I Should List Some Goals Or Something

As part of a new year, I guess I should try to set some goals--even though I'm very bad at that. I suppose being a good cat parent (when I get a cat) and scraping together some emergency savings will do for now.

Happy New Year

"And now let us welcome the new year, full of things that have never been." --Rilke

(Funny I should have talked about feeling old yesterday, because I almost didn't make it to midnight and was asleep at 12:05. Sigh.)

Year In Review

If I were an organized craft blogger I would link to Flickr and Ravelry with photos and notes of all my finished projects. However, I still have the link to J. Crew up here and all my online tracking is still linked to my old job. So I'm not that organized.

I am proud of all my projects in 2007, disorganized as they may be. I've hinted around but never said it outright: I am deeply in debt and that is the reason I've made most of my clothes this year. So for me, 2007 was a year of being more than crafty; it was a year of learning how to not use credit cards. It's been a struggle--I fell off the wagon a few times for shoes (but I can't make shoes!) and just this week I saw my lovely sister-in-law's new boots and was extremely jealous. But in all, I've made good progress, I am paying down my bills, and I've learned how to live on what I make. I still have my moments--"champagne tastes, beer budget"--but I can resist them now.

The other thing I'm proud of this year is learning how to live alone. (And paying "living alone" rent rates, which is linked to the financial progress, too.) Just last year in this week between Christmas and January I was house- and cat-sitting and announced, "I don't want to live alone." Three months later I had signed a lease on my place, and while it took some talking to the houseplants and the cuckoo clock, I did learn to be by myself, all the time. (Bonus: The prospect of being old and alone now holds a lot less terror.) (Yes, I think of these things. Sometimes quite often.)

So lots of personal growth and financial maturity and stuff in 2007. I feel a lot older than this time last year, although I think this is helping:Nothing like a high-end kitchen appliance from your honey to make you feel adult!

Friday Unrelated Information

1. I'm feeling thwarted, craftily-speaking. When I wondered what I would knit next on Wednesday, I was serious: I have no knitting project in the works because I'm waiting to see if I get some BIRTHDAY YARN (cough!), my sewing machine at home isn't sewing, and the honeycomb print smock I'm sewing on my mother's sewing machine may very well look like a circus tent. A circus tent with wonky armhole facings, which was last night's challenge.

2. So overall, not as much is happening on this break that I wanted to. But what is the cure for "all sadness and indecision"? Champagne!

Champagne Season

I think the best part of Christmas as an adult--even better than getting things like irons, and Le Creuset skillets, and bird feeders--is deciding to celebrate with champagne. (Or sparkling wine, if we don't want to offend the French.) There was a bottle for Christmas Eve and a bottle for Christmas dinner, and there will be bottles for New Year's Eve and for my birthday (in one week!).

All the two main characters seem to do in Across the River and Into the Trees is drink champagne--or rather, Champagne, since they're drinking Roederer Brut 1942. They even bring it on their gondola ride, and say this about it: "It is good for all the ills that all of us have, and for all sadness and indecision."

Indeed.

Christmas Project Roundup

I finished the secret Christmas crafty projects just in time and now I can post pictures!

Mom got a hat and a scarf:

And Mr. Isbell got a hat that I was literally finishing on Christmas Eve:It's supposed to be hat like the ones in The Life Aquatic. (Not pictured: Lounge pants I sewed for him.)

And now I don't know what to knit next!

Do You Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas?

Check out the song!

And if you want an alpaca instead, check out Victoria, smiling at the Photoshop job:

"Something To Look Forward To At The Darkest Time Of the Year"

The Wikipedia article on the Winter Solstice (which happens sometime tomorrow) has a good section about "paralleled traditions" for celebrating the solstice in many cultures. I especially liked the part about solstice celebrations really being a therapeutic device to cope with winter:

"...Being indoors causes negative ion deficiency which decreases serotonin levels resulting in depression and tiredness. Also, getting insufficient light in the short winter days increases the secretion of melatonin in the body, off balancing the circadian rhythm with longer sleep. Exercise, light therapy, and increased negative ion exposure (which can be attained from plants and well ventilated flames burning wood or beeswax) can reinvigorate the body from its seasonal lull and relieve winter blues...Midwinter festivals and celebrations occurring on the longest night of the year, often calling for evergreens, bright illumination, large ongoing fires, feasting, communion with close ones, and evening physical exertion by dancing and singing, are examples of cultural winter therapies that have evolved as traditions since the beginnings of civilization."
Whether your celebration is therapeutic or not, remember that the worst is over. I'm going to light a candle and get some negative ions now.

Thursday Unrelated Information

Woot! I have a day off tomorrow from BOTH jobs, so it feels like my Friday!

1. After realizing one coworker was going to be out the rest of the week, I decided against a marathon knitting session last night for the other coworker. Instead, I did a marathon knitting session on a different gift. How marathon, you ask? Well, we started and finished the miniseries from the new version of Battlestar Galactica. Mr. Isbell is hooked.

2. As you might be able to tell from the late posts this week, it’s been hard to get up in the mornings. It seems even darker than usual. I’m glad the solstice is coming.

3. Speaking of dark and winter, I think this will be appropriate today:

“It was evening all afternoon.

It was snowing

And it was going to snow.

