My Boring Life

In the wings

2008-02-24T15:16:00.003-06:00

WEBS had these yarns on sale. I'd had these projects in the back of my subconcious. Berroco Zen was too expensive to pay retail so I waited. For the cardigan, Devon Julia was hard to find. I had to substitute colors, but it will work.

Stuff in the works

2008-02-24T15:01:00.004-06:00

In my quest to challenge myself and master new aspects of the craft, I bought Knitting Out of Africa. The author is a Dane (I believe - or Norwegian) and her designs are inspired by various African motifs.

She uses her own yarn and I've never been able to find it anywhere except one Norwegian yarn site. I substituted to the best of my ability. using Knitpicks Palette. While I always check gauge, and did so this time, the knitted garment is not gauging correctly. But, the pattern is a huge size and I can block to fit.

The trick to this one is that it is modular knitting. The small needle size and the constant changing of direction makes it slow going, but it will be pretty cool when it's done.

The other one is a rather nondescript man's sweater. It's from Knit N Style, one of the few to which I do not subscribe. Sometimes it has useful stuff, but often the designs are just tacky. Lots of eyelash, sparkles, and some just butt-ugly designs. I don't subscribe because I don't want to pay for the ones that are going right in the trash. The yarn I'd ordered in error, and just kept. The color will not work on me at all. It would work on someone, say, blond and blue-eyed. Or someone with dark hair. Not someone like me, who tends to favor reds, yellows, browns and greens.

Why, then?

It's in the technique. This one will require a steek. Steeks are shaping techniques that require the knitter to cut the knitting. This seems counterintuitive and I'm leery of it, but this is a simple one and I'm at least willing to try. If I screw it up, well, no matter.

Knew In Knitting

2008-02-24T14:21:00.003-06:00

So I finally learned to knit socks.

I took the week between Christmas and New Year off, and one of my projects was to sit for an uninterrupted period of time trying to figure this out. I'd tried before, using double-point needles. I dislike using them. And by "dislike," I mean "loathe." So I quit.

I had the Cat Bordhi Socks Soar book for a while, and tried to learn it before. But I was a bit too new and the book does not, IMHO, explain sock anatomy. This, I discovered, is one of the keys to seeing what you are doing. So, I got a few more sock books, including Sensational Knitted Socks and the new Vogue Ultimate Sock book, as they both illustrate sock construction. Sensational also contains instructions for 4 or 5 needles, or two circulars, along with various patterns, sizes, and gauges, for mix and match.

I got it.

The needles I had were not ideal for the task. I'd bought them with the idea that I didn't want to spend much on needles if I didn't like doing it.

After I finished the first set of socks, I invested in some decent needles (I needed small needles in various sizes anyway for other projects). Knitpicks sells very nice nickel plates for the best prices I've seen. With the new needles, I started the next pair.

Yeah, so sue me

2008-02-24T14:15:00.003-06:00

I know I haven't been on in a while. I'm guessing only three people read this anyway, so nyeh.

I'd give that trite excuse about being busy. It's true, but that isn't all. I've been spending my time on the spectator sport that is presidential politics, reading articles and blogs. I do have an undergrad degre in this, so I find it of interest.

I've been reading more, and working on some essays and short stories.

I've also been conflicted about my electoral choices, and have been reasoning through them.

And, of course, knitting.

Christmas Dinner

2007-12-25T08:15:00.000-06:00

Lest you believe all I do is read and play with yarn, I cook as well.

We stayed home this Xmas. Fresh from my last round of holiday baking (chocolate peppermint chews, s'mores cookies, pistachio lime balls, chocolate dipped mocha cutouts, cranberry white chocolate drops, to name a few), I made a pretty fine round of meals for the in-laws. Friday dinner was a rotini-tomato bake with pine nutes, basil and cheese, garlic bread, and a salad. Saturday morning was an almond tea ring.

Then, dinner. The menu was from various issues of Fine Cooking (as a charter subscriber, I have every copy, as well as several of their seasonal publications). I roasted a whole beef tenderloin in a salt crust. I served it with orange dijon green beans, carrots with shallots, and served a sourdough. For dessert, it was a steamed gingerbread cake with an egg nog creme anglais.

http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/recipes/beef-tenderloin-roasted-salt-crust.aspx?ac=ts&ra=fp

http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/recipes/braised-carrots-shallots.aspx?nterms=50044,50280,53160&ac=fp

http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/recipes/steamed-coriander-gingerbread-eggnog-creme-anglaise.aspx?ac=fp

For Xmas dinner today, Bon Appetit will provide the meal. I'm making apple-sage cornish game hens, a pilaf, and ginger creme brulee.

Nancy learns a new skill

2007-12-25T07:39:00.000-06:00

Up to this point, I was ambivalent about crochet. I think most of the stitches are ugly and I think granny squares are hideous. Of late, however, I've seen designs done by creative sorts that are just lovely.

And, crochet makes lace easily.

So, I've studied it. I have a few beginner books. Crochet pattern reading makes little sense to me. I still haven't figured out what a "post" is. I have managed to figure out the "front loop" and the "back loop" and single, double, and triple crochet (which I find to be misnamed, as single crochet requires two moves, double requires three, triple requires four).

I found a pattern for a shrug in the fall issue of Interweave Crochet. I've bought some crochet magazines and just flipped through. This shrug, however, was rated for beginners (most patterns are at least intermediate and thus way beyond me). I decided to try it since gauge isn't crucial for it. I used a smaller yarn for a more lacey effect.

I finished it over Thanksgiving, but I didn't get the ends right (instead of a rectangle, I had a warped trapezoid). I yanked it out and am redoing it. I did a lot of it during a CLE (which are forced upon me so that I can retain my license -- don't get me started on what a waste CLE is and how it's nothing more than a monetary boondoggle for bar associations) and on an Amtrak ride from Chicago to Alton.

Band Concert

2007-12-25T07:14:00.000-06:00

(P.S. -- I do know about paragraph usage. For some reason, Blogger keeps running everything together on some of my posts, despite my zillions of attempts to edit them). My local programmer taught me how to force them. Point is, Blogger is very buggy and should be doing this automatically all the time, not just on some posts.

Forgive the bad pictures. I was far away and had trouble getting the shot. But anyway, Robert started playing trumpet. Andrew played the same instrument in his youth.

We went to the school's band concert -- his school is in Godfrey. I worked at home that day, so I picked him up and got him there on time. Andrew met us there from work.

The parking lot was jam-packed and the event very well attended, despite the fact it was cold and rainy that night.

I remember these days well. Both Valerie and I were in band. I was also in choir. I remember playing whole songs, though, whereas the orchestra and band played the first verse of several numbers.

Robert's school has a big orchestra (appeared to be about 50 kids) a big choir (about 50 kids) and a small band (closer to 20 kids). One of the drummers was a kid who looked about 13. Robert told us later that kid is his friend with whom he's been in class since Kindergarten. We noted that it's good to have a big friend.

The orchestra director appeared to me to be a bit high strung. She stopped the whole procedure when a violin player dropped her violin, bow, and music. The band director, Mr. Banks, on the other hand, was far more laid back. He appeared to be in his 50's, so he's not a rookie and knew he was dealing with kids.

The choir was pretty good. All the kids in all three groups had been told to wear white shirts and black pants. One boy in the choir, though, wore the sharpest suit I'd ever seen. It was cream colored check, a 3/4 length single-breated coat, and a sharply knotted tie with a tie bar. You won't find too many boys willing to go all out, to make a fashion choice. I couldn't get a good shot of it.

We got dinner at the Applebee's and then I took him home.

Explain this to me

2007-12-25T07:03:00.000-06:00

Last week I found out that Britney Spears has a sister. And that sister, who appears as idiotic and talentless as her pathetic bimbo sister, is 16 and knocked up. And this is all over every news site everywhere. While the irony of their mother having a Christian parenting book deal is mystifying (but inasmuch as Jessica Simpson's father was a minister before pimping out his own utterly talentless daughters, it appears it's perfectly Christian to pimp out your daughters so that you never have to work again, while turning them into desperately unhappy, emotionally crippled shells of humans who make any number of bad choices in order to ease the pain), here's what I don't get:

There is a slaughter in Darfur, yet everyone is talking about some idiot girl who got knocked up (yes, Mama Spears, good job with that Christian abstinence only parenting).

Oscar Peterson died. Oscar Peterson actually contributed something to the arts. And this barely gets a mention while everyone wonders what will become of some idiot pregnant bimbo.

In Mission-Accomplished land, more suicide bombings and soldiers and civilians continue to die for a stupid neocon theory of the Middle East. No one does anything about that, while we concern ourselves with whether Spears the Younger will stay in Hollywood or go back to whatever hick southern state they are from.

Is it me?

Fun in the Snow

2007-12-25T06:51:00.001-06:00

Last week we got about 6 inches of snow. This worked out well. The previous week Andrew and Robert got our tree at a lot way out past Shiloh, because the proprietor kicked a few bucks back to BBBS for every tree. It rained that day, so we couldn't decorate the tree then. We let it dry out in the garage, and then put it up. While Andrew went to Alton for our assistant, I stripped off the dead branches and needles, making a complete mess. But the tree settled in nicely.

So after the snow, we decorated the tree, including the things we made at the BBBS party a few weeks ago. Then, we went outside to attempt a snowman. The snow was too dry for that, so we settled for snowball fights. I nailed Andrew in the face.

I made cocoa (from scratch, thank you). We sipped cocoa, ate s'mores cookies (one of Robert's fave snacks is S'mores -- smart boy) which I made from the leftover ingredients for s'mores from a few weeks ago, played video games (like Guitar Hero. I stink.), and had fun.

More stuff my needles have done

2007-12-25T06:23:00.001-06:00

The first one is a beautiful alpaca kimono. The yarn called for is expensive stuff (Classic Elite Inca Alpaca) and one color is already discontinued. Had I used it, it would have cost about $250. I substituted Frog Tree Alpaca, which is not only reasonably priced, it is produced by a cooperative in Peru, so one can feel good about it. I got the colors pretty close, and had to fake the yellow striping, but I think it worked well regardless. I've been looking at projects not for color or style, but construction technique. This one is done in two pieces, armhole to middle, then joined. From the Fall 2006 issue of Knitter's. I got really p.o'd at them, however, because the yarn amounts in the magazine are wrong. This caused me to overbuy two colors, and have to buy more of two others. My suggestion to them that they actually hire editors, ones who bother to read the pattern and make sure it's correct, got no response.

The next one is from the last issue of Vogue Knitting. It worked up quickly with one easy cable down the middle on size 11 needles. The yarn was on sale on elann.com, a soy/wool blend called Gianna. It's soft as a baby's behind but was warm on my legs as I put it together. It didn't look the same on me as it does on the model, but that is probably due to the fact I have a female's body, as opposed to one reminiscent of a teenage boy. It's nifty nonetheless, and the friend who got it will have an original design that no one else in Farmington MO will have.

At the BBBS Xmas Party

2007-12-13T20:26:00.000-06:00

It was pretty much the same as last year -- same food, same crafts. It was at the same place -- Southwest IL College, the Granite campus. The music was better -- the DJ was in my generation, and he played the stuff Robert's mother and I sang to.

This year they had gift bags -- not nearly as neat as picking your own present, which they had last year. They had face painting. I had a wreath done and then Robert felt okay about getting some face art. And then, Tina and Keyani joined in the electric slide.

Weekends in Wisconsin

2007-11-10T06:07:00.000-06:00

I like Wisconsin. I could easily live there.

Over the weekend we went to stay in a remote cottage. It's one of the last things FLW designed.

http://www.sethpeterson.org/

I thought Drew would like peace, quiet, no phones, no TV. It's on Mirror Lake.

It's my idea of camping, complete with a bed, shower, heat, hot water, stove, Subzero fridge, Thermador oven/micro, Guggenheim collection stoneware, and Kitchenaid cookware.

We drove up 55, picked up 39 in Bloomington, and stopped to eat at the Machine Shed in Rockford.

http://www.machineshed.com/restaurants/rockford.asp

It's sort of a midwest Cracker Barrell (shopping in the front), but with better food. I'd hate to work there. They have to wear overalls and a hokey red gingham shirt. But the food is good and plentiful. Among the sides from which you can choose are sweet potato fries, which I just love.

Then, we debate on getting gas in IL or WI. As it happens, we get it in Rockford because that seemed easier, but it's cheaper in WI. Then, because the entire section of 39 in Rockford is under construction (and has been for years) the signage is confusing and we end up blowing through the toll. We are clearly not alone, as there are signs for paying your toll on line.

