But this is $2.22...

So I go to Dunkin Donuts this morning for my coffee, having taken the E train which lets me off on 8th Avenue. The line is huge, but I decide that I can use the valuable time to clean out my wallet. Finally, I get to the counter, present my $1 coupon (thanks, Mom!) and ask for a large French Vanilla with milk and a Splenda. You with me so far?

She rings me up - $2.22. And stares at me. "$2.22, please."

I look at her and figure I'll start out polite. "Oh, I gave you a $1 coupon."

She stares blankly at me, so I gesture to the coupon, clearly marked $1 off, with the cute little Dunkin' Donuts logo and a coffee cup diecut on the coupon. She stares at it, looks at me, and says - wait for it - "But this is $2.22."

DID SHE THINK I WAS GIVING HER A PRESENT?

"Yes," I say, using my Mommy voice on her, "But if you take $1 off of that, wouldn't it be $1.22?"

She stares at me.

I give her $5.25 (to further rock her world), and somehow, she manages to give me $4.03 change. I leave, shaking my head and wondering about the hiring practices at Dunkin' Donuts.

Stockholm meets New York!

My friend Helene is coming in; she should be arriving in a few hours, actually. I haven't seen her since my wedding day, which is completely nuts. It's going to be a blast having her here all week. I'm going to see what her schedule looks like (she's got sightseeing to do, and brought her friend with her, who I think is on her maiden voyage to The Big Apple, let alone the fact that my family will most likely swarm her like a bunch of excited bees) on the weekend, and hopefully get everyone to meet her on Saturday evening.

Now I just have to get back to Stockholm, which is one my favorite places in the world (at least, the world I've seen so far). Gamla Stan is the greatest place to visit if you're a medieval history buff, and it's been far too long since I've dragged Gab down the narrow streets in search of a nice, hot cup of hot chocolate and a drafty castle basement. And don't get me started on the chocolate.

"It's like Elton John went deaf."

-- so sayeth my friend David, after seeing Lestat on Broadway (music is by Elton John and Bernie Taupin).

What's Cooking?

Actually, we are - Nancy and I have decided that our next Girls' Outing should be a class at ICE. And should involve desserts. We've got Pies, Cupcake Workshops, BISCOTTI UNLIMITED, Comfort Desserts, Tarts - who's with us? C'mon, you know you want to go. And you know you want to make Biscotti. I mean, you know you want to have a fun day out with the girls and make something fun and tasty. (Like biscotti...)

Let's narrow a day down and do this!! Except for the Low-Fat Baking. If I'm baking, I'm in for full-fat butter, whole milk and pure sugar. Otherwise really, where's the joy?

Requisite Television Post

Who watched 24 last night? I need to get some polling software going on this blog, but in the meantime, just post a comment if you want.

Who's next?
- Sec'y of Defense James Heller
- President Logan
- Wayne Palmer
- The First Lady (Martha Logan)
- Audrey Raines

No new Lost this week - are they trying to kill us?

Is Widmore Labs:
- a division of the Dharma Corporation
- the manufacturer of Hurley's meds when he was in the asylum
- a and b
- neither a nor b

Should I:
- stop goofing off and get back to work
- have another cup of coffee
- take a nap under my bench
- all of the above

Tiresome Tuesdays

I'm tired and cranky. But I did manage to fit in a workout this morning; 20 minutes of aerobics and 20 of weight training. I am fitting into those Bermuda shorts this summer! (Technically, I fit them now but they're snug, I want those suckers baggy).

All the coffee in the world isn't making a dent today. Bleah.

I am excited, though, because I made my very first appointment for BookExpo. Whoo hoo! For anyone who doesn't know what BookExpo is, it's basically the promised land. Okay, it's the biggest book convention in the U.S. each year. But everyone is there. The freebies are free-flowing. There are books and publishers as far as the eye can see. I love books. ::drool:: So I'm going, representing Cosimo, and meeting so far with our print-on-demand supplier. So it's exciting.

Little things happen and make me feel good. Today, it was a conference call with the print on demand supplier, talking books and industry talk and having the nicest feeling that I know what I'm doing again.

So why am I cranky? Nature's reasons. ;-)

Still moderating my lonely Rego Park message board on ClubMom. You can hear the crickets. I'm going to try and appeal to some parents in the next issue of the Parents Voice, the PS139 parents newsletter. I finally get an actual message board to moderate and no one posts!

Still struggling through the accursed Winkie, which has to be one of the most mind-numbing books I've read to date. I have to get through the last of it this weekend so I can write the reader report and get it out the door. I have to finish Queen of this Realm, I've been reading it for months! There are books piling up!

Severe Case of the Mondays...

I am completely blah today. Cannot get myself in action. Of course, having a bagel for lunch probably doesn't help. I think I have some salad sitting in the fridge, if I can just drag myself the four steps over to it and prepare it.

So sleepy. And cranky. Mondays and PMS - never a good combo.

Post-Easter

So life post-Easter has finally started settling in. There are Lindt truffles in my home, so I need the patience and willpower of a monk right now. I got up and did back to back Denise Austin workouts this morning, so hopefully that will keep my brain on the right track and out of the bag of Lindt...

I'm an ESFP... Dominant Extraverted Sensing

I took a Myers-Briggs Personality test after seeing Lauren's post and here's what I've got.

Extraverted sensing types are pragmatic and realistic with a zest for living life to the fullest by way of multiplying experiences. Always on the alert for what needs immediate attention or what might provide a bit of action, excitement or entertainment, they engage quickly with their environment. They seek and enjoy freedom, are good-natured, direct, and tolerant and are often the ones who provide levity.

They have a way with dealing with people on a very equal platform and are not easily star struck. Rank, celebrity and status mean little when they are face to face with another individual.

On the job, they appreciate having the right tools and are quite ingenious at finding ways to fix and repair things with dexterity. They love variety and are curious and adventurous, enjoying the unexpected. Their brand of extraversion is one of deeds rather than words. As long as things are moving along, they are happy. They like to keep things simple and immediate, going with the flow. They are helpful in very concrete ways, providing the correct tools or specific service the person requires. They often have an uncanny ability to respond appropriately in cases of emergencies, often having excellent reflexes. They act without thinking. They also tend to have natural mediating skills.

They are attuned to the environment and the myriad colours, textures, sounds, beauty and the sensuousness of it all. They are quite graceful and agile while moving through their environment. They love having fun and if things are too quiet they may provide the entertainment or distraction. They learn by imitation and are keen observers. They teach through example. Their attention will always go towards whatever provides the keenest impression on their senses.

Karma is a Boomerang

I am going to start off every day with a yoga practice because I witnessed firsthand the healing power of karmic payback.

I did a nice yoga practice this morning, lots of stretching and twisting for my poor back which has been killing me lately. Felt really good afterwards, got on the train and headed to work. At Roosevelt Avenue, this guy gets on cursing at this woman for whatever reason (she didn't beat him to a seat; the train was empty this morning). He sits down, glowering and muttering to himself. When we sat at a train station for a couple of minutes a stop or two later, he gets up and starts pacing and swearing again. I'm thinking, great; the pacers are usually the ones that are armed. He sticks his head out of the train and starts screaming to close the doors, he hasn't got all day, and I'm waiting for this guy to go postal as I sit there, knitting, trying to ignore him.

We get to Queens Plaza and the train sits again. There's an express across the track also sitting. The guy storms out of the V train (the train I'm on) and gets on the express train - just in time for the V to close doors and take off first.

Karma is a boomerang, my friends. And I'm going to salute it with a nice big sun salutation every morning.

Because '70s TV for Kids ROCKED...

with much appreciation and props to The ElectraWoman and Dynagirl Webopedia...

I think I need to do a series on 70s Saturday morning programming for kids... remember when the networks had programming on Saturday for kids, and it was a treat to watch cartoons???