The blackbirds sat

In the cedar-limbs"

(That’s not Japanese, it’s the last section of “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird.”

I Completely Forgot About The Tuesday Project Roundup

I think I was still waiting to fight more Crazy 88's yesterday morning, because I didn't even mention any projects. I can only mention, not show, because they're gifts for Christmas--Christmas, which is less than a week away, and yes, I am still knitting them. I even added one to the schedule. I had plans change and tonight became free, and in my current frantic ninja-fighting mindset, that's more than enough time to knit something to give to a coworker tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow. Of course I can do it. Bring it on!

Have You Ever Wondered What Working Retail During The Holiday Season Is Like?

It’s like this. You are the Bride and the customers are the Crazy 88’s and they just keep coming.

We Are Our Own O. Henry Story

Remember “The Gift of the Magi,” about a penniless married couple having mishaps with presents? Here’s my version of it: I was following Mr. Isbell home last night after an evening at his parents’ house when his tire blew out. So we both pulled over and put on the hazards, and Mr. Isbell got the donut spare and the jack out of the trunk—no problem, really. Except my Christmas present was in the trunk, too. I pretended not to notice but he said, “There’s your KitchenAid” and it was a happy Christmas moment at the side of the road.

Once we got on our way again and convoyed to my apartment, Mr. Isbell helped me unload the car. I was putting away laundry when I remembered I had one of his presents in the bags he was unloading, so I dashed out of the bedroom saying “Don’t look in the Harmons bag!” but he was already putting things back in the bag, pretending he hadn’t seen his present. So I said “There’s your Carhartts” and it was a happy Christmas moment in the kitchen.

(We’ve both decided this is turning into the “Christmas of No Surprises, but yes, I am giving Mr. Isbell more than pants.)

Friday Unrelated Information

1. I have a friend who's all about "asking the universe" for things and then "trusting it to answer." Well, if you ask the universe for a couch, the universe must give you an idea to look at Target.com, where you find this. Thanks, universe!(Next I have to ask the universe to make my brother let me store the chairs I'm using right now in his basement. Come on, universe!)

2. Going back to another childhood memory this week: does anyone remember this animated Sesame Street color-wheel clip? I remember the music made it especially scary because the voices never made discernible words and just repeated the same pitch. Apparently, the music was by well-known Minimalist composer Philip Glass. Still scary.

3. Could the universe be moving these rocks across Death Valley? Or is it the wind? Here's a science article that has a thrilling title: The Sliding Rocks of Racetrack Playa.

Looking For Answers

I’ve started what I’m afraid will be a very long search for a loveseat/small couch that 1.) will fit in my apartment; 2.) looks modern; 3.) doesn’t look or feel too cheap and foam-y (I hate foam; it makes me cringe); but 4.) costs three digits instead of four, preferably the lower half of three digits.

I’ve considered having two jobs through January, just to give me a larger couch fund so I have more options, but I realized there’s a problem: I also want to get a kitty in January (maybe Ponch the kitty!). And should I introduce the kitty to a new couch? Or get a used couch and not mind if kitty takes out its anxiety on it? Where are the answers?

Are they in there, kitty?

Speaking Of...

1. Christmas: The blog of Disney animation backgrounds that I mentioned a few Fridays ago posted a background from "Pluto's Christmas Tree" (1952), a short that I remember watching as a kid. The cartoon was silly but the scenes that showed Chip and Dale inside the decorated tree were just magical for me. Colors! Pine needles! Secret hiding places! I wanted to get into our Christmas tree like that. Seeing it now, it's still fabulous: (If you can stomach Pluto, you can watch the whole thing on YouTube here.)

2. Birthdays (well, we weren't speaking of them, but we are now): My sister-in-law's birthday is today! She is a rocket scientist and a gardener, has started taking piano lessons, and is crafty, too. Also, she married my brother. All of these things make her pretty cool.

Tuesday Project Roundup: The Hap-Happiest Time Of The Year Edition

I've had to ration out the crafty time since I started working so much, so most of that is going to gifts which obviously can't be posted on the internet for all (six of you) to see. Instead, I thought I'd show you how I decorated this year.

There is a garland that got the Peanuts Christmas serenade ("loo loo loo, loo loo loo loo loo") from Mr. Isbell after I plugged it in:

But the garland didn't accommodate all the ornaments, so I decked the ceiling fans:

And the plants:And the cuckoo clock:

Meanwhile, up at Blue Moon Ranch, the alpacas got their own holiday decorations:

A Snow Poem For A Monday

I've been having trouble sleeping this last week, waking up at 4:00 or so and not being able to get back to sleep. Last night my eyes popped open at 2:00; around 4:00 I got tired of turning over and got up to have some tea (mmm, valerian). Just to get my mind on something other than not sleeping, I picked up the big poetry anthology and found some Wallace Stevens, which I read while looking out the window at the snow.

"The Snow Man"

One must have a mind of winter
To regard the frost and the boughs
Of the pine-trees crusted with snow;

And have been cold a long time
To behold the junipers shagged with ice,
The spruces rough in the distant glitter

Of the January sun; and not to think
Of any misery in the sound of the wind,
In the sound of a few leaves,

Which is the sound of the land
Full of the same wind
That is blowing in the same bare place

For the listener, who listens in the snow,
And, nothing himself, beholds
Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.

