I'm in Love

I take it hard when the STARS trade players. On the day of the trade deadline, they sent Jussi Jokinen, Mike Smith and Jeff Halpern to Tampa Bay for Brad Richards and Johan Holmqvist. I really like Jussi, Smitty and Halpern. They are good guys and really good players. Plus, they were a part of my team. Well, it turns out that last night, at the first home game with Brad Richards - he had 5 or 6 assists - and helped Nick Hagman score a hat trick (3 goals in one game). Daaayuuuum! Mike Modano, who? I believe I found my new lover boy.

In other news, it is no secret that I lu-u-urve me some Dr. Pepper. Not Diet Dr. Pepper - I despise that, but the real, leaded, full-strength, sugary Dr. Pepper. Recently, I had seen some commercials for the limited edition Cherry Chocolate Diet Dr. Pepper. Did I ignore the words Diet Dr. Pepper in that name? Why, yes I did. Two days ago, on my way to Ft. Worth, I stopped to get gas, and was a little thirsty; so, I thought I'd buy a drink. I was perusing my choices when I came upon the Dr. Pepper products. I thought, "Oh! I wonder if they have the limited edition Cherry Chocolate Diet Dr. Pepper?" They did, and I bought some. In one word: yuck.

I kept wanting it to taste like chocolate covered cherries, specifically the ones made by Godiva. I kept drinking it, thinking that the next swallow would taste like freakin Godiva's chocolate covered cherries. I am one stubborn woman - I drank the whole thing, and not one mouthful of Godiva's chocolate covered cherries was tasted.

Merry Karma out.

Knitting,Knitting and More Knitting

I thought I'd take you on a little tour of my WIPs (works-in-progress)....I know it's not Wednesday...it's Thursday, and I really should be trashing today. I'm just trying to change the subject.

First, we have My Constant Companion. It's finished, except for the weaving in of ends and felting. This thing is h.u.g.e. I am going to have to put my faith in the felting gods and trust that the size will come out just right.

I'll let you in on a little secret. The I-cord bind off almost did me in...Not the fact that there were three rows of I-cord bind off. I noticed, after I completed the first row and was well into the second, that on exactly half - the first half - of the first row, I had not knitted into the back loops. Therefore, that nice little bottom chain was missing.

I contemplated frogging back and fixing it for about a day. Thankfully, I did not dig in and start ripping, because some friends who are heavy into the crochet (Hi MA, MJ and MS!) told me to just lay a chain across those stitches. So...I did.

You can hardly tell - and when it felts, you won't be able to tell at all. Squee!

Next, we have a group picture. From L-R, we have the Louisa Harding Shawlette, that is very close to completion. There's a little dress I started 2 days ago for a baby gift. (Shhh...don't tell.) I cast on the third item - a pair of Fetchings, last night. For weeks now, every time we go to a STARS game, I put on my navy blue mitts and think, "I really need some STARS green mitts." To top it off, oftentimes, I am sitting there wearing my hand-knitted-by-me STARS green shrug out of Cascade 220 wool - of which, I have leftover yarn. Finally, it hit me, so I cast on!

(Click on the pic to make it larger and you can see everything better.)

Now, if I can get that housework done...

Merry Karma out.

Hollywood Disagrees With Me

Big surprise, huh?

The Oscars were telecast last night. I thought it was a good show. Jon Stewart did an awesome job as the host.

I just love Amy Adams - y'all know I do. I think she is just a darling actress and seems like a genuine person. I'm putting her on my list of people I would like to know IRL. She starred in Enchanted, and I thought she deserved a nomination. It was an adorable performance. Anyway - the movie ended up with three of the five nominations for Best Song. She sang one of them ("Happy Working Song") live on the show. Bless her heart...They sent her out there all by herself, dressed in regular clothes, and she hit it! The song that won is "Falling Slowly" from Once. (I've reviewed this movie previously, and you really should see it, if you haven't already.) The two actors sang it live and it was wonderful. They were so cute when they came up for their awards. First, Glen Hansgard gave his thanks. Then, Marketa Irglova said "Thank you" to a dead mike and they walked off the stage. After the commercial break, Jon Stewart had her come back and give her thank you speech. It was very thoughtful and heartfelt. I really liked that he did that.

