Everybody Loves Saturday Night

between tenderness and brute force

I thought I was breaking out of the severest Elvis Costello kick in my entire music-listening history, but then my horoscope had to go and use the phrase "brute force" (context: "With the Moon in Libra, grace counts as much now as brute force, so let your senses be your guide." No, I don't what that means, either) which sent me right back into the arms of Get Happy!! which is what started the whole kick in the first place. Much as I love that man, I don't think this is healthy. It's becoming a compulsion. Something has to give.

(Even Scout just poked his head in to offer up a "mrrow?" as in, "Really? This again? Really?")

I don't know what else to say. It's been a long week, and it doesn't feel like a Friday.

I did finish the back of my $1.50 Cardigan. Let's throw up a picture.

I don't know why this picture looks incredibly fuzzy in Typepad's WYSIWYG editor, when it doesn't look fuzzy at all in Picnik's editor window. The technology, she confounds me some times. You get the idea, though. And you will understand when I say that this sweater, when all pieces are complete, is going to undergo the most strenuous blocking any sweater of mine has ever experienced (I seem to be working the extremes today) so I can avoid looking like the Michelin Man with a sunburn.

i've been talking to the wall and it's been answering me

I'm having one of those days where I have a lot of writing to do but all I want to do is sit outside and drink coffee and people watch. I would bring the work laptop with me but I have some sort of wireless mental block when it comes to PCs and I can never get it to configure the way it should.

You know, I haven't been in New York for all that long -- six years this summer -- but I have been here long enough to react to the "New Yorkers are rude" chestnut, or variations thereon, with bemusement. So I enjoyed Joan Acocella's essay on the subject. Most of what she says is true. I can't tell you how many times someone -- usually an older woman -- has stopped me to point out a little schmutz on my coat or something. And the part about hovering around someone having a directions-based conversation? Totally true. Just last week, in fact, I walked by a driver asking someone how to get to the Manhattan Bridge and when the person started floundering, I jumped in.

Seems I am asked for directions a lot. Doesn't matter where I am. I must always look like I know what I'm doing and where I'm going. Which means that I have you all FOOLED.

stuff, and not that much of it.

The well, she is dry. I meant to post something yesterday but got a little overwhelmed by the blankness of my mind. The best thing I wrote all day yesterday was a status update for Facebook: "Michelle is listening to a car alarm die a slow death: honk honk hernk hern hrrnnn hnnn nnn."

So instead of insights or knitting/crochet news, I have links. First, and in keeping with my fascination with/delight in fonts and typefaces, there's a free font maker. I haven't had the chance to play with it yet, but it looks fairly straightforward and fun. Someone has already constructed the "rickroll" font. (OK, am I the last person to hear about the Rickroll meme?)

Did you hear that The Electric Company (site has sound; be prepared for Rita Moreno) is coming back? I have mixed feelings about this, mostly because of this quote: "It’s the old one mixed with ‘High School Musical’ and a Dr Pepper commercial.'"

However. I feel better about this than I do about the remake of 90210 (pointless!).

Finally, and most importantly, head over to Shannon's site now to read about a piece of legislation called the Orphan Works Act, currently before Congress. It proposes a change to U.S. copyright law that will, to be vulgar and blunt, fuck up the rights visual artists have to their work, which includes designs from knit and crochet designers. Shannon says it better than I can right now. This link goes to a page with many letter templates for you to put your name to and send off to your representatives. It's been a while since I've gotten all political up in here, but if you're reading this then it's more than likely that you're involved in some way with the fiber industry, whether you are a designer or know designers. You may also be involved with other visual media at risk. So please, take action.

movie: iron man

OK, seriously? There's no need for a multi-paragraph review for this one. This movie is AWESOME. One of the best comic book movies made so far, and good thing too. It's about time this movie came along, because the genre had been getting stale, movies made just to fuel a franchise.

Honestly, I went in expecting to like Iron Man, primarily because I thought casting Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark was brilliant. And he is brilliant. And you can definitely tell that the movie is directed by a non-Michael Bay type, which hello, major plus. The movie clips along rapidly even during the non-action scenes--there's no hidden identity dilemma, no major morality trip, no navel gazing and ruminations about power and responsibility, no long, contrived vengeance plot. There's just this guy who has his consciousness raised so he builds a big metal suit and starts kicking ass. Simple. Elegant. Awesome.