Picking up from yesterday - 70s kids' shows were so cool. I was all about the Shazam/Isis Power Hour (you know you watched it, I wasn't the only kid out there wearing my construction paper Isis headband), The Banana Splits (Liz Phair did a fantastic cover of the Tra la la song on the CD, Saturday Morning - does anyone know where I can find it? My copy was borrowed and alas, never returned), The New Zoo Revue (which is still on Public Access, I believe - I showed Mike about 10 minutes of one once before he threatened to have me committed) , and of course, the almighty kinds of kids' programming, The Krofft Brothers.

Sid and Marty should have a monument erected to them somewhere because they gave us a pantheon of children's programming - Dr. Shrinker (Billy Barty!), H.R. Pufnstuf, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, everyone's favorite acid trip, The Bugaloos (they're in the air and everywhere...), the almighty Land of the Lost, and my personal source of female empowerment (along with Isis), Electra Woman & Dynagirl. They were my Saturday morning!

Then there was PBS, the reason I was okay with staying home sick from school. Electric Company, Zoom, which has actually relaunched for kids today, (do I need to mention Sesame Street, or is it a given?), 3-2-1 Contact, and Reading Rainbow (which is still going, much due to to the efforts of host LeVar Burton) kept my brain functioning while I lay like a dying cow on my couch.

The 70s were a great time to be a kid. I'm sure our kids will look back and say the same thing, but somehow, I can't find Bugs Bunny on TV anymore. There are some fun and good TV shows on for kids now - I happen to like a lot of the Teen Nick shows on Nickelodeon like Drake & Josh and Ned's School Survival Guide - but nothing for me takes the place of the 70s stuff. I guess that's what nostalgia is all about, isn't it? At least my boys both love Scooby Doo as much as I do, and seem to think Scrappy was pretty useless, too.

But man... with all the shows we used to watch coming out on video, my DVD collection will rival my kids.

For a Lighter Post...

"Marshall, Will and Holly, on a routine expedition..."

Go on - I DARE you to tell me you don't know the song. Or that I didn't just make you break out into song. You know you want to. You know that Land of the Lost was THE thing when we were kids. Say what you want about Sid & Marty Krofft, but they were awesome. Mike swears that The Bugaloos were created when they were on acid, and while I tend to agree, it doesn't matter. Because they were in the air and everywhere, flying high, flying free... wait, I'm getting ahead of myself again.

So I walk into Best Buy last week and see my beloved Land of the Lost on DVD - SEASON THREE. Why was I not informed when Seasons 1 and 2 were released??? Who was asleep at the wheel? Oh... wait... it must have been me.

Anyway - SO going on my wishlist. My birthday is only 8 months away, after all.

Sleestacks!!

I Have Questions Today...

With the Moussaoui trial front and center everywhere you look, I've got lots of questions. But I don't think there are any answers:

- I know you're a lawyer and sworn to defend, but how do you try to convince a jury that this guy deserves to live? How can you be a defense lawyer to a terrorist who smiles during the distribution of pictures of charred bodies and body parts from that day? Who shouts "Burn all Pentagon next time!" and "God curse you all, God bless Osama!" repeatedly throughout his trial? How can you look at yourself in the mirror? Or maybe they don't.

- Do we give this guy the death penalty and let him think he's going off to his 72 black-eyed virgins, or do we decide to let him live and lock him up for the rest of his life? One way, he's a martyr; the next, the taxpayers get to support him. (Unless someone finds a way to sneak him into general population by 'accident' - in which case, he's worm food.)

- Does anyone else read these articles - especially about the playing of the Flight 93 recorder at the trial - and feel their chest tighten up, like you're in the plane with them? Because I can't get the fear these people must have felt (or a fraction, because I can't even imagine to be honest) out of my system; it just takes over.

I just have this horrible feeling that this won't be over. Not the trial, the horror. It's going to dull for some, I'm sure, but I think it'll always be with us.

Are there any answers? Or is this just one of those things that has no answer, it's just there and what makes you crazy after a while is the realization that none of it makes any sense and none of it has any answer. It's completely without reason or logic and that's what causes the chaos in my brain, because I need for things to be tied up to go on. Mike always tells me that if I just started accepting that sometimes, things don't have closure or don't make sense, I'd be a lot calmer. White it's nice in theory, in practice I just can't wrap my brain around it.

I don't even watch this show...




Your TV Mom is Lorelai Gilmore

Which TV Mom Are You?

Brought to you by Tickle

I don't watch Gilmore Girls, but somehow I've ended up being Lorelai.

Can you tell it's an exciting day at work for me? ;-)

What Happened to Kyan??




You need a date with Jai


Which Queer Eye Is Right for You?

Brought to you by Tickle

Why do I get stuck with Jai?

Ouch

Sidelined with a pulled calf muscle this morning. I'll try to stop sitting on my leg and see if it feels better in time for a yoga session when I get home from school tonight.

MIL was there as per usual this morning, for which I'm grateful, don't get me wrong. But she just sits there like a bump on a log while watching me run around like a lunatic trying to get my son moving, myself showered and dressed, and the two of us fed. Then, as I'm doing my best impression of a psychotic woman getting my son out the door, asks me, "Did you bring your lunch, Roe?" Instead of any of the first three responses that popped into my head, I evenly responded, "I didn't have time." And left.

Augh.

FINISHED!!!

It's 12:29 a.m., I have to get up in 6 hours, but I'm done. Done, done, done. Now I just hope my teachers like what I've written.

I've eaten more comfort food this weekend than I have in eons, and only worked out once or twice. I've fallen off my Self Challenge wagon and I have to get back on.

I read an interesting article in the latest issue of Prevention - which I'll review here shortly - by Geneen Roth, who writes on emotional issues with food. She says that before we eat when we aren't hungry, we should ask what we are looking for and whether or not food will fill it. So this time, even though I was snacking on stuff that probably wasn't the best for me, or POINTS-wise even if it was healthy enough, I was at least cognizant that yes, I was eating this because I wanted someone to write my final project for me. I wanted to pull a good grade out of this class and I wanted to just relax. While I'm not sure Planter's 100-calorie cookie packs and Hello Kitty Fruit Snacks were able to provide that, at least I knew what I wanted from them. And I guess that's the difference between when I'd mindlessly eat before and now.

Tomorrow, it's back to business. I'm not going to stress myself out about catching up to the Self Challenge; I blew off a week and a half, and it's done. But nothing's stopping me from getting right back on the wagon. (Which is another big difference, because before I would have told myself that I blew it, completely disregarding the fact that I went for 6 1/2 weeks on this program and lost three pounds before my slump.)

I may not want to work out when I get up at 6:30 tomorrow, but I've got to start getting used to it. Because I'm tired of my best clothes being packed away for three years. Time to shake out the cute Ann Taylor sundresses I enjoyed the summer of 2002 in!

It's been a long weekend. A nice one, but a long one. And if I'm going to be worth a farthing in six hours, I'd better head to bed now. Thanks for sticking around.

More Things I Have Done to Stall My Final Assignment

- Watched Thursday's episode of Will & Grace on DVR

- Watched the "Where There's Smoke, There's Fish" episode of Good Eats (technically, this is research; Alton's book is one of the books in my assignment)

- Made granola

- Almost finished knitting my niece's bunny buddy for her Easter basket

- Created this blog entry

AUGHHHHHHHHH...

I'm sitting here, trying to finish some more work on my final for Publicity class on Monday night. And coming up dry as a bone. Bleahhhh...

Let's tally what Rosemary has done in the four hours she's been given to make some headway on her final:

- Made Cream of Wheat for lunch, because "I don't have time to fool around with a proper lunch, I have to finish some more of this final."

- Watched an hour and a half of Judge Judy programming on DVR

- Eaten a Weight Watchers ice cream sandwich because the Cream of Wheat wasn't filling enough for lunch

- Finally broke down and checked out MySpace.com because my cousin Nicole kept insisting I check it out - and used the lame excuse that since one of my books has to do with blogging, it was research

- Made a blog entry here.

