welcome to july

Hi all, just a quickie post!

Someone on one of the message boards I frequent had a topic about what books or fanfic everyone's been reading, and I realized that I hadn't really sat down and read anything longish from beginning to end in a long time, and hadn't marked it on my "Read" list in a *very* long time.

I've updated the "Books/Fics Read" list over on the sidebar now. I'll add stuff to it as they're read. I read a lot of fanfiction!

Got to see Ruth, Denise, Lindsey, Steve and Dean a couple of weeks ago!  Want proof?



We had a great time - there were a TON of people there (I warned Steve!) and I think we walked about 6-7 miles just on Saturday.  Thankfully it wasn't overly hot. Dean was a charmer as usual *sigh* - and left for home the next day at 4:30 AM to get home for Father's Day.  That's 2:30 AM Cali time.  Poor guy.  The rest of us had dinner on Saturday & brunch on Sunday before going our different ways.

Ruth, Linz, Denise and I went to the Superman Museum on Sunday - OMG, they had some of Clark's ties and Lois's dress from "I've Got A Crush On You".  Yes, I was literally jumping up and down! :D  It was so cool!

I'm going to be working full-time soon.  No details allowed yet - we're still working out the kinks.

I'm working on the "Checkerboard Textures Throw" from Red Heart - one and a half more rounds to go and then the cleanup.  The border rounds are 750+ sts around...taking forever! I want to finish this so I can go back to my knitting needles!

Okay, that's all for now.

Cheers!

still kickin'

Yep. Still out here.  Not much going on besides a couple of conventions (loved New Orleans!!) and some other things.  Job hunting.

I realized that I've added a few states to my 'places' map - I couldn't find the original one, so here a new one.  Added Mississippi and Louisiana!

Again, not much going on.  Working on a couple of afghans, finished a present for Mom but need to block it, and am growing some container tomatoes.  Note to self:  Don't buy any more veggie plants if you need to go back to hardware store.  Every time I go, I come back with another plant!!

I'm going to see Ruth, Lindsey, and Denise (oh, and Dean and Steve!) in Metropolis in a couple of weeks for the annual Superman Celebration.  Should be fun!  This is Dean's first time at this event, so he's probably going to be very very busy. I'm hoping we have dry weather - last year Sunday was basically washed out due to all the severe weather they had.  Hear me, Mother Nature?  No t-storms, please.

Well, I just wanted to check in.  Yankees are playing the Cards right now - go Cards!  I can't stand the Yankees.

Cheers!

some addictions are not bad things

So, I've been ODing on an old favorite of mine that just started airing again on HUB.  I was a big fan of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman back in the 90's, and  managed to catch it again starting a couple of weeks ago.  I think I had most of the first 2 seasons memorized!  A former roommate even gave me a framed pic of Dean Cain in 'the suit' as a Christmas present.  lol!

It's a little dated now (pagers? fax? what is this new thing called email? pay phones?) but it's still a lot of fun to watch.  Makes me miss Lane Smith, too.

Anyway, I was wandering around the web looking for...to tell the truth, I don't remember what I was looking for, but came across this:

and had to share.  Hee!!  "Flying blind," indeed. Yum.  Thanks to Melicious for posting the pic first!

The Ravelympics Ravellenic Games start in just under three days!! I think I have the projects printed, the needles ready, and the yarn purchased.  Just need to wind the yarn for my Vittorio! Wish me luck - hope I can get it finished in 16 days, since I'm not a fast knitter.

Everyone tired of the negative political ads yet? I am. I think TV broadcasters should sound a tone to let people know to hit the mute button to block out the political ads. Ugh.

Off to drool at watch another ep of LnC. I'm up to S03E11, "Home Is Where the Hurt Is". I still can't believe that the show is almost 20 years old.  There's something wrong with that.

Keep cool!  It was 107F here today. Can we petition for double-digit heat instead of triple-digit?

Cheers!

so mad I could just spit

Well.  We have less than 50 days to go to the Olympic Games (gee, can I talk about it?  I'm not PAYing anyone, so is it an infringement?) and the USOC has decided to piss off 2 million people at once.

How?

Knitters Outraged After U.S. Olympic Committee Squashes Knitting Olympics—and Disses Knitters

Really?

This has to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen.  How many other items, events, and ideas have the suffix"-lympic" as common use?

I'm am totally disgusted by the actions of a money-grubbing group that claims to have the athletes 'rights and dedication' at heart.

Maybe more later.  I'm just sickened by the idiocy of the USOC.

she wants to take off

747 in a boneyard in the Mojave. What winds!!



The only other thing that's going on...okay, one of a couple things...is that I'm working on my Gemini with Sue and Wendy.  Not much else - trying to stay cool.  It's going to be downright COLD (for June) by the end of the week!

Cheers!

knitting of a different sort and catching up

Hi all.  Yeah!  Still breathing!  Just not doing much besides work, sleep, repeat.

I did finish a project that I'd started a long time ago - it needed about 2-3 more inches of rings and the clasp.

This is a Byzantine design chain, with 4.5mm sterling silver and red-clad copper rings. Yes, that is a quarter. Finished length without the clasp was 22 inches long.  I had a wild idea that I'd like to learn how to make the European 4-in-1 sheet, and realized I'd not finished this one.  I think there's a pair of earrings in the box that needs to be put together too, and then I can play around with the 4-in-1!  Trying to stop the start-it-now-itus before it, well, starts.

I knit my fingers off for Christmas, and have been carrying a 2 color brioche stitch scarf to and from work for over a month.  How many rows have I knit? About 20. Just not motivated.  Lisa showed me a poncho that someone was wearing that she liked, so I've been looking for a pattern for a turtleneck poncho/cape.  I may have a pattern in mind, but I'll have to see how the ribbing works out.

I got a Kindle Fire for Christmas, and it has been the reason for my lack of good sleep for the last 2 months.  I have only read a few things, but I have been collecting a lot of cookbooks and trashy romance novels/novelettes from Amazon's freebies.  The problem is that I'll get involved with a game or scrolling through a bunch of recipes and *poof*  it's 4 AM.

