything.

On the subject of dogs, this cold weather has made it nearly impossible to walk them. It doesn't phase Buddy too much, as walks are not his raison d'etre, but Beau looks like he might resort to drinking. Tonight might be the first in two days that is mild enough to walk him. Buddy, though wearing a sweater or coat, still has trouble walking in the winter because of the snow and salt getting into his paws. I'm looking into getting him some booties, fully aware that he won't like them, but he's gonna wear them anyway. We get about halfway down the street and he starts limping and licking his little paws, so they're kind of an evil necessity.

This video is absolutely adorable to me. This doggie is owned by the blogger of Offbeat Bride. This gives me hope that Buddy might "warm" to wearing booties.

Snowpocalypse 2008 from arielmeadow on Vimeo.

We are off to Storm Lake tomorrow to spend Christmas with Sean's parents. Pray for us that the weather is OK on the way there and back. We are both absolute chickensh*ts when it comes to driving in winter weather anymore, and we'll have the dogs in the car with us, so we'll be doubly nervous.

I hope everyone has a happy holiday weekend!

Crazy Weather and Christmas Procrastination

2008-12-16T10:38:00.000-06:00

This week, we had a day where the weather went from the upper 40's in the morning to -1 degree that night. I am happy to report I walked the dogs before it hit zero, but it still wasn't very warm. We had -25 degree wind chills yesterday, so the dogs did not get their walk. I'm sorry, but if they don't want to spend more than 2 minutes in the back yard, I'm certainly not taking them out for a 20+ minute walk, no siree. They don't seem too depressed, though I wonder how long I can keep this up. It is snowing like crazy right now AND in the teens, so I'm not sure if it will be walking weather tonight, either.

The dogs found the Christmas pile stash this week and have already absconded with two presents. We got smart and put the rest in a safe location, but with this weather, I'm sorely tempted to open the rest of them just to keep them entertained. Someone needs to invent a Wii for dogs or something, because I have a feeling the big one will start a muntiny soon.

I have not sent out any Christmas cards yet. I haven't bought a single gift yet, either. I don't know if it's really procrastination or just being too busy with other priorities. I know I'm not alone in this, either, as people I've talked to have found a kinship with me when they reveal that they, too, have not bought anything yet. I think a lot of gift cards will be given out this year, not that that is a bad thing. E-cards, anyone?

I've tried to update my sidebar links today, but the Amazon books would load properly. I just finished reading Coraline (the novel, not the graphic novel) by Neil Gaiman. It's the first book of his I've read, and I enjoyed it immensely. I can't wait to see the movie in February.

A bunch of light bulbs in the house have gone out this week. They were compact fluorescent, too. Coincidence? Nothing like changing a porch light in below-zero weather at night!

I just downloaded two Christmas albums off iTunes which I am enjoying: A Colbert Christmas and The Hotel Cafe Presents Winter Songs. I have to admit I downloaded the Enya album (And Winter Came), too, and it's pretty good.

If I don't blog before then, Happy Holidays everyone!

Getting a Cold, Going to Minneapolis, and Remembering Road Trips

2008-11-19T14:02:00.008-06:00

I've had a headache for about two days now, and after waking up with the sniffles, I know why: it's cold season! Yes, I'm getting my first cold of the year. I fought off the beginnings of one last week using Zicam, but it's coming back stronger this time. I really need to get rid of it because I'm going to Minneapolis this weekend. Last time I was there, which was either in a January or February a while back, I got the flu, so I'm determined to stay relatively healthy this time.

Speaking of road trips, USA Today's Pop Candy Blog posted a neat link to this guy's flickr set of photos from his new pop culture road trip book, and I am spending waaayy too much time checking them out. As someone who greatly enjoyed having their parents take them on road trips to historic landmarks across the country each summer growing up, these photos made me want to do some road trippin', too. Maybe after it stops being so freakin' cold.

Today is Leslie's 28th Birthday. She's the sister that did not enjoy our road trips, mainly because she spent them trying to avoid using porta-potties at the campgrounds and puking in the car. My dad's favorite Leslie quote was when we visited Mesa Verde National Park, "You see one ruin, you've seen them all." She must have been around 6 years old then. She hasn't changed much. :) Happy Birthday!

2008-11-19T14:02:00.001-06:00

My newest obsessions: Blip.fm, Etsy, and Twitter

2008-11-14T15:24:00.003-06:00

Have any of you tried Blip.fm? It's great if you're the type of person that really likes to share music with others. Kind of a music Twitter, if you will. Check the link on my sidebar if you wanna make me one of your favorite DJ's.

I've been going Etsy-crazy for the past couple of months. I'm planning on opening my own shop there sometime in the future, but for now I'm enjoying looking at other people's stuff and buying gifts for people. I'd tell you about my most recent purchase, but the person who I bought it for hasn't received it yet, so shhh! I've also been Twittering (Tweeting?) a lot with people on Etsy (see sidebar for my link), and that has been super-dangerous as I've discovered some really amazing artists. Some of my discoveries are on the sidebar, so scroll on down and check them out. Buy handmade this Christmas! I am!

President Obama

2008-11-05T09:44:00.000-06:00

I was relieved to wake up this morning and see that it wasn't just a dream. Hurray!

Making Tough Choices: What I'm not watching on T.V. anymore

2008-10-24T15:47:00.000-05:00

I consider myself a loyal viewer of many television shows. I have a hard time not watching a series I've stuck with because of the fear that I might miss something. This season I have actually STOPPED watching two of my favorite shows: Heroes and Dancing With the Stars.

This has been a difficult decision for me. I have watched Heroes since the first episode. I even watched the second season, which was a bit of a disappoinment. By episode two or three of the current season (Season 3), I stopped watching the episodes I recorded on my DVR. I had lost interest in the characters and the storyline completely, and watching had become a chore. When I read on Pop Candy that others were feeling the same way, I finally gave myself permission to break up with Heroes. Heroes, it's not me, it's you.

I have only watched Dancing for a few seasons, but I really got into it. I love dancing and I love watching non-dancers become champions, but I just don't have time to watch several hours A WEEK of the show. Last season I just watched the competition show and FF'd through the results shows. This season I couldn't find the time to even watch the competition episode. Also, weirdly enough, once Ted McGinley was eliminated, I really didn't care any more. I don't know why. Cloris Leachman, whom I loved in Mary Tyler Moore and Young Frankenstein, was scaring me, too. (Florence Henderson, I agree with you on this one!) Maybe next season, DWTS.

It's very liberating not having so much stuff on the DVR to catch up on. I can actually read a chapter or two from a book once in a while. I've decided to only watch TV shows that I look forward to seeing: The Office, The Amazing Race (still amazing), 30 Rock, How I Met Your Mother, Mad Men (which ends its season on Sunday!) and Project Runway, which is now between seasons and has a questionable future. I have also been Netflixing like crazy, catching up on Monarch of the Glen, Season 7 and movies that we missed in the theater. I guess it goes to show that once you start eliminating things from your schedule, you can always find other things to fill those empty spots.