We then stop in Madison at Whole Paycheck for our food. You know, I'm confused by the marketing strategy. Whole Foods stores are always too small and way too crowded. I'm not going to browse and impulse buy if I can't even negotiate my cart. That place was packed, and every one I've ever been in is. If you're out there, Whole Foods, I'll make an effort to shop at Whole Foods if you give me room to do it. In a lot of ways I prefer it and will pay the extra for the food, but not if you make me uncomfortable and stressed out before I get out of the produce section.

Food and beer obtained. We drive about 30-45 more minutes. We get there. We unpack, Andrew gets a fire going, and we eat. The radio in the cottage gets three NPR stations (that's Wisconsin for you). He got some sort of andouille sausage, I got spinach and feta (they were chicken, but it's still sausage -- it is Wisconsin, you know). I relax, and then fall fast asleep (since I got little the night before, because someone who snores doesn't think he has a problem).

I get up, make some joe on a coffeemaker just like the one I have, except there are no filters. But that's why God invented paper towels. I watch the sun rise through the many windows as I pad around on the heated slate floor.

In leisurely time Andrew gets up. He cooks breakfast (oats, eggs, sausage, juice, coffee). He goes fishing. I read, knit, do crosswords, sip tea. He returns and naps, despite having slept for nine hours already. I don't understand sleeping much more than 7 or 8 hours.

I fix a bit of soup, some salad, some cheese, and leftover sausage for a snack.

He fishes, I read, knit, and do crosswords.

We fix dinner. We eat dinner. We sit before the roaring fireplace. We read.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......................................................................

We get up the next morning, make breakfast (french toast, juice, cocoa, eggs). We have to leave. Boo.

We stop north of Madison for cheese. This was his idea, interesting since when we first met he couldn't understand why anyone ate so much cheese. But then, Dad turned him on to the meat sticks and string cheese, and I got him turned on to curds.

The first place, Ehlenbach's, is closed.

http://www.explorewisconsin.com/ehlenbachscheese/

We find the Mousehouse.

http://www.explorewisconsin.com/mousehousecheesehouse/index.asp

The proprietor is a nice man, and recommends a few things. We leave with cheese and meat.

And so, to home. At least I got the hour that spring stole back.

What I did in the car in New Mexico and Illinois

2007-10-31T19:44:00.001-06:00

The Mohair Cowl Pullover from the Winter 2004 Interweave Knits.

Mohair, big needles, all in the round, for almost no finishing work.

I used Le Fibre Nobili Imperiale, which is what the pattern specified. I even used the color specified (but only because I love rich, deep browns).

More of what my needles have done lately

2007-10-31T19:10:00.000-06:00

I've gotten into doing patterns for construction techniques.

First is the Princess Pullover from The Knitting Experience -- Book 3. I saw no reason to sew on buttons, as the pattern suggests. Instead, I chose to do it in a three-color. The yarn is Berroco Lullaby. The construction is interesting in terms of where stitches are picked up on the back and sides. The sleeves are not sewn in to shoulders; rather, they form a saddle which are connected to the front and meet in the middle of the back. You then attach the collar.

http://www.berroco.com/shade_cards/lullaby_sh.html

http://www.stitchesmarket.com/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=7199

The next one: I had a devil of a time getting a decent picture that showed the whole sweater. It's a basic cardigan, but with a cabled scarf for the neck. It's from the Fall 2006 Vogue. I used Knitpicks Wool of the Andes in Coal. One knits the body and sleeves in the usual way. The cable scarf is done separately and attached.

Next was a find on elann.com. I love that site. Great high quality yarn, rock bottom prices. This was ON Line Linie 44 - Ravenna. A nice cotton blend, light and easy to work with. I modified the pattern by doing it in the round rather than in pieces.

http://www.elann.com/productdisp.asp?NAME=ON+line+Linie+44+%2D+Ravenna&Season=&Company=&Cat=ALLY&ProductType=5&OrderBy=+Order+By+Shortgauge&Count=33

Finally, this was my prized perfect work of the year. I found some cheap Classic Elite Classic Silk.

http://www.classiceliteyarns.com/product_page_detail.php?category_id=1&item_id=26

The pattern is from Knitter's 2006. It looks hard, but it's in fact a super simple repeat lace. The yarn is soft, and it fits me beautifully.

Things my needles think about while I sleep

2007-10-29T06:36:00.001-06:00

http://www.knittinguniverse.com/flash/knitters/GalleryDetail.php?IssueNum=80&ID=513

Using yarn I bought at Knitting in Scottsdale. I found a bag of Plymouth Tweed 5315 (a burgundy) for half off, and stuffed it into my luggage. I bought the contrasting yellow.

Punkin' carvin'

2007-10-29T06:24:00.000-06:00

You can't see Drew's very well -- it's a gravesite. I'll try to get a better picture of it tonight.

Mine is the vampire going for the woman's neck.

Robert did the alien.

I thought they were all pretty cool.

What my needles have been doing lately

2007-10-28T12:50:00.001-06:00

The first one is from the Summer 2004 Knitter's. About a year after I started knitting, my aunts gave me all their yarn. One didn't knit much anyway, and the other who did had moved on to other hobbies. Among the items found was a huge cache of high quality Italian merino wool. There were about 12 balls of the blue, some of which I'd used for a sweater for my sister-in-law. There were about 15 of partial balls of various colors. This pattern cried out for that yarn. I think it worked well.

http://www.knittinguniverse.com/flash/knitters/GalleryDetail.php?IssueNum=75&ID=385

The second one is from the Fall 2006 Knitter's. I found the yarn on eBay. It isn't often I used precisely what is called for, but this pattern cried out for it. I'd used 127 print before and liked it.

http://www.knittinguniverse.com/flash/knitters/GalleryDetail.php?IssueNum=84&ID=595

The second one is from an ad I cut out of a paper somewhere. Again, I used what was called for, but only because I found it half price at WEBs. It's Nashua Equinox Stripe, a fluffy bulky weight yarn. It was nice to use.

http://www.yarndex.com/yarn.cfm?yarn_id=2916

Fun with Mustard

2007-10-28T10:54:00.000-06:00

First, we go to the Mustard Museum in Mt. Horeb.

http://www.mustardweb.com/

The owner/curator is a lawyer who recovered. He also has a very cute, dry sense of humor. This place was lots of fun.

There are millions of mustards and some cute T-shirts. There is a mustard series called The Tailgate. Each bottle is branded in some college. Believe it or not, I found Mississippi State mustard. Andrew was so happy to get that stupid bottle of mustard.

The House on the Rock

2007-10-28T10:50:00.000-06:00

And now, for the Anti-FLW.

I never thought I'd see anything tackier than Graceland. My GOD, Elvis had bad taste.

As it happens, Alex Jordan's was worse. WAAAY worse.

The House on the Rock is the ugliest, tackiest place ever. And it is set back in the woods in Spring Green, on much nicer grounds than Taliesin. It's an affront to God to put something this ugly in the woods.

http://www.thehouseontherock.com/

The first picture is the cantilevered walk. It was mildly interesting.

The rest is just a portrait in ugly. That man had serious mental issues. Mere words cannot describe how god-awful that place was. And it cost $11 to see it.

Madison

2007-10-28T10:38:00.000-06:00

We stay at the Sheraton. Very nice, easy to find, and relatively close to downtown. The hotel has a shuttle service and we use it.

State Street, that great street, but not Chicago's version. We walk downtown trying to find something without a wait. Japanese it is.

It's delicious. I have seafood udon soup. Takara gets a thumbs up from all.

Coffee at Fair Trade. I'd been here the last time I was in Madison. Still good.

Shopping at Shakti. I buy incense. I love incense.

To bed.

Taliesin

2007-10-28T06:46:00.001-06:00

What's weird is that Taliesin is a bit shabby at the heels. Taliesin West is not. I'm not sure why that is. Perhaps it's a money thing, perhaps it's a hangup with keeping it in the condition it would have been. And, for all of FLW's merits, staying power of his buildings is not one of them.

We can't take pictures indoors, so you'll have to be satisfied with outdoors and grounds.

Spring Green WI

2007-10-28T06:39:00.001-06:00

So, while not a Frank Lloyd Wright stalker, I do very much like his work. So, without too much begging, I convince my friends and co-workers Judy (who IS a FLW stalker) and Jackie to go to Taliesin. We decide on a side trip to House on the Rock. Stephanie comes along.

Away we go.

I confess that I like Wisconsin and could easily live there. I also don't really mind Dubuque. I think it is a quaint river town. We drive through Peoria (insert your own joke here) and up through the quad cities to Dubuque and eat.

We continue on to Taliesin. Here we are arriving at the Visitor's Center (Pic 1). The view from the center is quite nice (Pic 2) and then we check out the various tours. (Pic 3)

http://www.taliesinpreservation.org/

We select the grounds and house tour.

Bye Bye New Mexico

2007-10-28T06:29:00.000-06:00

I had not looked at the flight information and took Andrew at his word that our flight was at 4:45. We have all day to meander from Farmington to ABQ. We get the contintental breakfast and hit a Starbucks.

We travel south and then Andrew thinks we can take a back road through the mountains. It works for a while. Then, I see signs that say "Unpaved and unimproved road." All Andrew sees is "unimproved." He thinks that just means no shoulder.

No.

It means no pavement. We end up on a mud road, fishtailing back and forth, sliding to the ditch, and generally sure we are going to end up as stuff on the side of a cliff. We manage to turn around and by some miracle of God get back to asphalt. The car is a mess. There's mud INSIDE the car.

Then I check the flight. No, it's 3:45. That elimates a side trip to some parts of Bernalillo. Ah, well.

We get gas, and Andrew is convinced that if we don't wash the car he'll be in trouble. It knocks some off, but importantly, the car is again cosmetically pleasing. What's underneath and in the wheelwells is someone else's issue.

We then get a reason not to support Bill Richardson for president. The taxes on car rentals in New Mexico is ridiculous. Worse than Florida kind of ridiculous.

Bye bye New Mexico. I'll be back. Maybe with a moving van.

We Leave Mesa Verde

2007-10-28T06:27:00.001-06:00

We've walked all day with nothing but a continental breakfast. We're starved. We go back to Farmington and eat at Three Rivers Brewery. I have Green Chile Chicken soup at a guacamole chicken sandwich. Yum. We're exhausted and go to bed.

Spruce House

2007-10-27T06:42:00.001-06:00

Mesa Verde

2007-10-27T06:30:00.001-06:00

Views across the canyon and in some of the super-ancient pre-Cliff pueblos.

Mesa Verde

2007-10-27T06:17:00.000-06:00

At one point a coyote ran alongside our car. It was on Drew's side so I didn't get a picure, but he did.

http://drewmoo.com/b2evolution/index.php?blog=1&page=1&disp=posts&paged=2

At the visitor's center one gets information on various tours available, either ranger-guided or self-guided. We select a combination that costs $3 per person for the guided tour of Cliff Palace (Sorry, Balcony House -- next time) and the self-guided portions from the road, including various views of other cliff dwellings, pueblos, and Spruce House.

We wait for our allotted time for Cliff Palace. Going down is the easy part. Going up on the series of ladders wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. It was pretty easy for me, but there were a lot of old, portly Germans in our group.

My camera holds 350 pictures without an additional card and most of my shots were of Mesa Verde. Blogger doesn't let me download many, so I may move them to Facebook.

Anyway, I'll let the pictures tell the story.

Mesa Verde

2007-10-27T06:05:00.000-06:00

We drive up to Mesa Verde National Park. (Pic 1)

http://www.nps.gov/meve/

It doesn't take long to spot the damage from the fires a few years ago. (Pic 2)

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/US/07/24/wildfires.02/

We stop for a portrait on the original road that the first road used to access the park. (Pic 3)

http://www.nps.gov/archive/meve/park_info/park_history.htm

And to think women were wearing long dresses and corsets and driving up mountains on this trail. No way.

Four Corners

2007-10-27T05:51:00.001-06:00

YEA! I've wanted to see Mesa Verde forever. Today is Mesa Verde Day. We begin with a continental breakfast. Our trip will include a side visit to Four Corners and a view of Shiprock.

http://www.lapahie.com/Shiprock_Peak.cfm

A lot of the drive is through the Navajo reservation. One thing gaming appears to have done for the Navajo is build a fantastic school and community center. I'm not sure it's done anything else.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Corners_Monument

Four Corners is on the reservation and we pay to see it. It's a little monument surrounded tourist-trap trinket shacks and porta-potties. While Fodor's says there isn't much of a view, I must disagree. (Pictures 1 and 2)

We keep driving (Picture 3)

Andrew's first trip to Colorado

2007-10-25T06:45:00.000-06:00

We decide to go to Durango to eat. Andrew has never been to Colorado, and while we'll be there again the morrow, Farmington doesn't appear to have much. So away we go.