Then the valerian made me dizzy and I went back to bed, where I eventually fell asleep on my stomach and woke up with a neck ache. But it's a nice poem, huh?

Friday Unrelated Information

1. Hey, did anyone read about Mitt Romney's speech that was supposed to calm people's fears about voting for a Mormon? It's mind-boggling! Here's a choice excerpt:

"There are some who may feel that religion is not a matter to be seriously considered in the context of the weighty threats that face us. If so, they are at odds with the nation's founders...Freedom requires religion, just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone."

Um, Mitt? The definition of freedom is that nothing is required. And you should really take a break from blow-drying your hair and READ some of the nation's founders thoughts on religion. Like Thomas Jefferson, who wrote, "Christianity neither is, nor ever was, a part of the common law." (Seriously, does anyone else find this speech extraordinarily chilling? Candidates will start preaching "Strength through unity, unity through faith" next.)

2. Okay. Let's retreat back into our happy bubble that is untouched by politics and take a virtual trip to Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital, a 24/7, 365-day animal hospital in Britain that rescues "hedgehogs, badgers, wild birds, foxes, and even reptiles and amphibians." I love that a.) the hospital is named after a Beatrix Potter character and that b.) they'll "even" rescue non-cuddly animals.

3. It's going to snow again Saturday. I got stuck in my driveway the last time it snowed. I am dreading the snow.

4. Deutsche Grammophon, in my opinion the best classical label out there, has launched an iTunes-like online store of its entire catalog, including physically out of print recordings. If I didn't have to work the other job Saturday, I'd stay inside all day and download Corelli and Bach.

Agency Love

It's been a busy week at the agency, with all sorts of deadlines getting shifted, projects redefined, and changes made that affect all the deliverables I've written in the last two weeks that should be in final layout but instead get to be tracked down and reconciled. (And I just used "deliverable" in a sentence. It's getting to me!)

But something always makes me feel better, and that something is angry blogs written by creatives. (And now I just used "creatives". Help me.) My new favorite is Why Advertising Sucks, but click through at your own risk--it's pretty profane and misspelled, which I blame on the force of the writer's anger. There was a fantastic post from a while back titled, "5 Things You Should Never Ask a Creative." I liked #4 a lot:

#4. Are you sure that word is right?
No. I took 4-6 years of college, have worked in advertising for a couple of years and actually passed the ninth grade but I’m not sure if that word is right. If by "right" you want to see if I’ll offer you synonyms for a word that has nothing wrong with it, then I can offer you one option, let me do my job while you [redacted] your [redacted] rather than a thesaurus.

Not that I've ever felt that way or anything.

I'm Pretty Good With A Bo Staff

Last night Mr. Isbel and I were finishing our marathon of all seasons of “The Office” when he paused it and asked me, “Do you hear that?” “That” was a sort of electric grinding noise, like a power tool, and it was coming from the neighbor’s backyard.

Now, the neighbors in the house south of my building are strange. They have a pirate flag on their porch, so I call it Pirate House. After nine months, I still haven’t figured out who lives in the Pirate House and who just visits. Once, Mr. Isbell swore that he saw a couple of dudes walking into Pirate House carrying a battle axe. I didn’t really believe him. I should have.

It turns out that last night’s power tool noise was a grinder in Pirate House’s backyard. A man was using the grinder to sharpen a blade at the end of a 12-foot spear. After it was sharpened, he proceeded to practice his spear moves in the backyard, including whirling it around, striking a post, and thrusting. We watched in disbelief from my bedroom window—until we realized we didn’t want to be discovered spying on a man who was obviously pretty expert with a spear.

As we (regretfully) turned away, I was speechless. But Mr. Isbel said, with awe in his voice, “We should party with that dude.”

Tuesday Project Roundup: NaKniVeMoNo Edition

Remember National Knit A Sweater In the Month of November? Well, I knit a vest, and it's only December 4, so I think I can say I participated. The straps got a little stretched out so I need to re-block it, but I decided to wear it today anyway. It's been a long time since I knit something for myself that I'm happy with, and while this is still a little wonky (notice I'm not showing you the back?)I'm pretty happy with it.

Breakfast In The South Of France (Wish I Had Some/Was There)

I usually make myself eat a piece of toast or yogurt in the mornings, but I haven't made a full breakfast with eggs in a few weeks. I think part of the appeal of this passage from The Garden of Eden lies in the fact that they're in a cafe in the Camargue eating it, but doesn't it sound like a delicious breakfast?

On this morning there was brioche and red raspberry preserve and the eggs were boiled and there was a pat of butter that melted as they stirred them and salted them lightly and ground pepper over them in the cups. They were big eggs and fresh...he was happy with his which he diced up with the spoon and ate with only the flow of the butter to moisten them and the fresh early morning texture and the bite of the coarsely ground pepper graines and the hot coffee and the chicory-fragrant bowl of cafe au lait.

Mmm, breakfast. How long until lunch?

Friday Unrelated Information

1. As part of their "Great Whale Trail" non-lethal study (cough, JAPAN!), Greenpeace is allowing people to vote on their favorite name for a humpback whale. The leader, with 71 percent of the vote? Mr. Splashy Pants.