Watch These!

2008-10-23T15:43:00.000-05:00

I enjoyed this today:

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

If you're feeling bad about the economy, I prescribe this video as a cure:

See more Natalie Portman videos at Funny or Die

The Economy and Haircuts, plus Twittering with Mad Men

2008-10-14T15:56:00.000-05:00

This economy is causing me to consider growing my hair out so I don't have to get those $50 haircuts every month. Yes, you heard me, $50 every 5 weeks. This whole thing started years ago with a $30 haircut, but my stylist has raised his rates faster than inflation, and I've finally got him trained on how to cut my hair (which is cowlick city), so I fear going to anyone else. No Fantastic Sam's for me, thankyouverymuch. I really don't like having long hair. My hair is very thick and wavy, and once it gets longer than my shoulders, a ponytail will weigh so much that I get headaches. I actually got my first professional haircut, at the age of 9, for that very reason. Still, I am considering it. Damn you, Suze Orman!

Thanks to TwitKit, I have a nice little updating sidebar on my Firefox browser, which makes Twittering a breeze. I have found a lot of interesting feeds to keep up with, including "michael_bay" and pretty much all the characters in Mad Men. Yes, I know these are just average schmoes pretending to be the characters, but it's fun to see their interpretations.

What have I been up to? A LOT.

2008-09-25T14:26:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted in a long time here, but it's not because I haven't had anything to post about. On the contrary, I've been a bit swamped.

Who knew that planning a "simple" wedding could be so difficult? We can't even settle on a date yet. Every time we decide to do something, something else happens, and the plans are scrapped. When you are working with a very limited budget, don't want to be very traditional, and have lots of family members with expectations, things get complicated. We are certainly practicing our negotiation and compromise skills.

I'm also planning a bachelorette weekend with my two sisters for next spring. We all love Disneyland, and two of us haven't been there for probably 20 years, so there's that to plan as well!

On top of that, my dad announced a few weeks ago that he got a job in North Carolina. He's leaving on Sunday. That means that Mr. Beau will be staying with us indefinitely, and we all have to pitch in to help get the house in shape so he can sell it.

I have been channeling all my stress into knitting, and I've been working on no less than 3 projects at one time. I'm currently knitting a lacey wrap cardigan, lace shawl/wrap, and a pair of socks. I knit a hat in about 4 hours this past weekend, too. I haven't had time to take photos/updated photos of everything, but I'm working on that.

I'm taking tap classes again for the next 8 weeks. I guess this is my musical theater outlet, as I don't have time to do any shows!

I'll try to update again when I get the chance, and it hopefully will be before the new year starts!

Trip Photos are Up!

2008-08-22T22:24:00.003-05:00

Feel free to peruse them at my Flickr site.

Puffins!

I'm Back!

2008-08-18T16:13:00.004-05:00

...and I'm exhausted. I was all ready to twitter through the trip, but I think we over-planned a bit, and I just didn't have the time or energy to update it. We went to Chicago for two days, then drove to St. Louis on the third day, and stayed there until Sunday when we drove straight back home. The reason I'm so pooped:

Attended to two White Sox games (1 loss, 1 win)
Bought just under $300 worth of new wardrobe from H&M (and that can buy a lot, let me tell you)
Visited no less than 14 places in one day in Chicago, on foot, with blisters
Ate french fries every day (sometimes twice!) for a week
Shopped University City in St. Louis and ate the most enormous hamburger EVER.
Ate at Ted Drewes twice
Went up the arch for the second time in my life (still underwhelming, IMHO)
Toured the Cardinals Museum, Bowling Museum, and AKC Museum of the Dog (boring, really boring, O.K.)
Got some kind of stomach flu, and still managed to visit two museums, ride the Arch AND go to the Union Station mall the next day, mostly on foot.

...and that was just Thursday! (I kid.) Those are just the highlights (and lowlights, I guess), so you can see why I requested we try taking a vacation involving a lot of napping and doing nothing next time. Yes, I know the next vacation will probably be the big U.K. honeymoon we are planning, but I'm thinking with my feet right now, and they're worn out.

If I ever get out of the mound of dirty laundry we've brought home, I'll be uploading pictures soon. I'm focusing on getting Buddy Baroo re-adjusted back to a homelife without Mr. Beau (more on that later), getting my digestive system back to normal, and preventing the weight gain from the horrendous diet I just cosumed last week.

Twitter is EVIL...in a good way

2008-08-07T15:40:00.003-05:00

Now that I've started using Twitter, I'm really fascinated by it. It's like old-school IMing or chat rooms, but permanent and bigger. I've been messing around trying to find a way to post to it via my super-basic phone without using text messages (which I refuse to pay for), and I've found TwitterMail. Since I have Yahoo! Mail on my phone, it's really easy. The only problem is that I'm the world's slowest texter. Typing in a few words on my phone takes about 5 minutes, and don't even ask me how to work the capitalization thing.

As I'll be on vacation next week, I figured I'd send at least one update a day reporting on what I did/am doing. Not that anyone would be all that fascinated, but I think it would be kinda fun to have a list of all the things I did for "posterity".

This Twitter Thing

2008-08-06T14:51:00.003-05:00

I signed up for Twitter. I don't know how much I'll use it. Maybe it will challenge me to make my life a little more interesting. Or not. I'll see if I can send a few updates while on vacation next week.

Children's drawings come to life

2008-08-01T14:41:00.000-05:00

How cute/creative are these pictures?

http://www.yeondoojung.com/artworks_view_wonderland.php?no=88

Recommendations

2008-07-28T14:06:00.006-05:00

These are the best things ever invented. Well, maybe not better than the Polio vaccine...or the pacemaker...OK, this is one of the best things ever invented:

I have worn headbands since I was a little girl, and they have always given me headaches. These headbands are made of a jelly-like plastic and are attached with an elastic band. When on, they look just like the painful plastic ones, but they are much more comfortable. I've only found them at my local Walgreen's so far; they aren't even on the company's website yet! Here's a link to one online. I was just at my Walgreens and they had a bunch of new styles of these out. (I'm not being paid to say all this. I doubt a blog with 3 subscribers would get the opportunity to make money off endorsements.)

I am looking forward to Cinematic Titanic's newest release: The Wasp Woman.

My favorite MST3K episodes were always the classic ones made before the mid-sixties. I did download the Doomsday Machine, which was pretty good, but I avoided the Oozing Skull, as it didn't look like my cuppa. This one looks right up my alley.

...end of transmission. :)

My Sister is on Etsy

2008-07-18T15:47:00.002-05:00

Here's a link to her shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6055279.
Peruse it, won't you?

Buddy

2008-07-11T16:32:00.006-05:00

This has been a really crazy week for me. Heck, it's been a crazy summer! Monday was my 33rd Birthday. This was my present:

This is Buddy.