I finally learned how to make pot roast.  yes, I'm going to be 44, but hey, I don't cook for anyone but me, and pot roast is usually a family dinner.  I've made two so far, both in the slow-cooker, and have been tweaking the recipe as I go along.  Most of the recipes for slow-cooker pot roast call for cream of mushroom soup, but I'm not using it.  I've also decided I need to make my own onion soup mix, cuz the first one was waaaay too onion-y.  Wish me luck!

I did find a cardi I'd like to make for myself:

It's from the Bond-America people, and why yes, I do have a knitting machine (of course!)...what do you think of the cardi?

Breaking news: SPRING TRAINING HAS BEGUN! FULL SQUAD! AAAIIIIEEE!!!!

Ahem.

Time for sleep - the dog is snoring away and the infomercials have started on the TV.

Cheers!

bohemian rhapsody - classically

OR!Sue sent me this....it's pretty cool!



I hope everyone had a nice holiday - tonight's a busy sports night for St. Louis fans, as the Blues are playing the Stars right now and the Rams play the Seahawks in primetime (!!) at 7:15.

I have yarn to photograph and review, a living room to attempt to reorganize, and a scarf to finish :)

Enjoy the vid, and cheers!

moviesign - deathly hallows (movie spoilers ahoy)

Well.

It's Saturday night, I'm flipping back and forth between the football Tigers playing Iowa State and the Blues/Devils game (Mizzou is leading, Blues are tied). The house smells like oregano and butter (the cloverleaf roll experiment/dry run for Thanksgiving was a success).  The pup is hunting squirrels in her sleep (her nose is twitching something fierce).

I'm recovering from 8 hours of sleep in the last 2 days.

Paula and I went to the midnight show of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One after dinner on Thursday, and I have to say, for the most part, I was impressed. More on that in a few.

The crowd at the Regal was fairly young and loud - I was surprised that there were so many older teens there, as it was a November Thursday, with school in session. Lots of costumes.  I saw a gal dressed in gold with wings on her head (she was a Snitch), many many Gryffindors, witches, wizards, and a guy in a dress.  I'm not sure if he was dressed as Fleur-as-Harry, or if he lost a bet, but he was a SCARY woman. LOL! Whoever dressed him had him in red (!!) heels, and after the third or fourth time he came and went (he was in the row behind us), the shoes were off. I think Paula was traumatized.

We actually got to sit for about 2 hours in the theatre before the movie, and they didn't start the 'in-betweens' until 11:30.  At first we were all happy to have something to look at, except they ran the same 'quizzes' about 10 times.  We were shouting out the answers to the questions as the pages were displayed.  Yeah, we were a little impatient. THEN previews.  TRON was first, everyone thought that was cool...but every preview afterwards was greeted with grumbles, and by the time we got to the Yogi Bear preview, there were chants of "Harry, Harry, Harry" rumbling through the theatre. Again, impatient!

I won't go into details about the movie - I'm sure that there are enough blow-by-blow reviews out there to satisfy everyone.  I will give my highlights, tho ;D LOTS of skipping around here.

• I missed Dudley saying thank you to Harry.
• "I was afraid you'd lost your way..." made me go 'ooooh...nice double meaning!'
• Where the hell did Harry get the mirror??
• The cupboard under the stairs made me tear up.
• Hermione with Harry's eyebrows.  *diez*
• Thought Harry was going to keel over ... Oh, Ginny! lol
• Could Ron be any more smitten?
• YOU HAVE ONE HOUR! (to fix my office)
• Churchyard. *weeps*
• Snake. *jumps* Good god, Bathilda was perfectly creepy.
• Harry Potter, newest member of the polar bear club
• Harry and Hermione look a little...blue....and....nekkid....
• THEY LEFT OUT MY FAVORITE LINES.  WAH!!!
• Ron is such a suck-up lol
• The DH story art was cool
• *sob*

The chase from the Snatchers made me almost queasy, since the camera was all over the freaking place.  It was really hard to follow what we were supposed to follow.  I'd imagine it was one heck of a job to edit. Hey, Academy! Award for Editing needs a nomination...I nominate DH1!!

I should also say that many of my notes were used for the PFW podcast review and were written down the SECOND time I saw the movie on Friday.  Yes, I saw it twice in 14 hours. Yes, I did that for HBP too. yes, I'm a fan!  lol The Snatcher scene wasn't as bad the second time, as I sat further back in the theatre and center instead of closer and to the right. I can't imagine trying to watch that from the front rows. Ugh.

Speaking of the podcast, I have no idea when the review will be up, but when it is you can download it via iTunes (search PotterFicWeekly in Podcasts) or off the PFW site, which I think is linked on the right.

My favorite section of dialogue from THE ENTIRE BOOK was left out. It was the part after Ron has destroyed the Horcrux in the locket (yes, the audience cheered at both showings) and before they go back to Hermione. To quote JKR:

"After you left," he said in a low voice, grateful for the fact that Ron's face was hidden, "she cried for a week. Probably longer, only she didn't want me to see. There were loads of nights when we never even spoke to each other. With you gone..."

He could not finish; it was now that Ron was here again that Harry fully realized how much his absence had cost them.

"She's like my sister," he went on. "I love her like a sister and I reckon that she feels the same way about me. It's always been like that. I thought you knew."

Ron did not respond, but turned his face away from Harry and wiped his nose noisily on his sleeve. Harry got to his feet again and walked to where Ron's enormous rucksack lay yards away, discarded as Ron had run toward the pool to save Harry from drowning. He hoisted it onto his own back and walked back to Ron, who clambered to his feet as Harry approached, eyes bloodshot but otherwise composed.

"I'm sorry," he said in a thick voice. "I'm sorry I left. I know I was a -- a --"

He looked around at the darkness, as if hoping a bad enough word would swoop down upon him and claim him.

"You've sort of made up for it tonight," said Harry. "Getting the sword. Finishing off the Horcrux. Saving my life."

I listen to the audiobooks and Jim Dale reading the US version of this scene is one of my all-time favorite parts.  I was put out that it wasn't included when so much of other dialogue was lifted directly from the book. It's so heartfelt from Harry. :(

If you have read the books, or have seen all of the movies (and yes, this one is not a stand-alone; you need to see ALL of them), go see this one.  I may go see it in the HD or IMAX (is there a difference?) the first weekend of December. No 3D this time - not that I mind, since I don't like 3D anyway.