Go see it, and stay all the way through the end credits.

this right here

is a hot yarny mess.

But hey, it only took 2.5 hours to get it to this:

Sheesh.

second thoughts: speed racer

I've been looking forward to this movie for several months now, thinking it safe in the hands of the Wachowskis. The trailers are dazzling and full of innovative visuals. Now that I've read some early reviews . . . I'm not sure that I'm going to handle it. Physically, I mean.

Apparently Speed Racer is a seizure-inducing optic assault for anyone over the age of 10 (Anthony Lane: "True, our eyeballs will slowly, though never completely, recover . . . "). Well, that much I could've gotten from the trailers. Hello -- Japanese cartoon + Matrix + car racing? Of course it's going to be visually overwhelming. That much I got from the trailers.

But the movie clocks in at 2:15. Two hours and 15 minutes. Over two hours of over-saturated acid flashback? I'm not sure I have the stamina for that. Maybe if I sit waaaaay in the back. And have someone there to talk me down.

I do still want to see this movie (just not in IMAX). I wouldn't deserve the appellative "nerdbabe" (tm Colleen) if I didn't see it. It's just now my more hesitant and timid self is projecting Clockwork Orange/Lost's Room 23 (link is spoiler to anyone who hasn't caught up with Season 3) scenarios and it's making me wary.

movie: forgetting sarah marshall

A word about Jason Segel: I have been a big fan since Freaks and Geeks, for two main reasons: his ability to convincingly go from adroably doofy to creepy, and his complete lack of fear (again, Freaks & Geeks fans know of what I speak). I have read a couple other reviews of Forgetting Sarah Marshall that call Jason Segel "schlubby" and claim that it is completely unrealistic to expect that his character could lure just one gorgeous woman into bed--let alone two or four. These reviewers are completely out of touch. Never mind that Segel's character, Peter, is a) a decent guy, b) emotionally supportive, c) employed. A large part of being on board with this character, and the movie in general, is Segel himself. And he is hardly "schlubby." He's more like that Everyman romantic lead that prevailed in the 70s/80s, before people got all air-brush and six-pack happy.

So by now you know the set-up for this movie: Sarah Marshall, star of L&O/CSI clone show, dumps Peter, he goes to Hawaii to recover, but she's there with her new boyfriend. Hijinks and romance ensue.

The movie owes a lot to conventional romantic comedy tropes--the idea that an entire hotel staff would rally behind some dude, for example, is fairly unrealistic but works within this genre. So too with the honeymooning couple (fans of 30 Rock are going to find Jack McBrayer in a role that will not surprise them at all--well, except for the sex part), the new love interest's ex-boyfriend . . . If you just go with it, it's fun.

Watching this in the wake of my own relationship's end perhaps gives me a different perspective on it than I would have otherwise, but I thought the interpersonal aspects of this movie rang absolutely true. I know that most people don't look for Truth in romantic comedies, but isn't it nice when you do find it? The main characters each have their own inner logic. Sarah's new squeeze may be a self-absorbed hedonist, but he's also just this guy who wants to get along with everyone--he isn't particularly jealous (because he's a rock star who can and will sleep with everyone) and he genuinely wants to be friends with Peter. And it makes sense that he's not going to be the emotional support that Sarah needs when she gets some bad news, which then makes her return to Peter completely in character and believable, as is how that situation plays out.

More importantly, the movie makes clear that Peter bears some responsibility for the dissolution of the relationship. Nearly all the characters are believably human, including Sarah--not what you'd expect from the advertising campaign. A handful of characters are written with broad strokes, and they do stand out as weaknesses in an otherwise perfectly enjoyable movie. 

Yes, there are moments of raunch and some full frontal shots. There are a couple cringe-worthy moments but mostly the movie made me laugh and laugh and laugh. Again, it may be in large part because I simply adore Jason Segel. It may be because I am for the most part a fan of the Judd Apatow oeuvre. Within that spectrum, I would place Forgetting Sarah Marshall closer to The 40 Year-Old Virgin than the others. Definitely worth seeing.

day in the life

Inspired by Kim--this was my fairly excellent day yesterday:

6:00 AM ~ The morning routine with Scout begins. He gets close enough to my face that his nose touches my cheek, I push him off the bed. He meows. I shush. He meows. I shush. I am making more of an effort to get more sleep in the morning, as opposed to falling asleep by 9:30 PM, so I pull the covers up, ignore the outdoor noise, and try to drift back to sleep. Scout meows, I reach for the spray bottle, spray in his direction, he trots away.