I met Buddy a few weeks ago at a local Petco purely by accident. I was headed to the shoe store nearby when I saw the sign "Adopt a Dog Today". As we've been looking for a dog for many months now, perusing Petfinder and all, I can't resist a sign like that. I went in and saw quite a few dogs there for adoption. I saw Buddy, who's name was Martie at the time, and thought to myself "he's what I'm looking for, but he's not one of the breeds Sean's been wanting." I took a card and left. A week or so later, I was in the area again and went in again, seeing that some of the other dogs had been adopted, but Buddy was still there. He was barking very loudly, and I thought "That ends it. Sean does NOT want a yippy dog." Then I saw that he had to go potty, and he was just signaling. Whew! The next day, I dragged Sean in there to show him the pups. He wanted a "manly" dog, whatever that is, but I was smitten with the Budster. We walked him around. Finally, I got an application. After filling it out at home, we brought it back the next day and were approved on the spot! Hooray! We got to take him home on Sunday, the very next day, and he's been with us ever since.

Here's his story, as far as we know:
Buddy was rescued with a lot of other dogs from the Cedar Rapids floods. He's about a year old, or close to it. He had obviously been through obedience training and potty training, so someone must have owned him previously. They found him as a stray, so his history is unknown, as is his exact breed or breed mix. Here's a link to the folks who found and saved him: Good Dog Animal Rescue. We started calling him Buddy, and it kinda stuck.

He's a very sweet little chap. We really couldn't ask for a better little pup. Please peruse my Flickr photos for more hot action shots of the lil' guy.

Lace Tree

2008-06-13T11:44:00.003-05:00

This was on Craftzine's blog today. As someone who has struggled with lace knitting, it blew my mind.

http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2008/06/lacewrapped_tree.html

Flooding

2008-06-11T16:54:00.002-05:00

For anyone wondering what's up with the flooding in Central Iowa, all I can tell you is that we had some minor flooding downtown this morning, but we are only a little flooded thus far. It rained pretty hard this morning, which caused some flooding downtown, but I've heard that has gone down. The bridges are still visible, though they may be covered later in the week. Our local NBC affiliate (and my former employer) has some good video you can check out on their site: www.whotv.com

If I see any flooding personally, I'll take some pics and post them. I wasn't here during the floods of '93, so this is all pretty new to me.

The Ring, The Wrap, and The Candidate

2008-06-09T09:05:00.002-05:00

We had no internet access at home for most of last week, but I have now uploaded all the pictures off of my camera onto flickr. Here are the highlights:

My ring:

The knitting project I'm working on (it will be a wrap when it is finished):

Here's some video I took at the Obama Rally on May 20th in downtown Des Moines. There were several thousand people there, and we arrived too late to get in a good position to see the stage. As it got darker, it was really hard for me to get a good shot of anything, but I did use the video camera feature on my Kodak to catch this video of Michelle Obama and daughter walking across the stage:

I had to hoist my camera over my head and aim blindly to get that footage, and I guess I got lucky. I never did get to see Obama, however, but I heard the speech. Some of it can be found on my flickr page, with additional photos of the event.

For anyone hearing about the tornadoes, storms, and floods out here, we are fine. There has been some flooding in the area, but the worst of it is not in our neck of the woods. I heard this morning that they are sandbagging in the Iowa City area like crazy, as there's a good chance the town could be flooded. The levels of the river out there are similar to those from 1993, which is known as "the big one" throughout most of the Midwest. I remember visiting St. Louis that year, right after the floods. We were walking out of a restaurant and noticed a street sign poking out of the water. That's when we realized that this restaurant was not beach-front property normally.

Announcement!

2008-05-27T11:49:00.002-05:00

I am engaged. My boyfriend of 5 years popped the question this weekend. More info to come, I promise.

Photos are UP! Plus, an Original Necklace de Moi

2008-04-14T10:43:00.004-05:00

I made a necklace this weekend:

I bought this dragonfly charm last year at a bead show I was working at, but I didn't know what I wanted to do with it. I got inspired by some beads at the store on Saturday, and whipped this up that night.

I uploaded a bunch of photos to flickr of jewelry projects I've done in the past 6 months or so. I'm hoping to get some taken of all the knitting I've done, but I have to find someone to take them, as I can't find my tripod, and I'm the only willing model around. :)

One of the artists I admire, Sabrina Ward Harrison, updated her website recently, and I was looking at it this morning. She is a true artist living her work. There are so many female artists (writers, painters, designers, filmmakers) I admire that I have added a set of links to their websites on my sidebar. I hope they inspire you, too!

Sheep Shearing Shortages Shock Shepherds

2008-04-07T14:22:00.005-05:00

I know, I know...I haven't taken any photos. This weekend really kicked my ass, and I'm still feelin' it. Last week was the incredibly busy beginning to the busiest month of the year for me thus far. We're talking "wearing the same outfit two days in a row and eating freezer-burned Boca Burgers because you're too busy to cook something edible" busy. Hamburger Helper is my new best friend.

Here's an article from the New York Times about sheep:

Work Every Bit as Wild as It Is Woolly

There's a friggin' sheep shearer shortage, y'all! How can this be???

It's worth it simply for the picture, which was pointed out by BWE blogger Michelle Collins today:

Janie Osborne for The New York Times

P.S. Go Jayhawks!

Why so quiet?

2008-03-28T16:33:00.002-05:00

I have been putting off posting because I wanted to put up some photos, but I can't seem to get a good day of sunshine to take the darn things, so weeks go by with no posts.

Last week's excuse was legit: I was sick. What started out as the flu turned into the most awful sinus and ear infection I've ever had. For 7 straight days I had a 99-100 degree temperature, cough, stuffy nose, and complete exhaustion. For 3 of those days, I had a severe headache that nothing would ease. If you've never had a sinus headache before, it's like a fierce migraine combined with filling your sinus cavities with ever-expanding cement, which in turn makes you so nauseous that you actually want to throw up, and in my case, I did. On top of that, the nausea removed my appetite, so I didn't eat anything for about 4 days. It was a truly award-winning week.

This week, the cough is all that remains. I haven't felt well enough to go to the gym, but I was feeling good enough to attend my first tap dance class yesterday, which was awesome. I've been wanting to take tap lessons again since I first took them at the age of 5 or 6. I haven't done any choreographed dancing since my last musical at age 18, and I was afraid it would be hard for me to get back on the horse, but I think I'm going to be OK. It's an 8 week class, and there's no recital, so it's just for fun anyway.

While I was sick, I had tons of time to knit, but I didn't feel much like doing it. I started a scarf, which I'm still working on, using some bamboo yarn from my stash. I also finished a bunny, whose head has been staring at me for about a year now. Her name is Cadbury, dubbed by the boyfriend because she is a chocolate bunny. I'm attempting to knit a sweater for her without a pattern. I tried to work on a particular sweater, which is now the Hell Sweater because it keeps going wrong. I will have to submit an entire post on it this weekend, if I get enough light to photograph it. It's truly stomach-churning for me.