I've been working on Christmas presents - I've made two Rodekool brioche lace scarves and am about 2/3 into a third one.  I *may* make one more before I work on fingerless mitts.  I didn't get the Ravenclaw shrug finished before the movie due to the fact that I should have stopped what I was working on a week before I did.  Meh.  It needs to have the sleeves seamed and the body ribbing knitted, and it's done.  Almost 6 feet of stockinette!  I did one entire half from Saturday to Wednesday and grafted the two sleeves together. 110 stitches of mid-back grafting. Ugh... I do like the Patons wool.  Nice stitch definition, pretty drape, and good even fabric.

Mizzou is leading 14-0 with 3 minutes left in the game, and the Blues are tied up 2-2 at the start of the third period, and I think I'm out of gas. I may also be out of parentheses.

Have a nice Thanksgiving, US peoples!

Cheers!

a little catchup

Hi all!

Yeah, I know, long time to write.  I figured I was just doing my regular boring stuff, but there are little spots here and there I'll pass on.

The biggest one was that D and NE!Sue came to visit last weekend, and we shopped and ate and walked and drank ;)  We went to IHOP (of course) Thursday night. Then Loopy Ewe, Hodak's (I love their fried chicken), Knitorious, 2 malls in search of a handbag, and Mike Duffy's in Kirkwood.  And that was just Friday!

Saturday was Oktoberfest in Hermann. We went to the Brush and Palette Club show - it's very sad, but it seems to be getting smaller every year.  I'm guessing it's a recession thing, but there were a lot fewer vendors than I ever remember seeing.  We drove up to Stone Hill, and had the Plate - bratwurst (hold the sauerkraut on mine), German potato salad, and chunky applesauce - and bought some wine.

I got the latest line of Stone Hill's semi-sweet called "Jacquesse" - yes, it's pronounced "jackass" and has a donkey on the bottle! LOL!!  The white is on the sweet side of semi, the red is a nicely bodied fruity semi, and the 'berry' (rosé) tastes like weird combination of kiwi-strawberry and raspberry.  It's the sweetest of the three, I think.  I'll let you know after I drink more of it *g*

We wrapped up Hermann at the FestHalle which is part of the Dierbergs family-owned Hermannhof Winery.  We started going to the Festhalle a few years ago, and it's great for music, beer, wine, and music! Did I mention the music? There was a 40th birthday party going on right in the middle of the Halle - everyone was having a great time, and I think it's really nice to be able to bring in your own food (and in this case, decorations) to celebrate with a group.  We had wonderful weather all weekend, and great company.  :)  It's almost an annual event for us to get together!

More mundane stuff - my father's been helping me fix things around the condo and we're working thru the list.  This is what happens when you live in a 45 year old place - things break!  I now have 2 working sinks again!  w00t!  Next up: the dripdripdripdripping kitchen faucet. Then the outside light, the baseboard heaters, the bathtub faucet....and the deforestation of my courtyard. heh heh heh

I've been working on a vocal project to record my voice for use as a synthesized voice.  The project is called ModelTalker and it is a speech synthesis system for 'banking' your voice.  It was primarily developed for people who are losing the ability to speak due to ALS or other illnesses, but I'm on the other end of the spectrum - I'm a "beta" for the program, and am offering my voice to be synthesized for others to use.  Kind of like donating my voice so that someone who has already lost theirs can speak.  My benefit is that I will receive a SAPI5 version of me for my own use.  It's been interesting, and frustrating at times, as it's still in beta, but I'm about 2/3 of the way through the 1600 phrases needed for recording.  My problems have been more allergy and sinus related than anything - I have to record in almost complete silence, and have a clear nose!!  I despise allergy season.

If you know someone who has a great voice and is willing to spend some time to help others, direct them to that linked site, please.  The software is available up to and including Windows 7 64-bit.

33 days to Deathly Hallows #1.  I.  Can't. Wait.  *bounce bounce*  Warner Bros. announced last weekend that the movie will NOT be ready for a 3D IMAX release which, in my opinion, is just fine.  I can't see in 3D anyway, and from what I've heard, the conversion method makes things shaky and blurry.  I'd rather have it in HD, please!  Besides, Dan Radcliffe doesn't like 3D either, so there! The trailer in the post below has been changed very slightly to reflect the 2D only release.  I would LOVE the one-sheets. I may have to go hunt for I just found two at AllPosters - Trio in Trees and Hogwarts in Flames - and Leaky has the close-ups of the trio (plus Dobby) and the villains.  I want the Harry one, and the Greyback one freaks me the hell out.

I have a metric ton of yarn to review. I've gotten to the point that I don't know where to start, but man, I need to organize.  The latest is (another) BSJ, and I found a very pretty short scarf that I want to make for a few people - it's called "Rodekool" and is available as a Knitty pattern. Now I'm interested in the Brioche stitch! help....me.....

Anyway, not much else going on. The Lily-pup is as crazy as ever, and now weighs in at 15.2 pounds.  YAY! The Cards didn't make the playoffs, and the $%*&^$ Reds did, but were swept by Philly.  I'd've liked to have seen the Rays go to the WS, but they're out too.  I'm not going to say who I'm rooting for else I jinx them, but let's just say they don't rhyme with Spanky's or My Aunts. Ahem.

More later.  Gotta organize the Yarn!Stash!Monster first.

Cheers!!

pooches, ravelympics and basically touching base

Hi! Thought I abandoned you? Naw. Just my usual boring life going on, so I haven't posted.

I posted a while ago that I had some bad news to pass on. On September 10, 2009, my dear pooch Pluto had a heart attack and died in my arms. I'm afraid I was depressed for a few months, and that's mainly why I've failed to post. I didn't knit, blog, or chat much online. It didn't help that it was really quiet here at home, with no furry friend to motivate me to get moving.

On January 15th, that changed.