It's weird. It's like the mountains knew to stop precisely at the state line.

And I want to know, now that's I've driven through a lot of New Mexico, why everyone in that state who lives near a highway lives in a shack or a trailer and has fourteen tons of junk on their property. Is it a state law or something?

Durango is a kitchy but nice town. Andrew parks next to three very, very, very drunk men who I am convinced will throw up on the car. It appears some festival is just now breaking up and there are tons of college drunks around, but the three aforementioned men appear to be professional alcoholics. We wander around, reading menus, and I settle on Ken and Sue's. (Pictures)

We have a lovely dinner. It's no Geronimo, but that's fine. I have a pistachio crusted fish, Andrew gets meat. We sit on a patio and Andrew glares every time an employee appears to want to turn on one of the heaters.

Tummies full, Andrew gets Starbucks. I want some wine to take back to the room. I discover that not only are liquor stores not open on Sunday in Colorado, the only thing you can get from a grocery store in Colorado is cold beer. The stupidity of this astounds me. Why, if your goal is to monitor the morals of others and prevent drinking, do you ban things that require some effort and instead sell only items that are ready to consume in a car?

When we cross into New Mexico I hit the Safeway and choose a local wine (always one to try those). We get to the room. I open it up. It SUCKS. I hate sweet wine and this was Kool-Ade.

Oh well. To sleep. I have a big day ahead of me.

Towards Farmington

2007-10-25T06:33:00.000-06:00

We travel through the Jicarilla Apache reservation and along the San Juan River. I am told it's good for fly fishing.

The scenery up here in the plateau isn't as breathtaking as it was in the earlier legs of the trip. Andrew dislikes it, but I see the beauty of the mesa. And, I can't help remembering that idiot Tim McCarver referring to Albert Pujols once as a "mesa." I'm not kidding.

We roll into Farmington. It appears to be like any other town of the Carbondale, Edwardsville size (it appears to be roughly 40,000 or so). Our friendly GPS directs us to our next bed, at the Casa Blanca Inn.

I highly recommend the Casa Blanca. It's just lovely. (Pics) Our room is a small suite with a stocked kichenette, separate sitting area, king bed, and a bathroom with heated tiles and an open shower. And the grounds are well tended and peaceful.

Taos to Farmington

2007-10-23T20:11:00.000-06:00

We wake to banana pancakes and bacon, coffee, juice, fruit, and great conversation with people from Santa Fe via Annapolis, Durango, Denver, and ABQ. We win the distance prize.

We head out. We pick up picnic supplies at the Albertson's. Can't get liquor before noon on Sunday in New Mexico, but the San Pellegrino is just fine.

The first place of note is the Rio Grande Gorge. I have no problem walking the length of the bridge. About a third down, Andrew decides it ain't for him and he drives across. (Picture 1)

We continue on. There are hundreds of tarantulas on the road. Andrew wants to stop and get one and I tell him he's nuts. As it happens, we pass some idiot man who is doing exactly that (I could see a woman in the car, probably telling him he's an idiot who deserves to be run over right after he's bitten by a monster spider). We drive along.

We get to the Navajo dam and have our picnic lunch (Pictures 2 and 3)

Is it just me, or is the sky bigger and bluer in New Mexico?

Santa Fe, Taos

2007-10-23T19:33:00.000-06:00

Up and at 'em for another full day. We start in Burro Alley, only a block from the Eldorado, for breakfast at Cafe Paris. Delicious french pastry, coffee, and an omelet. We get more coffee for the road, and away we go!

One scenic drive later (Picture 1), along the Rio Grande (why, oh WHY, am I cursed by not being a resident of New Mexico?) we arrive in Taos ahead of schedule.

I admit it. Taos is kind of a let down. I pictured hippies, mountains, and a peaceful little town. It's far more touristy than I thought it would be, especially the Plaza. We have lots of time before check in, and I do find a few nice things. Aventura sells very cool wool coats.

http://www.newterritoryleathers.com/women_blankets_coats.html

Then, I find La Lana Wools. I'd visited the website, but there's nothing like molesting the yarn in person. They have a sweater in The Natural Knitter, and I plan out my sweater using some different colorways than what is recommended in the book. I then see the Chile Line Sweater, and think maybe I might do it instead. Always one for a challenge.

http://www.lalanawools.com/
http://www.lalanawools.com/patterns_kits.php?id=106&sortBy=exp

Andrew sits outside for what he probably thought was hours. And here I felt rushed. I could have stayed there all day.

We then discover that an art fair is going on in Kit Carson Park. We go. I end up finding a beautiful ring in carmelite and opal. The artist is a young Native man who learned the craft from his ancestors. I hope he passes it on. He explained the sun and lightening on my ring are for warmth and cleansing, and the rise in the center symbolizes the mountains.

http://www.fernandobenallyjewelry.com/

We find a great independent bookstore, Moby Dickens. I find a Frank Waters book. We then drive up the mountain to the ski resort. It's much colder up there, and raining. (Picture 2) We drive down to the trout hatchery, but it's raining pretty hard by then and we don't stay long.

We then check into the B and B, the La Posada de Taos. These are the grounds (Picture 3).

http://www.laposadadetaos.com/

The host, a very nice man named Eldon, has homemade peanut butter cookies, tea, coffee, and cocoa. We have the honeymoon suite, a cottage detached from the rest of the house. It has a sitting room with a kiva, a nice bedroom, and a separate bath. Sadly, it's too early in the season to fire up the kiva.

We try to get reservations, and we originally decide to take a fellow traveller's reservation at Josephs'. It's for 8:45. Andrew falls asleep watching some stupid football game while I read.

By 6:30 I'm starving. We decide to forage for food and discover the Guadalajara Grill. It's cafeteria style Northern Mexican. Cheap, plentiful, and tasty. I have pork adovada and all the fixin's. We then try to get a drink in a local bar with live music, but it's packed. We head for the car and find Karaoke night at the local Holiday Inn. The locals appear serious about this stuff. A young lady does sorta butcher Santana's Maria Maria, but in fairness it's a very hard song and I didn't even know some of the words until they were plastered on the screen. A man does a nice job with a Roy Orbison tune, and another dude does the obligatory Elvis. It was quite entertaining, all in all.

We hit the hay.

Santa Fe

2007-10-22T06:47:00.000-06:00

A cup of tea while watching it hail, and I'm refreshed.

We drive down Canyon Road to get dinner reservations at Geronimo. Done. By the way, if anyone will purchase the cookbook for me, I'll cook you dinner. Or, if you want to pay my tuition at the Santa Fe School of Cooking, I'll feed you for life.

http://www.santafeschoolofcooking.com/On-line_Market/Cookbooks/

We go to the State Capital. If we are ever at or near one, we go. So far, Trenton NJ wins the "Wow, why is the state captial in the middle of this slum" Award. New Mexico's is much nicer. Picture 1

Then, to what is believed to be the oldest structure in North America. Picture 2.

We find a super independent bookstore, Collected Works. Andrew makes purchases here.

http://www.collectedworksbookstore.com/

We rest up for dinner. Our reservations are quite late, so we get drinks at the hotel.

Dinner was totally worth it. Our table is on the patio by the door, but the food and wine take my attention elsewhere. I'll refer you to My Severed Cortex for the menu. Again, anyone who buys the cookbook gets dinner. Picture 3.

Champagne awaits, but it's not good, especially compared to dinner. No matter.

Santa Fe

2007-10-22T06:25:00.000-06:00

Tanned, rested, and ready for action.

We begin with breakfast at Tia Sophia's.

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2734955-tia_sophia_santa_fe-i

I get the guacamole omelet, served with posole. I love a place where I can get guacamole for lunch, dinner and breakfast the next day. I love guacamole. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Andrew gets something covered in red chile sauce.

We walk around the plaza, shopping about and taking pictures. I see lots of Navajo rugs, and wish I had hardwood floors to make buying a $5000 rug worth it. I go back to Carpinteros, where the desk I saw in the window is about $7000, but the one I want even more is about $11,000. They have a smaller desk, but while it's in my budget, it's not large enough. I ponder getting this desk, even though it will totally blow my office furniture budget. I can't imagine what the shipping would be, either. Damn me and my fiscal responsibility.

On to the galleries on Canyon Road. It rained a lot by this point.

Pictures 1 and 2 -- anyone who knows me finds out that I have quite the thing for native culture and whatnot. So I have to have this in my yard. If only I had the scratch to buy and ship it. But it's beautiful, no?

Picture 3 - Andrew goes for classy.

Madrid to Santa Fe, or why St. Louis starts sucking even more

2007-10-21T14:48:00.000-06:00

On to Santa Fe and the Eldorado Hotel. I was responsible for booking this leg of the trip, and I had a devil of a time finding a place to sleep. I had no idea at the time, but the weekend we went was the Wine and Chile Festival. I was informed by reliable sources (Okay, one source -- my good friend who is from Amarillo and knows Santa Fe) that it was great fun.

I went through every listing in Fodor's and came up empty. No Bed and Breakfast to be had. So, I try the Eldorado. They have a deal where we get free champagne one night, so I book.

I highly recommend the Eldorado. It is just lovely. We get a nice room, king bed, little sitting area, and nice bath (Picture 1).

http://www.eldoradohotel.com/

We rest up, then go to the bar downstairs for a drink. I have a delicious margarita, Andrew opts for Bookers. We wander around downtown Santa Fe, scoping out things to revisit in the morning, places to make dinner reservations tomorrow, and whatnot. We are surrounded by pretentious jerks sipping wine. We can't get reservations at the Inn of the Anasazi or practically any other place. By now I'm starving, and we end up at The Blue Corn Cafe (Picture 2).

http://www.bluecorncafe.com/

I have a vegetarian fry bread taco, with black beans, guacamole (my FAVORITE), cheese, and other yummy stuff. And a not so good margarita. Andrew got something with meat and a beer. Always one to branch out, that man.

I spy a desk in a window I'd LOVE to have in my office (Picture 3). Be it RESOLVED: I shall visit Carpinteros the morrow.

So, having been to New Mexico, I wonder why I'm still in Illinois......

2007-10-20T20:41:00.000-06:00

One thing that Andrew hates about me is that anytime we go on vacation, I hate coming home and I bitch for two days about how much I hate crappy St. Louis and why the hell do I live in that soul-sucking wasteland (oh yeah -- the job and the cheap housing.........the cheap housing being the result, of course, of the lack of demand for housing, due to the fact no one wants to live in such a dull little cowtown where natives appear to be unaware that there is a world outside the 314 and 636 area codes). He tells me to shut my trap and move. I point out that hell will freeze over before I take another bar exam. He poopoos this. Anyone who has ever taken a bar exam understands why I simply refuse to do that to myself again, and he just doesn't get it.

Having said all that, I've been to New Mexico. Damn them and their lack of reciprocity (although Colorado has it).

Nancy needs to live in mountains. And New Mexico has 'em.

I'd wanted to go to Santa Fe and Taos for a long time. We decided to go. The deal here is that Andrew must behave himself at all times. If he behaves poorly even one day, I will never travel with him anywhere ever again. I will go places alone, places he would love to see, and taunt him. He agrees that he must behave at all times.

We did not skimp on accomodations. We did not skimp on a car. We skimped on the flight, but I don't care about that. I care about nice hotels and a comfortable car if I'm doing lots of touring.

And so, I now describe exactly WHY, once again, I am reminded that I hate St. Louis and why it sucks so much.

DAY ONE: Flights, Albuquerque, driving, Santa Fe

Our efforts to get to the airport on time and at a god-awful hour in the morning are for naught. We sit trapped on an airplane for an hour while they fix something they don't even need for our flight. Our feckless president, who has placed a mandate on investigating airline delays, fails me yet again. At least Mussolini got the trains to run on time. The current Fascist in Chief can't even do THAT -- not a good commentary on Yale, Harvard Business School, Texas, or cheerleading.

We get to Albuquerque. Nice little airport. We rent a nice 2008 Maxima (I have a 2000 at home, and I love that car) and Andrew springs for a GPS because he can't stand life without a gadget, and he left his laptop at home at my strong suggestion.

We drive around ABQ. We drive to University of New Mexico, park, and find a lovely place to eat. El Patio (Picture 1). We eat on el patio, where I order the vegetarian burrito: an avocado and tomato burrito covered in green chile sauce, with guacamole on the side. Mmmmmmmm. Andrew gets a pork adovada burrito swimming in red chile sauce. We walk around UNM. Lovely little campus, filled with kids that I swear look too young to drive or have sex. We stop in the bookstore for Andrew's traditional T-shirt (anywhere we go, he likest to get a shirt from the local university -- he has quite the collection now. His Brown T-shirt is on its last hurrah, so maybe we need to go back east).