The weather here in Iowa has been pretty typical, and by that I mean insane. Yesterday, after several days of weather in the 40's and 50's, it rained, hailed, and snowed. Today, the sun is out and the thermometer is back up. It's almost as if yesterday never happened. I just don't get this place.

Well, that's all for me today. I really really really need to take some photos this weekend, so I'll hopefully have some new stuff posted over the weekend.

Knitting Patterns I'm Loving Right Now

2008-03-11T15:05:00.005-05:00

For those of you who don't knit, you might as well go back to checking your email, playing online sudoku, or whatever else you were doing, because this post is only about getting your knit on.

For those who are still with me, today is one of the four (OK, EIGHT counting the surprises) times of the year that I get a bit giddy: the new Knitty is up. Hooray!

I have to say, even tho' I have no kiddies of my own, I still love knitting baby things: they are small, usually quick, and very adorable. Spring '08 Knitty is abundant with baby and kiddie stuff, and they have not disappointed me!

My favorites from this issue:

Knob Hill

Talia
This surprises me, because I'm not generally a vest person. (My sophomore high school photo notwithstanding, as it was the 90's, and that's what you did.)

Lace Ribbon Scarf
When the designer mentioned The Sartorialist in her description, I yelled "YES!" in my head. I was thinking the same thing!

Mosey
Legwarmers with pom poms! Why didn't I think of this?

...and, finally, OMG:

Spirogyra
This is the perfect thing to make with the fabulous alpaca yarn from theHollywood Hills Boutique! (We got this in our gift bags at the last knitting retreat. It came undyed with an invite to hand-dye it at a workshop in August.)

I was watching the rather frightening Lion Brand fashion show online yesterday (see the video below, if you want a laugh). Most of the stuff was not my style, but I did find a sweater that I must make:
Extra Easy, Extra Fabulous Sweater
(You'll probably need to register for free to see this pattern.) This one had me at the buttons, but seeing how easy the pattern is and that it's made of bulky yarn sold it. I just need to get my hands on enough Thick & Quick to make it.

Lastly, this Etsy shop was listed in the "Cool Stuff" section of the new Knitty, and I wish I'd thought of creating these stitch markers first. Genius! God, I hate kitchener stitch, that necessary evil.

Here's that fashion show I mentioned. Enjoy!

...and by that I mean...

2008-02-22T12:24:00.002-06:00

I was going to post this sooner, but then the accident happened and I had all this stuff to deal with...ahhhh...but here's a reconstruction of an actual conversation I had with my boyfriend last weekend:

The setup: We were going to do a home improvement project downstairs. We've put it off long enough.

Me: Let me know when you're ready to go downstairs.

Him: I'm ready.

Me: You're ready right now???

Him: Yes.

Me: (surprised) OK! (I turn to get stuff ready)

Him: I mean, in ten minutes.

Me: So what you're saying is, "I'm ready now, and by now, I mean in ten minutes."

Him: Yes.

I can't tell you how funny we found this. We did variations on it the rest of the day, such as, "You're funny, and by funny, I mean annoying."

Amy Sedaris! Rabbits! Cupcakes!

2008-02-20T15:37:00.001-06:00

OK, I have to warn you that this is an ad for Microsoft Office 07, but I still love it.

My Sister, the Rock Star

2008-02-15T09:11:00.005-06:00

My sister, Leslie, sent me this video of her playing guitar and singing. As she only speaks to me through You Tube videos anymore, and does not return my phone calls or emails, I'm going to have to interpret her message to me from the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oD5mq3yaz0

I was kinda hoping her cat would do something funny in the background, but he didn't.

She makes me feel kinda guilty for not having played guitar for so long. I picked it up (literally) again late last year and couldn't remember most of the chords! I haven't played regularly for about 3 years. I guess I should add that onto the Resolution pile for the year: re-learn the guitar.

Animated Cat Cartoon

2008-02-13T15:12:00.001-06:00

If you've ever lived with a cat (and even if you haven't) you'll love this.

(found on CuteOverload.com)

Knitted Music Video

2008-02-08T12:38:00.000-06:00

Check out this amazing video. All the animation is knitted! (I found this on craftzine.)

A Blizzard, a Yeti, and Some Cabled Mitts

2008-02-06T13:50:00.000-06:00

We had a lovely blizzard last night. When I say lovely, I mean crappy. My knitting class was canceled last night because of the weather. The boyfriend is on a business trip, so I had to do all the shoveling myself, and our driveway is one of the longest in the neighborhood. I shoveled about four inches yesterday when I got home, and thank goodness I did, because I awoke to about six more this morning. I took the morning off to get over a headache (I think it was another migraine, which makes sense) and to avoid the ugly commute, which gave me time to dig out. It took me around 45 minutes or so to make a wide path out. I made sure to leave a nice pile of snow around the boyfriend's car, so he'll have fun shoveling his way out when he gets back tonight. They say it will snow more this week, too. I can't wait.

I left for work around 10 to one p.m., and the roads weren't too horrible, with one exception: only a block away from the parking lot, I turned onto a street that wasn't plowed very well, and I got stuck, Big Time. I couldn't see that this was the case until I had already started turning onto it, and there was no going back. Luckily, I live in Iowa, and two guys came by to help me out. People really are very nice here, that's one of the things we all take for granted. It took about 20 minutes to get me freed. Now I'm a little dirty and I can't get the smell of burned rubber out of my nostrils, but I'm OK. Lessons learned.

It's hard to complain about your car getting stuck when there are people cleaning out from those tornadoes in the east overnight. I've been through a couple of close ones in my life, being from Kansas, so I really felt bad for those folks.

On a Lighter Note

On the crafting front, I made a little toy. This is the first sewn "softie" I've made since the sixth grade, and I think I did a nice job of it. Behold the Yeti:

Now, I need to explain this toy to you, unless you are a huge old-school Doctor Who fan. The boyfriend is a Who fan from way back. There are stories I could tell, but I won't, because I'm being nice for one, and for two I have no reason to blackmail him right now. Later...later...

Anyway, he was watching some of the old Patrick Troughton episodes a while back, and he fell in geek love with the Yeti (Abominable Snowman) creature from both the Abominable Snowmen and the Web of Fear series. He asked me if I could make him a yeti of his own, and I guessed that I could try. I put it off for a while, fearing failure, but I finally sat down this weekend and cranked one out in one evening. Here's a picture, for reference:In the Web of Fear, the Yetis are robots that can only be brought to live when a special sphere is inserted into their stomachs. I made sure to include this detail in the yeti, though I later read that the sphere is supposedly silver, and not gold. The episode being in black and white made it difficult to tell, you know.

I took these pictures this morning in the snow before I started shoveling. I think he makes a great model, don't you?

I've started a new knitting project, as I need some small project to go to when I get tired of working on Oblique. I found this really cool cabled mitts pattern the other day, Evangeline from MagKnits, so I set to it last night. The cables are a little more advanced than I expected, but they aren't too challenging for me. The only problem for me is that I chose black yarn, and it's harder to see what you are doing with black yarn than with a lighter shade. I'm making the elbow-length version, so it might take a while to finish them.