I'd been casually looking at PetFinders, and wondering if I'd want another dog. And what kind. Well, I came across this one sad looking dog that looked like she needed a home, and went to see her. Three days later, I adopted Lily. She is a very small 5 year old beagle, or possibly a beagle/dachshund mix. She's a tri-color, no 'flag' on her tail, and bays loudly! She's only 9 inches tall at the shoulder, and was an emaciated 8.5 lbs when I got her. She had a LOT of things wrong - whipworms, coccydia, dehydration, and (as I later found out) a double ear infection. Since then, we have managed to kick all of that to the curb, and today she was a whopping 12.7 lbs! Yay! Now we're working on housebreaking - almost there - and how she seems to have to sleep in the MIDDLE of the bed.

Here's a pic from January 31 - she travels VERY well, sleeps 5 minutes after getting on the road - and we were at Fort Kaskaskia Park in southern Illinois:

She's a little dog with a big mouth - will bay at me if I don't make her dinner fast enough, and has a bit of separation anxiety, but she's a good dog otherwise. If she's awake, the tail is wagging! We also need to work on the hogging of the warm air from the space heater - she's a great draft blocker, so I end up staying cold while she gets a nice warm back or tummy! I'm working on more pictures, so stay tuned.

I have picked my knitting up again, and participated in the 2010 Ravelympics! I medaled in several categories:

If you click on the picks (except for the Single Skein), you'll be redirected to pictures of the completed projects. I started but didn't complete a Kureopatora's Snake as well, finished that one a few days ago, and started another one for me. The temps right now don't warrant scarves, though. Oddly, I think this happened last year about this time too - right after I finished Lisa's basketweave scarf. Hmmm.

I'm recovering from a series of illnesses that landed on me all at once the first week of February, and am TIRED of taking pills. Bleh. I'm nearing the end of my third (!!) course of antibiotics, and finally (mostly) have my voice back. Had to have a root canal due to the infection moving into a tooth, as well. I'm feeling much better now.

I love Meteorite Men. Want more Eps!!!

Lastly, BASEBALL HAS RETURNED! *happydances* Spring Training games started last week (and Yes, I'm glad they don't count. Ouch!) and Opening Day is 4 weeks away. Four weeks!

Okay, I think I'm wound out. Yarn reviews should return soon (I just bought some! w00t!) after I take pictures and type out the list.

Cheers!

idle chatter

Miss me? Awww!

I know this was from a few days (weeks?) ago, during the media blitz before HBP came out, but it's funny! It's in 2 parts, and Yes, it's Dan. ;P Ah, July 9th. Just over three weeks ago.





Sorry, I think the sound is all left channel, but I can't help that.

Still haven't taken pics of the yarn yet - and I'm buying a kettle-dyed lot from Rachel @ Dyeabolical today. She went and dyed it, and then had a severe allergic reaction to it! She posted about it late last night, and I'm relieving her of half of what she dyed this evening. I'll take a pic of that as well. *hugs to Rachel*

I'm almost to the center point of the Ravenclaw shrug, and need to get one more ball of the grey yarn. Meh. I hope they have the same dye lot. In the meantime, I've started yet another sock: it's called Outside In and it's available on Knitty.com in the Summer 2009 set. I'm using the Premier Yarns "Serenity Sock Weight" in Aquamarine for the socks - I've already ripped back and restarted with a larger needle (a US2 instead of a US1) and I think they'll fit better. Me and my big feet!

I'm going to see HBP in IMAX tomorrow - the first 15 minutes are in 3D, so the joke has been that I have a date with Harry in 3D. LOL!

I'm still planning on reading the fic that Ryan wants to podcast, but the Peons have run into a little trouble - it appears that we're going to have to re-record several eps, as one of the guest hosts had a HDD crash and lost all her files. Before she uploaded them. Grrrrrr. We're going to have a meeting tonight to discuss it.

The Cards are in first place (w00t!!) and the new acquisitions (Holliday and Lugo) have been productive! According to...I don't remember, one of the sportswriters off my Twitter list, I think....if the Cards are in first on the morning of 8/1, they have won the division. If they are not in first, they have not won the division. That goes back to the beginning of the franchise, I believe. We're in first today. The trend will continue!!

That's all from me right now. Cheers!

yet another hbp clip

This one was put up a couple of days (2?) ago, and made me squee! Okay, so all of them are making me squee. Gimme a break.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Exclusive Clip


I'm working on a new project - a shrug based on the Caron Simply Shadows Shrug. It will be dark oxford grey mix with new denim stripes above the wrists and in the opening ribbing. The stripes are fairly subtle, but they show off my Ravenclaw house colors! I'm making it out of Patons Classic Wool. I'll post some pics of it as I go along!

Tomorrow night I'm going to get my copy of Harry, A History signed by Melissa Anelli! Apparently they are coming to St. Louis instead of Kansas City for the PC/Wrock tour, so they'll have a booksigning, a PotterCast show recording, and The Remus Lupins and Whompy! St. Louis County Library Headquarters at 6, people! Come see them, and say hi.

I found out that the closest theatre is going to have HBP for the midnight show, and I'll be getting my ticket for that on Sunday. w00t! 11 days, 23 hours and 25 minutes.

Watching the replay of the game today (we won) - we're tied for first with the Brewers, and Albert rocks. First player in history to get 30 homers in each of his first nine (!!) seasons. Awesome.

Off to sleep soon - working both Friday and Saturday. Yay for holiday pay!

Cheers!

new tv spot for hbp

Been a few days....

First up, new TV spot for HBP! It makes it look like a teen movie! Ack. LOL!



66 days to go. Sigh.

We may go see Star Trek tonight - it depends on PK. Actually, I may go see it by myself, as sometimes it's hard to pry her out of the house. And I thought I was bad. Biggest issue is that Faire starts next week. I have no idea if I'm working (probably not as it looks) but we'll see.

Rick Ankiel went onto the DL this week - I'm thinking it was retroactive to the 5th of May - due to the crash on Tuesday. Nothing broken, thank god, but he's got a deep 'contusion' on his right shoulder and a case of whiplash. I'm sure he's pretty body sore! I'm just really glad he's okay. He even thought that he'd broken his neck. Phew.

We're still in first in the Central, but we need to exact some revenge on the Reds today. I also want to know what the heck is going on with other teams plunking our players!! We apparently lead the NL in the hit-by-pitch (HBP? hehehe) category with 17 - 5 times in the 2 games we played the Phillies, and twice in the second Pirates game. Seven times in four games. What's up with that?? It's not like they're standing over the plate - these are usually after 3-4 pitches into the count. Weird.

