LOST... You Had Me At Desmond & Penny

Last night LOST gave one of the best payoffs yet. Okay, yes, such things are next to nonexistant on this show but I considered *SPOILER:highlight if you want to know* the whole reunion via telephone between them absolutely amazing! It's almost okay if he doesn't actually make it back. I'm kind of concerned because all his flashes were flash backs not flash forwards like all the others who survive.

It was great & I loved Daniel too. *SPOILER:highlight if you want to know* The physics prof with the freaky experiment at Oxford... apparently he was always kinda' odd. Between the formulas & his notebook with all those notes, I think he may know more than anyone what's up with the island. That certainly explains the discrepancy in time. According to Jack back on the first ep of the new season, he said they'd been on the island 100 days. According to last night, it's been 93 days since the crash.Last night, Des called penny on Dec 24.2004. WTH?! I'll have see if there's some calculation to be done to see if that's really relevant or just another one of those LOST tidbits.

It was great & a nice break from writing also. Muse is calling & coffee is brewing & I need to do some intense research on PTSD.

Besos!

Creative Tides & DVD Delays

I'm still writing, and while that has its good points, it's also meant that I've not been keeping up my end of my affair with yarn. Why, oh why must it be so all or nothing? Is it some cosmic test for loving two things that are time consuming & wholly engaging? What to do? Actually, in a way I'd love to spend two solid weeks writing. Maybe it's just what I need & I should chuff the guilt of not spending every waking hour obsessed with SKO. Enlightenment this early in the am? Before the coffee? Whoa.

In other news, Barnes & Noble is pissing me off (& T also). I'm a member with a discount card & they even sent me a coupon for something like 25% off an item either online or in store. So, I figured, I'd order Jericho on dvd. After all the discounts, I saved $15 overall & free shipping. It was a good day. It was supposed to ship on Monday. Did it? No. In fact, I received a nice little e-mail telling me they are experiencing some sort of issue & won't be able to ship it... wait for it.... until Monday, March 3! What does this mean? It means a Jericho-free weekend & we're kinda' bummed. I swear, it's like they know how totally obsessed we are.

We're not that far along in the series but we definitely have some favorite characters already. I adore Heather & think she's awesome. Three cheers for the science girl! I think T likes her also & is possibly even shipping Jake & Heather getting together. Is it a bad sign when your husband ships before you do? We'll see. If I were to ship, I think I'd go with them but I think she's got a lot of blonde to get through to get to him. Hopefully, she's off working on a formula. ;)

I have to hand it to Skeet Ulrich & Sprague Grayden. It's like they took a swim in a pool of chemistry before they shot this scene. Absolutely electric together. Fab job!

Additionally, I've not read while I've been doing all this reading. And I don't just mean my latest installment of Dune, I mean blogs, newspapers & magazines. This week's New Yorker arrived yesterday & then I realized I'd not finished last week's.

Well, I really must run. Back under my rock with my laptop & moleskine.

Besos.

I'm Kinda' On A Writing Jag...

I actually went to bed late last night & also had to get up a couple hours later... because my muse won't shut the hell up. It's a writing day for me & I figured I should drop in and make a quick post.

Watched second dvd of S1 of Jericho. Broke down and ordered dvd. It was necessary, if we didn't, we'd miss the new season on OnDemand. ;) Spent yesterday with T (the hubs) & overall had a very nice weekend. Recently purchased yarn, still in the bags from purchase, is overtaking my living room & I am now putting myself back on a yarn restriction. It's out of hand. Seriously.

Didn't watch the Oscars & that's no big surprise but I'm glad No Country For Old Men won Best Picture. Talk about a hard call between that & There Will Be Blood. Crickey! Call me fickle, I'm just not very interested in awards shows, it's much more efficient to catch all the wins on the news the next day. I just saw what is sure to be my favorite moment... Javier Bardem thanking his Mama in Spanish during his acceptance. He dedicated it to her, his abuelos & hers and España! :D A España mi vida y amor. Even when you don't recognize Kosovo's independence because you have your own issues with ETA.

Here's to dodging the banality of "who wore who", "who partied where" & "who looked like absolute crap" for the next week. I say we all turn off the television & pick up a book in protest! Who's with me?

My muse is prodding me with a stick, so I really must go. Just between you and me, she can be a real bitch but she brings me coffee & Moleskines so I tolerate her. ;)

This Just In... Ralph Nader Announces Presidential Bid Run!

I'll be all over Meet the Press when it airs this morning! I didn't expect this at all! WOW! I love my politics & coffee in the morning! :)

The Etsy Site Is Allergic To Me Today. Whatev.