Let me try to find a MySpace statistic of some sort that will help me pull my grade up in this class... I'm waiting for my personal Deus Ex Machina to show up and finish this assignment for me.

ClubMom.com

Just wanted to mention that I'm moderating a Rego Park message board on Clubmom.com. Not a whole lot of activity going on there these days, but I am trying to boost some posting and get some conversations going. If anyone wants to stop by, drop a post on my board, tell your friends. It's free to join, and you get some cool points toward things like gift cards as a member. You can also use it as a vehicle for your own writing; I was published on their site last week.

I think I'll ask the PA President at Will's school to mention ClubMom in the newsletter, maybe that will get some traffic going.

I should change my message board name from "Rego Park, NY" to "The Lonely Moderator". ;-)

Moment of Zen

As Jon Stewart would say, "Here it is, your moment of Zen."

United Flight 93 Movie - My WTF Rant for the Day

I think I need to institute a WTF rant, since I'm becoming well known for my creative use of those three little letters. So here's my first one.

I just watched the United Flight 93 trailer on the Apple Movie Trailers site. This movie has been getting a lot of talk over the past couple of days, and I was actually not sure whether I wanted to look, to be honest. The idea of a movie being made about this is distasteful to me on so many levels that I wasn't sure I wanted to even give the impression of buying into the hype by checking out the trailer. (I could have written a WTF rant on the Flight 93 TV movie from earlier this year.)

But curiosity or irritation, take your pick, won out and I pulled it up. And it brought up a lot of feelings that I thought were pretty buried - never gone, just buried. Which ticked me off at first, because I felt like it was a sign that I was buying into the marketing aspect of "pull the heartstrings, we've got box office gold here!" But then I realized it was dread that I was feeling; that complete and utter feeling of helplessness and dread I felt that morning when I saw the smoke from Tower 2's collapse all the way from 80th Street, where I was entering a colleague's apartment to get the hell away from my Times Square office, where I was sure we were next.

And that is what pisses me off about Flight 93 being made into movies. To take a tragedy on the scale of September 11 (the "9/11" moniker just feels like a snazzy marketing title, which is like nails on a blackboard) and start churning out movies that could play after a Danielle Steel movie on Lifetime or a big-screen thriller is just wrong to me. We are still fighting in a war that is [very shadily] attached to September 11. We are in the final days of the trial of the so-called 20th hijacker. Should we really start turning this day into box office dollars?

Some people would shoot back, "How many movies have been made about Pearl Harbor?" And I'll give you that. I think "Tora, Tora, Tora" is a very well done movie. I think "Pearl Harbor" is god-awful but the attack scene is uncomfortably convincing. But Tora Tora Tora was made in 1970 and is a war movie. Pearl Harbor was made in 2001 and is exactly the reason I don't want a Flight 93 movie. It sentimentalizes a horrible, horrible event in human history. It makes it drippy and gooey and pablum. There is a difference, watch the movies and make your own judgement call.

I have a lot of feelings about this movie, none of them good. I think using Flight 93 and all the people who died trying to avert even further deaths, knowing they were going to their own, is a terrible way to memorialize these people. I think it's a big rah-rah movie for the Bush administration and their manufactured war. I find it sadly amusing that one of the heroes to emerge from Flight 93 was Mark Bingham, a gay rugby player who, had he never boarded Flight 93, would have been vilified by the same Bush administration for his sexual preference. (Had Beamer walked away from Flight 93, would Bush have given him a special dispensation for gay marriage?)

I'm not ready for a Flight 93 movie. Or a American Airlines Flights 11 or 175, or American Airlines Flight 77. I don't want this day turned into a marketing campaign - even I, as a marketer, would like to think I've got a little more class than that (and this is the woman who, during my tenure on History Book Club, was on "PopeWatch" during the last days of Pope John Paul II so I could time my book e-mail).

At least they didn't end the trailer with the actor playing Todd Beamer saying, "Let's Roll" on the fadeout. Then, I think I would have lost my fragile little mind.

Magazines

It occurred to me over the past few days that I love magazines and buy and subscribe to a lot. So I think I'm going to review the latest issues of a few magazines every month.

Right now, a fave is For Me, which Linda turned me on to (as did the $1.95 price tag - when did the other magazines get so expensive? I'm talking to you, knitting magazines with you $6.99 cover price!) a few months ago. The website needs desperately to be updated - their cover is from February 2006 and they've got mixed content from March and April in there - but it's a great magazine for a relatively small price. Lots of good content aimed at women in their late 20s-early 30s, and the good news is that smug marrieds like myself (I'm not smug, that's a Bridget Jones reference) aren't excluded, like I tend to feel when I read Glamour. And you don't have to be married and a Red State-r to feel like the content is for you, like I often feel when I read the odd issue of Good Housekeeping, or Family Circle.

Sarah Jessica Parker is on the cover and there's a good, short and sweet article/interview with her inside. Swimsuit season is (gulp) upon us, so there is the usual guide to swimsuits but unlike most magazines, there isn't pages and pages of overwhelming swimsuits inside. They break it down, nice and simple - here are some one-piece suits, tankinis, Boy shorts and bikinis. Short and sweet. Workout tips take up the centerfold (Iron Yoga - is that like Iron Chef?), so I'll be checking those out. The recipes are fun - and c'mon, you have to love a cooking article that calls itself "Fake Gourmet".

All in all, a lot of fun in each issue. Because while I still love my Glamour and Marie Claire, it's nice to read a magazine that understands that you can be hip, urban, and married with kid(s).

Next up, this month's Prevention magazine!

This Shirt is Genius.

I was wandering around on CafePress.com and found this on a t-shirt. It's genius and I think I need to buy it; I'm also putting the vendor's link here (the shirt is also hyperlinked to go straight to the detail page) so you can check it out. I have made all two people in my office hysterical and have merely confirmed that yes, I'm going to Hell in a handbasket of my own weaving.

Stacey, methinks I see a birthday gift for your Nonna in the making...

I've Been Published!!!

I am so excited! ClubMom.com e-mailed me to tell me they've published a few of my tips/essays that I've submitted!

Learning to Sing a Lullaby, 80's Style
Ornaments to Mark the Years
How Do I Stick to a Healthy Eating Plan?

I'm kind of freaked out, I never expected them to print my stuff. But wow, what a rush!

Non-Food Rewards!

So, to reward myself for breaking through my ennui and finally knuckling down with Weight Watchers and sticking to the Self Challenge for 6 weeks (I need to update my stuff on the site, too), I went to Filene's with my mom at lunchtime today. I was fully intending to buy myself a cute new bra because they have the Elle Macpherson Intimates line there - which is adorable stuff, by the way - but let's just say that I don't think their sizes are realistic. I believe the famous Psalm in the Bible used the phrase about cups runneth over? You see where I'm heading.

Luckily, on my way to the fitting room I spotted a DKNY rack. I cannot pass up a DKNY rack - I've tried many times. There were adorable denim capris (which on me are cropped pants) and they were very reasonably priced. Tentatively, I picked up a size 10. I noticed the magic word "stretch" printed on the label and figured it was worth the gamble.

How much do I love Donna Karan for making jeans that take a woman's figure into consideration? I may be getting a little crazy here, but I would dare say I love her more than I love Lindt truffles and peanut M&Ms. That's how much I love her. And that is a whole lot of love.

Self-Challenge, Week 6

So I'm in week 6 of the Self Challenge and I think it's going very well. I weigh in tonight at my Weight Watchers meeting, so we'll see how well. My clothes are getting a little lose, so that's nice! I've been working out an average of 3 times a week; sometimes more, sometimes less, but I have pretty much been hitting my Self goals (last week I stumbled a bit on the weight training).