Back in the car, onward ho to Santa Fe. We take the Turquoise Trail.

http://www.turquoisetrail.org/

We go to Sandia Peak. The air is thin, and even on the short upward hike to the scenic overlook, I get light headed and am in a cartoon world for about 30 seconds. But the view is lovely (Picture 2). St. Louis sucks. New Mexico doesn't.

Next, we go through Madrid (Picture 3). Madrid is a few shacks and some artist types.

Have These People Just Gone MAD????

2007-10-20T20:24:00.000-06:00

So what am I not getting?

So Ellen and Portia get a "dog" (a dust mop on legs is not really a dog, IMHO). They pass the cavity search that these doggie adoption places feel the need to do. It doesn't work out. They fail to abide by the agreement they have to sign in blood, the adoption agency confiscates the dog, and all hell breaks loose. We get to watch Ellen sob on TV, the adoption agency gets threats, and everyone goes postal.

Meanwhile, Mr. Compassionate Conservative drop-kicks an expansion of a program designed to offer coverage to kids whose families need that help, because he's such an *sshole he seems to think the private sector is doing the job just fine, thanks. And there are so many mean heartless b*st*rds in Congress with GREAT health insurance that the veto can't be overridden. And no one seems to give a damn.

Except those morally bankrupt types that think it's a good idea to ream a 12-year-old boy and his parents for using the program.

Yeesh. If people gave half as much of a sh*t about their fellow humans as they do about animals, wouldn't this world be a better place?

I suppose I should brace myself for the screeching I'm about to get for suggesting not only that people should care about other people at least as much as they do animals, but also that if someone is going to weep publicly on their own television show, how about using that bully pulpit for something that might actually matter, like, say...........the WAR.

my GOD it's hot in the Southwest in August

2007-09-03T20:14:00.000-06:00

I've been to Arizona twice now, and Las Vegas once. Each trip has been in August. I'm an idiot.

Anyway, I went to Phoenix. It might be more accurate to say I went to Scottsdale, since that's where I spent most of my time. Drew is there for work, and I had enough miles for a free ticket, so all I had to pay for was a car and incidentals. So I went. No pix. I forgot my camera.

I arrived on Friday night. I had no more than taken two steps off of the plane and was hit in the face with the blast furnace that is Phoenix. Those who know me know that I HATE the heat. HATE HATE HATEHATEHATE the heat.

So I got a car, a Subaru Impreza.

http://www.subaru.com/shop/model_consideration.jsp?model=IMPREZA

It was dark so I did not realize it was one of those cars for people who can't drive a manual, but want to pretend like they can. I had the gear shift in the wrong place and it would rev to 6000 rpms. I thought it was defective, but thought I'd worry about it tomorrow. What do I care -- it's a rental.

One nice thing about Phoenix is you just simply cannot get lost. It's on a grid, big wide streets, well marked, you can even tell what block you are in. Getting anywhere is pretty easy. Got to the hotel easy as pie.

http://doubletree.hilton.com/en/dt/hotels/index.jhtml;jsessionid=O4FBLX04E0WXICSGBIU222Q?ctyhocn=PHXFVDT

It was okay. The air in the room didn't go below 75 degrees. I thought this would be a problem for Drew, but I also thought that compared to the outdoors, it felt chilly.

On Saturday, I woke up to find Drew gone with my car keys. Efforts to reach him were a problem. I mapped out my day's plan, tried to find him, and finally got in the shower. He apparently noticed the problem and came back.

In the light of day I realized the driving problem I had last night. Sheesh, it's just stupid. Drive a manual if you want, but if you don't have the 'nads to learn, the car companies shouldn't let you half-ass it.

First, some coffee. Coffee isn't that popular in that climate and Starbucks were not as plentiful as one would hope. I found some tea here

http://coffeebean.com/

got it iced, and went to Taliesin West after just driving around, seeing what was where, driving by all the snooty resorts, looking at mountains, and checking out the residential areas.

http://www.franklloydwright.org/

Took the tour, shopped for gifts. It was bloody hot, but the tour was informative.

Next, a bit of shopping. I avoid malls and chains when traveling, choosing instead to seek out unique features. I went here

http://www.scottsdaleseville.com/

The two stores I was interested in, however, were nowhere to be found. So, I went here:

http://www.elpedregal.com/

That place was halfway to Flagstaff, I swear. It was pretty dead there, and I watched a thunderstorm after I shopped. God, it was hot. I have had the air in the car on full blast the whole time, and it doesn't ever get too cold.

I then saw the Heard Museum had a branch. For $5 they have a couple of rooms of art. More on the Heard tomorrow.

http://www.heard.org/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?&pid=205&srcid=204

I then drove around some more. I found some yarn.

http://knittinginscottsdale.net/index.html

Everyone there was from New York -- Brooklyn, to be precise. With that thick accent and fast clipped speech. It was a great store, neatly organized and with good quality merchandise. I did not leave emptyhanded.

I then drove around "downtown" Scottsdale. Very tacky touristy stuff, with cheap T-shirt stores and a wild west theme strip. Think the Wisconsin Dells or Lake of the Ozarks, with cowboys.

Drew couldn't join me for dinner, so I went alone. I went here:

http://www.roaringfork.com/ScottsdaleAZ/roaring_fork_welcome.html

I had a glass of the Bighorn Cellars chardonnay, "Seared Colossal Scallops with Soft Cheese Grits, Smoked Bacon and Mushroom Ragu," "Chilean Sea Bass (anyone who knows me knows I have a weakness for sea bass) Roasted Crisp on Soft, Butternut Squash Risotto with an Ancho Chile Broth," "Chocolate 'Hot Springs,' a "Chocolate Ganache Baked in Chocolate Sponge Cake Caramel Sauce & Vanilla Bean Ice Cream," and delicious coffee. They also serve jalepeno cornbread with chipotle honey butter. Yum. I was right by the kitchen since I didn't have an invitation, but that was okay. I watched them make my food. Stuffed to capacity, I went to the room and listened to Drew snore. Poor baby. He was up all night working, and was very tired.

Sunday, I went here for breakfast:

http://cafespot.net/place/339

I had a lovely omelet and delicious coffee. Indoors. I couldn't believe that it was 100 degrees and not even 11. And some people sat outside. Morons.

I read the paper, and then hit the ground running.

I drove around downtown, seeing the big buildings, Chase Field (which is HUGE), US Airways Center, etc. I skipped the Cards. I didn't care about 'em when they were in St. L.

I then went to the Heard Museum.

Those who know me know I have quite the thing for native american history, culture, religion, etc. I spent three hours in this place.

I learned that Barry Goldwater collected Hopi Katsinas. He had about 400 and donated them to the Heard. It was spectacular.

HOME was great. It gave introductions to all native peoples in Arizona.

There was an exhibit on the boarding schools. More white arrogance.

There was pottery, jewelry, textiles, beading, carving, Zuni fetishes.........it was just heaven.

And I shopped in the gift shop.

Then, I got a snack and went here:

http://www.borgata.com/

I went to Two Plates Full, which was a totally cool store. I also went to Bryn Walker, which sells nice linen clothes. I wondered what people there wore in order to tolerate the climate, and that must be it.

And then, I violated my "no chains" rule and went into Chicos. I did not leave without a bag.

By then, it was time to think about dinner at Kim and Mark's. I went here:

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/bella/2007/08/the_dish_on_dish_a_food_experi.php

and found mini-baguettes and dipping oil. Yum.

Then, on to Kim and Mark's for chicken marsala.

Food, family, conversation, and fun.

I then went to bed.

On Monday, it was time to go.

I've got to go back when it's cooler so I can go to Sedona and the Grand Canyon.

Doings

2007-09-03T20:13:00.000-06:00

http://www.thetelegraph.com/articles/big_5420___article.html/robert_alton.html

The careful observer will recognize my top from the previous post.

Chicago

2007-08-12T06:57:00.000-06:00

So, I spent a long weekend in Chicago. I decided to see my beloved White Sox play.

We drive to Chicago. We stop for a picnic lunch at Allerton State Park. My friend packed me a delicious lunch of sandwiches, chips, apples and bar cookies. My travelling companion is pictured choosing a sandwich labeled "meat with more meat." I'd never heard of this park, but it was lovely.

http://www.continuinged.uiuc.edu/allerton/

We then check into the hotel. It was perfectly nice and a good deal off of Hotwire. I would not have selected it otherwise, but it was quite nice and in a very good location.

http://www.hardrockhotelchicago.com/

I chose the Thursday night game against Cleveland. I took a pic on my phone and sent it to a friend and fellow Sox fan, when the Sox were winning. And then everything went to ^#%$. But no matter. The food good, the beer refreshing. Unlike that repulsive swill they serve at Busch Stadium and those fourth-rate hot dogs and stale nacho chips, when watching the Sox one gets Leininkugels, MGD, polish with grilled onions, and nacho chips that have - get this - crunch. Plus the el ride was easy and quick. Comiskey-Cell Phone Field 1000, Busch-Beer Field 0.

Friday, got breakfast. Lou Mitchells was a bit of a hike, so I opted for Petros on N. LaSalle.

http://chicago.menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?areaid=0&restaurantid=18664&neighborhoodid=0&cuisineid=22&home=Y

I went to Loopy Yarns, but it was still closed.

http://www.loopyyarns.com/

I then got some delicious tea at the Starbucks of Tea, Argo.

http://www.argotea.com/

Then, to the Museum of Contemporary Art. I think it's mostly BS, but some ideas are unique.

http://www.mcachicago.org/

I then hit Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel, looking for design ideas for my home office. I find my new desk at Pottery Barn.

http://www.chicagotraveler.com/chicago_magnificent_mile_shopping_map.htm

I left my cranky and unpleasant companion in the hotel room and wandered around, my favority thing to do in the Loop. I found myself in Nordstroms, pouring over sweaters priced at $450 or so, thinking I could knit it with no trouble at all. I did the same thing at Benetton, as it is in the same shopping mall as Nordstroms. Then, I went to Afterwords used books.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/9K-DIM1jfDG0SkjgDw4q4A

Then, back to Loopy, and to the hotel for a quick shower and dinner.

We take the El to Doug and Mickie's condo. We sit on the tracks. And sit. But we finally get there, the margaritas are on ice, and we take the short and pleasant walk to dinner at La Fonda. Mmmmmmm, delicious authentic Mexican.

http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/localguide/neighborhoods/andersonville/64367,0,7280573.venue

We have more margaritas, a wonderful time, and then back on the El. Where we sit on the tracks. And sit. And sit. And try not to sleep past the stop at Lake.

Saturday, coffee with my cranky and unpleasant companion, who really needs to learn to suck it up when he's tired and not act like a spoiled two year old.

To the Ikea. Okay, I'll say it. I, unlike most of the people I know, do NOT believe that Ikea is heaven on earth. I find that design style cold, boring, trying too hard to be cool, and bordering on butt-ugly. But, they might have good ideas for my home office, for more reasonable prices than Pottery Barn. They do.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/

Then, a stop in Bloomington for lunch.

http://www.flattopgrill.com/menu.htm

And, since it is conveniently located right next to Von Maur, a stop there. I get a new outfit and PJs.

http://www.vonmaur.com/

And then, home. I finished the top on the way, knit in Artful Yarns Grafiti, which finally became a closeout.

Upcoming projects

2007-07-22T14:06:00.000-06:00

For years I thought I'd sooner die than do lace knitting. It seemed too tedious.

But, now I want to try it. I'm sure I won't want to have anything to do with those cobweb shawls, but as I read more, I discovered that's not all there is. I've done a few things, and have discovered it's not so bad.

The first one I'd started on the cruise. It got lots of comments. I got the pattern from an old copy of Cast On. http://www.tkga.com/cointro.shtm

The pattern calls for Louet's Gems (I think.) http://www.louet.com/yarns/merlin.shtml

I found a soy yarn off of Ebay and am using it. It is a complicated, expert only pattern, and it took me a long time to figure it out. I ended up frogging after I'd gotten to the short portion of the waist because in the course of learning, I'd make more than a few mistakes. I'll start it again.