2. There was an article in the good old Salt Lake Tribune this morning about religious groups planning to boycott the upcoming children's fantasy movie The Golden Compass because it's "anti-God." The paper quoted a newsletter blurb for the (Catholic) Madeleine Choir School that said, "[The film] represents the new face of atheism: It is aggressive, dogmatic, and unrelenting." Um, guys? Try changing "atheism" to the name of nearly any other Christian religion. Maybe Jesus can give us all a little self-awareness and perspective for Christmas...

2a. Cough, SOAPBOX! Sorry.

3. In the spirit of tolerance, here's a picture:

I Want Some Pecan Pie

I made macadamia nut pie for Thanksgiving this year. It went over well, but I'm still craving pecan pie. Or just pecans. I was re-reading the saddest Christmas story ever, Truman Capote's "A Christmas Memory," and came across this description of pecans the two characters are shelling for fruitcake:
A cheery crunch, scraps of miniature golden thunder sound as the shells collapse and the mound of sweet oily ivory meat mounts in the milkglass bowl.

(I highly recommend the story, in spite of it being sad. This is the first Capote I read as an adult [I remember reading "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and being disappointed it wasn't like the movie] and it's really, really well-done. The last line is perfect.)

The Cowboy Way

I referred to the fact that I'm now working two jobs for the rest of the year on Monday, because the laptop repair came close to bankrupting me after all and this is The Year I Gave Up Credit Cards And Roommates (And, By Extension, Ghetto Apartments, Leading To More Rent But My Kitchen Now Is Worth It).

Today is a two-job day and I woke up and said, "I really don't want to do this." But then I had to think, "It's not the easy way to work two jobs and not go (further) into debt, but it's THE COWBOY WAY. So cowboy up."

To help with the day, here's Gene Autry's Cowboy Code, similar to the Roy Roger's code I posted about a year ago and can't find. Check out number 7.

1. The Cowboy must never shoot first, hit a smaller man, or take unfair advantage.

2. He must never go back on his word, or a trust confided in him.

3. He must always tell the truth.

4. He must be gentle with children, the elderly, and animals.

5. He must not advocate or possess racially or religiously intolerant ideas.

6. He must help people in distress.

7. He must be a good worker.

8. He must keep himself clean in thought, speech, action, and personal habits.

9. He must respect women, parents, and his nation's laws.

10. The Cowboy is a patriot.

(I'm choosing to interpret number 10 as the bumper stickers that say Think: it's patriotic!)

Tuesday Project Roundup: Extremely Full And Incredibly Plaid Edition

And with my apologies to Jonathan Safran Foer for that title, here is the plaid dress I worked on last week:
I think I just had too much exposure to it, because I should love it--it's red and pink at the same time and it's the puffiest party dress I've worn since I was about nine. I'm just disappointed that the fit is off, because I made a practice bodice out of muslin and a bodice lining before I actually did the bodice out of the silk, and the waist still came out too big. And it was kind of a lot of work for a one-event dress.

But maybe I can wear it again to the Nutcracker. Hell, I could be in the Nutcracker in this.

She's Back!

The laptop, that is--I dared the Gateway the Saturday night after Thanksgiving (oh the humanity!) and got her back as good as new. Hooray!

Other things I did with a week off and no Internet:
1. Sewed a dress for my friend's wedding.
2. Met with the same friend to get briefed on the wedding set-up I had agreed to supervise.
3. Started the second job I took to pay for the laptop repair.
4. Made ten pounds of mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving at my brother's (five pounds plain, five pounds chive and onion).
4a. Made a macadamia nut pie, also for Thanksgiving.
5. Braved Target the day after Thanksgiving (oh the humanity!) to get a belt to go with the dress I made because the fit was slightly off.
6. Set up (and then attended, in the slightly ill-fitting dress) my friend's wedding reception.
7. Ordered 80% of my Christmas gifts. (I borrowed some internet for that.)
8. Finished both a knitted gift and a sewn gift for co-workers.

But between 1, 2, 6, and 3, it almost feels as if I didn't take vacation. Also, does anyone need any leftover mashed potatoes?

Friday Unrelated Information

1. I won’t be posting next week, because I have the week off form work and the laptop went back to Apple for repair yesterday. (Hooray, it can be fixed without bankrupting me!)

2. I’ve been wanting to get a bird feeder for the winter. I might just have to get the BirdCam to go with it.

3. Check out this vintage typewriter store: http://mytypewriter.com. They have some beauties (and they’re not cheap). Maybe I’ll have to break out my old Underwood while the laptop’s down.

4. Have a Happy Thanksgiving, all six of you blog readers. And check out the newest version of the LOLcat meme: LOLgrims, or Thanksgiving-themed pictures captioned in LOLspeak!

Not Dead Yet!

I know it’s turned into Laptop Week on the blog and that whatever sympathy people had is quickly drying up, but I had to share some good news: It turned on last night! It’s not dead yet! It’s getting better! It thinks it will go for a walk! It feels happy!

Ahem. Those movie quotes get out of control. And the laptop doesn’t feel that happy, because its keyboard is fried. But I’m happy that it’s a keyboard replacement and not a MacBook replacement.

Now I want to watch Monty Python…

Wednesday’s Film Recommendations

You might have heard that I spilled cereal on my laptop (my brother had to email and ask, “How exactly did that go down? ‘Hmm, computer, would you like to try some of this too?’ Or was it more of a throwing action?”). But on the bright side, I’ve seen a string of good movies lately, which has been some nice escapism.