Points-wise, I'm still struggling but even when I veer off, I journal it and I feel okay. Again, mostly hitting the mark but the late night snack attacks still hit. I try to just keep drinking water and not thinking about it, but every now and then I just grab a yogurt and try to be done with it.

Didn't work out last night - had a lousy night at school - but I did do the math and discovered that I actually walk about 2 miles every Monday. I walk from work to school, which is apparently a little over a mile; then I walk to the train station on West 4th over by the IFC movie theatre from school, so that's an extra half mile. So at least there's something. I'll work out tonight, though - I need a cardio and weight workout to stay on track. I'm determined to finish this Challenge, and now that I actually see things that look kind of nice in the mirror, it's much more of a kick in the rear to stay on it.

Winkie
Just got a new book to review called Winkie, by Clifford Chase.

From glancing over the back cover copy, it's about a teddy bear who is arrested under the Patriot Act under suspicion of either being a terrorist or collaborating with one.

I gotta say - I think this is going to be a goodie. Any back cover copy that includes a sentence like, "...this small, brown creature of indeterminate gender gets trapped in the jaws of a society gone rabid with fear and paranoia" is a book that demands to be read. That, and the fact that I love teddy bears and know in my deepest heart that toys really do come alive when you're not looking, just like in Toy Story.

Because this stuff is just fun...

I get this book e-mail called Shelf Awareness. It's newsy and fun, and gives you a lot of info for free. Author appearances, new books, some industry dirt, bestseller lists, you get the idea. I was reading my daily issue and noticed that it seems that our "tell us what you know about your friends" e-mails have now transcended the business; they had some fun ones that I thought would be fun to post here. Copy and forward or post where you may. (BTW - these are my answers, not some big publishing muckety-muck.)

On nightstand now:

Winkie by Clifford Chase, Queen of this Realm by Jean Plaidy, and the new issue of Self magazine. Oh, and an old issue of Family Circle Easy Knitting - I'm working on a sweater.

Favorite book when you were a child:

Grover and the Monster at the End of the Book. No substitutes.

Top five authors:

I like Christopher Moore a lot lately, Anne Rice pre-"Lasher", J.R.R. Tolkien, Aristophanes (no, I'm not just saying that to look brainy - you read Lysistrata and tell me you don't almost hemorrhage because you're laughing so hard) and since I just read his second book and loved it, Brian Sloane.

Book you've "faked" reading:

Pride and Prejudice and The Old Man and the Sea.

Book you are an "evangelist" for:

I would give out free copies of Brian Sloane's upcoming "Tale of Two Summers" to spread the word about it, because it's really funny.

Book you've bought for the cover:

I think most of us buy books for the covers, don't we? But I'll say the latest "24" paperback because Keifer's on the cover. :-)

Book that changed your life:

Days and Memory by Charlotte Delbo blew me away. I read it for a Comparative Lit class on Women & War, taught by a woman who came to America as a refugee child from France during WWII. Her series of recollections from people who survived WWII are unbelievable, especially "Kalavrita of 1,000 Antigones," where the women of a small Greek town remember the day the Nazis came, locked them in a church and wiped out all the men and elderly in the village. When one woman describes how the town clock stopped that day and how no one ever changed it, so the clock to this day shows the hour that the Nazis came, I was numb. Unbelievable.

Favorite line from a book:

I'll go the geek route here - "Nassssty little hobbitsessss!"

Book you most want to read again for the first time:

Wuthering Heights by Charlotte Bronte.

What in the Blue Hell...?

Linda usually handles the media gossip in our sisterhood of blogs, but I have to post something about this. An artist has created a monument to Britney Spears giving birth nude on a bearskin rug. WTF???

"Momument to Pro-Life: The Birth of Sean Preston" apparently is a tribute to Britney's putting her pop star career on hold to embrace motherhood. Um... it's a little easy to put your career on hold when you're in your early 20s and worth MILLIONS (it was gajillions, but K-Fed is going through her cash faster than I can tear through a bag of Nacho Cheesier Doritos).

I don't know what pisses me off more - the tribute to freakin' Britney (do we want our daughters to aspire to white trash?) or the "Monument to Pro-Life" title.

Wow. I'm really irked. I think I need to go drink some coffee so I can rant on this properly.

New LOST Tonight!

Well, the planets must be aligning because FINALLY, we're getting a new episode of Lost tonight. Hands up, who thinks Sun will be pregnant and have another island baby? Who thinks Jin will be the next one killed off?

I haven't had a chance to watch this Monday's 24 yet - hoping to sit down and watch that tonight. Will they kill off more of CTU? I still think they should have had the blasted cougar eat Jack's daughter back in Season 2, because even in a 2-episode appearance, she's as annoying as ever. And man, did Tommy Howell get old looking. I remember when he was Ponyboy back in 1984, I was in love. There was the unfortunate Soul Man movie a few years later, but regardless, he was pretty cute for a while there.

Still coughing and dealing with the annoying tickle in my throat, but I'm alive and back at work.

Urp.

One big drawback to working from home is that the world is my candy dish. I have just inhaled a LOT of granola. Urp.

We just did the Staff Appreciation lunch at PS 139 today and I can't believe how much food there was. After feeing about 100 teachers and staff, there was still an incredible amount of food left over. The parents that did this last year made double the food, but we had double the parents this year - at least 80 dishes including entrees and desserts.

My mac and cheese went over pretty well, but the ziti cleared out more quickly. Still, when kids were dribbling in while their parents went to the conferences, it seemed to pick up more.

The teacher conference went well, Will got a great report card. Now we're back at home while he watches Chicken Little and I try to put together an ad. And gorge on granola.

Ahhhh...

There is something to be said about the joy of working from home. I've been working since 7:30 this morning because I have no irritating commute, and have a lovely, hot second cup of coffee steaming away under my nose. I feel so productive, probably because I haven't had the aggravation of rushing to wake up, shower, get dressed, get Will to school, and get on the fresh hell that is the NYC transit system. I love flexibility in the workplace. Any workday that allows me to get work done while I'm cleaning my apartment is a good day by me.

Poncho!


Since my last model went over so well, I decided to use her again to model the poncho I made for Keira.

I was on an adrenaline rush after working out too late at night again, so I whipped out the size 15 needles and the Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick yarn (I've been trying to work down some of the insane stash I've accumulated - so I can buy more yarn, of course) and went to work using a pattern from Yarn Girls' Guide to Kids' Knits (I've created a link on the side). After I was done, I opted not to do the fringe because I'm panicky like that about babies, but I finished it by doing single crochet around the neck and bottom with some leftover lavender Velvet Spun (another Lion Brand yarn). Voila!

Month 2 of the Self Challenge starts today, and I'm psyched because I'm still on track. Whoo hoo! Having a Weight Watchers buddy definitely helps, so if Karen falls off the wagon I'll have to track her down and beat her with a Balance bar.

I'm home sick today because my children are out to get me. If Will coughs on me one more time, I'm going to have to put him in solitary confinement. With my luck, his cold will mutate into bubonic plague.

Saturday Morning...

...and I'm sitting here, second cup of coffee just finished, listening to the sounds of my children trying to kill one another. Actually, they are battling superheroes, but with all the screaming, you catch my drift.

Have to go shopping for the big Staff Appreciation Day lunch on Tuesday at PS139. Parents volunteer to make lunch for the entire staff at PS139 - last year we had about 70 parents making dishes, this year we've got about 100 which is just great! My baked ziti went last year, which made me feel good. This year, I'll be making baked macaroni so I've got to get the aluminum tray and all the ingredients today.

I think I'll put Will to work this year since he's getting dimissed early so the teachers can enjoy the festivities before going to Parent/Teacher conferences. We need people to hand out the gifts to the staff as they come in, so I'll put him on bag duty. He'll get a kick out of it.