Anyway, here were my picks (not predictions - I always have to make that one clear).

Best Picture - Juno. No Country for Old Men won.
Best Actress - Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Marion Cotillard won for La Vie En Rose. I liked the movie, but her performance annoyed me for some reason. I guess I don't know too much about Edith Piaf, or I might have appreciated it more.
Best Supporting Actress - Amy Ryan in Gone Baby Gone. Tilda Swinton won for Michael Clayton. She was very surprised. I thought it was a nice surprise, actually.
Best Actor - -Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood. He won!
Best Supporting Actor - Casey Affleck in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Javier Bardem won for No Country for Old Men. Boy, this movie won lots...and I did not appreciate it enough apparently.

I did not see two of the movies until this weekend - just in time to watch the show and enjoy it:
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - I really liked this movie. Brad Pitt does a great job as Jesse James, and Casey Affleck was wonderful as Robert Ford. I thought the role was a stretch for him, and having recently seen him in Gone Baby Gone, I had a comparison of his acting talents fresh in my mind. He is a good actor. I think we will be seeing more of him. Anyway, the movie is about Jesse James' final days. Need I tell you how it ends?
In the Valley of Elah - Tommy Lee Jones was nominated for Best Actor in this movie. He did a great job, and deserved the nomination, but the field was dead in the water with Daniel Day-Lewis on the list. It is about a man looking for his son, who recently returned from Iraq and is in danger of being tagged AWOL by the Army. It was a good movie. Susan Sarandon and Cherlize Theron also star.

And finally, I watched Becoming Jane, with Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, Julie Walters, James Cromwell and Maggie Smith. It was well acted and very good. The movie was inspired by events in Jane Austens life. I don't know how factual it was, but it was good, none-the-less. It is rather a chick flick, though.

Well, must head off to my real job...

Merry Karma out.

Oscar Countdown

The Oscars air this Sunday, and I am looking forward to watching the show.

I still have three movies to watch before then, one of which (I'm Not There) I know I will not be able to see, as it has not yet been released on video. I did rent In the Valley of Elah today, and will watch it tonight or tomorrow night. I also need to see The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford. Every time I go to the Blockbuster, all the copies have been rented. I have a plan though - I will go tomorrow when they first open and make them look through the drop box to see if any came in overnight.

I have seen Gone Baby Gone. It was is directed by Ben Affleck. It is about the search for a kidnapped little girl whose mother is basically a crack ho. Amy Ryan plays the mother and does a mighty fine job in her role. The movie also stars Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris and Amy Madigan. It was good. I liked it.

Another movie I've watched recently is The Jane Austen Book Club. It is a chick flick, but it is a good movie. Five women and one man find their way to each other and form a group to discuss Austen’s books. There are some really good actresses in this film – Kathy Baker, Amy Brenneman, Maria Belo, Emily Blunt, Maggie Grace and Lynn Redgrave. Cute, cute movie…

I will leave you with some recently completed FOs.

First, a baby gift - Daydream from Rowan Babies using Sirdar DK...Other than that, I followed the pattern and made the 12 month size.















Finally, here's another picture of the mitts that I made out of Jojoland's Melody yarn in a blue, gray and subtle brown colorway.

Party on, Internets!

Merry Karma out.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

I wish all of you a very happy day. I've list the movies I've seen recently, since VD is all about date night (if you've planned ahead, and don't have kids around...). Most of these are DVDs, but there's a lot to be said about staying in and watching a movie...I'm just saying.

Me - I've got a fashion show/luncheon today. I'm on the Go Red For Women committee here and we put on an annual event to raise awareness about women and heart health. A massage has been booked for me following the show - and then I have to step it into high gear for a family Valentine's celebration.

Crazy Love – I was very eager to see this documentary about an unconventional couple who met while he was married. When she tried to break if off, he basically threatened her with life and limb that if he couldn’t have her, then no one would. He ended up in jail after being responsible for blinding her in one eye. When he got out of jail, they got married. Make sure that if you put this movie in your Blockbuster On Line or Netflix queue, you specify the 2006 version. If you don’t, you might end up getting some Japanese porn. Ask me how I know.