The next one is just in the planning stage. The pattern is the summer 2006 issue of Interweave.

http://www.interweaveknits.com/backissues/SU_06.asp

The yarn is elann.com Sonata, color 7009. I couldn't do this hobby without elann.com They have super yarn at superdooper prices.

http://www.elann.com/productdisp.asp?NAME=elann%2Ecom+Sonata&Season=&Company=&Cat=ALLY&ProductType=5&OrderBy=&Count=42

The last pic is also an elann.com purchase. I on occasion design my own garments, when I can't find what my mind's eye sees. I wanted a thin, lacy 3/4 sleeve spring sweater, with a tie at the collar. Using the basic patterns from the Knitter's Book of Handy Patterns,

http://www.interweave.com/knit/books/knitters_handy.asp

and any of the Stitchionaries from Vogue,

http://www.vogueknitting.com/books/index.php?cPath=3&sort=2a&page=4

finishing with any of the On, Over, or Beyond the Edge books,

http://www.vogueknitting.com/books/index.php?cPath=3&osCsid=1e4fm8l01bpc2enslp8ctdj995

I create away. With this one, I ended up borrowing from Sally's Favorite Sweater from The Knitting Experience, the Knit Stitch,

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/na_knitting/article/0,2025,DIY_14141_3186456,00.html

http://www.stitchesmarket.com/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=51&cat=214&page=1

and fiddled with it until I decided that one size 11 and one size 7 will create the lace pattern I seek.

Family Fun

2007-07-22T12:53:00.001-06:00

So my niece Holly visited. I was Round I in her whirlwind five stop tour of Eastern Missouri, Southwestern Illinois, Southern Illinois, and Practically Western Kentucky (with, from what I understand, a non-stop trip to Indy and back). She's lived in Ft. Myers since she was about six or so, and hasn't made many pilgrimages to the Homeland. I live closest to the closest airport for this, so I start off the tour.

We begin in the East Terminal of St. Louis Lambert. She was only slightly tardy due to the thunderstorm that blew through about 15 minutes before she was scheduled to arrive. Before she landed, her mother was already calling me. Anyway............

We get her loaded into my very illegally parked car (there was no WAY I was parking without a roof in that rain) and away we go. I drive around to various points of interest: my former home (which the new owner has just made a MESS of my landscaping -- b^&*(%!#d), where I went to school, and other points of mild to no interest. We then get vietnamese for lunch (since I'm the only relative she has that has any willingness to eat something that isn't dully white bread). My favored spot on Delmar, Miss Saigon, is closed, so I make a second choice, Little Saigon, in the CWE. Yum.

http://stlouis.citysearch.com/profile/11496889/st_louis_mo/little_saigon.html

We then go to my house, where she can unpack and relax (Pic 1). We await Drew for dinner. We end up at Tony's in Alton, famed for steak and Italian. She crashed early because she had a long day.

http://www.tonysrestaurant.com/

Day 2: We engage in a leisurly pace. First stop is the Butterfly House in Faust Park, which is quite the drive from my house in Illinois. It's a lovely place run by the MO Botanical Garden. Not nearly the size of the MBG, but quite lovely. I'd love to have the space to create such perennial gardens. The actual house contains 1000 butterflies, which they replenish often. Holly carefully studies (Pic 2). It was a boiling hot day and pretty warm in the House, but the butterflies everywhere are just marvelous.

http://www.butterflyhouse.org/

Then off to shop. I need to return some pants at Coldwater Creek, so the nearest one is in West County Mall.

http://westfield.com/westcounty/

I note that Teavana has opened in the mall, so I make a beeline. Holly concludes, rightly, that I'm a dork for spending $50 on tea, most of which I send home with her to her mother. She finds an H & M, which she likes from other places she's been, and notes that it is probably fate because those are her initials. She finds some tops, and I found some hair things.

http://www.sqwires.com/

Next, we try Bailey's Chocolate Bar in Lafayette Square (it is precisely what you think it is). It's not open until 4, so we go to SqWire's for lunch, someplace I'd always wanted to try. I get the duck breast salad with mango salsa, she gets a burger. Then, the Chocolate Bar is open.

http://www.baileyschocolatebar.com/

Holly got the Pot de Creme. I got the Chocolate Inebriation. Yummy.

We have to kill some time before dinner. We go to Gringo Jones so I can check on some items I intend to buy, like the totem pole.

http://respublica.typepad.com/respublica/2005/07/gringo_jonesand.html

Holly shops. (Pic 3) We make a quick stop next door at The Bug Store.

http://stlouis.citysearch.com/profile/34843074/

We then hit the Delmar Loop because she still needs a souvenier for her sister (who should be visiting soon). We go to one of my favorites, Phoenix Rising.

http://www.insiderpages.com/b/3716912893

By now, it's time for dinner. Andrew and I select BARcelona Tapas because it's one I've never tried, and it's easy for Andrew to get to from work. There's a wait. On a Wednesday. We wait.

http://www.barcelonatapas.com/

Totally worth it. I got Jamon Serrano con Manchego, Lubina a la Plancha (mmmmmmmm....), and Tres Leches cake (MMMMMMMMMM.....). I point out, brilliantly, that if for no other reason, Holly should learn Spanish so that she can order tapas no matter where she is. She got the Patatas Alioli, Ablondigas, and Croquetas di Pollo y Jamon, and Capirote (YUM). Drew got Sopa de Alubias, Atun de Pimienta, Pincho de Pollo y Chorizo, and the flan. All was pronounced delicious.

We then stop by the World News down the street. We pick up magazines for the rest of the trip, and then drive back to Illinois.

Day 3: Up and at 'em, for the next stop on the tour. We take the scenic route, down Illinois 3, with a pit stop in Chester for facilities and drinks, through Carbondale, past a couple of "historic" sites in Marion, and then I leave her in the capable hands of her paternal grandfather.

I meet my own father, stepmother and brother in Carbondale for lunch, then to West Frankfort to collect my birthday present (smoked fish, dill Havarti, meat sticks, and cheese curds fresh from Wisconsin). And then home, through a torrential storm so severe I couldn't even read the roadsigns. My effort at taking a shortcut through O'Fallon failed, as I couldn't SEE THE SIGNS.

Kreative Korner.....

2007-07-21T05:47:00.000-06:00

The Cable Edition.

In expanding beyond knit and purl, I've done a fair amount of cabling.

I started with the striped sweater, an easy cable in four easy pieces, done in Noro. The pattern is out of Knitting Simple Sweaters from Luxiurious Yarns.

http://www.alibris.com/search/books/isbn/1579904238

Then, I went big. I did the green top, which impresses everyone. The pattern is the Wedgewood Blouse from Summer 2006 Interweave Knits (which I used to love, but now that they've changed editors, most of the patterns are yucko -- I probably won't renew). If they only knew how easy it was (well, once I got my question answered by the nice staffers at Interweave) it was a breeze. I did it in Cascade Pima Cotton, a bag I got on my trip to San Diego last year. It was the Black Sheep in Encinitas, CA -- the best yarn shop I've been to in my life (and Andrew will attest I've been to a lot of 'em). Actually, the Black Sheep also supplied the main color of the intarsia sweater from 1/7/07's entry. And a top I made with Berroco Seta and some novelty yarn.

http://www.theblacksheep.biz/
http://www.interweaveknits.com/

Then, I finished the blanket my mother had started and never finished. I gave it to a friend who got married.

Kreative Korner

2007-07-21T05:29:00.000-06:00

Or, "Phun with Gnu Tekneeks."

It's finally finished. This was my first attempt at top-down knitting (most construction, for you non-knitters, is done starting at the bottom hem). I'd started it a long time ago, and not convinced that what they were telling me would result in a sweater, I put it down.

The yarn is some cheap closeout I found, very similar to Mission Falls 1824 Cotton.

The pattern is from Sweaters for Everyone.

http://www.directtextbook.com/prices/B000R93YQ6

I especially like the cable ribbing.

Just a little pressing and it's wearable.

Required Reading

2007-07-20T11:12:00.000-06:00

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2007/07/18/iraq/print.html

Pathetic Little Losers, and What Their Snotnose In Chief Should Do

2007-07-20T06:40:00.001-06:00

http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/57382/

Between the cowardice and the hypocrisy, I'm just disgusted with this bunch of snotty little kids.

And one of 'em grows up to be the Worst Presidunce EVER.

Keith Olberman has a great idea, one all these little pipsqueak idiot kids should do:

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/19/special-comment-keith-blasts-bush-scapegoating-this-is-your-war/

It's the HYPOCRISY, Stupid

2007-07-17T06:13:00.000-06:00

So. One of Bill Clinton's biggest judgers, back in the day, turns out to have some issues of his own.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/16/AR2007071601755.html

Wow. I haven't seen eyes that wide and scary since the runaway bride. And what's with the animal print?

Anyway.......

I truly don't understand these Republican Bedroom Police, and I REALLY don't understand the ones that point a finger at the rest of us while they do precisely what they rail against.

But, Vitter has declared that God forgave him.

That settles it. Nothing to see here..................

What I find really appalling is that Wendy Vitter went out of her way to rant on Hillary, back in the day, and that if Vitter did that she'd be more "Lorena Bobbitt" than "Tammy Wynette." While Vitter, penisless, would solve at least THAT problem, I wonder how that mean woman feels now.

If Hillary wanted to do the right thing, she'd call Wendy and commiserate.

The Hell That Is Telecommuting...........

2007-07-16T20:29:00.001-06:00

Supposedly this is a benefit. I'd sell my own mother into slavery if I didn't have to do it.

I don't have concentration problems. Productivity is not the issue.

I'm bored silly. I was not cut out for staying home, watching my brain slowly turn into swiss cheese from lack of discussion.

This blows.

This would be funnier

2007-06-22T10:03:00.000-06:00

if I didn't stop to consider that there are still millions of rightwing moonbat idiots out there still watching Bill O'Reilly.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/06/20/olbermann-mocks-oreillys-serious-reporting/

More evidence of the disconnect between the rich and the rest of us

2007-06-19T05:31:00.000-06:00

One of Bill O'Reilly's latest stupid statements is that he's quit covering bombings in Iraq because it doesn't "mean" anything.

O'Reilly is his own punchline, but that statement says something more. This attitude is a symptom of a much larger problem.

When asked on CNN whether the fact that none of his five sons has served in the military might be brought up later in the campaign, surge supporter, serious chickenhawk, and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney said:

"Each of my five sons gave two years of their life to the service of their church, and I consider that service to be laudable. But I very highly value those who serve in the military. But it is a volunteer military and I hope that we keep it that way."

Okay.

I don't judge the man because none of his kids went into the army. The army isn't for everyone. Besides, parents can't necessarily take all the blame for what their adult children choose to do.

I have a REAL problem with equating spending two years trying to convert people to Mormonism to military service to one's nation. Surely he's not trying to actually say that.

The message I got was "this war is great, so long as my precious boys don't have to go."

So long as people in these sorts of positions never have to confront the reality of bombs in Iraq, that SOMEONE'S child is dying as a result, this will continue. And, of course, the easiest way to pretend that it isn't happening is to stay tuned to Faux News and then your little applecart stays upright.

And isn't that just like these neocons? Not a one, with less than a handful of exceptions, served in the military, and most of them are old enough to have been drafted. I can't understand how these guys can buy a horribly stupid military theory, convert it into a disaster of a war, cheerlead for it, and then say that what happens there doesn't "mean" anything.

This disingenuous talking head politician has so little integrity that he has no problem just opening his mouth and telling people what they want to hear so that he can be King. He can't decide if he's for or against abortion or gay marriage (and I don't buy his excuses that he's thought about these issues and come to Jesus -- unless by "Jesus" he means his pollster). This man will say and do anything to try to get elected president (I have the same criticism of Hillary Clinton, BTW, so don't go there - I'll deal with her later).

I think what bothers me the most is that while these cancers metastisize on our journalism and political process, people continue to die in Iraq.

Surely we can do better than this.

Surely.

Movies

2007-06-17T20:10:00.000-06:00

Lest anyone think I'm such a book snob that I never watch movies, I do in fact watch a lot of movies. I suppose some will consider me a snob because I won't see most of the mindless crap the studios put out -- I tend to watch only indies and foreign. Most of what I've seen lately is courtesy of Netflix, but I've seen a couple with movie popcorn or courtesy of HBO.

Pan's Labyrinth: Loved it.

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: The slaughter at the end is just horrifying.

The Lives of Others: One of the best so far this year. Set in East Germany a few years before the fall, concerns a Stassi officer who spies on a playwright, and how his immersion in "the lives of others" force his re-examination of his existence.

Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle: amusing

The Illusionist: Super. Nothing is as it seems.......

The Good Shepherd: Eh. Okay.

The Departed: As usual, a high body count, but not bad

The Last King of Scotland: Yeesh -- some disturbing scenes, but an excellent movie

Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont: Not bad. A lovely story of old and young.

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada: A study in points of view.