Oy-friggin-vey!!! I have been trying to list on Etsy for like, an hour and it keeps kicking me out! I keep getting a "Can't connect or locate server on www.etsy.com". Of course, it's just Etsy because everywhere else I want to go online is all kinds of quick and happy. Oh well, these things happen. I suppose it's good in a way. If I can't list with ease, can you imagine what people who are trying to shop are going through? Egads!

Anywho, hubby and I went out to lunch at our favorite tiny Chinese restaurant & it was, as always, sublime. A stop by my favorite local yarn shop was amazing & I bought a ton of bamboo & organic cotton yarn. And let me say, it's really sad when you spend more on yarn than your weekly grocery bill. :) Oh well. I'm terribly excited to use it but I have some more fingerless gloves I'm working on (some for Etsy & some custom orders off).

Since it's Saturday & Netflix is my friend, we're up for the next installment of Jericho:Season One tonight. The pizza is in the fridge & the wine is chilling now. I can't wait! T (the hubs) wanted to watch last night but we held firm to the Saturday night. Will we find out where Jake has been for the last five years? What is the deal with Mr. Hawkins? Where is Shep? Will Emily find her fiance? Will Heather keep crushing on Jake? Will April find out her husband, Eric' has been cheating with barkeep Mary? Will the people from the crashed planes surface?

I'm counting on having a few things answered because this isn't LOST.

Friday Happy Hour Sale

I rarely do them, but figured what they heck. It's dreary out, I'm cooking & feeling happy and I haven't even uncorked the wine for dinner. :D

***Friday Happy Hour Special (3 PM ET through 9 PM ET)***

Free set of Faccia Bella Cotton Face Cloths with any purchase from these sections. Mention Happy Hour in Message to Seller during checkout.

Her Closet

His Closet/Unisex

BSG Inspired Warmers

From Mind To Industry To Fodder

This week's New Yorker arrived yesterday afternoon & I've yet to read it but I loved the cover! That's no surprise but when it's related to books, writing or publishing, it really grabs me. I like that it tells the story of a story not just a book. From the first frame where the writer is diligently typing on her laptop in her mod digs as snow wafts down outside her window to the final frame where another winter's snow falls lightly in an alley surrounding the homeless seeking warmth.

I think it also makes a larger statement. Everyone finds utility in the life of the story. The writer writes. The agent pimps. The publisher publishes. The printer prints. The bookseller sells. The reader buys, reads & ultimately recycles. The homeless repurposes.

A fine idea to ponder as I read my magazine later over a latte & watch as the storm moves through the region while sleet falls & ice forms on inanimate objects outside... some of whom are people.

CAUTION: The Only Common Thread Is Me

I'm a bit vexed. We didn't get anymore snow! We instead received ice & freezing rain. Totally blows. Ah well, what can you do? Make things, read, package orders, consider next marketing strategies & read. Not exactly a life not worth living. :)

One could also watch LOST.

I should say now that I do not ship. It's just not my thing & believe me, when I watch a show the last thing I care about is who's schtupping who but if it's handled well, I can live with it. And by handled well, I mean, it doesn't overtake a storyline and become the lynchpin of a female character's existence. I expect writers to do a better job writing women than to relegate them to that level & it's always a letdown when it happens. It seems to happen a lot. I'd rather everyone shag & move on but that whole "relationship" thing is harder to finesse. Because of this, I tend to begin rolling my eyes whenever any scenes in a show start going down that road. And I did last night while watching LOST. Whenever the Jack/Kate/Sawyer thing presents itself, I want out but last night may have been the best it's been handled yet. This isn't to say I now care ultimately which she chooses or that I think it's any less pathetic that either guy is willing to take such treatment from her, but at least my eyes spent more time on the screen than rolled back in my head. It was what I'd consider a very good ep and since it was Kate-centric, that's enough to make believe the writers have reclaimed their plot mojo. One more thing that made last night's ep good was possibly the best Locke moment ever! He lost his shit & it was crazy excellent!




In other news, these are my Viper Jockey version my BSG inspired gloves in Carbon & Six Red. I'm running low on those neat vintage brass buttons I bought on Etsy but I just won almost a gross of Liz Claiborne brass buttons on eBay for such an amazing price, I'm a happy woman! I've drafted my husband in as a hand model. He's really honored. :)

And now I'm going to end this post. I've more to say, so I guess this will be a multi-post day. On to coffee for a mo'. :)

It Snowed & More Is Coming!

I took a quick shot of the falling flakes. It was really beautiful & more is on the way. Unfortunately, it kept us from being able to see the lunar eclipse. :( Bummer. But, in the grand scheme, I'd rather miss a lunar than a solar, so I guess I'll deal.

