Everybody Loves Saturday Night

follow ups are hard

Feels disingenuous to write some sort of "hey, I finished a sock!" post today. (Even though I did.)

Feels a little like I should write more in navel-gazing vein, just for continuity.

At the same time, the loudest thing in my head right now is "I can keep the bathroom door open now."

Well, second loudest. The loudest keeps distracting me with furniture and other decor that will go towards converting the empty bedroom space into (friends, say it with me) a craft nook. I am going to need a table for my sewing machine. I'm thinking minimalist, preferably wood but metal OK, and cheap. Cheapy cheap. Like, free or close too. I wonder if I should just get a folding table or something, wait to invest in a "real" table until I'm more situated. I could wrap fabric around the edge of the table, secure with elastic, disguise its folding-ness. Thoughts?

Also need a comfy chair. I have to admit, I have been fantasizing about putting a comfy chair by the window in the bedroom ever since I moved in. Sharing the apartment was an acceptable compromise, sure, but now I can have my comfy chair. I've already found a couple storage ottomans, on clearance ($19!) that will serve as a window bench and extra yarn storage (so I can free up closet space, woo). The comfy chair may need to wait until after I get new dining room chairs, which I have needed to do...forever. (The link goes to chairs that are very like the ones that need replacing. Question is do I do the stain myself to save a couple bucks? Do I forgo the matchy match inclination and paint the chairs green?)

And I'm just enamored of this wall decal--definitely within my budget as well. I'm thinking in either turquoise or apple green. But I also may paint. Or I may do both. This will require more thinking. Fortunately I have time before my blood money tax rebate comes in. (Much as I loathe the fact that I'm getting one, I can't help but admit that it's going to come in rather handy.)

It's a little bit of retail therapy (which I have already indulged in, as much as I could, by buying more lace-knitting needles) and a little bit of symbolic redecorating (I also have new bed linens on the way). Truth be told, the apartment was already 80-95% mine: my furniture, my work, my legwork in finding it in the first place. Which is not to say that it need have remained so (I remember having a heated discussion over a certain person's lack of involvement in making the apartment "ours"). But it does make the transition a bit easier--there is less space to be filled.

my life is in a state of disarray

I had a teacher who said that, once, and it was immediately inscribed in the Book my friends and I kept of the things he said that we found amusing. We found him amusing a lot--but mostly laughing at him, not with him. 16 was not an emotionally mature age for me. The word "disarray" still triggers this memory--in fact, this is the only thing I remember him saying, though we had copied down pages worth. And it's not even that funny. Maybe it was all in the delivery.

My life is currently in a state of disarray. Michael is moving out this week. That's all anyone reading this here needs to know; the details not for public consumption. But I seem to be compelled to record this turn of events. I wrote about the beginning of our relationship, so it seems fitting that at the very least I mention its end.

And I must mention my very excellent friends, who, though scattered across the world, are proving their excellence in many ways -- from offering retreat to sending care packages to leaving the comfort of their own homes to just sit with me. I realized a couple weeks ago that I have never experienced a breakup while having such a strong support network, and it's really making all the difference in the world. That I met most of these friends via this blog again merits mention.

In a very short period I have gone through just about all of the stages of grief and have come out at Acceptance. This is a death; it's the death of a relationship I had thought stronger than it was, and it is sad, and I will be sad for a while, but I can also see that being sad about the end of this relationship is better than being sad in the relationship which, through the clarity of hindsight, I have discovered was the case. In fact, I have discovered that it has been a really, really, really long time since I have been genuinely happy. And that's due to more than the broken relationship -- that's due to a number of factors that need sorting and cataloging (the process of which has already begun).

I'm staying where I am, geographically speaking, for as long as I can. I'm still so besotted with my neighborhood that I can't think of leaving it. I've put a lot of work into the apartment already, and frankly, I'm looking forward to doing more with the space. The decision to stay has required some belt-tightening and creative financial maneuvering and a whole new internal dialog about where I am and where I could be career-wise, but regardless of what happens I am financially able to stay where I am, and that's a comfort.

today's post

is about TV, so it can be found here.

skirting the issue

With spring essentially here (it's going to be 75F today!), I decided to start one of those crochet skirts I'd mentioned previously.

This is Violet Beauregard (Ravelry link) from Stitch 'n Bitch Crochet. Only it's not very violet, Violet, so I've renamed it Pink Lady in keeping with the movie theme.

I started it a couple weeks ago. In fact, I started on it at least four times. You know how difficult it is NOT to twist a foundation chain of 144 when you're joining it? Talk about a learning curve. I was only able to keep going with Anj's help. She held the chain securely while I brought the end to meet the beginning.