I have yarn to review at some point (I sound like a broken record) and I've started the "Charade" socks again, this time cuff-down, two at a time on magic loop. I need a longer needle, as the 32" is starting to drive me bonkers. I think I need a 40" or so. The shop that I'd go to on the way home from work on Saturday has closed its doors now, I think (Chris' Craft on Olive, very sad) so I'll have to wait till Monday or call Thi and see if she has any long US1s in stock. Haven't been there in a while!

Did I mention that the Canucks swept the Blues right out of the playoffs? I didn't think so. Ang was a happy bunny *rolls eyes* but she's been tearing at her hair over round two. Payback is hell, yeah?

Discovered Kirstie Alley and Melissa Gilbert on Twitter - Kristie is totally addicted and posts several HUNDRED times a day. I knew she was awake this morning when my Chirpr (which was fairly quiet up till then) started tweeting at me every thirty seconds or so. She's yakky! Yesterday was Melissa's birthday, so she wasn't online, but apparently she's pretty yakky too. I remember talking to her (a lot!) in the old AOL Eclipse Cafe. She was a self-proclaimed chat addict, and I think she's going to be just as 'bad' on Twitter. LOL!

Back to work. Cheers!

caution: sunglasses needed

I don't follow golf. Really. Having said that, I had to laugh at this:

John Daly's horrifying new golf pants are visible from orbit

*dies*

On another note, Teh Prez was in town this morning marking his 100th day in office. I missed his motorcade going by, but I understand that they closed the highway for a mile ahead and behind it, and blocked all the overpasses. I'm wondering if they didn't go through downtown on the way back, since I think they left Fox about 12:30 and we didn't see them come back by. Ah well.

I do actually have a little bit of yarn to review - that'll be some time in the next little while. I started a pair of "Charade" socks, and after finishing the heel flap and turn (which I had to frog twice!?!) I ripped it all out and decided to use the same number of stitches (increased to 72 from 64) and a smaller needle. I'm also going to see if I can't do these two at a time with the magic loop technique. I just didn't like how the yarn looked - it's Paton's Stretch Socks in Taffy, and it was just too loose of a stitch, especially with the stretch in it.

The Trio were spotted in Piccadilly last week, filming the Apparation from the wedding, and part of the 'cafe attack'. They've moved it from Tottenham Court Road to Piccadilly, apparently because Piccadilly is more recognizable. There are a metric ton of paparazzi pictures from the sequence - they were there at least two nights, filming in the middle of the night with lots of extras and everything else. the pictures have already been picked apart for details! Hermione's 'beaded bag' looks like a pouch bag, in maybe dark green. I liked her red dress and shoes, though! There were also shots of Dan and Emma and a tent from the weekend before in Scotland. No Rupert, so I'm guessing it's the scene after he leaves. The tent looks like the one they used in GoF!

I'm having way too much fun with Twitter. Even got Mom on it, but I'm guessing she hasn't even looked at it since last week. It's amusing watching Brent Spiner's 'run from the law' and Matt Lewis' pining over missing Rachel (his new car). ;)

Cards lead in the Central by 2.5; still early early, though. Rubber game with the Braves tonight!

Okay, back to work for me. Cheers!

a vid gakked from tom smith and babbles

Everyone know Tom Smith? No? You should so go check out his website and blog!!

Anyway, I gakked this from his LiveJournal. I love the smiles!!




I bought yarn from.....Michaels and The Weaving Department. I'll list them after I shoot them - I did get one of the Winter's Tale yarns by Opal! I'll shoot the Ron socks at that time, too. I'm already about halfway through BSJ #....6? No. #7. It's in the Angel yarn, Blue River. I'll be sending this along this week to a baby. Oh, yeah, and to his mom, too. ;) PK and D have decided that what I should give up for Lent is yarn purchases! ack.......!

Not much else happening - Leaky posted that the role of Reg Cattermole was cast for DH - which means the Ministry of Magic scene is in! YAAYY!!

Must read fic for tonight's podcast...Cheers!

the post without a title

I'm tired, I'm cranky, and I'm not taking it any more!

Okay, so, I'm just tired. And I have yarn.

• 1 100g hank Dome Hill Yarns "Supersock" (80% superwash, 20% nylon) in colorway Blueberry (pale to medium sky blue). This is a local hand-dyed yarn out of Warrensburg, Missouri! It's a lovely, smooshy yarn. Check out her shop!
• 1 4oz hank Dream in Color "Smooshy" (100% superfine merino superwash) in colorway In Vino Veritas (dark red, wine, deep purples). "In wine [there is the] truth." Yum.
• 1 100g hank Mountain Colors Yarns "Bearfoot" (60% superwash, 25% mohair, 15% nylon) in colorway Mystic Lake (indigo, blue, wine, purple, orange-gold, forest green, pine) #2.
• 2 50g hanks Mirasol Yarn Collection "Hacho" (100% hand dyed wool) in colorway #308 (dark blue, wine, burgundy, forest green, olive, lime, gold, yellow, orange). It's very colorful!!

I didn't get to see Chi on Monday (you are supposed to cook the meatballs all the way through, roommate-of-Teh-Chi), so instead I went to True Blue Fiber Friends in Columbia where I met Bex (*waves!*) and bought the above yarns. Plu was very very good in the car, even with the high winds pushing me all over the road and the windshield wipers going. The yarn shop is easy to get to, and she has local-dyed yarns and artwork for sale there, too.

Not much else going on - Charter is in the news this week (no, they aren't closing, I promise), and my car needs to go BACK to the shop again for electrical something. I managed to blow out 4 fuses in 2 days, and still have no dashboard or running lights. The GPS and the radio are fine! Meh.

Pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training tomorrow *happydances!!!!* and filming for Deathly Hallows starts...next week, I think! Only 153 days to go for HBP. Sigh.

I'm listening to The Temptation of the Night Jasmine by Lauren Willig. Audible *finally* got Crimson Rose - only took a year. I already bought the CDs, though, darnit. It's pretty good, but I think the Eloise/Colin storyline is going to kill me for its length. It's like reading a romance novel that has 3 chapters published every year!