I'm taking another writing day... well the latter half. Yesterday was great. It was plot heavy & dark & I couldn't be happier about it. :) I've errands & a few things to ship at the post before the storm & at least the sun is up and shining. And the perfect cap to the day? LOST is on tonight! They're going Kate-centric tonight, but I'm okay with that. Next week is Desmond-centric :)

Oh yes, I've found out that DirtySexyMoney is renewed! YAY! But it won't be back until autumn & they're going to hold the rest of this season's eps to air until then. Not so YAY! Also no word on when the finale season of The Shield will air. At least I've many books to read. :)
As long as there's no futzing with BSG or Mad Men, I'll be a happy chica.

Okay, I'm off to get real life out of the way. :D

Writing & Storms Contemplation Over Coffee

I need a writing day. Desperately and absolutely. Of late, SKO has taken over more of my time and really has put me off my usually very well scheduled self. I've not written in two weeks. TWO WEEKS! It's no wonder every time I look at the Moleskine stack on my desk or glance at the file folders on my laptop, I sigh wistfully.

So, they say a storm is moving our way & those are always the most fun to write during. I'm seriously on the wrong side of the country. I need perpetual Pacific NW weather... but then, SKO would likely fall by the wayside. *sigh* In the meantime, I'll need to continue to endeavor for balance.

I've brewed a huge pot of coffee & am watching the seagulls fly around outside as the clouds & sun fight it out. I don't think the sun will win today. I've a book on my right and a skein of yarn on my left.

I think I hear my muse knocking.

The omen is good.

Books In The Post & Adiós Comandante En Jefe!

As one of my goals for the year is to read all Dune books, I have a few to add to my almost complete collection. This weekend these two arrived from the SciFi Book Club & I couldn't be happier. Only one problem. I've no more room on the shelf. And now I'll have to do something with the entire Science Fiction, Humor & Cooking sections as they're all on the same bookcase. I think that's a weekend project. :)

In other news, Comandante en Jefe is now just a comarada. That's right, Fidel has stepped down & by all accounts, his little brother Raul is likely the next in charge. Don't get your revolución up just yet though. Not much has really changed. It's more like a lateral move with an option of hope. Raul's a bit less stringent on the economics and that may actually be good for the populous. The sad truth is that until the old guard are basically dead or some other way mentally inert it's not likely that liberty or freedoms will be an active part of the daily lives of Cubanos. So while the United States is desperately seeking a change agent, let's keep a thought for others yearning for the same rights that we have. The most important of all to be able to complain, loudly... in public... about everything! We'd not likely be who we are without that right & it's beautiful. Vivo esperanza!

When Crochet & BSG Obsession Collide & Weekend Recap

It's been a long time coming and finally, it's happened. I've seen one too many episodes of Battlestar Galactica. I've been on the forum talking about Helo, HeadSix, Anders, Romo, Kara & Dee. I've made too many correlations between the characters Baltar & Roslin in their run for the President of The Colonies to the current Presidential race. When your husband mentions that "Wow. It's like Roslin & Gaius got married" and you agree wholeheartedly as you watch Hillary and her spouse... it's pretty clear you've been too long at the sci fi geek table. Cringeworthy.

Possibly others would take this as a sign to back the hell off but not me. No, I take it as a sign that the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica is just so finely crafted a drama that after a viewing one is so pulled in that it's virtually impossible to extricate oneself... if ever such a crazy idea were to pass through a mind. So, I sat down and decided to finally do a series of my hand/wrist/arm warmers inspired by the series I love so much. Granted, they can be worn by anyone & familiarity of the show is totally not a prerequisite, but it sure makes the names more fun if one's familiar with the show. My buttons were purchased from UrbanRose on Etsy & I only wish she had more but at least it gives me the opportunity to find more. :) So here's what I've come up with so far (though I haven't pics for all yet... it was a busy weekend):

• Colonial One: The quintessential arm warmer. Elbow length (or more, if you're a short chica like me) & solid color with brass buttons. Just the thing to have if you're hanging with President Laura Roslin or if you're a real life office worker. Seen in the second pic in Gunmetal & here in Lt.Colonial Blue.
• Fleet: These are my husband's favorite for some reason. Just like the Colonial One edition except in color combinations. Possibly what you'd want to sport the colors of your favorite Pyramid team, the colors of your colony or anything else. The Fleet edition is the more casual and fun but just as functional. Shown on the right in Tylium Yellow & Colonial Blue.
  
• Opera House: No pics yet. There may be a few versions of this one. We begin with the Symphony Edition inspired by the music of BSG by Bear McCreary, specifically Passacaglia. Made of a special yarn and with a different look & different accents than the others. It's super top secret, so I can't say more than, they'll be long enough to cover the wrists.
  