I'll finally see Keira today, so the onslaught of pictures will begin! I'm already searching my magazines and books and websites for the next cute baby pattern. I'm also trying to find something to make the boys. Alex has requested a "great, big, GIANT blankie" so I want to find a fun pattern. Will doesn't like sweaters that much, and the alien illusion scarf I made him a couple of years ago was too long. Maybe I'll make a shorter version.

I've got knitting fever. I think I have spring fever, I just want to do all these projects at once - renovate my apartment, knit an entire wardrobe of clothes and accessories, and read every book in my home. I think I need to narrow down...

Happy Saint Patty's Day!/P.S. 139 PSA

As I sit here in my pink shirt and white tee, I wish all of you a Happy Saint Patty's Day. Alas, I wore my only green shirt that was work/weather appropriate earlier this week, so I will doubtless get a good-natured whack from my Irish mother when I meet up with her for lunch today.

I also completely blanked and sent Will to school in a bright red shirt. So I told the Parent Coordinator that my ginzo half dressed him this morning.

By the way - I have a special PSA on behalf of P.S. 139. The President of the Parents' Association has set up a new website for the school and included on the website is a shopping portal. Every time someone makes a purchase at a vendor linked on the school's website, the school receives a kickback of 3% - 6% of the sale. It's a great and easy way to raise money and it doesn't cost you a cent. There are lots of vendors and we're adding more every day, so if you happen to need something from Gap.com, Expedia.com, or any of the vendors listed - there are a lot! - please think about going through the site to place your order.

Keira's Debut

Heeeeeere she is! Little Keira and her mommy for all to see. And let's all take a moment to wonder how the heck my sister-in-law, Julie, manages to look like this after giving birth. After I had my two boys, I looked like someone beat me about the head, neck and chest with a brick. So I'll sit here in envy and fascination. :-) Thanks to my sister-in-law Bonnie for the photos!

The Four Meme

My friend Carol e-mailed me this, so I'm going to post it here with my answers. Take and forward as you must:

Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. Model agency gofer
2. Gal Friday for consultant
3. Research Support Administrator
4. Marketing Manager

Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. Dodgeball!
2. The Empire Strikes Back
3. Dogma
4. GalaxyQuest

Four places you have lived:
1. Elmhurst
2. Woodside
3. College Point (shhh-only 8 months)
4. Rego Park

Four TV shows you love to watch:
1. Battlestar Galactica (old and new)
2. 24
3. Iron Chef America
4. Lost

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. Sweden
2. Costa Rica
3. Dublin
4. London

Four websites I visit daily:
1. The Superficial/Go Fug Yourself
2. Linda's blog
3. Stacey's blog
4. Lauren's blog

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Steak w/noodles and brown gravy
2. Quesadillas w/sour cream
3. Pasta
4. Chicken with curry over brown rice

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Dublin
2. Costa Rica
3. Toronto
4. Sweden

Knit Set

Okay, here is the set I worked on and posted in its earlier form. Notice that yes, I finally did sew the sweater together! My photo of the button detail is not posting correctly for some reason, but yes, they are daisy buttons.

Baby Keira's Arrived!

Keira Elizabeth Kiladitis has arrived! I don't have all the details yet, but I do know that she is 8 pounds, 6 ounces, and has blonde hair and blue eyes. I assume mommy Julie and baby Keira are doing fine, and that Daddy George is in the delusional fog of joy that most new dads experience. More news as it comes in.

Niece on the way!

My sister-in-law, Julie, went into labor at about 4 this morning. George (my brother-in-law) called as I was leaving for work to report that she was just given an epidural, so hopefully before the day is out, I can report on the status of my brand new niece (and yes, I'll get the photos of the finished sweater and hat I made her up). Here's hoping for an easy and uneventful birth and a happy and healthy mom and baby!

Amazon Issues...

So the book links that I put into my blog text isn't linking to Amazon - WTF is that all about? Anyone? The search box and the picture box are fine, but the text links - nada. Zip. Argh.

Okay, I'm going to try and fool about with some stuff.

I Am A Blogging Fool Today.

Making lots of updates and changes to the blog as I learn things. Today, I decided to become an Amazon affiliate, because I figure I talk about books and movies a lot. So now, if you order any books from Amazon through my little humble website, I'll get a little "thank you". So don't hesitate. :-) I'll even post links to books I'm checking out at the moment below the Archives, so you can indeed judge a book by its cover.

Now, I understand that many of us hold the Barnes & Noble membership card. Not to worry, I'll be working on that one next. I want to try to organize my links a bit, so it doesn't look like a bunch of crap thrown on the site.

Does anyone know how I can get more space between my links? Doesn't seem like a hard return is working when I'm in the template.

Sleepy.

It's a beautiful spring day, my office is filled with light, and I'm sleepy. I feel like a cat, like I should curl up on the window sill here and fall asleep. I swear in my next life, I'm coming back as a cat.

I have to pick up US News & World Report, there are several really interesting publishing articles in there. James Frey's million little lies have thrown the industry into such a tizzy that it's unbelievable. I almost have to ask how much of a part Oprah plays in this, because I feel like her crusade to humiliate James Frey for embarrassing her has had repercussions throughout the industry. Oprah made herself a lightning rod, in my opinion - she was out there saying that she picks these books, and you should listen to her because she's freakin' OPRAH, for goodness sakes, and when it turned out like it did, she had a huge amount of egg on her face because all these housewives in Middle America were like, "Well, Oprah told me to read this, and it was a lie! We're going to have to do something about this!"

People, just pick up a book and read. The guy was fulla crap - I'm not condoning it, but for heaven's sake it isn't like we just found out that The Diary of Anne Frank was completely fabricated. It's a book - let it lead you wherever it wants to go, and when you're done with the journey either walk away from it or just look back and say, "Wow, that was good. I'd like to visit there again someday."

On another note, my friend Greg Herren's new book, Mardi Gras Mambo, is out! Hot cover, juicy story - check it out!

Edgar!

Okay, so anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE the show 24 (I also love Keifer Sutherland, but that's probably a different post entirely). I scream at the television when those numbers show up at the end of every episode, leaving me on yet another cliffhanger. My husband and mother have both commented that between Lost and 24, I'm probably going to have a stroke sometime soon.

So - this is a spoiler for anyone who hasn't seen this past 24, who is waiting for this season to end so they can just buy the season on DVD, or who's under a rock.

(scroll down)






THEY KILLED EDGAR. EDGAR! The lovable computer geek whose mom died in the nuclear terrorist attack during last season. Who saved the United States from a nuclear holocaust at the end of last season. EGAR!

Terrorists (Russian, this time) release toxic nerve gas into CTU (Counter-Terrorist Unit) headquarters. People are choking, the main characters (mostly) get into lockdown to protect themselves. And who do we see wandering, lost, just as the gas reaches full saturation? Edgar. He stares at Chloe, fellow computer geek, who's safely ensconced in a safely sealed room with Keifer. (Chloe, I have to say, has the worst facial expressions ever - she always looks like she's about to say, "HARRUMPH!" very loudly.) He looks at her, with this sad pathetic puppy face and says, "Chloe!" before dropping dead near his workstation. HOW COULD THEY DO THIS?

So let's bow our heads and observe a moment of silence for Edgar. And because I'm a complete and utter geek, take a moment to view his Wikipedia page and pay your respects.

Freakin' 24 - they kill off President Palmer in the FIRST episode this season (yes, I know, Dennis Haysbert is now in a new series on one of the other networks) and now Edgar. This trend of killing off beloved main characters on my favorite TV shows is exciting but at the same time, hell on my central nervous system. Cheez.

Lauren's Got Me Hooked Again...

First it was LibraryThing, now she's got Stacey and I on this DollMaker site where you can make a doll of yourself. Yahoo is also doing something like this for their account holders, but this is much more fun and allows you to save the image afterward.

I still haven't gone out to lunch. I think I'm lazy. I need someone to drag me away from the warm comfy desk into the cold, cruel world and make me walk.