Almost almost almost finished with the Ron socks. I'm ribbing. Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, I know it's early, but I'm pooped.

Cheers!

was going to bed...

I was. Really. This is all OR!Sue's fault.

Anyway.

I just finished reading an interview from "The Daily Beast" with Dan Rad. It's an interesting read (and also not rated G, so heads up).

Filming for DH starts in about 2-3 weeks - no, NE!Sue, I don't know the date :P - and there's already been a serious accident on the set. I hope and pray that it's not as bad as it sounds.

I finished knitting on SiL's scarf - yeah, I started it ages ago, but the modified checkerboard at 62 inches long was starting to drive me barmy. Hope she likes it. I'm almost to the start of my short row heel for Ron Sock #2, and I have lots more knitting to do, so I'm working on that at lunchtime.

Jen on PFW had her baby! I almost won the baby pool! Lee Russell, 26 Jan 2009, 7lb 5oz, 20 inches long. Congrats to Jen and James, and welcome to the mayhem, Baby Lee! This is so exciting! ;D

Oh! I kept forgetting: My Books Read 2008 list is linked below the new 2009 list. I finished up This Will Be Our Year earlier (when I was actually GOING to bed) and it is linked on the new list. Go read!!

I have yarn arriving from DNBY tomorrow *ducks the flying shoes* via UPS, and I actually shoveled the path between the back door and the gate. I didn't put salt down, however, because it's below 20F and most of that path will not get sunlight, so it'll just stay frozen. That, and Plu's feet wouldn't like the salt. We ended up with somewhere between 6 and 9 inches of snow, but it was sunny today! Or yesterday. Something like that.

Okay. Going to bed now.

Cheers!

yarn and dan rad on conan

Well, I'm still here. Sue thinks I'm MIA, but I'm not.

I did find a sock yarn cache of epic proportions in my storage room, so be prepared! This is a scary list, considering that it is NOT counting the (mostly hand-dyed) yarn I have in the office. Note that I haven't bought (much) yarn in the last month - I'd say that the Kroy Stretch and the Baby Jacquard have been the last purchases....I do have one from Dyeabolical that I need to shoot and list. Later.

The mondo list:

• 1 5oz skein Hobby Lobby "I Love This Yarn" (100% acrylic) in colorway Freedom Ombre (red, white and blue)
• 1 5oz skein Hobby Lobby "I Love This Yarn" (100% acrylic) in colorway Autumn Stripe (sage, rust, green, burgundy, orange)
• 1 5oz skein Hobby Lobby "I Love This Yarn" (100% acrylic) in colorway Cranapple Stripe (cream, cranberry, red, green)
• 1 4 oz skein Red Heart "Hokey Pokey" (100% acrylic) in colorway Sunshine (yellow with red, blue, green, purple and yellow fleck)
• 2 5oz skeins Red Heart "Super Saver Multi" (100% acrylic) in colorway Lipstick (red, burgundy, pink, rouge)
• 2 5oz Red Heart "Super Saver Fleck" (96% acrylic, 4% other fibers) in colorway Aran Fleck (cream with brown, black, rust, and dark green donagal fleck)
• 1 100g ball King Cole "Stonewash Double Knitting" (70% acrylic, 30% cotton) in colorway Denim (blue and white)
• 1 100g ball of Plymouth Yarn Co. "Sockotta" (45% cotton, 40% SW wool, 15% nylon) in colorway #13 (white, grey, charcoal, sky blue). I call it "Glacier".
• 1 100g ball of Plymouth Yarn Co. "Sockotta" (45% cotton, 40% SW wool, 15% nylon) in colorway #11 (grey, blue, yellow, orange)
• 1 100g ball of Plymouth Yarn Co. "Sockotta" (45% cotton, 40% SW wool, 15% nylon) in colorway #15 (red, green, blue, yellow, orange)
• 1 100g ball of Plymouth Yarn Co. "Sockotta" (45% cotton, 40% SW wool, 15% nylon) in colorway #16 (purple, charcoal, orange, pink)
• 1 100g ball of Plymouth Yarn Co. "Sockotta" (45% cotton, 40% SW wool, 15% nylon) in colorway #09 (charcoal, grey, white, blue)
• 1 100g ball of Plymouth Yarn Co. "Sockotta" (45% cotton, 40% SW wool, 15% nylon) in colorway #08 (medium to very pale blue)
• 1 100g ball of Plymouth Yarn Co. "Sockotta" (45% cotton, 40% SW wool, 15% nylon) in colorway #12 (bright green, red, yellow, blue, pink, orange)
• 1 100g ball Colorado Yarns "Worsted" (100% superwash) in colorway #1415 (blue)
• 1 100g ball Fortissima "Colori 1000" (75% wool, 25% nylon) in colorway #490 (blue, forest green, leaf green, red, yellow, burgundy, orange)
• 1 100g ball Regia "Plus Cotton Jacquard Color" (25% nylon, 37% cotton, 38% wool) in colorway #5274 (dark to light blue, cream to chocolate brown, white/grey dot)
• 2 50g balls Lane Cervinia "Forever Jacquard" (75% superwash, 25% nylon) in colorway #10 (red, green, purple-blue, white/black dot)
• 2 50g balls Regia "Ringel Color" (75% wool, 25% nylon) in colorway #5048 (pink, light orange, blue, lime green, yellow)
• 2 50 g balls Regia "Stretch" (70% wool, 23% nylon, 7% polyester) in colorway #88 (olive, pea green, tan, brown, charcoal)
• 1 100g ball Scheepjes "Invicta Coloris" (75% wool, 25% nylon) in colorway #1702 (burgundy, dark yellow, purple, blue, green, cream, white/black dot)
• 1 100g ball Scheepjes "Invicta Coloris" (75% wool, 25% nylon) in colorway #1700 (bronze, blue, grey, white/black dot) Ravenclaw house colors!
• 2 50g balls Regia "Jacquard Color" (75% wool, 25% nylon) in colorway #5274 (dark blue, sky blue, light chocolate brown, tan, white/black dot)
• 1 100g ball Rellana "Flotte Socke" (75% wool, 25% nylon) in colorway #828 (white, red, yellow, blue)
• 1 100g ball Trekking "XXL" (75% wool, 25% nylon) in colorway #23 (red, white, yellow, purple, green)
• 2 50g balls Regia "Mini Ringel Color" (75% wool, 25% nylon) in colorway #5220 (purple-blue, sky blue, med green, leaf green, black)
• 1 50g ball DGB "Confetti" (75% wool, 25% nylon) in colorway #236 (charcoal, grey, white/black dot) Souvenir yarn from Wool & Wicker in Richmond, BC.
• 3 50g balls Patons "Kroy" (75% wool, 25% nylon) in colorway #54040 (black)
  1 3.5oz skein Bernat "Baby Jacquard" (90% acrylic, 10% nylon) in colorway Berries & Cream (yellow, very light pink, pink)
• 1 3.5oz skein Bernat "Baby Jacquard" (90% acrylic, 10% nylon) in colorway Cherry Berry (white, pink)
• 2 50g balls Patons "Kroy Socks" (75% wool, 25% nylon) in colorway Flax (grey)
• 2 50g balls Patons "Stretch Sock" (41% cotton, 29% wool, 13% nylon, 7% elastic) in colorway Mineral (sky blue, medium blue, grey, orange, brown)
• 2 50g balls Patons "Stretch Sock" (41% cotton, 29% wool, 13% nylon, 7% elastic) in colorway Licorice (black, grey, charcoal)
• 2 50g balls Patons "Stretch Sock" (41% cotton, 29% wool, 13% nylon, 7% elastic) in colorway Taffy (cream, caramel, chocolate brown)
• 2 50g balls Red Heart "Heart & Sole with Aloe" (70% superwash wool, 30% nylon) in colorway Rustica (medium brown, orange, blue, red, white, sky blue)
• 1 7oz skein Hobby Lobby "I Love This Yarn" (100% acrylic) in colorway Orange. This is for Karen's fingerless mitts (Fetching).
• 1 3.5oz ball Yarn Bee "Haute Fur" (100% Exoline) in colorway Rouge Wiles (red)
• 1 3oz ball Yarn Bee "Gilt Eyelash" (55% polyester, 45% lurex glitter) in colorway Passionspark (peachy pink)
• 1 3oz ball Yarn Bee "Gilt Eyelash" (55% polyester, 45% lurex glitter) in colorway Star Ruby (red)
• 1 3.5 oz ball Yarn Bee "Elvish" (100% polyester) in colorway Almond (cream, tan, white) Hedwig colors.
• 1 3.5 oz ball Yarn Bee "Elvish" (100% polyester) in colorway Raisin (pink and dark purple)