I know I've been a bit bad in my posting habits lately, but that will change now that I've gotten over my cold (for the most part) and my work schedule has lightened. We actually had time to go to a movie a week ago, Juno, and I highly recommend it. I bought the soundtrack this past weekend, and it is also very quirky and good, like the movie. I wish movies like this had been around when I was in high school, as I might have had a movie I could relate to. I think Wayne's World was probably my favorite movie back then...sigh. I saw it again in probably 1998 or '99, and it already looked dated, which is sad for a movie that was less than 10 years old.

Wow, this was a long post! Less next time, hopefully!

Some Links for Friday

2008-01-25T15:37:00.000-06:00

I'm back at work today, reluctantly, coughing and filling my wastebasket with tissues. It snowed for the 100th day in a row, or at least it feels like the 100th. I got what I needed to do done before lunch, so I'm catching up on some reading (AdWeek magazine, which they've been sending me for free since last fall for some reason...they also think I'm the CEO and President of the company, according to the address label.) I found out from this publication that Barry Williams, AKA Greg Brady, has a new website up, which is kind of interesting (if you're into that sort of thing, and I am): thegregbradyproject.com. This reminds me that I need to scan in that photo of Greg and me from 1995 when I saw him on his Growing Up Brady book tour.

My second link is to knitty.com, because they have posted their 3 surprise patterns for the winter issue today.

My third link is to an interview with Mary Jo Pehl on the fabulous blog The Park Bench. She talks about Cinematic Titanic, the ol' MST3K days, and the writing life.

That's all for me today. I've got one more hour to go here, and then I'm free to go home and sleep for the next two days. And do laundry.

Sick Days and Strange Things

2008-01-23T14:03:00.001-06:00

I may not be blogging much this week because I've come down with a nasty chest cold. On top of that, it's snowing again. I know people in warm climates get colds, too, but I think it feels much worse to be sick when it's cold and snowy out.

Maybe I'm a little loopy on Robitussin (though it's the kind without the booze in it), but I keep seeing oddly humorous things today. Take this registration card that I just found on my desk for a Ch-ch-ch-chia pet, which I received in December of 2006:

First of all, how the heck did this find its way to my desk today, being a year old? Secondly, why would anyone need to register their Chia Pet? This is not a major appliance. It's not even a coffee maker. Anyway, I love how one of the choices under "Why did you purchase/receive this Chia?" is "companionship". That's sad. In my case, I got it in a blind gift exchange, and it brought me no companionship, only green furriness. Behold:

I still have the pig and some of the seeds in my junk drawer. I wonder if I should start it up again?

Monday Update

2008-01-21T15:08:00.000-06:00

It was really really really cold here this weekend. Below zero wind chills, but at least it was sunny! Today is cold, grey, and flurrying. Is flurrying really a word? My spell check says it is, and who am I to argue with the mighty spell check?

Last night the S.O.* and I went to see Juno and celebrate the 5th anniversary of our first date, which was actually on Saturday. The movie was really good and conversation-provoking. He gave it a B+, I gave it an A.

After that, he watched the football playoffs and I watched the season finale of the best reality show on television EVER, the Amazing Race. I think this was the best season of the show ever AND the best finale in a long time. I'd been rooting for TK and Rachel for many weeks now, so I was thrilled to see them cross the finish line first. Actually, I would have been happy to see any of the final 3 win, as they were all really inspiring and deserving of a win. My S.O. is concerned that I will go through some withdrawal now without the Race to watch, but I still have Project Runway for a while. After that, I'll just have to learn to read again.

Speaking of reading, I spent much of Saturday night reading a book I got for Christmas (I requested it), Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. I rarely carve out more than 5 minutes a day to read a real book, so taking a full hour to read was welcome. This book is like crack to me, as I am obsessed with the whole "local foods" movement. It's also given me spring fever, and I can't wait to start planning out this year's veggie garden, which will be bigger than last year's.

For some reason last night, I woke up at 3:30 AM and couldn't get back to sleep. This was bad because I don't think I went to sleep until Midnight in the first place, so I spent the next 2 hours trying to relax enough to sleep. I had a cup of herbal tea, I read a magazine article, listened to classical music...nothing worked. Whenever I got even close to sleeping, my nose would start running, my mate would snore, the space heater would start up (loudly), and even though I was wearing industrial-strength earplugs, I was going crazy. I finally ended up on the couch and had a very light 30 minute nap before I heard my alarm go off. I then called work and told them I'd be a few hours late, and went back to my real bed. I tried again to sleep, now with the comforting thought that I didn't have to go to work with less than 4 hours in, and I somehow fell asleep for a few more hours. It really sucked.

I finished sock #2 this weekend, and pictures will be posted soon!

* Significant Other. He prefers to remain anonymous. :)

But it's not even Valentine's Day Yet!!

2008-01-18T10:44:00.000-06:00

I know, I know. But Craftzine.com blog posted this adorable link to free Easter egg knitting patterns, and I just had to share!

To see all her free stuff on one page, go here: http://littlecottonrabbits.typepad.co.uk/free_knitting_patterns/

Workout Avoidance

2008-01-16T15:49:00.000-06:00

I just saw this great video, which pretty much sums up why I haven't been to the gym this week, and what a weenie I am for not "just doing it". Ha!

Knitting Class and Nightmares

2008-01-15T08:56:00.000-06:00

Tonight is (hopefully) my first knitting class. I am still short a few students, as far as I know, but I found out that last night's class was also short and they let the class go on anyway, so I'm hopeful. I'm also nervous. I had a nightmare about teaching where I got everything backwards! I don't know why I'm so nervous, as I've taught people before, but not in such a formal setting. I also had a nightmare about the show Night Rider, where I was the Michael Night character and, instead of a car called Kit, I had a dog. I guess you really can't analyze my dreams.

I've been updating my Ravelry site again, and it's becoming addictive. I wish I'd been better in the past of documenting what I made, but that's just not my style. I have made so many things and given them away without taking a picture or anything. I have a knitting journal which has never been used. I couldn't even begin to list my stash on Ravelry...I wouldn't know where to start!

Mondays

2008-01-14T15:29:00.000-06:00

I'm not feeling to great today, as I have another migraine. That's the second one in three days. I used to only get migraines a few times a year, but now I'm getting them monthly, sometimes twice a month or more. Ugh. I'm also feeling a little down...could it be SAD? At least it's a sunny day here, which are few and far between, but with zero degree wind chills, it's not likely I'll be soaking up the sun. Wow, that would make a really good Cheryl Crow song.

There's some question whether I'll have enough people to have my knitting class, which is scheduled to start tomorrow. I'm a little worried about it. To make things worse, I read an article today talking about how knitting classes are dying off:

"I teach all the knitting classes at Make," Rupp said, "and it's really dropped off because everyone knows how. People have kind of mastered it, and they want the next thing. It's crazy how many people want to learn to use a sewing machine."