I'm sticking to points again today after a little bit of a bender at my mom's this weekend - her place is the final frontier; I fall victim to the many goodies she has laying around every time. First, there was the PayDay incident (not this weekend), where I cleared a Duane Reade candy-aisle bag of Paydays (peanuts and caramel - it's pretty close to God) before the night was out. So Saturday, the bill of sale included a mini-bag of Cadbury mini-eggs (my annual addiction - thanks, Easter Bunny!), 3 Lindt hazelnut truffles, a handful of jellybeans, and some myriad M&M peanuts. Unbelievably, I didn't go over points in too heinous a manner because I had eaten pretty lightly throughout the day - which explains the sugar binge in part. So I worked out like a fiend when I got home, sticking to my SELF magazine challenge, and hopefully evened out the damage.

I am doing pretty well into my second week of SELF challenge. The only time I ever completed the entire 3-month challenge was when I was pregnant with Alex - I am damned if I won't finish it this time.

Okay, I'm going to take a quick run outside for a little bit. Now I've motivated myself all over again.

Baby Clothes!

So I finally finished the sweater and hat set that I made for my niece-to-be. Whew! I honestly didn't think I was going to finish it because of my legendary loathing of the sewing part of knitting, but yes, I sewed the final (daisy) buttons on the sweater the other night. Photos to come. I'm actually pretty proud of myself; it looks very cute. Now I need to learn how to line clothes, because I was thinking that the sweater and hat would be adorable with some jersey knit lining.

Alex has demanded a "big, giant blankie!" so I need to start scoping out some more yarn for that. He's informed me that he will donate his current blankie to Bubba Bear, his beloved teddy bear. I'll believe that when I see it... Of course, hearing that I was about to embark on a knitting project for Alex has prompted Will to mention that he could certainly use a new blanket himself, even though I just made him the "Halloween blanket" (he requested black and orange yarn last time) last year. Not that I mind - I love making the boys things. I think this time, I'll actually try a blanket pattern from a magazine rather than just through a stockinette/garter mix together as I've done in the past. (Admittedly, Alex's blanket is technically a pattern, the "Big Bad Baby Blanket" from Stitch 'N Bitch.

Speaking of Stitch 'N Bitch, I just saw Deb Stoller's new book on crochet, The Happy Hooker, in Barnes & Noble last week. So I think the next paycheck may involve a field trip. Maybe I'll finally get some crochet down after I read it, because my crochet needs some serious help.

Anyone know if I can become a B&N or Amazon affiliate? I link a lot in these posts.

I think I need to feed my magazine addiction at lunchtime; perhaps I'll provide a knitting magazine review when I get back.

Blow Out Returns!!

Yes! I saw a poster in the train station today - my guiltiest of guilty pleasures, Bravo Network's Blow Out, is returning for a third season on March 21st at 9. Whooo-hoooo!!

I know, it's completely vapid; everyone is totally self-absorbed to the point of mania and Jonathan Antin should be on meds to even himself out. I think he cried in almost every show last season. Ain't it great?

Bet that I will be DVR'ing this baby. I can watch that and my Judge Judys when my husband and children are asleep and can't ridicule me. Me and my giant bag of 99% fat free kettle corn (4 points a bag!). And coffee. Lots of coffee.

Stop mocking me, dammit. Stacey, this means you.

Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable. And yet, not...

I have friends that lost a great deal in New Orleans. They're rebuilding their lives, and sadly, waiting for FEMA checks that of course, the government has screwed up the process of distributing. People died in New Orleans. Innocent animals died, not able to comprehend what was happening to them. Babies died. The elderly died, and in a final indignity, were left to rot in wheelchairs, the only testament to them being their photos spreading like wildfire on the Internet - that alone, a silent indictment of how badly the Bush administration mis-handled this.

I got the following from MoveOn.org. I'm so disgusted I can't even editorialize.

"This evening, the Associated Press released secret transcripts and video footage showing President Bush being personally briefed the day before Hurricane Katrina hit land. The predictions he heard were shockingly precise and accurate—including the failure of the levees. He knew exactly what was coming. The article is a smoking gun on Bush's unpardonable failure to keep us> safe. In just a few hours, the White House will be filling the airwaves with spin, so it's important to reach out right now to pass on the straight story to family and friends. If each of us acts, we can directly reach millions of people before morning. The full AP article is attached below. Can you help get the word out to at least 5 friends? You can forward on this note or follow the link> below:>> http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1508_video>> At the August 28th briefing, the president was told exactly what to expect:

• The chief scientist of the National Hurricane Center warned that a major levee breach was "obviously a very, very grave concern." Bush lied to the entire nation about this point just 5 days later.

• Michael Brown told the president that if New Orleans flooded the Superdome emergency shelter would likely be under water and short on supplies, creating a "catastrophe within a catastrophe."

• Experts and officials implored the President to prepare for, as the AP described it, "devastation of historic proportions." President Bush didn't ask a single question during the briefing. In the next two days he campaigned, attended birthday parties and played guitar while the worst natural disaster in American history killed over 1,300 people and displaced hundreds of thousands.

There can now be no mistake: President Bush had a chance to lead, and he failed to keep us safe. In the next few days, we'll be tracking this story carefully and> coordinating our response with partners in New Orleans and around the> nation. The survivors of Katrina deserve to know why the president left them to suffer the storm. And the people of the United States deserve> leadership we can trust to keep our families safe. We'll work hard together until we have both.

Tonight, let's start by spreading the word:>> http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1508_video>>

Thanks for all that you do,
—Ben, Nita, Tom, Jen, Adam R, Justin, Adam G, Eli and the whole MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Wednesday, March 01, 2006

ComicCon/Self-Challenge

Will is currently at Javits attending his first ComicCon with Mike today. I told him to bring me anything on X-Men. :-)

He and Mike actually went yesterday, and waited on line for over an hour before the Fire Marshalls announced that no more tickets would be sold. My heart broke for Will when Mike told me, because he was so excited just looking in at all the craziness going on. He didn't even say anything; he just quietly told Mike, "We'll find something else to do today." That actually makes me feel even worse than if he had blown a gasket. So I told Mike to just get tickets online and make sure he gets in today, and that's what he did. I'm so excited for Will, because I know as an adult, comic conventions are so much fun - imagine being 6, really getting into superheroes and then going to a place that's wall-to-wall comic books and people walking around dressed as superheroes.

Breaking him into geek culture is awesome. I'll have him dressed up like a Colonial Space Marine any day now...

On another note, I signed on for the Self Magazine Self-Challenge the other day. I sign up for it every year, and unbelievably enough, the only year I actually completed it was the year I was pregnant. It's three months of Self magazine challenging you to work out, eat right, and take care of yourself. Month one's challenges are to eat 1600 calories a day (I actually have to go a little lower, since I'm on Weight Watchers and trying to lose, not maintain), do three 30-minute cardio workouts three times a week, and three 20-minute strength sessions three times a week. This year, I'm going to do it and I invite my friends - and anyone else reading this - to join me. You can add friends to your profile (Self.com will e-mail them an invitation) and check each other's progress (no, we won't see each other's weight, just our workouts) and send each other private messages. It'll be fun, c'mon!

I was on a cooking rampage yesterday, check out Domestic Goddesses to see what I made. And yes, granola was most definitely on the menu. :-)

Girls' Month Out...

So we've been trying to get another girls' night out going since our last one before the holidays. And things keep coming up that we just add to the list of things we want to do - knitting lessons, cooking, tea parties, redesigning one another's apartment spaces, learning to bead/sew, you name it. So now we just refer to it as "Girls' Month Out" and laughingly add things to the list. I just told Stacey we have to get favors after reading the series of posts on her sister's bridal shower.

Which started me thinking (oh no, run for the hills!) - why shouldn't we? Shouldn't we celebrate the fact that we all take some time out of our insanity to enjoy one another's company? I think we need to find something cute and fun - or that could just be me making an excuse to add yet another cute espresso mug to my bulging cabinets. But I do think something is deserving to mark the momentous occasion of the Girls' Night Out once it finally happens.