This Is England – This movie is a semi-autobiographical look at the skinhead culture in 1980s England. It is about a preteen whose father was killed in the Falklands war and who is befriended by the neighborhood’s chapter of skinheads. It was okay.

After the Wedding – This film, in Danish with English subtitles, is about Jacob, a Danish man, who lives in India doing humanitarian work. He funs an orphanage and does what he can to keep child prostitutes off the streets. He is summoned back to Denmark by a rich potential benefactor, Jorgen, who will not consider donating funds unless he meets Jacob in person. It is really, really good – although I figured out the plot early on.

The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T – When I was a little girl, I had seen a movie about a little boy who hated practicing the piano. One day, he fell asleep at the piano and dreamed about a fantasy world. I don’t know why this movie has stuck with me all these years, despite the fact that I never saw it again. I never even knew the title of the movie. The other week or so, on a lark, I googled the phrase “a boy falls asleep while practicing the piano and dreams about a fantasy land.” The result was The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T. I immediately checked Blockbuster, and they had it in their collection; so, I queued it and I got it and I watched it. It was written by Dr. Seuss and made in 1953 – many years before I watched it the first time. Anyway, I liked it for the nostalgia value, and kids would probably get a big kick out of it.

The King of California – A man (Michael Douglas) is released from a mental institution bent on finding gold that was buried long ago. His daughter, Evan Rachel Wood, joins him in this madcap adventure. Interestingly, the gold is supposedly buried right under the local Costco. It was pretty good.

Breach is based on a true story about Robert Hanssen, the FBI traitor, who sold classified documents to the Soviets. Chris Cooper plays Hanssen and Ryan Phillippe plays the younger agent assigned to keep tabs on the big guy. Laura Linney also stars in this picture. It was pretty good, but definitely a renter.

Talk to Me is based on a true story about an ex-convict turned radio disc jockey in 1960s Washington, DC. Don Cheadle plays Petey Green, who played the music the real DC wanted to hear. His show frequently caused problems with the FCC at the time, but he was just “keeping it real.” It was pretty good. Cheadle does a great job, but it was definitely a renter.

Offside – It's a cute movie about six Iranian girls trying to get into the stadium to watch a qualifying soccer match. The problem is that girls aren’t allowed to watch soccer matches in stadiums, because there are too many males there…something might happen. Hey, I can’t make this stuff up. It is in Farsi with English subtitles.

Fierce People – Diane Lane, Donald Sutherland and Elizabeth Perkins star in this psychological study of the tribal class system in America. It is not as stiff as that last sentence might insinuate, but it is definitely deeper than it lets on in the beginning…and it is not really all that good of a movie.

Feast of Love starring Greg Kinnear, Jane Alexander, Morgan Freeman, Alexa Davalos, Radha Mitchell and Selma Blair is about that complicated little thing called love. Kinnear plays this coffee shop owner who just does not really see what is in front of him. Freeman and Alexander are a wise older couple who have suffered a recent tragedy. Davalos is one-half of a young love couple. It’s cute, but it’s a renter.

There Will Be Blood – I did not like this movie set in California at the turn of the century. It is about the early oil boom, and how one man rises to power. Day-Lewis plays Daniel Plainview, who is as despicable a person as he can be. I hated this character; so, I guess you can say that Day-Lewis deserves the nomination for best actor. That’s all I’m going to say about that.

Merry Karma out.

Today is Trashy Thursday

I am spending one day a week decrapifying my house, and Thursdays are "the day." I am not going to talk about that today.

Today is about works-in-progress. There was no WIP Wednesday post yesterday...as if there have been more than one. For the sake of argument, we will overlook the fact that tradition implies that something has been done more than once.

I drove over to Fort Worth to meet my friend Amy for lunch at Uncle Julio's. We made a stop at one of our fave LYSs - Yarns Ewenique - before heading over to The Four Star Coffee Bar to spend the rest of the afternoon knitting and solving the problems of the world.

