Inspiration... From Karen

"We’re our own worst enemies when we really should take a lesson from Spaceballs and be our own best friend, just like Mawg…"

You Know What Tonight Is...

Oh yes. Don't even pretend like you don't know. It's like a rainfall in the desert.

LOST. For real, not like last night's Pop-Up Video episode (although I haven't watched it yet, so perhaps it was a good refresher). Get ready, folks, it should be good.

In celebration and contemplation of the new season, I offer you these 48 questions, courtesy of the LA Times. Please to enjoy and discuss.


48. Will the WGA strike permanently disrupt the original plan to end the series with three seasons of 16 episodes apiece?
47. What is Charles Widmore's association with the Dharma Initiative?
46. Who were those guys in the icebound monitoring station at the end of Season 2?
45. What is the significance of Claire's baby?
44. Will Rose's cancer return?
43. Will Sun survive her pregnancy?
42. What's the meaning behind that crazy mural painted inside the Swan Station?
41. Where exactly is the island located?
40. What gets worshipped at the temple Ben mentions near the end of the third season?
39. Who are the people on the rescue ship?
38. If Penny Widmore didn't send the ship, then where is her rescue crew?
37. Can Juliet really be trusted?
36. How did the Black Rock get on the island?
35. How many more Dharma stations are left to be found?
34. Will we learn more about Libby's connection to Hurley?
33. Are Nikki and Paulo gone for good?
32. What did Jack mean in the flash-forward when he made a reference to his supposedly dead father being upstairs?
31. Will the rest of the survivors learn about Hurley's fortune?
30. Will Jin learn about Sun's affair?
29. How did Locke's father get on the island?
28. Why do all pregnancies result in death on the island?
27. Is Alvar Hanso still involved with the island?
26. What is the sickness Rousseau talked about her crew getting in the first season?
25. How was Walt able to appear to Locke and Shannon?
24. What do the numbers -- 4 8 15 16 23 42 -- mean?
23. Why does the doctor in the Dharma Initiative-orientation films have different names in different films?
22. Who are the bodies dubbed Adam and Eve that were found in the caves?
21. What do the hieroglyphics on the machine inside Swan Station mean?
20. How did the Others get all the names of the survivors?
19. What are the whispers people hear in the jungle?
18. Will we see more of the Other known as Isabel (Diana Scarwid)?
17. Where have the children that the Others took been hiding?
16. Why do so many episodes start with the close-up of an eye?
15. Were the Others really having Sawyer and Kate help to build a runway?
14. What did the psychic that read Claire's future see?
13. Did Jack's dad really come back to life or is that an illusion?
12. Will Desmond retain his ability to see the future?
11. Who besides Kate and Jack got off the island?
10. Who is Kate's unseen mate in the post-island flash-forward?
9. What's the deal with that four-toed statue from the Season 2 finale?
8. In Jack's post-island flash-forward, who was in the coffin?
7. What happened to Michael and Walt after they left the island?
6. What is Walt's power?
5. How did Mikhail (the eye-patch guy) appear to come back from the dead?
4. Why doesn't Richard Alpert age?
3. What is Jacob?
2. What is the smoke monster?
1. What is that island?

Nostalgia

I've been enjoying the Sci-Fi and Fantasy podcast for a few months now. Listening to Anthony and Scott/Bill talk about various movies have really reminded me of some great movies that I haven't seen in ages. I just listened to an episode where they talked about The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, for instance, which really got my brain working; especially thinking about the great Ray Harryhausen movies I used to watch with my dad on Channel 9 when I was little. Jason and the Argonauts was standard Sunday afternoon viewing fare whenever it was on. I remember going to see Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger at the old Colony movie theatre in Jackson Heights. Annie, Sandy and I played Clash of the Titans when we took a break from playing Star Wars.

The guys on the podcast have talked about other movies I loved, like Something Wicked This Way Comes - I mean, holy cow! Is that on DVD? I need to get that! (PS - yes, it is; I just checked Amazon.) There's an episode on Tron, they've discussed the Planet of the Apes movies - classics as well as Tim Burton's revisit with Mark Wahlberg, they've covered Twilight Zone: The Movie (Do you want to see something really scary?), and even March of the Wooden Soldiers.

Great movies, intertwined with so many great memories. I think it's time to sit Will and Alex down and turn on the DVD player. I hope they grow to love these movies like I have, and I hope I can give them the good memories like my mom and dad gave me. We have started working our way through Raiders of the Lost Ark, so we'll see... I just wish watching movies at home didn't become ADD-theatre these days.

Caught Up!

Okay, with this post, I'm caught up. I hope.