• Viper Jockey: No pics yet. Short, fingerless gloves with brass buttons (because pilots would have them). Unisex though some come in more feminine colors. Just what Kara might have worn when she crashed and had to make repairs on that Cylon raider to get the frak off that planet.
  
• Knuckle Dragger: Short fingerless gloves without buttons. Also unisex. Deck workers don't get buttons, for fear they'll get caught on anything while they're doing maintenance on a bent bird. Chief Tyrol may not need a pair but his hardcore wife Cally might. Shown to the right in Colonial Blue.
  
• Caprica: I've been watching the series since the pilot & even I pine for flashbacks of Caprica. Space is dark & cold but memories of the Riverwalk Market in Caprica City are what inspired these gloves. Mid-length, fingerless gloves with brass buttons. Just the thing for shopping, driving or just being generally mod as you go around. Remember CapricaSix & her stroll on her way to see Gaius? Yeah, she should have had these. Shown in the first paragraph in the color Passion.
  
• New Caprica: No pics yet. It was a rough time on New Caprica and most likely these would have come in even more handy. Just like the Caprica edition but without brass buttons... because times were hard and Cylon occupation sucked.
  

And in other news, my Valentine's weekend with my husband was phenom & those cupcakes from FatDaddyBakeShop were a huge hit!

We also watched out fair share of dvds which I won't enumerate. I'll only mention our new favorite show... Jericho! We were totally & happily surprised. I'd meant to get around to watching it when it the series originally aired but... well, it's on CBS and I never get around to CBS. Then I missed it on OnDemand. Then it was cancelled. I wasn't happy. It looked like a cool idea for a show. But the dvd came out & I added it to our Netflix queue. We were just bummed that we didn't order the whole set at once because we're totally hooked. And of course the new season of Jericho is airing and we don't want to watch because we don't want to be spoiled since we're so early in but we don't want the viewership to be so low that they don't get renewed again. And I only know one Nielsen family... they were already viewers. Just my luck. Anyway, our biggest mystery is what is up and who is Mr. Hawkins? Does Mayor Green really only have the flu? Where in the hell is Shep & the people in the planes that crashed on the roadway? And where was Jake for those 5 years... 'cause he's got quite a varied and useful skill set.

And I've totally said more than enough for one blog post. I'm going to make a latte now. ;)

Today Is My Valentine's Day

I've just returned from having the mani done (last week's attempt went off the rails & I never got to it). So I haven't a great blog post for today. So sorry. My BSG inspired hand/wrist/arm warmers are piling up and my buttons arrived, so I've pictures to take of those. But not today. Today is for love, cupcakes & watching dvds with the one I love. But I will leave you with something else I adore.

Ian Somerhalder.


I think he may be one of the best looking men on the planet & he even has the nerve to have a winning personality. Damn. So enjoy the view of the blue-eyed bit of heaven, I'm off to find my green-eyed love now.

Besos! xox

My Brain Is LOST's Bitch... Again!

I don't even know where to begin. It's like Season 1 Lost all over again... just without Boone... and Shannon... and Walt... and Michael... and Charlie.

Well, it's been a long 100 days on the island and into every freaky jungle a few Others, polar bears, boars and a little death & betrayal will fall... or run. Whatever. The point is that it's exciting as all hell once again and it makes me sad that the show went so off the rails for a season & a half. It's not that they couldn't do excellent, it was there but they futzed it for a bit. Makes me wonder if Cuse & Co. started to believe their own press too much and went batshit. But I digress. My point is , IT ROCKED! LOCKE ROCKED! SAYID ROCKED! HURLEY ROCKED! AND IT'S ALL GOOD!!!!

I'll say now that if there are any spoliers I absolutely need to talk about, I'll white them out and if you want to highlight, have at it.

I am a dedicated devotee to my long lost and loved Boone. I'd have rolled with Locke from day one and most likely would have followed Boone up into that heroin plane. A rear view in his Diesel jeans would have been reason enough to sacrifice my life. ;)

I loved Sayid from the beginning & still do.

I started off liking Jack but now, not so much.

I hated Shannon from the crash & held to it... but I loved her character & was pissed when she died. How's that for dichotomy?

I hated Sawyer but now, not so much.

I loved Hurley from the beginning and still do.

I liked Kate briefly but never really very much and that's remained the same with ebbs and flows of annoyance.

I was always indifferent to Claire and have to admit I still am.

I hated Jin & now I think he's absolutely cool.

I loved Sun, then not so much, but I love her again.