I highly recommend The Darjeeling Limited; the short that begins it, “Hotel Chevalier,” will make you want to go to Paris and wear a hotel robe. I finally saw Little Miss Sunshine, on the recommendation of the same brother teasing me about the laptop, and that’s pretty fabulous, too. And last night—after a day involving video editing (I’m a copywriter, by the way; that’s all I’m saying), getting paperwork notarized for a credit card dispute (no, I did NOT charge $500 at sears.com), and all sorts of other issues—I watched The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou again. There’s just something about watching someone else’s crisis on film.

(Actually, I suppose that something would be catharsis. So watch these three good cathartic movies in case you’ve had a bad week, too.)

Tuesday Project Roundup: There Is None Because I Can’t Upload Photos To A Broken Laptop

We Interrupt This Blog…

…for the first installment of an exciting saga titled “I Spilled Cereal On My Laptop Last Night.” (You’ll laugh! You’ll cry! Actually, you’ll just cry and swear off cereal forever! Because what is an almost-28-year-old doing eating cereal anyway!)

While I’d love to use my work PC to post pictures of cats wanting pie, I think that’s generally frowned on as “unproductive.” I’ll try to stealth-post as much as possible but that will depend on how many coworkers are standing around pinning “creative” “concepts” to the walls. (You’d be surprised how popular that is here.)

So, to be continued...

Friday Unrelated Information

1. November is National Novel Writing Month--NaNoWriMo--so if you've been procrastinating, say, most of your adult life, you could take the challenge and try to get 50,000 words on paper by month's end.

2. November is also NaKniSweMo, or National Knit a Sweater Month. If your novel doesn't work, you could try this instead. (I, however, am knitting a vest, making it NaKniVeMo.)

3. I saw these high-design cat beds featured yesterday (click the picture to see all styles, including the "kitty pod"). Want!

4. BoingBoing steered me to this blog that showcases the painted background of animated films--lots of it is gorgeous and very evocative. It also made me watch The Sword in the Stone last night.

"Then there was the bad weather."

The haze and the watery sun and the leaves drying out and losing their color have not been bad weather, but they've been a little depressing. (The time change making it dark at six doesn't help, either.) I had to think of this passage that starts one of my favorites, A Moveable Feast. Hemingway's trick for the November depression was to leave Paris and go somewhere even colder, like the Alps. Nice. If I ever live in Paris, I'll let you know how it works.

"Then there was the bad weather. It would come in one day when the fall was over. We would have to shut the windows in the night against the rain and the cold wind would strip the leaves from the trees in the Place Contrescarpe...Now that the bad weather had come, we could leave Paris for a while for a place where this rain would be snow coming down through the pines and covering the road and the high hillsides and at an altitude where we would hear it creak as we walked home at night."

And then there's this in the next chapter:
"When we came back to Paris it was clear and cold and lovely. The city had accommodated itself to winter...and on the streets the winter light was beautiful. Now you were accustomed to see the bare trees against the sky and you walked on the fresh-washed gravel paths through the Luxembourg gardens in the clear sharp wind. The trees were sculpture without their leaves when you were reconciled to them..."

Maybe the trick is just getting reconciled.

No, the trick is getting reconciled in Paris.

O RLY, SALT LAKE?

O really!
As I said, I don't know a lot about politics and this blog is supposedly about literature, but I am just happy that someone who refused to put up billboards because he considers them a blight on the landscape was able to win without the help of billboards.

Also, did you know that "'Progressive' has become a new catch-phrase for 'liberal'"? The Deseret News thinks so.

(Photo ganked from the Salt Lake Tribune site, taken by Trent Nelson, probably in violation of Trent's copyright. Sorry, Trent.)

Tuesday Project Roundup: Deadlines, Kitty Hats, And I Hate Blogger Edition

The last week or so has been a staging time for me, sewing-wise: I have to decide who gets a homemade Christmas/birthday/wedding/shower present, when I need to make the presents, and what I'll be making for myself to wear to these events that require presents. And I also figured out how all of that coincides with JoAnn sales and paychecks. There have been lots of lists.

Even the holiday deadlines for knitting started last week, with some, um, kitty hats for a Halloween party. We went as the co-host's two kittens, which was a success. (Blogger is refusing to let me load the pictures, so you'll just have to imagine knitted bonnets with ears.)

But knitting with synthetic fur yarn on a deadline isn't my favorite thing, so I'm actually relieved to start the crafty frenzy of seasonal gifts--I won't be covered in orange fuzz when I work on these.

Election Day Tomorrow

I made a special trip a few weeks ago to the County Clerk's office so I could register at my new address on the last day possible. (See how font choices can motivate people, whether for good or ill?)

I've spent most of my life trying to ignore politics, but I think I'm waking up now. And while my political theory is an inchoate mix of V for Vendetta, Brazil, and some Ayn Rand, I'm trying to learn more. I can't fathom that people do not vote, especially women whose great-grandmothers weren't able to.

So if you're registered, go vote tomorrow in your local elections. And in keeping with my incoherent politics, here's an excellent essay about how the domestic "War on Terror" has devolved into the "War on the Unexpected."