Some notes on some of these:

I bought the King Cole Stonewash Denim along with a ball of the same yarn in pink that were knitted into my very first pair of socks. I don't have those socks anymore - they were 'borrowed' by Steve R. just after I finished them because he had no thick socks for hunting! He still wears them, and it's been at least 10 years since I knitted those.

I love Sockotta - and at one time had every color that had been dreamed of at the time. Several of the ones listed above have been discontinued for at least 6 years.

It amused me that two of the yarns - the Scheepjes Invicta "Ravenclaw" colors and the Regia immediately following the Invicta are both Ravenclaw house colors - and I'd bought them long before I'd even read the Potter books, let alone before I was sorted into Ravenclaw!

The Colorado Yarn was bought as a test skein for the Aran-styled sweater Jack which is still in design and test phase. I've designed 5 sweaters for the Stargate: SG-1 team (original team plus Jonas) that are on paper only. I'd seriously considered doing them in colors, but I think I've decided to make them all cream-colored. It is a pretty blue, though.

I also found several pairs of socks that I'd finished knitting, and for some reason hadn't finished grafting and weaving in the ends. One was in Regia Plus Cotton, one was Swizzle greys, one was in Sockotta stone browns (I think that was the same pattern that I sent Linds when she went from crutch to cane for the first time many years ago!) and one knee-hi pair in what looks like Fortissima Colori self-striping. Go me!

I'm almost finished with Lisa's scarf - I soooo want to be done with this thing. I've been sneaking in more rows on the Ron socks...and I really want to finish Seeker.

Dan Radcliffe was on Conan O'Brien again this past week - the clip is on YouTube...er, it WAS on YouTube. Removed. oops!

Sue in OR and I were talking about Mr. Rad a little tonight - I know this sounds odd, but I'm starting really see what he's going to look like in a few years, when the rest of the adolescent 'baby fat' has melted away. His features are becoming sharper. It's rather hard to explain, and not sound like a perv. ;) He is (imho) good-looking now, and will be striking in a few more years.

The Japanese version of the international trailer for HBP was capped over on the hbpmoviepics comm on LiveJournal - there are a few caps that I haven't seen yet, and so we're all waiting anxiously for the English version! The new caps had the Harry/Ginny kiss literally a breath away...I think they're trying to kill us. Guh.

Pitchers and catchers report in 26 days. YAY!!!

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Tomorrow - Inauguration Day! Going to be a busy news day, I think.

Cheers!!

okay, so maybe i am a fangrrl

*rolls eyes at self*

I'm hoping that the E! interview will embed properly...I still have not watched Dan on Inside the Actors Studio, but I hope to on Tuesday night.



Isn't he cute? hehehe! I'm such a perv. Sigh. AND! I am right!!! I've said that the reason that WB moved HBP to next year was because they didn't have a blockbuster for next summer due to the writers' strike, and now Dan says he thinks that too! Vindication!! *pokes WB for good measure*

Also on the video front, someone (Robert from Spellcast, I think) sent me a link for a "Disney Sarah Palin Parody" which was quite amusing.

I know, I still haven't reviewed my yarn. Time now!