I liked Charlie, then I hated him & in the end figure he wasn't such a bad bloke. It's a shame when death has to be the thing that does that for you.

I always thought Walt was a really cool kid and I still do... even though I'm not so sure he's a kid or what anymore.

I hated Michael, then I liked him (he blew away Ana-Lucia that's reason enough) but then not so much and now I just don't know what to think. I think they need to bring him back and give me one more chance to decide. :)

So here we are in Season 4 & there are even more characters to decide & obsess over. Ben's so sketchy that I still don't know exactly what to think. Juliet seems okay but who can ever be sure. And the Freighties? Don't even get me started on them...

So how are you feeling about Lost? Past, present and now... future? ;)

Valentine's Day Has Been Postponed... Just Put Down The Cupcake & No One Gets Hurt

Cupcakes are little bits of heaven that I don't indulge in nearly enough. I haven't the biggest sweet tooth, but I do like very much to look at them. Icing, the part that appeals to me least in taste is the most inviting thing visually. Strange but true.

These little lovelies are a couple of a dozen store bought cupcakes from our local grocer. I saw them and picked them up because I loved how they looked, all dressed and whipped and even with cute little hearts inserted. Adorable. My husband, the keeper of the sweet tooth, has eaten all but one of them. But that's okay, I wouldn't have likely indulged much more in them. Not because there's anything wrong with them at all, but come on... they're store bought. They're not going to be high end culinary quality and that's what I save my sugary indulgences for. Eat them in moderation but when you do, go all the way. Make the calories worth your while.

So when I sat and thought about our intimate Valentine's Day dinner (which is now going to be on Saturday because he's just finishing the flu) I thought about dessert and what I thought would be perfect. I just didn't feel like baking it. Instead I popped over to Etsy to a relatively new but crazy successful and by all accounts scrumptious bake shop called Fat Daddy Bake Shop. The pictures really get me. I adore pictures of food. I'm the one who subscribes to foodie mags not just for the recipes and techniques but also the best pictures. So of course, I had to buy some cupcakes that I'd been eying for a while.

Fat Daddy's Red Velvet Revolution cupcakes arrived in very good time and as soon as I opened my box, I wanted to open one up and eat. But alas, it wasn't Valentine's Day yet, so into the refrigerator they went. *sigh* I did take this picture of them though beforehand. Don't they look scrummy? All dressed in their little ribbons with icing peeking out. Oh well, it won't be long before Saturday arrives and my love and I can share our love of sweet things together over a couple of cupcakes in a jar.

And one more thing before I get off and on with my day and adoring my almost recovered & desperately in need of a shave, beloved I want to share the one thing that really moved me about Valentine's Day this year that will likely stay with me always. My husband and I may be a couple of the youngest people who watch CBS Sunday Morning regularly. I've been watching since I was a kid as my parents tuned in weekly, so when I met my husband in college, he picked up the habit also. It's like a television aperitif to your Sunday Morning NYT. Anyway, on a regular enough basis Ben Stein contributes to the show and always has something of note to say wrapped in wit. This past Sunday, he shared his thoughts on Valentine's Day and I'd like to share them with you:

From Stuff Ben Wrote:

"As I wrote this at 6:00 a.m. a few days ago, my wife was helping Susie, our dying 16 year old Dalmatian mix, down the stairs so she could go to the bathroom outside. Susie did not quite make it. My wife got drenched. She did not complain at all, just helped Susie the rest of the way, watched her stagger around outside for a while, then hailed me to take her back upstairs. Then she washed herself and Susie, changed her p.j.’s, and got in bed with poor old Susie to wait a few hours to take her out again. Susie died the next day, by the way, and we are inconsolable.

Anyway, my wife has virtually no sense of smell so she cannot tell that the house smells like a kennel and a cattery combined. I love that she has no sense of smell. It’s a symbol of how unsuspicious, non-judgmental, totally accepting she is in everything. To paraphrase Bob Dylan, “she knows too much to argue or to judge.”

In a few days, if all is well, it will be my wife and my 40th valentine’s day together, and she’ll probably spend it rescuing animals before we go out to dinner.

In other words, she’s a saint.

But we’re not young. I keep wondering how long until one or the other of us has to spend Valentine’s Day without the other. That thought scares me. I don’t know how people do it when they’ve been together for decades and then are suddenly alone. I cannot imagine their pain and their loneliness, although I did see it up close and personal when my mother died leaving my father–who had never even looked at another woman–alone after sixty-one years. He suffered horribly.