Super Size Me: Not that I eat Mickey's but ick.

Wordplay: Eh.

Hollywoodland: Better than I thought -- but I like a decent mystery.

Cars: Eh.

The Aristocrats: Got old really, really quick.

Little Miss Sunshine: A hoot. I loved it. One day I heard some women talking about how they hated it, but from the look of them, they won't like anything Oprah doesn't expressly tell them to like.

Hustle & Flow: Okay.

Syriana: Not bad.

Blood Simple: Atrocious. I have a 20-minute rule -- if I'm not into it in 20 minutes, I quit. I didn't make it past 5 on this piece of dung. Drew picked this one, and has a historically, um, spotty record of movie selection. After this clunker I took over the Netflix queue.

An Inconvenient Truth: Thought-provoking.

Thank You for Smoking: Not bad.

The Station Agent: Very good.

Jerry Falwell's Legacy

2007-05-16T19:54:00.000-06:00

Gotta hand it to the guy for being able to convince so many people that he was a Christian while he ignored the New Testament and the words of Jesus (you know, all that stuff about loving, not judging, one another, a book about our responsibility to the less fortunate and a reminder to be grateful for all that is given), and all while chasing the almighty dollar and endless narcissistic power.

Gotta hand it to the guy for his ugly, narrow-minded honesty, and it's just a shame that the Ralph Reeds (at least before he was exposed as the hypocritical fraud all those uber-rightwing anything-but-Christian "Christians" are) and James Dobsons stepped in to put more finesse to their collective brand of hate. I much prefer the clumsy, out-of-the-closet variety. The irony of his supporting Reagan, the non-Christian, over the actual Christian, Carter, for president is not lost on me.

Nonetheless, I wish his family peace and choose to pray for his soul, as it is in serious jeopardy and has been for decades. While Karma would dictate that he comes back as a gay feminist Muslim liberal with a law degree and a job at the ACLU, who fornicates on a whim, I nevertheless hope he returns in his next life a much better human being: one that chooses to pray, for example, for something other than vacancies on the Supreme Court that Bush Junior can fill. He's got a lot to fix and even more to make up for.

As an unreconstructed segretationist and apartheid lover even into the 1980's, gotta love his consistency. While his Telletubby rant solidifies his place as a moonbat, there's no need to expound on his legacy -- Jerry did the work for me.

http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/10806.html

The Dimkus Debacle

2007-05-04T10:43:00.000-06:00

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/nation/story/9A2F7DDAC3823136862572CF0067840A?OpenDocument

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-soltz/theres-no-dying-in-baseb_b_47481.html

The sheer stupidity of the Cubs/Cards rivalry being compared to Iraq aside, the problem is that Shimkus just doesn't get it anymore.

The day he decided to ignore his promise to his constituents to only run for three terms, just because W asked him to, is the day he sold his soul. He consumed the power-flavored Kool-Aid without regard to what that might cost him. He hitched his wagon to Denny Hastert, joined the Beltway power structure, and ignored his own promises and responsibilities, both to his constituents and to the pages in his charge, in order to maintain that power.

God works in mysterious ways. There are paybacks to failing to do the right thing when that tempting carrot is dangled before you.

Tragically, he dehumanzied and destroyed his argument through a clumsy and silly analogy (as an aside, someone should tell him that there are a fair number of Cubs fans in certain parts of his district). Satire is not for amateurs, Mr. Shimkus. Leave it to Stewart and Colbert, please.

This is not a game. This is about war, which is about the deaths of innocents and soldiers. He made himself, and all of Southern Illinois by association, the butt of jokes when there's nothing funny here.

Frankly, I understand and agree with the Pottery Barn Rule he was so badly mangling, but instead of communicating that he made a jerk out of himself.

He's so out of touch that he's merely shocked and surprised by the backlash. He should be ashamed of himself -- for forgetting where he came from, for being too inarticulate to make an argument without some idiotic sports reference, and for turning himself and all of Southern Illinois into a punchline.

Interestingly, the (for lack of a better word) "newspaper" that covers a good part of his district has been stone silent about this matter, and has not responded to inquiries about why they thought his constituents didn't need to be informed.

www.thesouthernillinoisian.com

Maybe they are too busy covering the "high five" gossip in Springfield.

Aunt Nancy's brag book

2007-05-02T20:08:00.000-06:00

http://www.maxpreps.com/FanPages/Player.mxp/AffiliateID-c89c913e-dd31-40ca-a07f-45d39aba7edf/Florida/Boys_Varsity_Baseball_Spring_06-07/AreaID-7bcaf5fa-f8bd-4fe8-a970-f05012cd05b2/SchoolID-0423ac0f-b73d-474e-aced-5ce1a205b812/AthleteID-69263514-2fbe-45b1-ad33-02a8e0f23e77

and

http://www.njcaa.org/schmain.cfm?sid=28&divid=1&gender=w&slid=14&menu=11&schmenu=5&cid=1370&teamid=58672&athleteid=168252&seasonselect=367

Why I Do What I Do

2007-04-17T12:07:00.000-06:00

My father always used to say that "if I had a nickel for every book I bought for you, I'd be a rich man."

He wasn't wrong. But I think about that whenever someone asks me how I can defend "those people." You know: "If I had a nickel for every time someone scowled at me, formed a facial expression reminiscent of smelling a garbage heap, and asked me how I can defend 'those people' I'd be a rich woman."

I have spent virtually my entire legal career in criminal defense. As a Public Defender. Yes, "THOSE PEOPLE." Poor people who get convicted of crimes.

The events that surrounded, and this week ended, the Duke Rape Fiasco illustrate exactly why I do it.

What a difference a year makes, huh.

A year ago, there was a lynch mob at Durham and beyond, the pitchfork wielders consisting of the Duke University campus and administration, the media, the usual camera hogs like Jesse Jackson, and lots of otherwise perfectly nice people who made certain assumptions based on their feelings about privileged white male college students who use their parents' money to hire strippers for their parties.

Now, the mob participants are pretending like nothing happened. While most never said the accused were guilty, they behaved as though they were.

But most people are guilty of precisely this. One quick look at any response board of any online paper asking the public to comment on some criminal case will prove it.

And this is just plain WRONG. Sadly, not many realize that.

I fear the lesson here will get buried in light of the media's haste to bury their own guilty judgment under the news cycle rug. Not everyone accused of a crime is guilty. And it is immoral to behave in a manner that belies this very simple truth.

Luckily for those three young men in the Duke case, they had money and resources to fight. Most do not. And those who do not often as not find themselves in prison. And once there, it is practically impossible to get out because the appellate system is not designed to release the innocent, and prosecutors and police officers find it absolutely impossible to admit that they blew it. It happens. It is no answer to say that it doesn't happen very often. The fact that it happens to even one person is a travesty of justice.

As saddened as I am by a society and a justice system that behaves this way, I save and heap my scorn on prosecutors who abuse their nearly unfettered power to charge people with crimes, not having the decency to admit they made a mistake, or caring what happens so long as their personal agenda is fulfilled.

The only true punishment for prosecutors who do that is Karma. The only punishment that fits this crime is for Mr. Nifong to find himself at the wrong end of a grand jury, unable to fight the charge, find himself convicted, and then placed in prison. Merely losing a license to practice law is insufficient to right this wrong.

What everyone in this country needs to understand is that if prosecutors can do this to one person, can charge people with crimes even in the face of evidence of their innocence, can suppress exculpatory evidence, and march easily to a conviction, then it can happen to each and every one of us.

Not everyone has the extra thousands and millions of dollars it takes to fight this kind of abuse of process. In fact, few do. Innocence is not just confined to the rich and white. What happened to the young men at Duke happens to the poor, too. Their fight for justice is our fight. The very integrity of our government depends on this.

I hope that anyone reading this now gets it, and loses that judgmental look of disgust when they ask me why I do what I do.

Cruisin'

2007-04-08T10:55:00.000-06:00

We were invited to go on a cruise by Andrew's parents (incredibly generous, and I have no idea what to even say to express my awe and gratitude). Being a motion-sick sort, I never considered a cruise. But I'll try almost anything once. So, armed with Bonine (I'm such a motion-sick expert I use this, as opposed to Dramamine), off we go!!

Day ONE, March 23, 2007:

If it's Friday, it must be Miami.

The trip begins with packing bags, trips to the bank, and waiting out the rain so we can take the truck rather than one of the cars. It works out. To Lambert, James!

Andrew's possession of a passport made curbside check in a possibility again (PARENTS: DO NOT NAME YOUR CHILD ANYTHING COMMON. Some terrorist will have done the same thing. Naming your child something common amounts to child abuse. I don't care how many generations the name "John Smith" or "James Moore" has been in your family. Don't do it, for the love of GOD, don't do it.)

Flights to Miami, via Atlanta (three guesses which airline -- first two don't count) were uneventful. We get our bags on those teeny-weeny carousels at MIA, and to the Days Inn.

Two words for that place: Flea. Bag. We were starved, and there's nothing around. We have a choice of the hotel restaurant/bar/salsa joint or ordering a pizza. We opt for the restaurant. The others (Jim, Sue, Jen, Parker) make the alternate choice.

The food was very good, actually. I had a blackened chicken mango salad, Drew had skirt steak. Key Lime pie and cafe con leche finished the meal. We got back and the pizza the others ordered never came, so we convinced them they would not be poisoned if they ate local food. The men still got cheeseburgers (insert eye roll).

Day TWO, Saturday, March 24:

UP and at 'em with a complete rip off of a "continental breakfast." Sheesh. One two-slot toaster, bread, stale Wal-mart pastry, cereal, juice, god-awful coffee. We're told the van will pick us up an hour earlier than originally scheduled. As you no doubt guessed, it showed up when it originally was supposed to show up. So, we and 50 of our newest friends sat around the lobby. We met some lovely people from Chicago who were going to be on the same boat, and we saw them several times during the cruise. Andrew and Parker played video games.

Again, the Days Inn at MIA is a rip-off fleabag. Avoid it.

All ABOARD: Yay! On line check in made that process a breeze. To the buffet for lunch, and then on deck to watch Miami and the traffic jam disappear. No bags, so we opt for afternoon cocktails. Our bags finally get to the room, and we go to din-din.

Day THREE, March 25:

Asea. I start the day with yoga. I'd never really thought about it, but balance poses really don't work on a rocking boat. But the instructor was good, and yoga with a New Zealand accent works well. The weather was cold, gusty, and rainy, so the day was to be spent inside. I read, knitted, napped, fortified by eating all the pineapple the state of Hawaii can provide.

The only thing on the agenda is formal dinner, with portraits beforehand. The backdrop was the Titanic, how utterly cheesy.

Day FOUR, March 26:

If it's Monday, it must be San Juan. Yoga, chow, and to the deck to see the port.

We disembark for the tour of old San Juan. I loved it. The architecture, the history...... the guide was nice and knowledgeable, walking us all around original missions, forts, streets, houses, etc. (I'll refer you to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_San_Juan for the details). I'm going to guess that the junkie twitching in the doorway was not part of the tour. It rained throughout most of the tour, but no big deal.

After the tour, we decide to eat. Our companions were too squeamish to try it, but I figure there's nothing to fear. And there was not. Their loss. We wandered around reading menus, and tried a place that really pushed the pina coladas. It was a good colada, but I'm not all that fond of them. I opted for water, a mojito, and we shared seafood paella. Yum.

I'll definitely go back to San Juan. I want to see more.

But for now, back to the boat to watch San Juan disappear.

Day FIVE, March 27:

On to St. Thomas and Charlotte Amelie. Good GOD they push the duty free jewelry!! No, I do NOT want to spend an entire cruise shopping!! Geez.

Sadly, it's raining, so I end up spending time shopping. Good LORD I've never seen so many jewelry stores in my LIFE. The prices are not that great, by the way. And they charge practically state-side retail for perfume and booze, so big deal if it's duty-free. The only deal is on smokes, but the restrictions make it not worth the effort.

We end up on a skylift to get a panoramic view of the port and surroundings. We watch a ferry sink.

We then take a taxi to downtown Charlotte Amelie. We wander around, amazed at the number of even more duty-free stores. Some rasta tried to sell Andrew weed, and we watched two more get into a fight. Those West Indians need to be more assertive. We stop for a refreshing beverage, and then walk back to the boat.

St. Thomas: eh. Nothing to see there.

DAY 6, March 28:

Yoga, food, and on to Sint Maarten.