Here's a shot of Amy wearing two fingerless mitts that I knitted. I designed the one on the left for her business out of her yarn. I knitted the one on the right out of Jojoland yarn that I picked up at the first DFW FiberFest. I used Kim's Sockotta Fingerless Gloves pattern, but instead of knitting the partial fingers, I finished them off mitt-style.














Also OTN (on the needles) are a My Constant Companion bag and my Louisa Harding Shawlette. The shawlette has sort of been on snooze for a while, but it is further along than the last time you saw it.



























Oh - and if you noticed on a previous post...It would seem that I was under the impression that the Giants played the Raiders in the Super Bowl. A kind friend of mine alerted me of that mistake. I am not going to correct it...I've been calling the Patriots the Raiders all season long. Again...I am such a football fan.

MK out.

Sticks N' Stitches - A Knitting or Crocheting at the Hockey Game Event

So - all you DFW Knitters and Crocheters - here's your chance to spend an evening with the Dallas STARS and do your craft at the same time.

You can bring an already knitted/crocheted square (7in X 9in) or work on one during the game. I am going to connect them all together and donate an afghan to a local shelter in support of Warm Up America.

Print out this form, fill it out, send it in, and we will see you there!.

Random Thoughts

1. Congratulations Giants! I really did not care one way or the other about the outcome of the Super Bowl...If the Raiders had won, they would've had a perfect season, and that is quite an accomplishment. I didn't mind the Giants winning since they beat the Cowboys, and I really like Eli Manning. Yeah, I'm a real football fan.

2. Go STARS! After losing two straight at home, the STARS set out on a 3-game away stretch in Western Canada and swept the series. Woo hoo!!! They are back home on Tuesday night hosting the Vancouver Canucks.

3. Lost is found! The fourth season started last Thursday night, and needless-to-say, I was thrilled. After 3 seasons of flashbacks giving us the back stories of many of the characters, season four is all about the flash forwards. Last season's finale indicated that some of the Losties were rescued, but after the other night we are left wondering who didn't get off the island. We know that three of the Oceanic Six are Jack, Kate and Hurley. There is much debate and speculation on the internet about who the other three could be...even on Ravelry, the knitting and crocheting community.

I'm tired...it's time to sleep.

Merry Karma out.

How I Spent My Weekend

One of my friends, Jill Conner Brown, whom many know as HRH THE Sweet Potato Queen, was in Dallas for her latest book tour. She was promoting, The Sweet Potato Queens' Guide to Raising Children for Fun and Profit. There's funny stuff - you should read it.

Anyway, I was entertaining the female grands on Sunday, and since Jill was in town, and I had plenty of tiaras to spare, we donned them and drove on down to Dallas to say "Hidee" to her.

On the way down to the booksigning, I was preparing the girls for their audience with the Queen. I explained that she was to be greeted with "Pleased to meet you, Your Royal Majesty." They asked if she was really a queen. "Of course," I said. The older one, being the more crafty and aware of the two, wasn't altogether convinced. She asked the question in another way. "Does she really have royal blood?" My answer was the same. The younger one wanted to know if she lived in a castle. "Why, yes," I said. "And she's your friend?" they asked. Uh-huh.

We arrived a little late, rushing in past her signature pink and green RV parked out in the parking lot. (Dang! I didn't get a picture.) We stood in the back listening the end of her talk until finally, it was time to get in line to take our turn to meet with her. It took a little while, but thankfully, there was a Starbucks in that Borders Bookstore, and the barista took pity on the masses. She brought hot chocolate and other caffienated beverages around to keep everyone civil. By the time we got to the front of the line, the younger princess had a chocolate mustache and goatee. However, it did not deter her in remembering that she was in the presence of royalty, and she proceeded to greet Jill with a flourish - She bowed to her.

It was so hysterical, that Jill asked her to do it again; so, that the Royal Consort could take a picture. The princess complied, but I don't know how that picture turned out.

Jill was so gracious that she bestowed us with some bracelets as a gift. The princesses were quite impressed. After we were on our way home, they kept talking about how my friend gave them a special gift.

It was a special afternoon spent with my special people. I mean, really - how often does one have the opportunity to teach such topics as royal protocol as well as tiara dents, and how to avoid them to their grandchildren?

Merry Karma out.