On this Valentine’s day, let’s spare a thought, a moment, a call, a visit, for parents, friends, who are without those they loved, those they still love. And most of all for those of us who still have the love of our lives in our lives, let’s be deeply grateful. Love may be eternal, but we are not, and let’s be grateful for the love we have while we can still see her in our homes and hold her in our arms. It is later than any of us dare think. And let’s vow to never, ever fight with those we love. Not over anything."
- Ben Stein from CBS Sunday Morning 02.10.2008

So have a phenom Valentine's Day and share the love... and the cupcakes.

Random Acts of Battlestar Galactica & General Fangirling

Well, I was going through my obscene yarn stash and came across this yarn. It's a twisted compound of a tiny boucle and a thick black strand. I like the feel of it. Chunky and soft. My goal is to attempt to rock my shop all year with both warm and cool weather items. It's always warm somewhere just as it's always cold somewhere else.

So I whipped up this lovely scarf and named it Karl. Why Karl? Because my BSG love struck and I thought "When Helo was stuck on Caprica this would have been perfect for him." Yeah, it's a complete fangirl, nerd chic thing I have going on but it's not the first item I've named after a character of my favorite show and I promise it won't be the last. :)

It's back on Friday, April 4th at 10PM and I can't wait. I'm so thrilled they're not going with the Sunday time for the final season. And the S3 dvd will be out in March. Of course, I'll be picking it up the day it drops and pouring and obsessing over S3 until S4 begins. And then there's my incessant prattling on to my husband, who loves the show but hasn't adopted it as a formal religion the way I have.

In other crochet news, I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to name the three lengths of hand/wrist/arm warmers that I've made. They're in a variety of colors and as soon as my latest Etsy purchase from Urbanrose of brass vintage buttons arrive, I'll be able to finish them off. They're quite nice in any length and I'll either name them after characters or possibly the colonies of Battlestar Galactica. When I look at them they feel more Colonial than Cylon but I'm considering a Number Six version. Then again, maybe a Number 8 would be better because I can actually envision Sharon/Athena fixing her Raptor and stocking artillery. ;)

I've enjoyed selling them off Etsy (without the whole BSG naming thing) but I'm pretty excited about listing them on Etsy. Here's hoping my warmers have a market.

I now return all who are absolutely in the dark about BSG and my past references to the regular pattern of blogging. On another note, I've nearly finished Dune: Butlerian Jihad and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. It was one of those books that you have to just stick with even when you want to bail because you actually do care about the characters but are just so eager to know what's going on with them you don't want to have to sit through the process. I have to admit that the pace it set was quite a discipline. One down, twelve (or so) to go. ;)

Preppy, Independent & Closed Out of The Potomac Primary

Meet KIKI. She's the wrap/scarf I've been blogging about on and off for about a week. You recall, the pink yarn I picked up from Craftyyarn and the green BlueSky Alpacas from kpixie. It turned out phenom and is so soft and luxe, that I can't stop talking about it. She can be wrapped or draped many different ways and honestly, if I could get the pink yarn in a Mediterranean blue, I'd make one for myself. This is the hazard of using recycled and one of a kind yarns. *le sigh*

Okay, so on to other things. Today is the Potomac Primary. Of course, since it's after Super Tuesday, hardly anyone knows or cares about it but it is a pretty important day just the same. :) I'm in a bit of a quandary. Primaries here are sequestered and hubby and myself are former young Republicans who are now registered Indies. So what does this mean? That we don't get to vote today because we have to be part of the antiquated 2 party system to participate. It couldn't be more craptacular or blow! So basically, our 3rd party is neutered until the big game... at least in Maryland. So basically, we've the right to decide that both parties have annoyed us to the point of taking away our donation dollars & affiliation but that's only relevant in the general election, no one cares what we think until then. I'm shaking my fist at the State of Maryland Board of Elections today.

I'm no fan of the whole primary/caucus/delegate system thing anyway. I understand that the 50 states get to decided how they proceed but really, everyone does their own thing and some states even have a mix of both primary & caucus. WTF?! I've still not figured out why we can't at least all do our primaries & caucuses on one day and have done with it! I'm a total political junkie but the system needs an overhaul.

So while all my fellow citizens are out rockin' the vote and casting their asses off in voting booths all across the region, I'll be rockin' my stash of yarn, supplying my husband (who has the flu & was still going to go vote) with the chicken soup I made yesterday & finishing the book I'm currently reading. I'm hoping my fellow Independents have a day chock full of things to get done and the appropriate level of disdain for being unable to have their say today as well.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow Are Downed Power Lines & Crochet by Candlelight

Sunday morning, this was the view from my balcony. The skies looked like they were on fire and it was absolutely beautiful. But the winds were gusting pretty heavily also, so I didn't tarry long. I like Sunday mornings. Quiet, slow, contemplative with a pot of coffee and a day long conversation with my husband on various topics including things we catch on CBS Sunday Morning & Meet The Press. There's always newspaper reading and our slumbering kitty on some errant section one of us wants. It's perfect. *sigh*

And yesterday was just that. Sublime. I had to refund a customer for a mistake I made in measurement but it was all good. I've never futzed anything on Etsy before, but apparently I'm only She-Ra in my mind but am actually afflicted with human error and sketchy mathematics skills. :D It's very hard to accept these things and go on but it must be done.