And when will it happen? Maybe we should blog the evolution of the next Girls' Night Out, since it seems to take a Herculean amount of planning. I'm not being sarcastic here, it really is insane trying to get six or so women together who all work and have families.

What's the first step? Setting a date? And a backup date? Let's start planning!

Star Lucky

I wanted to write a little tribute to one of our family, who left us late this morning.

Star Lucky arrived at our home a few months shy of 3 years ago. He was barely a week old, having been found by my sister-in-law, Julie, in her father's backyard. He and a sibling had somehow been separated from their litter. His sister died later that day, but this plucky little thing survived and came to live with us. I was very pregnant with Alex and home on bed rest, so we spent a lot of time together in the early days. I bottle-fed him formula (yes, they do make formula for infant cats - imagine!) and found out that baby kittens don't know instinctively to use their bladders - so yes, I helped him figure that out too. I kept him in a cardboard box, filled with towels and a beanie baby, next to me as I knit and watched bad daytime television.

Will loved Star. He named him. I still don't know to this day where he got Star Lucky from as a name, but he christened him that and it stuck. Star helped Will get ready to be a big brother. He held him in his little hands, a perfect size for a child. He couldn't wait for Star to be big enough to sleep with him. And when Alex arrived, Will had a better idea of how to care for something little, even more little than he was.

Star shared Alex's crib, much to my consternation. He was fascinated by Alex and wanted to study him. After Alex outgrew his crib, Star moved right in, making himself at home. I swear, he never quite forgave me for taking down his bed when we moved Alex into the bunk bed.

Will finally got his wish with the arrival of his bunk bed. Will and Star commandeered the top bunk. Every night, after patroling the apartment, Star would jump up and settle in at the foot of Will's bed.

He was a little brother and a cushion (Alex would settle down on Star's flank to watch TV). He was a pain in the posterior to our older cat, Gypsy. He terrified our fish, staring for long stretches of time hungrily at their tank and tapping it with his paw as if to figure out how he could push through the plexiglass and play with the funny things zipping around in there.

There's so much more I could say, but I don't think I'm able to right now. For now, I'll just say that he was our friend. And for some reason that I'm not universally privvy to, he went to sleep this morning for good. He wasn't even 3 years old yet, but I guess, to paraphrase what my friend Spirit tells me, "he saw a light that looked really interesting to him, and decided to go take a walk to it." I hope he's enjoying a nice warm windowsill somewhere over there. But he's left a hole in our family that won't ever quite heal.

We'll miss you, big guy.

Sawyer, Sawyer, Locke...

It's "Badger, Badger" for Lost fans... http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/sawyer.php?funny

I just couldn't stop giggling.

More Granola...

I made more of Alton's granola recipe tonight. It's like nature's crack.

Nature Girl

After watching the granola episode of Good Eats on Food Network the other day, I have been consumed with the idea of making my own granola. I LOVE granola. I eat it with my yogurt or by the handful. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack - it's all good. But sometimes, the good stuff is darned expensive (The Baker, I'm talking about you and your $5.49 a pound Maple Pecan goodness!) . So I hit the Food Network site and found Alton's granola recipe.

Oh. My. God. Alton is a genius. Much like Han Solo with the Milennium Falcon, I did make some of my own 'special modifications' - check the Domestic Goddesses blog out, where I'll post them in detail.

I could seriously eat this entire bowl right now. But alas, I must not. I will let it cool down and put it in a giant bag, where I can dive in at my leisure.

I sewed up my niece's hat. Now I have to get around to putting the sleeves on the sweater. I have to do this soon, the shower is on the 26th. Grr. Hate the sewing part of knitting.

In the You've Got To Experience It To Believe It Department...

David Hasselhoff is Hooked on a Feeling

Lauren, you gave me a much-needed giggle tonight!

Cable Knit Hat

My one-woman knitting rampage continues. I tried my hand at a cable knit baby hat - more like a toddler cap, but you get the idea. I think it came out kind of cute. It's a cable knit pattern that you do for 18 inches (I used Lion Brand Wool-Ease on a size 8 needle), bind off, and then pick up and knit 77 inches for on one long side of the cable. The rest is just garter stitch with some simple decreases, pulling the top closed and seaming up.

Alex is sitting here playing with his magnetic book. He's putting the cow next to the milk picture and I said, "Where you get milk?" He looks up and says, "Daddy." Is that not a great out of the mouths of babes moment?

Baby Clothes!










Here are the newest things I've been knitting during my sick time; the first up being this little chenille ensemble for my niece-to-be. I have to attach the sleeves and pick up stitches to create the collar and buttonholes (daisy buttons!) and seam up the hat, but you catch the drift. This was fun to make and it knit up like a dream, it was so easy. The only thing I must admit was that on size 10 aluminum needles, casting off stitches was a little tight, so picking up stitches for the collar may be big fun, indeed. I notice that bamboo needles tend to make things go a lot more smoothly but unfortunately, I only have one pair and not in the size I needed. They run a little more expensive.

More knitting pictures follow, so just scroll on down.

Cable Knit

Cable knit detail. This is just a practice one on a regular worsted weight yarn and size 8 needles.

Mom's Collared Wrap

Patchwork ribbing up close

The final product, unblocked - ribbed collar and ends, patchwork ribbing on body

Here's the collared wrap - again, knit on DK weight yarn that I got from a Smiley's Yarn Riot last year. I knit this with the yarn doubled to make the gauge. It still needs to be blocked, but when it is, I'll spread the collar out a little more. I also have to weave in some ends, as you can see. ;-)

Road to Recovery

Slowly but surely, I'm heading back to good health. I've been on antibiotics for a few days and finally, the sore throat is starting to go away. Now I've got antibiotic-head, where I just feel muddled. Kind of like having a few Irish coffees (with extra Irish) but without the taste.

Mike sees that I'm ready to climb walls, having been pretty much confined to quarters for a week now, so he's taking me on a field trip to Trader Joe's. How excited am I?

Will is sitting on the floor next to me having one of my old Predator action figures fight his Kids Next Door figures. Truly, this is my son. Such pride...

I have to figure out what the heck is going on with my digital camera - I need to modify the lighting and exposure for everything now, inside, outside, motion, you name it - and then I'll take some pictures of the massive knitting push I've done in my convalescence:

- Finished the collared wrap I worked on for my mom. I bought this yarn at a Smiley's Yarn Riot about a year ago specifically to make something for my mom because it is so her - very nice deep green with a thread of black running through. It's a DK weight, but I doubled the yarn to make the gauge. I got the pattern from The Purl Stitch by Sally Melville, which, along with her book, The Knit Stitch are just amazing for beginners through to advanced knitters. Love her. Her new book on Color is just out.

- Had a pattern for a cute layette in an old issue of Better Homes & Gardens Knit It! I used Lion Brand's baby chenille in lavender for my niece-in-waiting to make a hat and sweater (with daisy buttons); now all I have to do is sew it all together. I'll be waiting until I'm in full health to go sit at Karen's and have her help me, since I'm legendary about my loathing of sewing. I've got about three or four projects that I did all the knitting on, only to abandon when it was time to sew.

- Practicing my cable knitting now, and I made a nice Celtic-type of cable from another issue of Better Homes & Gardens Knit It! It's a baby hat pattern, but I used some stash just to get the feeling of knitting a cable stitch. It came out nice, now I think I'll try my hand at the hat. (I LOVE baby hats).

Speaking of cable knits, does anyone use things other than cable needles to cable knit? I have used cable needles a few times but get frustrated because the stitches just seem to slide off. I've had good results using a ballpoint pen without the cap and even a double-pointed knitting needles. Just something a little thicker than the thin cable needles.