6:30 ~ The above happens again.

7:00 ~ Lather, rinse, repeat.

7:30 ~ Now I get up. Scout is thrilled, follows me into the bathroom (to make sure I don't try to escape before feeding him?), then into the kitchen, where I open a new can of food, scoop a little into his bowl, gloop the rest into a container (I think I actually say "gloop" when this happens) and store it in the fridge.

7:35 ~ Shower time. The hot water is unusually fierce this morning, as though someone reset the boiler or something. I don't really know how all that works--just that I have to position the handle farther over on the "C" side than I usually do. I wash my hair for the first time since Wednesday--longer than usual; I've been averaging washing my hair every four days or so.

8:00 ~ I have dressed, combed through my hair (I will style/dry it later), and am now making coffee. Mmmmm, coffee. Today marks the first day in an extremely long time--quite possibly since the day I stopped working in an office--that I have showered and dressed before making the coffee. In the past I have gotten up, thrown on some clothes (which, prior to today, had been sweats and a t-shirt, or pajamas), made the coffee, gone to the computer, and read through news/blogs and started working for hours before I managed to make it to the shower--if I made it to the shower at all. Why the change in routine today? I think it's psychological. I am in a new phase, a new stage of life, there are things that I want to happen, changes that need to be made, and a change in routine is going to help me, if only by allowing for the possibility for a shift in attitude and perspective.

8:10 ~ Coffee mug in hand, I start on the pre-work Internet routine. Blogs are read, news is read, joblists are browsed (still nothing), Typepad is opened and I start jotting down notes for a review of Forgetting Sarah Marshall (coming soon). Scout jumps up on the desk, walks across the keyboard, settles down right next to the laptop. I hear kids on their way to school.

8:55 ~ Time for the second mug of coffee. I do not feel emotionally ready to start working.

9:01 ~ Check work email. Have a couple minor hissyfits. Write notes for things that need to change/be redone to prepare for the morning phone with boss.

10:11 ~ Phone call with boss, in which I offer to complete the work started by someone else and she agrees--we are running far too short on time for there to be another option. Today will be a busy day, but this is fine, because I haven't had a busy day in too long. Busy is far more preferable to not busy.

10:30-1:30 PM ~ I juggle between various work and non-work tasks. Mostly work (because I am BUSY, for the first time in MONTHS, and it feels GOOD), but I also do the dishes from last night and this morning's coffee. I go into the bathroom to run the iron over my hair and realize...I kinda like my hair right now. I've been drying it straight for weeks, so even without styling it is drying straight-ish, but with a little bit of kink. I run some straightening de-frizzing gel through my hair and let it be.

2:00 ~ I leave the apartment and head to the subway, en route to an appointment. My soundtrack for this trip: Elvis Costello & The Attractions, Get Happy!! (Sometimes I am obvious.)

4:25 ~ Back at my desk. My boss has sent an email that says she thinks the work I just submitted looks good. Excellent.

4:30 - 6:00 ~ More work time. My right eye starts bugging out with allergies. Have one last phone call with boss to set up tomorrow's agenda and go over a couple new items that came up during the day. We are agreed on many things. This makes work easy.

6:20 ~ Time to make dinner: Tomato, red onion and white bean salad (w/fresh oregano that smells fantastic and tastes sweet) and leftover mango chicken sausage.

6:45 ~ Food in hand, I settle in to finish watching No Country For Old Men. I started watching it weeks ago but fell asleep in the middle, a reflection more on my state of mind and circumstances than the movie itself, which is completely engrossing and excellent. When I'm done with dinner I pick up the Dollar and a Half cardigan back and hit the armhole shaping. The thought occurs to me that in order to get the back/fronts/sleeves to match up stripe-wise I may have to redo the sleeve cap.

7:45 ~ I watch the "Making of" bonus feature.

8:30 ~ Time for How I Met Your Mother. Another kinda meh episode.