I can't imagine that everyone who wanted to learn to knit has already learned. At the shop, people still come in saying they'd like to learn how to knit or crochet, so I know it's not a completely dead "trend".

I finished up some new jewelry over the weekend, and I'll post pictures as soon as the death metal concert in my head stops. I've also been updating my Ravelry page with older projects, if anyone's interested.

Why We Write

2008-01-11T11:11:00.000-06:00

The writer's strike has really taken a toll on my television viewing habits, but it has spawned a lot of blogs about writing. I'm really enjoying this one: whywewriteseries.wordpress.com . From the site:

WHY WE WRITE is a series of essays by prominent - and not so prominent - TV and Film writers… and by people like you: writers and those who hope someday to call themselves writers.

http://whywewriteseries.wordpress.com/2008/01/10/why-we-write-number-14-iris-yamashita/

This recent entry inspired me. It's written by Iris Yamashita who wrote "Letters from Iwo Jima". Enjoy!

Writer's Block Solutions Part 2

2008-01-10T10:09:00.001-06:00

Ken Levine has posted part 2 of his solutions to Writer's Block, written by sitcom writers from series such as Mary Tyler Moore, Frasier, and Murphy Brown.

Also, I've added some personal links to the sidebar under "My Other Stuff". I don't update the My Space or Facebook stuff very often, as there are only so many hours in my day, and I'm just starting out on Ravelry.

Awesome Classified Ad

2008-01-10T09:04:00.001-06:00

You must check this out: Advertising as Punishment in Des Moines. That'll teach 'im!

Here's more on the story: Mom Sells Rule-Breaking Son's Car.

Now that's what I call responsible parenting.

Writer's Blog on "Writer's Block", plus an Indie Film

2008-01-09T09:41:00.000-06:00

Ken Levine has written for some awesome sitcoms: MASH, Cheers, Frasier, The Simpsons, Dharma & Greg, Wings, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Becker. His blog is a great read, especially while this whole strike is going on. Today's post is about writer's block, and he's asked several other excellent writers what they do to cure it. Here's the link: http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2008/01/overcoming-writers-block.html

My sister sent me a link to this film on You Tube. I haven't watched it yet, but it's by some indie filmmakers who financed it themselves, and as I have some experience in that area, I have a soft spot for them. Here it is:

*update* It turns out that I think I've worked with the guy who plays the lead's roommate in a community theater production many years ago in Kansas City. Small world!

A couple of patterns

2008-01-08T12:33:00.000-06:00

I found this link on Craftzine to this most-excellent free daisy stitch hand warmer pattern from The Purl Bee. I love fingerless gloves! Why have I never done anything with daisy stitch before??

Also on Craftzine: I am taken aback by this crocheted Elvis doll pattern. It looks insanely intricate! I wish I could crochet better...

Rainy days and Mondays

2008-01-07T14:47:00.000-06:00

It's rainy and grey and yucky here, but at least it's not freezing cold and snowing. My sinuses started acting up over the weekend, and I'm trying to prevent a sinus infection. I've been pretty good this season so far, with no infections and very few sinus-related headaches, so I think I can beat it. I usually don't take Sudafed or any decongestants for fear of rebound headaches, but instead opt for steam and my Neti Pot. This whole thing is really odd to me, as I haven't really had any cold symptoms other than some sneezing, and it feels more like seasonal allergies, which can't be possible. Where is this coming from?

I started running again this weekend. I haven' t been running regularly since October of 2006, when I was training for the Des Moines Marathon. I had just run 19 miles, my longest distance ever, and I started having foot pain. After a CAT scan and other tests, it turned out to be some kind of muscle strain. Not a very glamorous injury, unfortunately, but I still couldn't run without pain, so I volunteered at the race instead, along with the stress fracture victims. Before the marathon, I had only run one race - the 2005 Des Moines Half Marathon, so I was still relatively new to running, and I probably bit off more than I could chew. I've now scaled down my ambitions, and my new goal for the year is to finish a 5 or 10k, which I think is much more do-able.

The Caucus/Bowl Game Aftermath

2008-01-04T09:58:00.000-06:00

I live in Iowa, and therefore the Caucuses, along with all the canditates, are all I've heard about for weeks. I did not caucus last night, as I am a registered Independent, and only registered Republicans and Democrats get to do it, however, I was rootin' for Obama. Last night was also the BIG GAME, as my Kansas Jayhawks were playing in the Orange Bowl. Everyone said they'd lose, but they won. They finished their record-breaking season with 12 wins and one loss. Last night was obviously a night for the underdogs.

I got the night off from my other job yesterday, so I asked the boyfriend to take me out to eat. We went to one of the more popular restaurants in town, only to find it nearly empty. I took this as a good sign that there would be a huge turnout at the caucuses, and I was right. We went straight home and flipped back and forth between the caucus returns and the Big Game the rest of the night while I knitted sock #2 and the boyfriend drank four cans of Guinness. I only point out that he drank four cans because I gave him crap about it, as each can was 14.9 ounces. What can I say? He loves his Guinness. I'm one to talk, actually, as I once drank an entire bottle of Arbor Mist in one short evening, not realizing until it was too late that there's actually a lot of alcohol in that stuff. Just because it tastes like Kool Aid does not mean it IS Kool Aid.

As for the Orange Bowl game, it was really huge for the Jayhawks. KU Football has been pretty lackluster for many years. While I was attending, the school spent beaucoup bucks on a renovation of Memorial Stadium, adding box seats for the big-money boosters, a new scoreboard with Jumbo Tron, and fixing up the rest of it. I lived across the street from the stadium soon after the renovations, and as I walked my dog around the complex, I'd wonder if all that work was really worth it. It took quite a few years, including a new coach and some team rebuilding, but, by God, they did it. Never in my lifetime did I think I'd see a successful KU Football team, and here they are. Well done, men, and Rock Chalk.

Human Tetris

2008-01-03T14:13:00.000-06:00

This is mesmerizing.

(Discovered via Pop Candy)

How to deal with stress

2008-01-02T20:30:00.000-06:00

Today was an extremely stressful day at work, with more problems than solutions. I know tomorrow will also be a difficult one, so I took one hour off this evening to do yoga and relaxation techniques. I've been practicing yoga for about 11 years now, and if I go too long between even a short practice, my body starts creaking like a rusty door hinge. If you've never done yoga before, I'd recommend trying it out this year. Here's a free class for beginners at YogaToday.com to get you started:

Here's to a more relaxed and flexible new year!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T10:49:00.000-06:00

In keeping with two of my Resolutions, I've uploaded pictures to Flickr AND updated this blog. Here's our house guest Mr. Beau, taken last night.

I've been featured!

2007-12-31T09:24:00.000-06:00

I was featured last week as the Reader of the Day on Pop Candy. Enjoy!