Mike's cousin, Jackie, had a big birthday recently, so we celebrated in style out at a hall in Huntington. I spent the night taking pictures of my kids, niece, and nephew as is normally the case. I was thrilled to finally get full-face pictures of both my niece and my nephew (since they've been able to move, my pictures have been mostly of the backs of their heads or at best, profile).

Kiwi and I spent most of the evening hiding in the bridal suite, looking for TV, and washing our hands in the bathroom. How much fun is it to be a kid?

Kiwi

Alex and Kiwi on the dance floor

Will shakes his maracas in style

Bray, between table-jumping moments

Catch-Up Post - Baby Boyd

I've been really bad at updating my photos lately - once I get them off of the camera, I just go to bed. Or play with my iPod. So I was seriously lax on my Snapfish distribution action. I've remedied that last night.

If you're a regular reader, you know that I've been anticipating the arrival of Baby Boyd with about as much zeal as I anticipated my own boys - which is probably on par with the arrival of the Christ Child, but indulge me if you will. This is indeed another Baby Boyd post, but it's illustrated.

Baby Boyd made out like a bandit at what I like to refer to as "The Pre-Game Show". Enjoy some of the haul...

Here we are, flush with the joy of new goodies to find places for. I'm secretly thrilled that Nancy prefers her photos to be taken from the chest up, because I really don't want anyone viewing me from below the waist these days, either.

Keith surrounds himself with testosterone at the Pre-Game Show - there was a LOT of estrogen magic in that home.

As the countdown to Baby Boyd's arrival begins, I ask myself... what do I have time to knit? ;-)

Weekend

Whew, catching up on stuff like mad. I've been a knitting fiend, working on another pinwheel blanket for Ella, Mike's best friend's daughter, who will be Christened next weekend. I even tried out my fledgling crochet skills and put a little fan stitch border around it, which came out cute - very relieved.

What I'm not thrilled about, though, is the fact that white dye lots apparently don't match up. Grr.

ARGH!

But the border's cute...

It looks like it's dirty on the outside! I'm trying to calm myself and tell myself it's two shades of white. It won't show so much in the daytime. I'm ready to slam my head into a wall. This is what I get for stash-diving to start a project.

I've got more pictures, so let me start another entry. Keep reading...

Star Wars Holiday Special

Because Piera has never experienced it...

CORRECTION!!

Zombie Hunters: City of the Dead is on at 11 tonight, NOT 11:30. See why I need coffee?

If you search by title on DVR, look for "City of the Dead" - that's what they're featuring it under.

Zombie Hunters Premiered Last Night!!

Zombie Hunters premiered last night - did you catch it? If not, fear not - QPTV (Channel 35, 85 if you've got RCN) will run it again on Monday night, 11:30 p.m. DVR it, stay up late and watch it, set your VCR if you still have one that works - catch the show. It's cool, it's fun, and it's got our friends in it. And zombies! What's not to love?

And if by chance you don't live in Queens and want to check it out, let me know - I've got DVDs aplenty. Or, if you're the impatient type, head on over to YouTube and search for ZombieBoy66's videos - Patrick's got some clips uploaded to satisfy your undead lust.

Support home-grown horror! Support your friends!

More Pictures...

Alex's face says it all...

Will and Alex relax in the caverns

Mike needs a little headroom!

I'm a Few Days Behind...

We went upstate this past weekend and brought the kids to Howe Caverns. I've never been there either, so it was almost as much fun for me as it was for the boys. And considering that it was arctic up there, I really appreciated the fact that the caverns were an even 50 degrees. Heck, I was ready to move in down there until Spring. The caverns are wild - so amazing, that water and time created them.

When we came back up to the surface, we looked out over at the mountains. The view is stunning. And cold. Very, very, cold.

Yes, it was as cold as it looks.

My inner Al Gore/Jim Hightower was briefly ignited as I looked at this breathtaking sight and thought for some reason about MTR (mountaintop removal) - how can anyone, I don't care what your profession is, look out at a scene like this and say, "Hey - betcha if we blow off the top of that mountain, we can mine it out quicker. Let's go for it!" I didn't want to tarnish the moment by sharing this, so I took some pictures and enjoyed living in the moment. But I think I'll keep it in the back of my head to remind the boys one day.

Sadly, the amazing little country bakery I fell in love with only a few months ago is gone, like so many other small businesses up there. It's becoming so depressing, seeing this little Small Town America just wasting away. I guess I still harbor this little hope that we could move up there and help breathe some new life - and cash - into that struggling economy. One of these days, maybe I will have my little yarn shop/eclectic bookstore. Until then...

Digging Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles?