9:00 ~ Gossip Girl, via DVR. A pretty sweet episode.

9:50 ~ I have completely forgotten that the sheets I ordered last week arrived this afternoon--I brought them up on my way back from my appointment but went straight back to work without opening them. I unpack them--the flat and fitted sheets are a solid terra cotta color ("Canyon," in the Company Store palette) while the shams (pillow cases were sold out) are "Tea Green." I'd prefer matching sheets but when clearance-shopping, you get what you can. Both colors coordinate with my comforter cover, so at least there's that. I just need to wash them now, which can't happen until Wednesday--the laundromat is closed on Tuesdays. Plus, bonus: the sheets came in one of those zippered pouches that I can repurpose for yarn storage.

10:00 ~ Despite getting up at 7:30, I'm getting pretty tired. It's been a busy day! I pick up I Capture the Castle and read on the couch, nodding off somewhere around 10:25 or so.

11:00 ~ Feed the cat one last time before bed. The minute I get under the covers Scout jumps up and settles in at the foot of the bed. I think it's safe to say that we've helped each other through the transition to single-occupancy.

Maybe today I'll be able to stay up past 10:30 PM. Or maybe this is only possible when I go out at night?

 

direct from the ottoman empire

"Full of furniture, for some reason..."

My storage ottomans from The Company Store* arrived this morning, just as I was coming in from the farmer's market.

They are even more lovely than I expected--the fabric feels like Chinese silk (but clearly isn't) and the tufted tops are quite comfortable.

Of course, the minute I set them up by the window . . .

They're not going to stay lined up with the window. Immediately to the right is where the piano (fingers crossed) will go, which will push the ottomans off center. I now have the piano dimensions, and at 58" long it will barely fit--but it will fit--in the 59" wide slightly recessed area. And at 25" deep, it will fit--barely--up the 30" wide staircase. The only thing to consider now is how the movers will navigate the shallow turns up the stairs, but this would be why I would consult professionals.

* The name "The Company Store" always makes me start humming "Company Book."

hey, I finished a sock!

Today's post is brought to you by the color purple and KnitPicks, who knew I needed to get something good in the mail.

I started a lace project at the beginning of this week, but it wasn't going well. The yarn was too thin even for my 3.00mm needles. I have had this trouble before, and compensated by doubling the yarn. This time I decided to bend to the yarn's will instead of the other way around, but this required new needles.

I turned to KnitPicks, and given how slippery laceweight yarn can be, opted to go for the Harmony despite my general preference for metal needles. What you see above are 40" Harmony needles in sizes 2.00, 2.25, 2.5, and 2.75. I figured it would be wise to cover all bases, and wise to get the 40" so when I'm not knitting lace they can be used Magic Loop-style, and wise-ish to buy four needles for a little over the price of one of the Addi Lace needles.

And then I couldn't pass up the chance to get free shipping, especially since I could buy a sweater's worth of yarn and only just push my total over the free shipping mark. I am aware that I probably shouldn't be buying yarn at all in the first place, but you know, I wanted the yarn therapy (hat tip) and whatever. I justified it somehow. It's not like I'm buying Koigu cashmere. Onward.

I perused my Ravelry queue and came up with Thermal, so that skein on the right is Gloss in a new color: Cosmos. I had a hard time deciding between that and Parsley, flirted with the idea of getting both for the additional shopper's high, then rationally opted for only getting the yarn I knew would be used. And I do love the color, and I believe I have the buttons already. I also know that I'm going to start this sweater as soon as Dollar and a Half is done (I'm nearing the armhole shaping on the back).

On to the sock. Yes, I finally finished the ONE sock I started ONE MONTH ago.

Would you guess that this is Koigu? Look at that striping action going on! I didn't even realize how uniform it is until Juno pointed out that Koigu doesn't usually act like this. At least, not typically. Or are we both wrong on that?

At any rate, I started the second sock and have a sinking feeling that it's not going to turn out the same way. But the pattern is absolutely delightful. Again, it's Flint Knits' Marigold (Ravelry link to free download). Super easy to memorize, though there is a spot on the foot where I forgot to do a purl row, so it looks like an extra-wide band. Because of the color changes it's less noticeable, not that I would've ripped out and reknit had it been glaringly obvious.