I totally missed my big day because I was cleaning up some work issues. We had a hacker break into our web server a week ago, and they wrecked everything. It was a lot of work and customer relations for two weeks. On top of that, our provider decided to pull our ip address (which was supposed to be permanent), therefore taking the log in pages of our website down several times. What a nightmare!

In other news, my knitting class will be starting in a few weeks. I'm really excited to get others hooked (can you get "hooked on knitting? I thought that was crochet...) on the knitting drug. Right now I have three projects running, two of which are killing me because they are lace knitting and I stink at lace. The other one is a sock, knitted from the most awesome yarn ever: Yarn Love's Joan of Arc. I bought this at Purls two weeks ago for half price, and I'm so glad I did. I've wanted this yarn for a long time, and now that the store is closed, it will be extra special to me.

One of my new year's resolutions is to blog more and post more photos. I haven't updated my Flickr site since summer, and there's little excuse for my laziness. There are a ton of things I've made that have not been documented yet (Monks Satchel!), so I've got to dust off the ol' camera and get to work on that.

__________________________________________________

Today, I'm completely exhausted. We are doggie-sitting my dad's dog for a few days, and he is both fun and irritating. One of the main irritations is our fault: we do not have a fenced yard, and he being a Labrador needs to run free. I do not blame him for that. I do, however, blame him for not allowing us to sleep. I've found that he will not go to bed until both of us are in bed sleeping. If the boyfriend is in the office while I'm sleeping (which is the norm), Mr. Beau will cry and pace and drive us both nuts. Once we are both in bed, he climbs in between us (pushing one of us to the edge) and goes to "sleep". I put sleep in quotes because he really doesn't sleep, but pretends to sleep while keeping alert for burglars and other dangers, like a leaf falling off of a tree.

His other problem is that we have these Pergo laminate-style floors, which he is deathly afraid of, for they are slippery. He actually can walk on these floors just fine, but he slipped once, and now is terrified of attempting them alone. When you try to lead him across, he sticks his nails out like a cat, which makes him slide around like Bambi on ice, and we end up dragging him. If he'd just pad across calmly, he'd be fine. What this amounts to is him staying in whatever carpeted room he ends up in until one of us can coax him into another room. You can see how much fun that could be.

The other problem is that I started getting a tickle in my throat last night, so I kept waking myself up coughing all night. I woke up with an oncoming cold and not much sleep, so I'm doing great!

That's enough of my whining. It's almost a new year, and I get the day off tomorrow to do laundry. Whoopie! Happy New Year, everyone!

Knitting Class

2007-12-05T09:41:00.000-06:00

I'll be teaching Beginning Knitting for the Des Moines Adult Education starting in January. If you are interested in taking the class, registration opens December 18th, 2007. My class will be held Tuesdays at Merrill Middle school (on Grand) from 7:00 - 9:00 PM.

I will be working with Tamara to make sure that my class covers everything her beginner's class covers, so if you want to take one of her more advanced classes later, you won't be missing anything. I think this is going to be a lot of fun! Tell your friends!

Happy Holidays!

2007-11-19T16:12:00.000-06:00

Even though it is not yet the day after Thanksgiving, I thought I'd start the Santa Duck header anyway. My usual rule is no Christmas stuff until the day after Thanksgiving, but I've been listening to Christmas music all day, so why not?

Totally Unrelated: Here's a video of a tune that will stick in your head all day. (Via La Coquette)

Happy All-Hallows Eve

2007-10-31T15:55:00.000-05:00

Today is Halloween in the U.S., but last night was "Beggar's Night" in my neighborhood. What is "Beggar's Night", you ask? I wondered the same thing when I first moved to Iowa. The night before Halloween, the kids go out begging for candy in costume, but they are required to tell you a joke or riddle in order to get the kiddy crack. Since the above link probably won't work after a day or two, here's an excerpt from the Des Moines Register article about the origins of the Central Iowa Beggar's Night:

The flash point came on Halloween in 1938 when Des Moines police answered a record 550 calls concerning vandalism. Krieg, along with the Community Chest' group work council, began a campaign to encourage less violent forms of Halloween fun.

They set aside Oct. 30 as Beggars' Night and got the word out to the public that on that night - and only that night - children would be allowed to go from door to door and say the phrase "tricks for eats." The council urged that "eats should be given only if such a 'trick' as a song, a poem, a stunt or a musical number, either solo or in group participation, is presented."

I think my boyfriend would be relieved that the musical option has gone out of style. The last person he'd give candy to is a tiny Ethel Merman or Tommy Tune.

When I lived in a smaller town, the kids were pretty good with the joke-telling. I live in the Des Moines suburbs now, and I think I only got 4 jokes TOTAL last night. Four! That's outrageous! What is wrong with these kids today?

There was a rather interesting assortment of costumes this year. A fairy/butterfly/princess toddler was extremely excited about this whole Halloween thing. A V for Vendetta was one of my first visitors. I think they were around 10 or 11 and female, though that mask covers a lot. I wanted to ask him/her if they were planning on blowing up Parliament tonight, but I restrained myself.

We almost ran out of candy. I had to shut the door before the 8 p.m. cutoff time (yes, they only allow begging from 6-8 p.m.) to keep people away. Sadly, I also gave all the regular and peanut M&M's away, leaving me with the crappy crunchy mini M&M's. Next year, I need to use better strategy.

Oprah's Promos Hurt My Brain

2007-10-17T16:44:00.000-05:00

Today's promo on Oprah was for a show about wives and mistresses, and it made my brain hurt. It was not the subject matter that bothered me, it was the editing. I think it could give you an epileptic seizure.

If I can find a clip of it online, I'll post it. I'm guessing it will be airing again tomorrow and might be online on Friday. It's painful.

Update! They've posted it. See for yourself, but take your meds first.

Great Tutorials Online: Knitting in the Round

2007-10-15T09:27:00.000-05:00

Knit Picks has a really great page of tutorials on knitting in the round, including Magic Loop, using circular needles, DPNs, or two circulars (useful for knitting two socks or mittens at the same time). The photos are really easy to follow, and the instructions are good, too. Check it out!

Shout Out to BWE.tv

2007-10-12T13:29:00.000-05:00

If you found me today from the Best Week Ever blog link, howdy. The place I originally found that weird video can be found here: blurbomat.com . If that sounds familiar at all, it's because he's married to Heather at dooce.com, making him "Mr. Dooce" I suppose. :)

How about that Office episode last night? Anyone want to sign my cast?

Most blogs seem to be talking about The Office, but what about 30 Rock? I think they were on crazy juice last night, in a good way. I have to single out the scenes between Kenneth, Tracy, and his wife. I loved seeing Kenneth pretending to hit on Tracy's wife. Also, Liz Lemmon is starting to remind me of myself sometimes, which is kind of sad. I'm not living alone with a wedding dress that smells like ham or anything, but I have all these unfinished projects, and I thoroughly enjoyed visiting "the Cleve". Also, her reaction to Jack questioning her about eating that entire steak...priceless.