Actually, it all turned out fine and my customer was actually happy in the end. The only thing I couldn't handle was that she was so happy I'd been so accommodating and easy to work it out. I've no idea how other people handle such things, but it kind of skeeves me that a customer could be sitting on tenter hooks waiting to see if they're in for the fight of their lives or not. How sad. Mistakes happen and into every sellers life a refund will fall. I was glad to have an understanding customer because it was my error. Anywho, it goes to show that even when you have the unexpected presented it doesn't always have to end badly or even in a null. I had the chance to use my infrequently called upon soft skills for resolving an issue for an unsatisfied customer and the opportunity to make her happy in the end.

I think it was the rainbow that did it. That's right, this rainbow appeared on the horizon not long after the "sky fire" moment. We were on the side of an incoming storm and got to see the rainbow before our storm. Kinda' cool, huh? And it's supposed to be lucky to see a rainbow so I was thinking the whole Day of Excellence thing was going to go all day. And it did. Sort of. The storm rolled through and went on its way but it left behind gale force winds. Those took the power lines down. On a Sunday afternoon. So, like millions of women before me throughout history, I broke out candles and crocheted into the night. I have a new respect for those who created before the lightbulb. It's not so simple when the sun sets and you're grateful you're working in lighter shaded yarns.

I raise my latte to Mary & Laura Ingalls, Betsy Ross & all the other women who did everyday what I did one night out of sheer determination & necessity.

So today, the power is back on. I'm ready to start a new project. I need to take pictures of my preppy silk travelghan/wrap and also get on to my morning reading.

Kara Thrace's Wrist Warmers Would've Been Black

These are a pair of wrist warmers I made from the yarn I've been talking about for a few days. They're a bit long actually and cover up to mid-arm (at least on me, but I'm a short girl). I'd have taken the shot modeling one but I've not gone to my mani appointment yet. They turned out quite nicely and I like the chunkiness. The end edges are finished and the thumb holes pronounced. I'm thinking that I should have made my own this long. You can't so much see the glittering metallic strand that runs through but it does make them very pretty live. I'm diggin' the harvest colors as well but that may have more to do with the fact that we're in the middle of winter and all the trees are bald and everything is grey. Blah.

So I'm considering that I will make three versions of warmer. This one shown. A shorter one that is mainly for the hands with a little bit of wrist. And the full on long arm warmer. I've never listed any on Etsy because they sell before I have the chance or their spoken for when I'm in the middle of making them but I'm definitely going to list some this time around. And I'm totally going to make some named after my favorite BSG characters. So far I've used the following:

Kara: the beautiful red scarf
Anastacia: gauzy ivory scarf/wrap
Sam: plum purple scarf
Lee: charcoal black scarf
Galen: navy blue scarf

I've yet to figure out which other characters I'll name items after (Romo definitely!). I should most likely add some Cylons in there and I've yet to meet the yarn that screams Gaius Baltar to me... but I'm looking. :D

I was up at 5 this morning because that's when Battlestar Galactica airs on SciFi Channel. I didn't plan on the wake up but I swear I'm psychically connected and just know when it's on. I am so excited that the new and final season begins April 4th at 10 PM. I've so missed using my banners, I had to post one of them. ;) Ahh, good times.

Blast! Ben Linus Broke My Crochet Hook!

Seriously! He really did! It should come as no surprise though. He's responsible for all the higher level plotting going on on the island and of course he has his feelers out to those on the mainland. It's all a conspiracy.

Not buying it, huh? Okay. Here's what really happened. I was watching Lost last night and during a very pivotal scene I dropped my crochet hook on the floor. I was so caught up in the scene that I forgot about the hook. The scene ended with Ben bloodied by Sawyer and I stood up & took a step. And that's when I heard the snap. Damn & blast!

And this is why I don't usually use plastic hooks. But I have a set of them that someone gave me and they were actually quite handy. This is the second one I've broken. And as fate would have it, this was my only size I/9. My coveted bamboo in the same size parted ways with me somewhere between BWI & SFO. I hope it's found a happy home on which ever coast it ultimately chose. So I've scoped out some new option on Etsy and I plan on breaking down and buying one in the near future. Luckily, I wasn't using it for anything pressing.