Friday Unrelated Information

1. Today's new word is affineur. As you might guess, it's French, and refers to the person in charge of affinage, or the refining and ripening of cheese.

2. Speaking of cheese, the Hawaii Island Goat Dairy on the Big Island is looking for interns: They'll give you room and board and you'll give them two to three months of bottle-feeding kids, feeding goats, farm work, and making cheese.

3. And speaking of farms, yesterday I received the color card (like a fabric swatch book, but with yarn) that I had ordered from a merino sheep ranch in Montana. Now, usually natural fiber yarn has either no smell or a faint-but-not-unpleasant animal smell. I don't want to sound like I go around smelling cats, but it's comparable to the smell of a cat: clean and fresh but furry. But the Montanta yarn on the color card, even in two-inch sample lengths, smelled like cold springtime air and flowers. Seriously. I don't know what they're putting on their sheep up there, but I want to go visit and see/smell for myself.

Helen S. Jones On Why People Sew:

"...mostly, sewing is done because someone wants better-looking, better-made clothes than the same amount of money could buy; or a high fashion look at low budget figure; or a unique custom-created garment. They sew because it's fun! They sew because it's the thing to do. It is the proud and fascinating leisure-time effort of women of all walks of life--and some men, too."


(From a textbook published in 1970, Hi-Fashion Sewing and Tailoring. I was trying to find fitting info for taking in a dress bodice, but the book assumes the reader knows how to do that already and just provides detailed fitting info for pants--pants which were just starting to be as acceptable in all social situations as a dress in the '70s's.)

Hey Look, Another Pagan Holiday

It's Samhain, the holiday that kicked off the "dark" half of the Celtic year and marked the absolute end of both summer and the harvest. Samhain got overlaid with a Christian veneer and made into All Souls Day (check out that holiday's origins: "Hey, I can hear the groans of souls in purgatory coming through the rocks!"), which in turn spawned Halloween, due to the Catholic church's custom of thinking days began in the evening--hence, the night before All Souls Day was when the festival itself started.

Personally, I haven't been excited for Halloween since I was Rainbow Brite 20 years ago but I know there are lots of adults who still enjoy it. And it gets me a free lunch at work and at least an hour away from my desk for the costume contest, so I can't really complain.

Unlike me, alpacas love to dress up:This is Bull, a stud at Blue Moon Ranch, in his bull costume. (Alpacas aren't picky about their horns, I guess.)

Tuesday Project Roundup: Marie-Antoinette Called And Wants Her Lumberjack Shirt Back Edition

I really don't need to say much more than the title here, do I?

It did turn out just like the pattern, puffy sleeves and all. I got the plaids to match down the front. And I made covered buttons in the same plaid, which were a lot of fun.I just have to decide if I can wear it, or if it's going to wear me.

Dave, Dave, Dave...

Dave Buhler, I know you're a regular blog reader here, and I know that you're very proud you picked a local agency, Love Communications, to do your campaign ads. But Dave, I was at the I-15 on ramp yesterday and saw one of your many (so very many) billboards--and again I just have to say something.

I'm not going to say anything about the mean-spiritedness creeping into the latest of your innumerable billboards because my pointing out your meanness would lower both of us. No, Dave, I'm going to talk about line breaks and their importance in a visual medium such as a billboard. (You have many, many billboards, you know, so this might be a helpful conversation.)

The billboard in question by the freeway shows your face (nice tie, by the way) and the words:
The Doer not
the Dreamer

I will ignore the fact that someone at Love Communications should have put a comma after "Doer," because people play pretty fast and loose with punctuation these days. But I can't get over feeling that your message would have had been clearer and easier for people streaming by it on the freeway to catch if it had been broken into two lines like this:
The Doer
not the Dreamer

See? You get one concept per line, nice and clear; you don't have your favorite word "Doer" subconsciously associated with a negative; and you can even say that the end of the line negates the need for the comma.

Line breaks matter Dave, just like font choice does, and random capitalization of nouns such as "Police" in another of your abundant billboards...but that's another story for another day. Remember, Dave, I respect your choices, from silly fonts to made-up words. (Blueprintman? Really?) I 'm only trying to help.

Friday Unrelated Information

1. The National Geographic blog had a post about "Berserk Llama Syndrome" yesterday, which sounds like what it is. They kind of treat it like a joke, but one must remember alpacas and llamas are herd animals and that keeping one alone (like most llamas you see in peoples' backyards) makes them very unhappy, if not berserk.

2. If you've ever needed to send someone a "Sorry my wedding toast ruined your honeymoon" card, go to someecards.com. The "seasonal" category has gems like this:
3. As I said Wednesday, looking at shelter kitties made me sad. Then I found this program, the Snuggles Project, where you can knit, crochet, or sew a blanket for a shelter animal. Maybe that's a good way to use up my fabric scraps. (Although I can hear my grandmother saying, "I make quilts for people in need! Those cats can take care of themselves.")

4. This Ayn Rand quote has been on my mind this week (from Fransico's speech about money in Atlas Shrugged):

Did you get your money...by pandering to men's vices or men's stupidity? By catering to fools, in the hope of getting more than your ability deserves? By lowering your standards? By doing work you despise for purchasers you scorn? If so, then your money will not give you a moment's or a penny's worth of joy.

