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.

And the Nominees Are...

The Oscar nominations were announced today. I live for it, in case you don't already know. There were some surprises, but I am pleased with most of the nominations. If you want to read more about it, you can go here.

I still have to see The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Gone Baby Gone, I'm Not There, In the Valley of Elah, There Will Be Blood. Luckily, most will be coming out on video soon. I don't know if I will get to see I'm Not There, though. It is not supposed to come out on video until April - after the Oscars are awarded on February 24th. Hmmmm.....What to do?

Merry Karma out.