Okay, back to Lost. Great ep and my Lost-affair that has been long dormant is being stoked once again. I won't drop any episode relevant info because who knows who'll stumble in here but suffice it to say, it's a whole new season and a better pace is being set with the story telling. I spent a good amount of time on The Fuselage last night and will most likely pop back over some time today. I can't believe I've been a member there for so long and my post count hasn't even cleared 1000. I guess I save my comments for when I really care.

And this is getting lengthy so I've one more thing to say about Lost. Over on the StyleDash blog there's a guide to kitting out your man (or if you're a man, yourself) in Island style. It's spot on and tongue-in-cheek, I think.

And finally, I've dug out that yarn I mentioned that I picked up from RedBerryCrochet's destash & Ebay. I bought them last spring and actually made a pair of hand/wrist warmers & a really cool handbag for myself. Love them. I made a few warmers for off-Etsy and sold them but got so wrapped up in other things that I never got back to them. Consequently, I've around 20 skeins of this yarn in my stash in four colors. Now I'm motivated to and I'm ready to get to it. My preppy themed Travelghan/wrap is nearly done and a girl always needs a new project. It's also a decent excuse to get out and get my nails done tomorrow. No mani, no pics.

Thursday Morning Coffee Contemplation

This is today's morning view from my balcony. I think it's going to be a very pretty day and as I sit here sipping my coffee and watching the sun rising in spite of cloud bands, I'm contemplating one of the eternal questions.

Should I still list more winter items in shop or just focus on warmer weather items?

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I know that there's always winter going on somewhere and I love my customers on the other hemi but it's proving hard to strike a balance. I've some yarn that I picked up a while ago from RedBerryCrochet when she was destashing & more of the same type that I scavenged from Ebay and I've been wanting to get to it to make some fingerless mitts and arm warmers. I think they'd be fun and also keep boredom at bay.

Anyway, I'm plugging along reading Dune: Butlerian Jihad (see the little pic on the right?) and I have to say, while I think it's a good book, it certainly is slow. I've already read Dune: House Atreides and that was great. I'm still not sure it's the fault of the book though. Butlerian Jihad is the first in the series and has the difficult task of introducing you to completely new characters, worlds and a galactic war. Lots of groundwork to be laid there and I think to a worthy end. So I'll keep on till the end and honestly, getting to the next book is a pretty decent motivator. :) The next in the series? The Machine Crusade. I can't wait. :)

Super Tuesday

I come from a long line of politicos. We're absolute addicts of all things political and love to hash over and debate in depth. It's kind of a lifelong discussion that we have going. So yesterday, I was all but entirely mesmerized by coverage on MSNBC. This cut into my daily reading time but was perfect for me to begin a crochet project.

I picked up some very luxe silk yarn from a shop on Etsy called Craftyyarn. It's a really sweet bubblegum pink and perfect for a preppy something for the upcoming warmer weather. So then I bounced over to kpixie for the perfect shade of green yarn. I found that in Blue Sky Alpacas Silk Alpaca yarn in Peapod. So with all my yarns assembled I dove right in yesterday to make another Travelghan/wrap for my shop. The yarns are absolutely sublime to work with and I can't wait to see the finished product.

Much like Decision '08... it's not yet resolved or over. ;) Works in progress it seems, are just the motivation I usually need to get off my ass and get to work. So with that, I'm signing off. I'm behind on my reading and need to finish a project.

Skeins Alive!

I've made a few things in the recent past that I really loved and many have gone off to very satisfied customers. It's funny how once you've transformed a skein of yarn into something (even as simple as a scarf) it holds more meaning than it did in its original form.

My love affair with all things string began when I was a little girl and short of not being able to use my hands, I can't see it coming to an end until I die. I adore the feel of yarns, the colors and the way combining can elicit an altogether different feel. I think that my love of the yarn itself keeps me wanting to keep stitches pretty standard. I want the yarn expressed most in the finished project and I don't like to futz with it too much. ;)

My stash of yarn is always calling me and forcing me to divide my time between it and my other love... writing. A never ending battle that's a little bit torture and a little bit love but wholly consuming on both fronts.

Inspired? Whatev.

I've always wished to have one of those initial blog posts that just blew my mind. Like the post to end all that may be so good you simply have to give up the blog right then because you'll never be able to live up to that on a daily basis.

This isn't one of those initial blog posts. In fact, this is quite simply functional. Just to get it done already in anticipation of having other and better things to get on with.

There's no where to go but up. ;)

Stay tuned for posts that are crochet relevant in nature. And maybe I'll talk a bit about what I'm currently reading. Besos!