Heh. That's nice to think about on a Friday at the ad agency. Good thing there's never much money leftover to not give me joy.

Maybe I Need A Bun Instead Of A Kitty

Because I could knit the bun a sweater and take it for walks!
(Cute Overload again. Good stuff this week.)

Dilemma Plus Kitty 'Tocks

Remember when I wanted a dog this time last year? Right when I was starting a new job and my co-habitation situation was spiraling out of control and I was making up imaginary boyfriends? Yeah, good times.

This year is much better, but I've been playing with the idea of a cat. I don't need one for the company--I have a very nice human for company now--but it would be, firstly, a kitty that would purr and be cute, and, secondly, a sort of "gravy" to a good situation. (Kind of like the [in]famous Crosby Stills Nash and Young song "Our House.") There are lots of adult cats (orange ones, too!) who need the quiet, indoor home I could give them, and I've grown up with cats so I know what they entail.

But. I know that taking on responsibility for something that's alive should have more motivation than song lyrics. And I don't really know how I would choose: I've been looking on Petfinder.com and think I need to see one in person, but I know that going to a shelter would be so paralyzing for me that I wouldn't be able to decide, because I couldn't take them all.

So maybe I need to wait and look at Cute Overload in the meantime, which has a fine 'Tocktober entry today:
Also, do you have "Our House" in your head now? I do.

Tuesday Project Roundup: If Sherlock Holmes Were A Mod, He'd Wear This Jacket Edition

The much-discussed jacket was completed down to its leather buttons and worn home Sunday night. It started as four yards of corduroy in my kitchen and ended up a nice cross between Holmes and French New Wave cinema heroine, I think: I'm really, really pleased with this. I like everything I make (I wouldn't make it otherwise) but the last thing I remember being this excited to finish and this delighted to wear was a summer party dress in May. It's a fantastic jacket. I feel like a spy in it. I feel like I could solve mysteries in London or Technicolor Paris in it.

Here's a good shot of the collar:
And a mysterious, spy-like shot of the red lining: I might have a revolver in the pocket (did I mention it has pockets?) or I might have to sit in a cafe and smoke, talking to my two lovers. This jacket could go either way.

Good Times In The Pit

Readers who aren't my family may not know that I was a musician for a long time--all through school, high school, and even a college degree. (What, sell out for advertising? Okay!) Back in the days of corn mazes and desperate crushes, I played in the pit orchestra for my high school's productions of 1776 and Guys and Dolls. While I have fond memories of the piccolo playing fife tunes in my ear and having a desperate crush on the senator from South Carolina in 1776, my favorite memory is from the Guys and Dolls run, where the Salvation Army chorus sings a number "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat." (Literally. That line is the entire chorus.)

My stand partner and the cellist and I were all friends, and we were walking out after the dress rehearsal discussing the performance. The cellist, Brian, said that he thought it was going to be good, and that he really liked the "Sit Down Boat" song.
Stand partner and I look at each other. "What song, B?" we asked.
"You know, the one where they sing 'Sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down BOAT!"

And we had to laugh, because that is exactly what it sounded like the chorus was singing. I can only imagine what the pit orchestra sounded like. Good times with diction and high school music.

Friday Unrelated Information

1. The stand collar on the jacket I'm making is SO dramatic that it comes up past my ears. (I'd take a picture but being on vacation means not having to really do my hair for a few days. Scary.) I'll be taking it off and cutting it down a little today, and hopefully finishing.

2. Corn mazes: Pro or con? The last time I went to one, I was in high school and had a desperate crush on one of the boys in the group, which made it fun (in a desperate high-school way). Would it be fun again? Or would I just feel old?

3. I have very carefully avoided offending my secret blog pal Dave Buhler since last Friday, but Dave, I'm sorry, I can't keep this to myself any longer--the font Love Communications used on your billboards makes me want to throw up.

4. Grayson, Primo, and Mimi (left to right):I swear they smile. Look at Primo.

These Things Go Through Your Head

I worked on my jacket most of yesterday (minus a trip out for more thread and some soup-making), which meant I had lots of time to just...think. Of course I have to think about sewing while I'm doing it, but pinning a seam at this point doesn't take all my attention, giving me time to come up with thoughts like these:

"Mankind has never really domesticated fish, not like cows or dogs. I wonder if it would work."

"It makes it easier for Jane Eyre to marry Rochester after she's come into her inheritance and has money of her own, so she's not utterly dependent. Pretty forward-thinking for 1847, Charlotte Bronte."

"I wonder if people buy Labradoodle dogs just for the name 'Labradoodle.' "

Some Related Information

It's my first day of vacation from my job and I realized it's my first anniversary there, too. I usually ignore all aspects of advertising in my posts because, well, I get enough of it. More than enough. But I thought I'd share this ad I came across yesterday for Amnesty International. I don't know what agency is responsible, but it's pretty brilliant (click to enlarge):
As I've been saying, how did a Communist country that has tax fraud as a capital offense ever get the Olympics? At least Amnesty International agrees with me. And has a good poster.

(Tomorrow: We'll return to some cat pictures and drop all this Serious Discussion.)