Hooray, the weather predictions of rain and storms did not come true. It was a beautiful day in Phillipsburg. We get a taxi to the French side. We alight in Marigot, and begin to wander. It's a bit early for the stores, so we wander to an open market. Arts, crafts, textiles, spices, wow!! We wander into the fish market, where they clean fish fresh off the boat. Stalls and stalls of fresh guava, pineapple, bananas, plaintains. Barrels of cinnamon. The French bakeries smell divine!!

Andrew wanted to walk up to Fort Louis. I nix -- it's too hot. We walk towards an old church, and a nice local tells us that each station of the cross is produced by a different local artist. It was just beautiful. I would have taken a picture, but that would be disrespectful to the worshippers therein.

We decide lunch is in order. We settle on a lovely second-story cafe. Despite the fact kanagroo is on the menu, the owners are French and they can cook!! It was, bar none, the best meal I had on the entire trip. Andrew had a lobster bisque and snails (way to go out on a limb, there). I had the sea bass in puff pastry. It was so good I took a picture of it before I ate it. We drank two big bottles of water and watched a traffic jam.

We get a taxi back to the Dutch side. We wander around Philipsburg, where I find a delft emporium. I cart away some booty. Andrew locates Cuban cigars and carefully selects some.

We walk back via the beach. I have never seen such a beautiful beach. We get a beer, and then back to the boat. As we walked back I planned my next trip to Sint Maarten/St. Martin. I will absolutely return.

DAY 7, March 29:

Asea. Yoga, food, and disappointment when I try to sit on the deck. It's not raining, but it's too cold and windy to read. I knit for a while (several people stop by to discuss my project). The ship library is on the deck with our room, so I read for a while. I sat on deck 4 and wrote. I wander around, get a foo-foo drink, and before I know it, it's dinner time.

DAY 8, March 30:

Nassau, Bahamas. I've been to Nassau and there isn't much there that one can't find in Miami, so I wasn't that impressed the first time. With that and the fact there were about 20 other ships docked, I saw no reason to fight the crowds just to see the same stuff. So, I stayed on the boat. I walked the track on the deck in lieu of yoga, got some breakfast, and then spent my day on the lounge chair at the pool. Sunscreen didn't protect me well enough -- that sun is just too intense.

One final formal dinner, then I have to pack my bags. Boo.

We try to use the express check out, to no avail because Andrew's acursed common name prevents that (see my warnings to all parents above).

THE END, March 31:

We sit in the lounge waiting for our time to get off the boat. Headline News had only three stories in an endless loop: Chocolate Jesus with his naughty bits and the shrill, hysterical Catholic League woman practically stroking out over it, Halle Berry and her suicide attempt after divorcing David Justice, and the only thing remotely resembling news, the Britsh sailors. That got old.

But a quick trip through customs, uneventful flights to St. Louis via Cleveland (three guesses which airline -- first two won't count). And Home.

The cat didn't miss us at all.

I'm not sure what this says....

2007-03-05T10:53:00.000-06:00

At the CPAC, Ann Coulter calls a clearly hetero man a "faggot" (I think -- the attempt at humor was so bad it was subject to interpretation, but I think she meant to call John Edwards a "faggot," and not in the British slang for cigarette sense) and gets press (which is, of course, WHY she did it). My only response is that a "coulter" is the blade part of a plow, the part that gets dragged through dirt.

Meanwhile, on the high road, Barak explains why he's "black enough."

http://www.salon.com/ent/video_dog/?last_story=/ent/video_dog/politics/2007/03/05/barack/

Book Chat

2007-03-03T15:36:00.000-06:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I read. A lot. A LOT. Blame my parents. I don't think they feel the least bit bad about it.

I've read a spate of really good books lately, and thought I'd list 'em. I've read a lot of the Iraq War and "Pile on the Bush Adminstration" tomes, and they are of varying value and interest. I find Cobra II most interesting simply because military strategy is not my field.

The Best of the Best so Far, in no way a complete list, and in no particular order:

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

You can see this happening.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Creepy.

Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier

A bit far-fetched, but good.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Marvelous.

The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast
by Douglas G. Brinkley

How that feckless moron Nagin got himself reelected is a mystery.

Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky, Sandra Smith (Translator)

Another voice silenced by Hitler.

The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier

This was just fantastic.

Next to my bed:

Ten Days in the Hills by Jane Smiley

I always preferred the Decameron to the Canterbury Tales.

Traveler by Ron McLarty

I loved The Memory of Running

In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O'Brien

The Things They Carried is genius.

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama

As cynical as I am, and as angry as I am about the direction this country has taken in the past six years, I'm not ready to give up on my country.

Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen

Inés of My Soul by Isabel Allende, Margaret Sayers Peden (Translator)

I'm about halfway done with this one.

The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud

People either love or hate this one.

Clearly, the world has gone insane.

2007-02-22T18:18:00.000-06:00

Am I the only one amused by the fact that the church Henry VIII started, because he wanted a divorce and the Catholics wouldn't give him one, is now bent out of shape over homosexuality?

http://allafrica.com/stories/200702221139.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/23/nrowan23.xml

And, the Anglicans are thinking of joining the Catholic Church.

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/feb/07021903.html

Insert your own jokes about Anglicans joining Catholics because they don't like gays

Putting their royalty on the line with the commoners

2007-02-19T09:58:00.000-06:00

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,20982185-5001021,00.html

I don't doubt that he won't be cannon fodder, but where, oh where, are the Bush bimbos? Drunk in some nice hotel in South America? Shopping at Bergdorf's? Or just working on being spectacularly useless.......

Hooray!! Discourse!

2007-02-18T14:59:00.000-06:00

All of the silliness that has occurred on Capitol Hill this week has me thinking, which is more than most of those idiots who got their 15 minutes on C-span tend to do. What I so desperately want is some REAL debate on this war. Finally, someone has decided to start one:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/09/AR2007020901917_pf.html

and

http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/

Read. I'll wait.

Now. All of you chickenhawks who are so gung-ho for this war but 1) weasled out of 'Nam, and/or 2) aren't willing to volunteer for the military, RIGHT NOW, sit down. Ditto for kneejerk peaceniks.

For the remainder, let's discuss.

I will be completely up front and say I have been against this war from its inception because it was clear to me in the run-up that those who were proposing this action were looking at it through a decidedly Western lens, and very little consideration had been given to scenarios that did not involve purple fingers and being greeted as liberators. Had I been given information that would have led to a conclusion that 1) killing Saddam was really connected to our national security, and 2) this administration was doing something that really improved our national security, I would have been willing to at least give it a chance.

Let's pitch the red herring of "Saddam was an evil dictator, blah blah." If that were our criteria for war, we'd be in scores of wars right now. Leaving playground namecalling ("white flag Republicans") aside, I am old enough to remember Vietnam, and I want to never repeat that complete defeat. I think it was and still is incredibly demoralizing to our nation. We should learn lessons so that disaster is not repeated (this might have been easier with an adminstration of people who bothered to serve, and took advice from someone besides Kissinger). That said, I am profoundly uncomfortable with an immediate pullout. I question whether our withdrawal, now, will contribute to stabilization.

It breaks my heart to see those names, faces, and ages of the military personnel roll across my TV screen every week on The News Hour and This Week. I worry every day for those who are in harm's way (I have a cousin there right now). We've seen how this adminstration treats people who try to hold it accountable. A "surge" won't change anything, and a "non-binding resolution" is just laughable.

But what is the answer?

Debate is good. Let's keep it up.

Winter Wonderland

2007-02-18T14:27:00.000-06:00

This is actually a fountain with an approximately one-foot deep hole. And another shot of my back yard.

Screw Florida. THIS is beauty and peace.

Calling All Dittoheads

2007-02-05T09:26:00.000-06:00

Absolutely hilarious:

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=ind_focus.story&STORY=/www/story/02-01-2007/0004518421&EDATE=THU+Feb+01+2007,+01:27+PM

But, I suppose $10 million will buy him that 4th wife and a whole lotta oxycontin.

:-(

2007-01-31T21:34:00.000-06:00

Molly Ivins died.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/31/obit.ivins.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

You give 'em hell in the next life, Molly.

Bridal Showers, where you find out your friends need help.....

2007-01-28T13:55:00.000-06:00

First off, I attended a lovely bridal shower given in honor of a long-time friend, good egg, and super defender.

The bride is the one in the dark sweater.

The next photo is one of the new mother and sister in law. I just thought it was a lovely shot.

The next shot is the hostess with the mostest. She said she got a picture of me taking a picture of her. I was a bit slower.

I could upload more pics, but these people at Blogger won't let me.

A good time was had by all.

Until I found out my friends are favoring the (blech) DOLTS in the Super Bowl.

Ladies. Illinois has: Chicago and Barack, and eagle watching along the Illinois River. Indiana has, what. Dick Lugar and East Chicago. Muncie.

There is no good shopping in Indiana. Unless you count the outlet shops in Jeffersonville. And I don't. Besides, the ones in Gurnee are much, MUCH better.

Repent before it's too late!!!

Why I Hate Men

2007-01-24T03:37:00.000-06:00

It's 3:37 a.m. I'm up because someone, not naming names, but his team rhymes with "The Dolts," snores.

This is normally not that big of a problem, since we have more than one bedroom. I can just go to the one that isn't shut off (and thus has heat), and sleep there.

Except that someone else slept there on Saturday, because he played poker and smelled of cheap Anheuser products and cigarettes. He stripped that bed on Sunday and I washed the sheets (because they sat in a pile in the kitchen for a period of time that indicated that if I didn't do it, they may sit there for a while).

He told me on Sunday he'd make that bed on Monday.

He told me on Monday he'd make that bed on Tuesday.

It's 3:30 on Wednesday morning, and I just got through making that bed so I'd have someplace to sleep that isn't right next to a freight train.

But not before I woke him up to explain how displeased I was.

And, as I type this, Mr. Dolts Fan is asleep again.

At least my displeasure does not stress him unduly.

GO BEARS!! updated

2007-01-23T10:16:00.001-06:00

Sadly, it was not to be this year.

Still, my beloved Sox won in 05, followed by my beloved Cards in 06. I can live with it. And while Indy is a flyover of no cultural value, Tony is a good guy. No biggie.

Oh. My. God.

2007-01-22T16:57:00.000-06:00

http://www.sweetjesusihatebilloreilly.com/archive/011807.html

Will Fox "News" have the common decency to fire him? I doubt it.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200701190009

There's a special place in Hell for O'Reilly.

One reason why living in Southern Illinois is a step back in time, or One Reason Why I Ran Screaming From Marion

2007-01-16T20:58:00.000-06:00

http://www.southernillinoisian.com/articles/2007/01/16/top/18887582.txt

The tasty quote, from dinosaur mayor Bob Butler*:

"Far be it for me to speculate on the workings of the female mind."

Do you think gender would have been a subject of commentary if the litigants were male?

I think not.

Here it is, 2007, and women still have to put up with this crap.

*assuming his name is Robert Lee Butler, he was last registered as an attorney in Illinois in 1984 before suspension. He does not appear to have ever tried to get his license back as ARDC still has it listed as suspended. Mr. Butler appears to have failed to to "demonstrat[e] rehabilitation, good character, and current knowledge of the law in a subsequent reinstatement case" to the Supreme Court's satisfaction. The difficulties he encountered had something to do, as I recall, with ticket fixing. In any event, a man with that track record is the source. Consider it accordingly.

Paybacks, Golden Rules, Hypocrisy, Lemmings, and Whatnot

2007-01-15T08:14:00.000-06:00

This is what happens when your own rules are used:

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/01/11/barney-frank-kicks-patrick-mchenry-around-the-house-floor/

And, what's about to happen:

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/01/11/mitt-romney-changes-his-mind-on-abortion/

Apparently, you're a "flip flopper" even if you aren't John Kerry.

Oh, how ideology goes by the wayside:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/1/14/0746/72842

And:

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2007/01/12/tears/index.html

I shed a tear, too, but that's because I'm left to wonder what is really going on under his thinning hair. He can't be upset because he keeps sending middle class people to die for his poorly executed folly while his own bimbo daughters wreak havoc on Buenos Aires.

And, just when I think he can't demonstrate any more irony, the man who can't even form subject-verb agreement goes on 60 Minutes to claim he's the "Educator in Chief." Oh!! That's the problem - it isn't that his policies stink. It's that we're too stupid to understand them, and if he keeps repeating them in small words, we'll eventually see how wise he truly is.

It boggles the mind.