Next up, I found a cute pattern for a little vest from Bernat using their Babylash & Satin yarns. I'll have to try one for my upcoming niece and my goddaughter. Who knew little girl clothes could be so much fun?

Sick...

So I've been sick again for the past few days with a sore throat that won't quit. Grrrr... I've watched all of Sex & The City's Seasons 4 & 3, including special features (love the commentary). Now I'm working my way through the episodes of Lost that I've missed in Season 2 so far. In fact, I've got to log off shortly so we can fit one in before Mike has to leave to pick up Will.

Lots of knitting going on since I've been confined to quarters. Pictures to come.

C'mon...

I have a zit on my nose that deserves its own zip code. I'm 35, for crying out loud. WTF?

BABY HATS!!

So I finally found a pattern that works with some of the ever-accumulating stash I've got. This pattern is from A Passion for Knitting, and although it calls for a Lion Brand yarn, I got the same gauge with Caron's Simply Soft and size 5 needles. They knit up pretty quickly - I did both of these yesterday. You can do them on straight needles and stitch up the seam to finish. I even tried to embroider a little flower, as you can see, on the one on the left. I've got a niece joining the family in March and wanted to do something girly. I've got them both sitting on teddy bears right now to shape them into more of a head shape right now. :-)

I've got all this yarn - I walk into a yarn store, fall in love with yarn, and buy it - but can't make it work with so many patterns. Sometimes a gauge swatch is rage-inducing. I want to get through all this stash so I can just buy yarn that works with my patterns. Rargh.

Speaking of patterns, don't ask about the wrap sweater. It's on hiatus. I've got 2/3 of it done, but needed a break. I know, I know, I've got to finish it. But I got cranky the last two times I started it. I'll get it done, I just think I need to complete a few projects to get my self esteem back.

Helped take down the decorations in Will's school lobby today. I told our Parent Coordinator that we need to put in an Oriental Trading order for next holiday season, get a couple of those ornament kits for Christmas, Chanukah, and Kwanzaa (the school tries to hit 'em all) and have a workshop where the kids can make ornaments for the tree - those ornaments on the school tree now are just depressing. I'm going to start working on the PA Board now to get an appropriation for some new decorations for next year - these look haggard.

Vader loves Christmas!!

Auld Lang Syne

Another year about to go... I can't say I'll be sad to see the back of 2005, and have higher hopes for 2006. But there were good things about this year which I'll be glad to bring with me into the next.

Mike got me the Duran Duran Live From London DVD/CD set, which I'm happily blaring right now. Alex is happily crashing his Spiderman car into the wall unit, scattering the french fries from his Spongebob Kitchen all over the living room. Mike and I have almost gotten through the first season of Lost on DVD, so I can catch up to Season 2 in reruns. Will is with my mom, no doubt climbing the walls and demanding her to join him. Life is quiet, but good.

Helene sent me a birthday gift today, a nice long letter (we've been promising each other one for ages and, in a telepathic moment, sent each other one within days of one another), a Hello Kitty notepad with stickers, a CD, and a map of my favorite place in the world, Gamla Stan. It was a great way to start the end of one year and the beginning of a new one, curled up on the couch reading an actual handwritten letter from an old friend. I hope to have more of that in the new year. It made me think about how I'd race to the mailbox every day when I was in high school to look for a letter, and how I still do it now. We'd put pictures of Duran Duran all over the letters, stickers, you name it - anything within reach of our glue and looseleaf binders. Letters were a multi-sensory experience with us.

Now that I've got a printer, I think it's time to bust out my glue stick and scissors and write another letter. :-)

Happy New Year, everyone. And let's hope 2006 is a good one.

MTA on Strike...

So the MTA is on strike. Mike and I are pretty much split in our opinions. He supports the strike because he feels the MTA wanted to take benefits away. I have to be honest, I have very mixed feelings about the MTA and striking, to me, does not garner the public sympathy vote. By striking, you are pissing off a lot of people. And asking for the Mayor to come down on you, because it's illegal to do so in NYC.

Then you have the genius corporate reaction to the strike. For instance, my mom had to leave her home at 4:30 this morning. She walked from Port Authority to 14th & 7th to be at work by 6:30. Her company figured that in the event of a strike, when everyone is going to have trouble getting into NYC to begin with, why not start the day at 6:30 so they can be magnanimous and let 'em out at 3. Anyone who didn't show up to work today will not be paid. Does the MTA regret that inconvenience? Will the TWU reimburse these people?

Watching news this morning, Good Day New York had a message from the MTA on their crawl: "We regret the inconvenience." Are they fricking kidding me? They offer the same lame excuse they give to us when we're stuck in a tunnel for 45 minutes because of an imaginary sick passenger or red signal to explain the inconvenience to millions of people who have to travel on foot in freezing temperatures?

My dad is a union man. Many of my friends are union. But this is one strike I just can't get behind because of so many factors.

It's official... sorta.

I'll be 35 tomorrow. Good God.

Mike threw me a Hello Kitty party this weekend - it started as a joke a couple of years ago, when I saw that Hello Kitty stuff was all over the place. Having been a huge fan of Hello Kitty back in the day, I griped that there was no fun Hello Kitty party stuff when I was a kid, and that Mike should throw me a Hello Kitty part when I turned 35. He took me up on it.

It was a blast - I have the greatest friends. I got a Hello Kitty CD/cassette player, Pez dispensers aplenty, slippers, bath sets - the works. Thanks to all of you. I love all of you.

Words can't describe this past year. It's been pretty rough, and I'm really not going to be all that broken up to see it go, but at the same time, there have been some great moments that I'd never trade. Aside from my kids and husband and the daily laughs that go with them, I've reconnected with some friends and gotten closer to others, and made some new ones. I saw Duran Duran twice (whoo hoo!) with my best friend from high school, and we acted like crazed 15 year olds all over again. Got to go to a wedding in Michigan that turned into a much-needed vacation and all-around great time. Read a lot of good books and some really horrible ones that I at least got a laugh out of.

Maybe it wasn't such a bad year after all.

So let me ask - I saw a template for a holiday family newsletter which of course, I downloaded. How cheesy would this be? I'm thinking of doing a quick 'n dirty one for the family I don't get to see too often. Would it be cringeworthy or cute? Let me know what you think.

Aw, crap. My printer heads need readjusting or something again, the picture I printed out just came out with lines again. Grr. Let me go call Mike, he handles this foolishness.

Christmas Approacheth...

Christmas comes but once a year. Thank god. I used to love Christmas. I was a total freak for it. And honestly, since I have two wee ones, I still do love Christmas but for different reasons. I honestly couldn't care about getting gifts. I mean, I do appreciate what I get, but there is nothing that beats seeing my boys race into the living room and scream when they see that Santa's been there. I love Christmas Eve, when Will goes through the motions of leaving Santa cookies and milk, and a sweet picture for him to take back to the North Pole.

Even as a kid, I always loved Christmas Day because our family would gather together. It means so much, then and now, to be surrounded by our families.

I just wish that Christmas didn't become this slickly-produced, overmechandised, overlicensed monster that it's grown into. Yeah, Christmas was always in our faces when we were kids, but the merchandisers had the decency to wait until after Thanksgiving, giving us a timeline for excitement. Now? Target had back to school stuff out (starting in JULY, for chrissakes - can the kids enjoy being out of school?) in September in one aisle, and CHRISTMAS gear in the next. In SEPTEMBER. What the hell? I could buy my kids' marble notebooks in one aisle, stop off and pick up some Halloween decorations in the next, and grab some Christmas lights on my way out.

I just feel like everything is being rushed, shoved down our throats, buy buy buy now. Doesn't time pass us by quickly enough without having the end of the year shoved at us in September? I want to enjoy each day with my kids, I want to make the most of every day with my husband, my family, I don't want to blink and have to be stringing lights on my tree. I think that's another reason people are so stressed out lately. There's no time, at least that's what we're being led to believe nowadays. We've got to slow down the pace.