Tuesday Project Roundup: Canceled

I didn't mention it here but I was fairly sick over the weekend, which meant that I didn't work on any project. (That's right, too sick to even knit. And "fairly sick" is my brave understatement.) But I'm recovered now and have the rest of the week off, which was originally going to be for a vacation to the Grand Canyon. The vacation didn't work out, though, so now I have three days in which to be crafty.

And because today feels like my Friday, here's an unrelated piece of information I read yesterday, from an AdAge article blaming sales of the video game Halo 3 for poor box office sales:

Within the first day of its launch, "Halo 3" players racked up more than 3.6 million hours of game play, and that number increased to 40 million hours by the end of the first week. For those keeping score, that's more than 4,500 years of continuous game play.

Wow. I mean, we all have hobbies, and I'm going to spend three days doing mine, but 4,500 collective years? Isn't that the length of human civilization? Do these gamers realize how many sweaters they could have knit instead?

I Figured It Out

I realized I had inadvertently hurt my anonymous blog commenter with my seeming endorsement of a political candidate Friday, and then I realized why: The commenter is Dave Buhler.

Sorry, Dave. But even you must admit it wasn't a very good picture.

Friday Unrelated Information

1. I bought pants yesterday! This is big news because I spent the summer in skirts and dresses and didn't notice that I was slowly outgrowing all my jeans (hello, potatoes baked in heavy cream!). The Pants Summit will lead to a custom-tailored pair I'll sew, but the second meeting isn't until the end of the month, so I was relieved to find a pair to tide me over.

2.. This is a picture from the Salt Lake Tribune of the two mayoral candidates, Dave Bulher (l) and Ralph Becker (r). The look on Becker's face is priceless: "O rly?"I would vote for Ralph just for that look. Awesome.

3. Two separate people sent me this yesterday. I got the silk for the plaid wedding reception dress yesterday and I did this very same thing:

What 4 Yards Of Fabric Looks Like In My Apartment

Four yards of fabric is twelve feet, of course, and I had my back against the other wall of the living room to take this picture.

As they say in The Blues Brothers, "Lotta space in this mall."

Holidays in October

I read a lot of craft and knitting blogs, but I don't participate in any of the online craft community: I don't refer to myself as a "crafter," I don't participate in secret blog pal yarn swaps, I don't join online knit-alongs (KALS). But I do think this online event is worth mentioning, considering how happy I am with my sock progress: October is the month of Socktoberfest--a "monthlong celebration of socks" by knitters. Of course!

CuteOverload will tell us that October is actually 'Tocktober, a celebration of furry 'tocks like these:
And of course, there's Halloween. I need to come up with a costume soon if I'm going to make one, but, like every year, I'm stuck--unless I can make something like this (links to YouTube, with sound).

Tuesday Project Roundup: I Got My Mojo Workin' Edition

I got my sewing mojo back over the weekend and finished something the pattern called a minidress and I call a tunic (one must be able to actually sit in a dress).It's not represented well in the picture, but it's made out of very soft corduroy, which makes the sleeve ties feel like little goat ears.
Ahem. Moving right along to socks: It's almost one sock, in just a week. I'm making good speed compared with the last pair, which took about a month.

Cute!

Donkey! Moving lambs for a shepherd! Cute!

(From www.CuteOverload.com)

Friday Unrelated Information

1. I have the day off! Ha ha ha ha ha!

2. What some commenters will be doing this weekend: Anonymous 1 will be at the PBR bull riding event tonight. Anonymous 2 (I assume) will be at the organ festival. Mr. Isbell will be (and I quote) sleeping.

3. I may be brave enough to try some sewing again this weekend. I've retreated to the sock-knitting all week, but I need some (warm) long-sleeved tops to wear to work. Also, I realized I won't be wearing skirts if the weather insists on getting colder (stupid weather), so I have to re-purpose four yards of skirt fabric.

4. To tie in to #2:

A Cria For Thursday

Look at the little guy born at Blue Moon Ranch yesterday! Awww! His name is Primo.

Words I Learned From The Internet Yesterday

austral: pertaining to the Southern Hemisphere

nervio (this one's Spanish): "a feeling of such intense affection that one trembles or grits his teeth with restraint so as not to harm the object of his affection." (I guess it's equivalent to the "I could eat you up!" feeling.)

(I got "nervio" from here, which is worth visiting because it has a picture of Picasso demonstrating the concept.)

The things you can learn from the interwebs!

Tuesday Project Roundup: Let's Think About Something Other Than Sewing For A While, Shall We?

I had to scrap two sewing projects over the weekend, which was deeply frustrating because it was a perfect weekend to "stove up" (as Mr. Isbell says) inside and be crafty. However, on Saturday a houndstooth skirt failed because I refused to admit the fabric was too loosely woven to be cut on the bias, and on Sunday I finished the blue chambray dress and discovered it looked like something issued to an impoverished Russian woman at a state institution for unwed mothers. (Not a flattering fit and not the best use for a plain [prison] blue fabric, in hindsight.)

However, there's knitting! And sweaters are warmer than dresses, especially when they're this thick: This cardigan is going well, but last night I detoured to the yarn store because all I could think of all day was socks (I think my ankles were cold).

So I bought some sock yarn that is computer-dyed to knit up into patterns, like this: I generally avoid things knitted on tiny needles, but I think the magic color changes will keep me interested--and keep my ankles a lot warmer than a Soviet-issue dress.

I Have No Ideas Today

Really. None.