Have you checked out the new Terminator TV show? I admit to being highly skeptical when I first heard about it. To paraphrase Stacey's comment on it, haven't we been to the well a few too many times on this one? Hell, I haven't even seen T3 yet.

After watching the first two episodes, though, I've got to admit - I think it's got some promise. Granted, they've created at least two new timelines within the first two episodes, but hey - Star Trek gave us new anomalies that buggered up the timestream constantly, right? Anyone remember the whole Tasha Yar business? But it was good television, and it's fantasy, folks. It's all about possibilities.

So when I heard that someone sat down and tried to untangle the yarn barf that seems to have been created with the latest Terminator offering, I had to check it out. And it makes a lot of sense. Todd Seavey, you rock. After reading this article, a lot of things are more clear - and I think I may even sit down and watch T3 after all. I'll just make sure I have a good knitting project in hand, just in case.

BIRTHDAYS!

Happy Birthday plus one to Stacey, and Happy Birthday to Linda!!

Knit-A-Long!

I've started a Vogue Knitting cabled scarf knit-a-long on Ravelry - I'll be blogging it on Domestic Goddesses if you're interested. Lots of cabley and yarny goodness to come...

Congrats!!!

I just wanted to give a shout-out to Linda, who's up for two Parenting Publishers of America (PPA) awards, both for features she did for Big Apple Parent for a news feature and a general feature she did in Big Apple Parent last year. Wander on over to her blog, Media Whore, and send her some love!

The Chamber of Secrets Has Been Opened!

So yes, I've been keeping secrets for a few months now, but all shall be revealed. I've made references to "Super Secret Projects" I've been working on for a wee one about to join us, and I was finally able to give the soon-to-arrive Baby Boyd gifts this past weekend at Nancy and Keith's Baby Celebration.

I can't put into words how excited I am. As an only child, I've had the unique luck of choosing the people that I want as siblings; waiting to meet my niece or nephew is just as exciting as it was to meet my boys after nine months.

Sometimes, I get very nervous about letting those people I care about most know how much they mean to me, and I guess that's one of the reasons I enjoy knitting so much. I can give you something that says it for me, and not have to worry about sounding corny. So I'll stop rambling here, lest I feel corny just putting these things down in HTML and let my needles and Dale Garn Baby Ull speak for me.

Baby Cardigan Warp

Baby Ribbed Cardigan with Matching Hat

I also worked up a blanket and another hat - they're in the post directly below this one. I'm sure there will be more Super Secret Projects in the near future...

I also have another Super Secret Project on the needles at the moment, but it won't be as long or drawn out since Stacey's birthday is coming up. ;-)

Super Secrets Revealed!

So finally, I can reveal my yarn, sweat and tears for the past couple of months.

Tilted Blocks Baby Blanket - LOVE this pattern, and if you ignore my purple flannel sheets with the penguins on them, you can see how nicely the lace looks now that I've honest-to-goodness blocked a project. This is the project I knit with the yarn I bought in Rhode Island when Mike's cousin got married.

And since I had extra yarn left, I whipped up - you guessed it, another baby hat. Yes, an umbilical cord hat from Stitch & Bitch. You are surprised? Didn't think so.

Why did I knit all of this up? Oh, keep reading... I've got more coming.

Happy Birthday!

Mike begins the last year of the third decade today! Happy birthday sweetie - even though you never read my blog...

Cloverfield

Monster? What are you talking about, the train is coming and I can't find my Metrocard!

Let's discuss. Who's psyched for Cloverfield? Have you been playing the little creepy online games? Debating whether the monster is Godzilla, Cthulhu or Voltron? C'mon - you know you have. I'll admit to visiting the Slusho website. I even hit Ethan Haas Was Right early on. I am such a sucker for viral marketing. Man, J.J. Abrams needs to understand I have work to do, though, ya know?

I want a Cthulhu movie. I need a Cthulhu movie. Okay, maybe Mike needs a Cthulhu movie more than I do, but I really do want one. And Abrams would be the guy to pull it off, methinks. But I don't think it's a Cthulhu movie. I swear to GOD, if it's another Godzilla movie after the great Matthew Broderick debacle, I will go insane and stab myself with a double-pointed needle. So I'm left just waiting with a fairly open mind and a lot of anticipation.

IESB has a few stills posted, but don't think you're getting any spoilers. C'mon - JJ Abrams still has us getting up in arms over what the movie is even about; you think you're getting answers at this point?

One Down, One To Go...

Super Secret Project #1 blocked so well that I attempted Super Secret Project #2 and #2a last night. I woke up to check them this morning and they do look lovely; now I just have to *ahem* seam it up.