• 1 4oz skein Red Heart "Strata" (100% acrylic) in colorway Crayon (white, red, yellow, green, blue/white dot)
• 1 2oz skein Yarn Bee "I Love This Yarn Sport Weight" (100% acrylic) in colorway Green Camo Multi (chocolate brown, forest green, olive, black, tan, white)
• 1 3.5 oz ball Yarn Bee "Elvish" (100% polyester) in colorway Clove (rust, orange, red) Phoenix colors.
• 2 50g balls Red Heart "Heart & Sole with Aloe" (70% superwash wool, 30% nylon) in colorway Toasted Almond (medium brown, dark brown, charcoal, black, cream, tan, grey, navy)
• 2 50g balls Patons "Kroy Socks Stripes" (75% machine washable wool, 25% nylon) in colorway Burnished Sierra Stripes (orange, brown, grey, rust, black, gold)
• 1 5oz Red Heart "Super Saver Fleck" (96% acrylic, 4% other fibers) in colorway Aran Fleck (cream with brown, black, rust, and dark green donagal fleck). I'm using this one to teach someone how to knit - I'm making a scarf, and my SIL has been eyeballing it. Christmas present!

I haven't taken shots of these yet - I may not at all, since most of them are online. I'll think about it.

Lots of recording to do - I was auctioned off for the Deathday party on PFW, and Bob, the "Squirrel King" won me. I'll be reading a one-shot by Viridian. We're also working on the Christmas ep of PFW, and I've got at least three things in the works for that. I'm in the middle of recording Chapter 14 of Harry Potter and the Battle of Wills (we're reviewing Chapter 16 right now! eep) and I still need to edit Chapter 26 of After the End. I'm working on them, I promise! I've been getting distracted by a couple of very good fanfics - I'm following several WIPs, and one has reached the 100K stage, so it made it on the "Books Read" list. It's called Easier To Be, and it's by hgfan1111. It should be finished shortly. Mature themes, so it's not for the under-17 group.

We had a good day yesterday - Ash and I went to Nephew #2's hockey game (they lost), then to Happy Joe's Pizza (yum!), LadyBug Beads, B&N, and then Michael's. Ash got most of her Christmas shopping wrapped up, and I get to wrap them. LOL!

Okay, that's enough for now.

Cheers!

i'm drowning in yarn

Um...a little too much. What, you may ask? Yarn....:

• 2 3oz balls Naturally Caron "Country" (75% Microdenier Acrylic/25% merino wool) in colorway #0024 Black (black).
• 2 3oz balls Naturally Caron "Country" (75% Microdenier Acrylic/25% merino wool) in colorway #0011 Gilder Age (gold).
• 1 4oz skein Baby Bee "Sweet Delight Baby" (60% acrylic/40% polyamide) in colorway Teddybear Ombre (sky blue, tan, pink, white).
• 1 4oz skein Baby Bee "Sweet Delight Baby" (60% acrylic/40% polyamide) in colorway Blue Baby Camo (medium blue, light blue, tan, chocolate brown, pale blue).
• 1 4oz skein Baby Bee "Sweet Delight Prints" (60% acrylic/40% polyamide) in colorway Green Camo (light green with dark green, medium green, white, and light chocolate brown dots).
• 1 4oz skein Baby Bee "Sweet Delight Prints" (60% acrylic/40% polyamide) in colorway Pink Camo (very light pink with forest green, light chocolate brown, and pink dots).
• 1 6oz skein Lion Brand Yarns "Homespun" (98% acrylic/2%polyester) in colorway Corinthian (red, purple, green, orange, yellow)
• 1 50g ball Red Heart "Heart & Sole with Aloe" (70% superwash wool/30% nylon) in colorway Tequila Sunrise (orange, sky blue, hot pink, red-purple, rust).
• 1 100g hank Araucania "Ranco Solid" (75% wool, 25% polyamide) in colorway Brick Pumpkin (deep rusty orange). #2
• 1 100g hank Araucania "Ranco Multy" (75% wool, 25% polyamide) in colorway Island Retreat (brown, sky blue, cream, aqua). #2
• 1 100g hank Araucania "Ranco Multy" (75% wool, 25% polyamide) in colorway Cocoa Blue (rust, chocolate brown, dark sky blue, cream). #2
• 1 115g hank Handmaiden Yarns "Casbah" (80% merino/10% cashmere/10% nylon) in colorway Merlin (yellow-green, ruby red, purple, jewel blue, black)
• 1 115g hank Fleece Artist "Trail Socks" (80% merino/20% nylon) in colorway Horizon (olive, forest green, yellow, hot pink, red, black, rust, chocolate brown). #2
• 1 115g hank Fleece Artist "Trail Socks" (80% merino/20% nylon) in colorway Paris (dark leaf green, gold, dark purple-red, orange, black, rust, chocolate brown). #2
• 1 50g hank Araucania Yarns "Atacama" (100% alpaca) in colorway #509 (medium brown, dark brown, cream, rust). #2
• 1 100g ball Noro "Kureyon Sock" (70% wool, 30% nylon) in colorway #S226 Reds (red, orange, olive, purple, teal).
• 1 100g ball Noro "Silk Garden Sock" (40% wool, 25% silk, 25% nylon, 10% kid mohair) in colorway #245 Bronzes (deep forest green, leaf green, blue, teal, bronze, grey, purple, rust). #2
• 1 100g ball Opal "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (75% superwash, 25% polyamid) in colorway Hedwig (green, grey, cream, white)
• 1 100g ball Opal "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (75% superwash, 25% polyamid) in colorway Harry and Ron (blue, white, green, orange, yellow, rust)

Good grief. Where did all of this yarn come from?? Okay, well, the first 8 came from Hobby Lobby, the next six came from The Loopy Ewe (including my Groupie hank! w00t!!), and the last 5 are from the Weaving Department.

I need a yarn diet. Seriously. I heard a term the other day that describes my problem:

SABLE

This is an acronym for "Stash Accumulated Beyond Life Expectancy". I don't need a 12 step program for pancakes (okay, maybe I do...) - I need one for YARN.

Time to knit! I am almost finished with the Swan Song socks in Ron - I'm going to knit another pattern repeat, ribbing, and then start the next one. I'm going back and forth between the Fetchings and the socks; it just depends on what I'm in the mood to work on.

Harry, A History is on the bookshelf! I already have my copy!!! Well, I don't know if it's STILL on the bookshelves, as it appears to be selling well. I'm so happy for Melissa (she was on the front page of USAToday!!! Squee!!), and haven't read past the foreword by Jo yet. There was a review on Borders that made me tear up, tho!! Julia has another one on PFW that I haven't read yet, but she told me to find tissues before I read it. :)

Off to read, watch Leno, and knit.

Cheers!