Did anyone notice last night that the three sitcoms usually shared a joke somewhere. I think Al Roker was a punchline in both Earl and The Office, and I think there was something on both 30 Rock and The Office, but I can't remember. I wonder if that was planned.

Another Famous Knitter

2007-10-10T15:04:00.000-05:00

ContactMusic.com is reporting that Kimberly Stuart (daughter of rockin' Rod Stewart) is a knitter:

She says, "Yes, it's one of my hobbies... I can knit a good scarf. The last thing I made was a blanket for my baby brother Alastair."

Maybe she can use her influence to get Paris and Lindsey to start knitting and stay out of prison. I would include Britney in that group, but I fear what would happen if you gave her a couple of pointy sticks.

Attack of the Clay Bunnies!

2007-10-05T14:13:00.000-05:00

This commercial is amazing, and how they made it is even more amazing. Check it out!

The Wonder Years without V.O.

2007-10-04T10:15:00.000-05:00

This is so true...so true. I still love the Wonder Years, however.

Brandon Routh in Iowa City

2007-10-03T16:57:00.001-05:00

Brandon Routh in Iowa City
Originally uploaded by Alan Light

Iowa's own Superman. I'm surprised I never heard about him being there. Thee only news from that homecoming parade that I heard was that some kid got hit by a car in the parade because he ran out to get candy. Now officials are considering disallowing folks to throw candy at the parade. Sigh.
This photo was not taken by me, but by an awesome photographer named Alan Light. You owe it to yourself to take a look at his celebrity photos on flicker.

Mr. Rogers Roundup

2007-09-26T14:05:00.001-05:00

I read this really nice article about Mister Rogers on Mental Floss (dated May 23 of this year), and I thought I'd share it:

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/5943

I watched Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood from the late 70's until the late 80's/early 90's (I had younger siblings). I think I've seen the Opera episode (my favorite) about Bubbleland a hundred times.

As I could not find a clip from the Bubbleland opera, here's the trailer for a new documentary about Mister Rogers. The filmmaker says it should be out next year. Enjoy!

I Can't Believe This Video

2007-09-24T09:27:00.000-05:00

Squirrels Gone Wild!

2007-09-19T15:45:00.000-05:00

The New Knitty is Here!

2007-09-13T16:19:00.000-05:00

Today I was thinking about what I'd like to knit next, having just finished two scarves (photos will be up later) that I completely worship. I realized today that I'd like to make a small, rectangular bag with a long strap. I do have a pattern for one of those at home in the book Folk Bags (see the American bag), but I was thrilled to see the adorable (check out the button!) Percy! The thing I like the best is that the pattern includes pockets, which are a necessity for me. This pattern was written by Cheryl Niamath, who also designed the fabulous Fetching, from which I have made several pairs.

Other highlights for me:
Neiman
Mr. Greenjeans
Flower Power - Could this (and the model) be any cuter?
Foliage
Pecan Pie - I heart berets!
Urchin
OMG! Woodins!

What a great issue! I can't wait to get started!

You Are What You Eat

2007-09-07T15:09:00.000-05:00

Has anyone watched "You are What You Eat" on BBC or BBC America? I've been watching a few episodes this week, and it is both riveting and utterly disgusting.

Here's how an average episode goes: an overweight, unhealthy family (or person) is profiled based upon what they eat. The nutrition expert, Gillian McKeith, a "holistic nutritionist", comes in to examine their cupboards and fridge and chastise them for having too much yeast* in their systems. They bring the family to a table (more like a huge wheelbarrow) containing all the food they ate in the past week. This display is usually all meat, white bread, and cookies (biscuits) or crisps (potato chips). The only thing that could make the display more disgusting is if they had showed the food AFTER they'd eaten it. Speaking of disgusting, she also examines their "poo", describing it in graphic detail. Yummy! Watching this show is a great diet aid: watch it before a meal and lose your appetite!

After all that fun, Gillian tells them what they should eat. The people usually protest a bit, but they eventually are convinced to switch to veggies and beans. After a month or so, we get to see the before/after pictures, resulting in better health and lower weight for the family. Hooray!

*I'm not really sure where this obsession with yeast comes from. I've never heard anyone in the U.S. railing against the amount of yeast in our diet or bodies. Gillian explains that the yeast in the body is not the same as the yeast you eat, but the yeast you eat can cause you to have yeast in the body. Wha-? This really smacks of quackery, so I did a little more investigation, and found that she indeed does not have a proper degree in nutrition or diet. I think I'd rather listen to someone like Mehmet Oz, the "Oprah Doctor" who was a heart surgeon and professor. He says similar things about eating vegetables and fruits and beans (and even loves to discuss "poo"), but I've never heard him even mention yeast as an issue.

I wonder if any of the people profiled were able to stick with the healthy diet. I imagine it would be a huge adjustment going from eating a table full of meat and chips to eating beans and greens. I'm sure I'd relapse once in a while and eat a dozen cookies. Heck, I'm a pretty healthy eater, and I ate a half dozen of them the other night!

Gay Marriage in Iowa = Economic Growth

2007-08-31T19:04:00.000-05:00

Hey! A couple of gay guys made history today by getting legally married here in Iowa. Soon after, it became illegal again, which is no surprise to any of us. Our governor, Chet "Big Lug" Culver, is against gay marriage.

Chet is currently campaigning to get some Iowa-born Hollywood celebs to promote our humble state. He wants to stop the brain drain and youth flight from Iowa by having Ashton Kutcher convince people that Iowa is awesome. If it's so awesome, than why did Ashton move? If Chet really wanted to improve our economy, he should make gay marriage legal. Here's my reasoning:

Iowa would be the only midwestern state with legal gay marriage. Women and men would flock here to get married and have their rights as a married couple recognized. Having an increase in the gay & lesbian population would really stimulate the economy: more salons! More art galleries! Clothing boutiques! Restaurants! Theater! It's true: studies have shown that bringing a "creative class" of people to a city spurs economic growth, and who more creative than "the gays"?

Richard Florida, author of "The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life," explained his theory in this interview with Salon.com:

My theory uses the three T's: technology, talent and tolerance. You need to have a strong technology base, such as a research university and investment in technology. That alone is a necessary but not in itself sufficient condition. Second, you need to be a place that attracts and retains talent, that has the lifestyle options, the excitement, the energy, the stimulation, that talented, creative people need. And thirdly, you need to be tolerant of diversity so you can attract all sorts of people -- foreign-born people, immigrants, woman as well as men, gays as well as straights, people who look different and have different appearances.

The reason so many young, creative people (gay or straight) are leaving this state is because there aren't a lot of employment opportunities for them AND the ones that are here don't pay as well as those in other states. Those same people from other states don't want to move here for the same reasons. It's a chicken-and-egg issue: we need more jobs to keep the people, but we need the people to create jobs. Maybe we need to start breaking some eggs.

In honor of this historic day, I present to you episode 5 in the Planet Unicorn saga. Enjoy!