Speaking of which - I finished seaming up Super Secret #1. Yes, I will sit back and gloat while you re-read that. I seamed up. It's done. There were almost some tears, a couple of pin-pricks as I wrestled things into shape, but it's done. Super Secret #2 happens tonight. #2a doesn't require seaming. Ah.

Super Secret #3 just needs a quick soak and a hang-dry; no real blocking necessary.

Pictures coming after the weekend...

So It Begins...

I began blocking one of the super-secret gifties last night. Yes, I am actually going to finish projects that I started, aren't you excited for me? Pictures to come after Saturday, when the projects are no longer super-secret.

So I blocked the first, laid it out and this morning I was thrilled to see that it actually worked! It looks like a real piece of knitwork rather than a congealed ball of yarn. Tonight, I block super-secret piece number two and start seaming up super-secret piece number one. Yes, I know - blocking and seaming. Me. See? Anyone can be redeemed.

Picked up Mike's birthday gift from Will the other day; and since Mike doesn't read my blog, I can tell you that it is a wickedly cool Cylon tee shirt. Alex has requested that I buy Mike a Spider-Man action figure because "they are COOOOL!" And both have insisted that I must wrap their gifts in Spongebob wrapping paper. Perhaps with a My Pretty Pony card, which gets Alex giggling wickedly.

What Does It Mean, What Does It Mean??

PopCandy is on the case again, with the scoop on an EW article that provides a pic of the BSG cast in a DaVinci-inspired pic fraught with information - we just have to figure it out.

I will commence whining like my 4-year old. I don't WANNA wait until April 4th! I wanna watch BATTLESTAR GALACTICA NOOOOOW!!!!!!!

I am stomping my feet and slamming the door to my room, vowing never to speak to Ron Moore again.

Saw Sweeney Todd Last Night...

Knowing full well that Mike would not sit through Sweeney Todd if I paid him, I went with Stacey and Piera last night. After a lovely Pumpkin Spice latte at Panera across the street, and braving the insanity of movie lines out the door, a series of downed ABOs and a Fandango bugger-up, we sat back and enjoyed Johnny Depp do his worst as the vengeful Sweeney Todd, Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

I had wanted to see this since I was a kid; I remember the commercials for the Broadway show to this day (of course, not really wanting to explain murder and cannibalism to a first grader, my mom opted wisely to say, "you're a little young to go to a Broadway show, honey"). And while I would liked to have heard "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd," as I believe that song, sampled in the commercials of my youth is called, it was still a great time. Johnny Depp carried off the role very well; I've heard that the role of Sweeney Todd calls for a major baritone and that Mrs. Lovett needed a 'big voice,' but I think Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp brought a new perspective. Maybe not having seen the original, I'm not really informed - but hey, I loved it. I thought Sascha Baren Cohen was hilarious, and Alan Rickman is always good to watch. While I won't be taking Will to it any time soon (much to his chagrin) because it is horrifically violent (although cartoonishly so), I did tell my mom I'd gladly go check it out with her.

And because I am who I am, I happened to notice the great knitwear throughout the movie. Johnny Depp had these great, fingerless gloves on that moved me to lean over to Stacey and say, "I could totally knit those." Helena Bonham-Carter had several great lacy cuffs and knit pieces throughout the movie. It was knitpr0n at its finest moment.

And lo and behold, I am not the only one who obsessed. The knit-net is buzzing. I've found one blogger who's on it, gauntlet-wise and even my knitting muse Vickie Howell is in on it, talking about the scarves and gloves and knitty goodness all around. Who knows? This could end up being the start of a movement like the Harry Potter knitmania has grown into.

What am I working on? Super secret stuff, that will be revealed this coming weekend.

I Cannot BELIEVE I'm Writing This...

::looking around:: Ssshhh.... I have to tell you something. And it's a little... uncomfortable to say. C'mere. No, closer, don't make me say this out loud.

Ready? Okay. God, I can't believe I'm going to write these words.

High School Musical is pretty darned catchy. You can thank Will for this latest brainwashing.

Unless you've been under a rock (or possibly don't read PerezHilton or any other gossip blogs - or don't have kids), you must have heard of HSM by now. Will, my 8-year old who wears skulls and listens to Iron Maiden and Twisted Sister, has fallen under the HSM lure. I'm really quite happy about it, actually - it's nice to see kids enjoying something made for kids, rather than having them desperate to grow up and watch things made for grownups. I secretly love when he asks me for KidzBop CDs because I want my 8 year old to be 8, you know?

So I recorded both HSM and HSM2 the past week, and decided I was going to sit down and watch them with him. Well, I watched HSM2; but we'll probably watch HSM together too, since that is apparently even better. And I ended up really digging it. Now I've got that "All for One" song stuck in my head. At least it's catchy.