Today's work timesheet

2007-01-10T20:15:00.000-06:00

This is an example of what my boss gets to read. It really is how I spent my workday:

I spent the day having lots of fun. I just love writing briefs that
1) involve wordplay, and 2) might actually have a prayer (so much for my New
Years' resolution). It's the sort of thing that makes non-lawyers' eyes
glaze over -- when a parking lot is NOT a "public place of accommodation" or
"public way." It's made all the more fun when the prosecutor doesn't get
the charge correct, and pays no attention when the judge denies the motion for
directed verdict, using loud stage whispers:

[NOTE: editorial license used for dramatic effect -- actual events much more
boring]

Defense: I move for directed verdict. There's no proof that the location is a place of public accommodation.

Prosecutor: Uh HUH. Is too.

Judge: Well, the fight happened (ahem) outside the building (pointed stare at prosecutor) in the parking lot (cough cough) perhaps even on the street (eyebrows move up and down), so (elbows prosecutor) since we haven't seen the instructions yet (wink wink) I'll deny the motion at this time.

Later:

Prosecutor: I submit these instructions, charging agg batt/public place of
accommodation.

Defense counsel: (silence)

Judge: (sigh) Okay.

Later still, at sentencing:

Defense counsel: The State didn't prove that the parking lot of a privately owned facility is a public place of accommodation. (actually presents a witness to testify that if the general public just wandered around, they'd call the cops)

Prosecutor: Uh HUH. Is SO.

Judge: Whatever. Denied.

Reading List

2007-01-08T21:59:00.000-06:00

I got lots of knitting books for the holidays, and poured over them all. They include:

Knitting Tips and Trade Secrets
Folk Vests
Knitting Beyond the Edge
Stitchery Vol. 3 -- Color

I have yet to make anything using them, so stay tuned.

I've also read:

This Is Not Chick Lit -- like most anthologies, some are better than others. The contributions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Aimee Bender, Curtis Sittenfeld, and Jennifer Egan are the best. As a lover of short stories, however, I liked them all. And I heard all about how all the chick lit people are all bent out of shape over this. Perhaps you wouldn't be so defensive if you didn't know it was true: "chick lit" is mindless, useless crap. Stop reading that tripe and read something GOOD. Like this.

Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier. Yes, yes, I know. It's not Cold Mountain. But it's still good. I tend to favor southern writers, ironic in that I generally hate the south. But it's loosely based on a real person, with whom the character "shares some DNA." I recommend it.

The Thirteenth Tale (all the 13s........) by Diane Setterfield. I'm normally not one for the Brits, but this is quite a good story. I can't really describe it without giving away the good parts.

It's finished

2007-01-07T11:31:00.000-06:00

For those who saw this in various sections, it's done. And fits like a dream.

The pattern is from the Fall 2005 Interweave knits.

http://www.interweaveknits.com/backissues/F_06.asp

Instead of the delicious alpaca in the pattern, I used a bag of Jo Sharp DK wool in a discontinued color that I'd gotten in San Diego. I then ordered the remaining colors from the Jo Sharp website, and with the exchange rate against the Australian dollar, it was a bargain.

http://www.ozeyarn.com/category34_1.htm

The Insanity continues

2007-01-04T20:53:00.000-06:00

Quotables:

W said Thursday he wished the execution of Saddam Hussein "had gone in a more dignified way."

Will someone explain to me how premeditated, cold-blooded, calculated, intentional, deliberate murder (and that's what the death penalty is, no matter what alleged justification you conjure up for it) be more "dignified"? A public hanging is just plain barbarism, brought to you by the 11th Century. How do you make that more "dignified"?

Then the Republicans now have the unmitigated gall to complain that Nancy Pelosi appears to be considering hoisting them on their own petard. They have the 20 pound 'nads necessary to actually say that she is letting the American people down by treating them just as they treated the Democrats.

Well cry me a river.

"The much ballyhooed commitment to minority rights is virtually nonexistent," complained Rep. David Dreier, who as Rules Committee chair was the person mainly charged with executing the Republican policy of curtailing minority voices. "Promises were made, and they are not being kept," whined Dreier. "That is the thing that I find most troubling."

Now THAT takes a COMPLETE lack of shame.

And finally, from Representative Kingston of Georgia, upon hearing the news that Steny Hoyer intended to make the Congress work more that two days per week:

"Marriages suffer. The Democrats could care less about families -- that's what this says."

All I can say is "wow -- is this jerk out of touch."

Hypocrisy, Thy Name is George -- and Pat

2007-01-03T07:32:00.000-06:00

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/01/02/olbermann-special-comment-on-sacrifice/

Right ON, Keith. W's all about sacrificing other people's children while his own party hearty in Buenos Aires (presumably taking Daddy's advice to support the war effort by shopping).

And all because he has some messianic delusion that God picked him, and that he's right about lying to the entire nation so he could start a war in a country that was no threat to us. And he dithers now about what to do, letting more and more die, all because he can't admit that he blew it. BIG TIME.

And, while we're on the topic of hypocrites and delusionals, here's a question. Most people who claim God told them something are carted off to the State Hospital. When this snake-oil salesman says it, the media shows up:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/02/robertson.predictions.ap/index.html

The sheeple who watch the 700 Club need to put away their checkbooks, turn off the TV, and go volunteer at a homeless shelter. THAT'S Christian.

That thud you heard was me getting off my soapbox.

Workworkwork

2007-01-02T19:50:00.000-06:00

Right before the holidays, I received a written opinion on one of my cases that made me unhappy. Quite unhappy. This is unusual -- normally I don't get that worked up. But they done my client all wrong.

Those who know me well know that I am nothing if not efficient in the exercise of my tasks. When needed, I tend to quickly write and file any necessary subsequent motions/petitions while the ideas are still fresh.

This time I could not. I spent most of one morning trying to write something that wouldn't get me disbarred. Several drafts involved commentary, commentary that even described here might result in an unpleasant communique from ARDC. And so, I discarded all attempts, save a snotty limerick (contained instead in my "timesheet" to my boss, who will likely appreciate same), vowing to begin anew after the holiday.

And so I did. It still took two hours to write about three pages. Every sentence seemed to either start or end with some smart alecky descriptive term (I know -- those of you who've met me find that almost impossible to fathom) . I finally got it down and, knowing it would still need a steadier eye, gave it to two people for a tone check.

Then I indulged in my fantasy of being Judge Judy. What a gravy job. You get to give lectures to young women who stupidly give money to loser deadbeat boyfriends, you get to yell at the loser deadbeat boyfriends, and you get to tell a wide swath of society that they are just morons/irresponsible bums/losers/deadbeats/scum. I could soooo do that.

And then I baked an apple pie cookie thing.

Such was my day.

Told you I was boring.

One of the Coolest Scarves to Actually Be Seen

2007-01-01T18:06:00.000-06:00

Entrelac (for you non-knitters, it's the technique that produces the effect shown here) seemed interesting. I tried reading and figuring it out, but the words didn't translate into my head.

Then my friend and co-worker Jennifer started an entrelac shawl. We carpool the considerable distance to work, and one drives while the other knits. I watched her do some turns, read the pattern, watched some more, and then I realized how to do it. VoiLA!!

I found this pattern at Patternworks, and the yarn in a kit. It's Gedifra Fashion Trend. I think it's awfully nifty.

The Coolest Scarf to Never Be Seen

2007-01-01T17:53:00.000-06:00

I was sooooo proud of this. It's just Plymouth Suri Merino and Vivian Hoxbro's Shadow Knitting. Using just two colors and stitches, you create this effect.

Of course, Drew never wears it. I made him a sweater he refused to wear as well. I ripped it out and made another sweater he said he liked. He has yet to wear it. He has until March, and then that sweater will disappear, and he can just FORGET ever having a special knitted object ever again.

At least he likes my cooking.

I finished my first effort at fair isle today. After careful blocking and sewing, it will be a garment by the end of the week.

The Same 5 Meals

2006-12-31T07:58:00.000-06:00

So today is New Year's Eve. Andrew and I traditionally stay in, not wild about the crowds trying ever so desperately to ring in the new year. A nice meal, a bottle of wine, movies.

As I mentioned, I like to cook. They tell me I'm okay at it. Sadly, the man I married likes to eat the same things, over and over and over and over and over and over. Really, my expansive repetoire is wasted. So tonight, I'm making lasagne. Again. I have the recipe memorized and could do it in my sleep with both hands tied behind my back. And creme brulee. Never done that before. Yawn.

This time, however, I'm baking rosemary foccacia.

I just can't do the same food twice. I just can't.

My next sweater

2006-12-30T14:55:00.000-06:00

Undaunted, I continued on. I found a pattern in a Family Circle knitting magazine I'd had for centuries, always thinking I'd knit again (I'm a visionary....).

It calls for Lion Homespun, which I've used and didn't think it would make a good garment. I also wanted a nice black sweater to wear with an asymetrical skirt I'd bought. There's a lovely knitting shop in Edwardsville (Knit One Weave Two) where I found some Manos wool. I thought I wanted a little more sheen to it, so I found some Crystal Palace Mikado Ribbon at Myers House in Florissant (I can't recommend this shop enough -- huge selection, knowledgable owner and employees, and more than half of them share my name).

It's simple: garter stitch edgings, stockinette body. But the yarn makes it look special.

See how boring I am? I get all excited just imagining the creative ways I can mix and match yarns to create just that right look.

Knitting, the Beginning

2006-12-30T07:41:00.000-06:00

I'd learned early, somewhere in the range of 8-9 years old. Mom taught us (I have a sister) for, I think, a Girl Scout badge. I'd learned to knit, purl, increase, and decrease, everything you need for a scarf or shawl.

I'd tinkered with it through the years. I spent most of my crafty youth on needlework, such as needlepoint and cross, because it's relatively cheap and I didn't have much extra moola.

I pretty much gave that up in my 30's, as law school did nothing for my eyesight and I had a job that required too many hours.

I got another job and, one day, decided to really learn to knit. I went to some good knitting stores, bought some nice yarn and some good bamboo needles, and set to. I then decided that I could learn to make a sweater. I read books, learned to read a pattern, and chose a super-simple pattern from 25 Gorgeous Sweaters for the Brand New Knitter. I recommend this book for your first sweater -- they are simple, and they aren't that fugly stuff from Wal-Mart.

I bought some Tahki Soho Tweed and some nice bamboo circulars, and what ho, a sweater emerged. Unfortunately, it came out as if it were made for an ape -- it was way too big, the body too cropped, and the sleeves too long. Thus, I learned the importance of gauge. I ripped it out and went on to other things.

I then, on a whim, bought an Incredible Sweater Machine off of Ebay. I learned to use it, and while not terribly versatile, can do stockinette faster than by hand (FYI -- don't let anyone tell you differently -- it is NOT a time saver to do anything other than stockinette on that thing). I decided to do the sweater again, this time translating it onto the machine. It turned out pretty well, don't you think?

Unlike the last one, it actually fits.

At some point after that, I discovered the unmitigated joy of discount yarn off of the internet. Good yarn, retail, is very expensive (this is one EXPENSIVE hobby, but my excuse is "Andrew bought a BOAT. Until I've purchased the equivalent of a bass boat in yarn, I'm good.") When the yarn was discontinued, I bought 11 more skeins at more than half off. It's going to turn into a coat from the Best of Lopi book.

"Memories of the Ford Administration"

2006-12-29T10:09:00.000-06:00

An Updike book, not really about the Ford Administration. But I'm old enough to remember Watergate (watched the hearings endlessly -- see how boring I am? I was a 10-11 year old kid, watching congressional hearings) and Ford. I don't remember Ford being as universally loved then as he is now, but that's probably true of many leaders past and present.

What I keenly remember about the Ford Adminstration are two things: the pardon, and the WIN buttons.

Had I known he was going to start the careers of the two senior Darth Vaders of the current administration, I would have paid more attention. Instead, I read 31 Days by Barry Werth.

Boring? The Challenge

2006-12-29T06:28:00.000-06:00

Drew doesn't like my blog concept. "Boring?" he says.

Oh, I'm boring.

My hobbies are reading, cooking and knitting. It doesn't get much duller than that, does it.

I go to work, I come home, I cook, read and knit. Except when I don't go to work, and then I clean, organize, and then read, cook, and knit.

And, whether you people like it or not, I'll be posting my projects. Sure, sure, that won't be boring to knitters, but it sure will bore the rest of you.

In The Beginning.....

2006-12-28T21:47:00.000-06:00

Yeesh. I'm so lame. I take a week off of work, and one of my projects is to start my blog.

Sad.

Well, first I did a home inventory for insurance purposes.

Sadder.

So anywho. I'm not sure I have anything worthwhile to share, but I've decided a creative outlet might be good for me. I'm sure it won't matter a tinker's damn, but what the hey. I'll be all cool and join the 00's before they turn into an "I Love the 00's" on VH1.

So, if you want to feel better about yourself by comparing your life to my ever-so-dull one, welcome aboard.