The yarn is Plassard Ceruse, a 60% cotton/40% acrylic "tie-dyed" yarn that I bought from Threadbear before they moved to Michigan. Yeah, I've had this yarn a loooooong time. And in all my yarn purges over the last four years, I could never bring myself to get rid of it. Even in my "I hate cotton" phase, which I have since amended to "I dislike working with most cotton yarns" or "I find it easier to crochet with cotton than to knit with it" (I have apparently mellowed with age), I knew that I would have use for this yarn. For the last two years, I've known that it was an uncrocheted skirt.

The yarn feels almost like cotton jersey--it's really stretchy, which makes it a good skirt yarn. 

What I don't know is whether I'll have enough of the Ceruse. It's one of those situations where the yarn is a lighter weight but with more yardage per skein than the pattern yarn, and yet I'm getting gauge with the hook size called for. I guess we'll see. The skirt is knit from the waist down so I have the option of just stopping when I run out of yarn (I definitely have enough yarn for the skirt part and a few scalloped rows) . . . or I can stripe it with some pink Cotton-Ease I have. I'd rather it not come to that, because the Cotton-Ease is heavier, and I want a skirt without stripes.

It's really easy to do, too, twisting foundation chain aside. The top part of the skirt is nothing more than double crochet around and around and around, with some increase rows that are very straightforward. I am about halfway through the skirt part. The pattern suggests crocheting for 10" before starting the scalloped part. If I feel confident in yarn amounts I may go for a few more inches. Butt compensation. You know how it is.

every day should be earth day

alternate title: there must be 50 ways to save the planet

Scout thanks all of you for the birthday wishes, by the way. He feels very loved. Well, it's probably more accurate to say that he feels very entitled to your love, but I think underneath that he is genuinely moved and happy to have it.

So anyway, yesterday was Earth Day. And while it's a good thing to have a day where everyone's consciousness is theoretically raised and the odds of persuading just one person to do just one thing to help save, preserve, or reverse what we have here are higher on this day, really, it's like Christmas being the one day a year everyone is supposed to be nice. Shouldn't it be that way every day?

So with that, today, the day after Earth Day, the day a lot of people are going to go back to doing whatever it is that they've been doing, I'm going to share with you a site I found via...I think Apartment Therapy.

I scored myself on this list and came out better than I expected. Highlights:

1. Change regular light bulbs to CF bulbs. Already in progress, but I'm with Maryse on this one--I'm also using the "bad" bulbs I already bought. Unless someone can come up with an idea for how to repurpose them? But at any rate, the two rooms in which lights are on the most, the kitchen and the living room, have the CF bulbs, with more on the way. The kitchen light was already CF when I moved in, two years ago. Hasn't needed replacing yet.

2. Turn off computers at night. I admit, I am really bad at remembering to do this. I've gotten better, and gotten to the point where I sometimes remember to unplug the laptop as well. What I also need to remember on a more regular basis is to unplug the TV and DVD player when they're not in use. My new DVD player has a "standby" light...is that really necessary?

 8. Go veggie at least once a week. This fact surprised me: 2500 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of beef? Yikes! I don't buy a lot of red meat, but in general the chicken/beef/lamb consumption could go down a bit.

10. Use one less paper napkin. You know, I would really like to have this one posted at the take-out places I go to, because those guys always grab like 10 napkins to shove in the bag I've already said I didn't need.

12. Recycle newspaper. Better yet, get yer news online.

14. Rethink bottled water. Yes, I really should. I buy a lot of bottled water--like, 3-4 times a week. It has gotten to the point where I feel a little guilty when I do, because although I recycle the bottles, it's still an unnecessary convenience, when I have a Brita pitcher at home. I don't think it's going to be hard to not buy bottled water on such a regular basis, plus I'll save between $3-8 a week.

 18. Take shorter showers. Done. When I was younger, I could spend 20 minutes in the shower, easy. Now it's zip zip zip and dry off. It helps that my hair is significantly shorter than it used to be and I don't wash it every day. (Saving a bundle on shampoo and conditioner in the process!)

22. Buy local. I've really been on board with this for the last few months. I love that I live so close to a year-round farmer's market.

23. Adjust thermostat. I have little control over this during the winter months, but I am looking forward to having control over the A/C this summer. I pledge to not have it set any lower than 75 degrees F and not have it run 24/7.

 26. Turn off lights. Oh, is this a big one for me. I grew up with grandparents who lived through the Depression, you know, and they'd learned to live this one for saving money purposes more than saving environment purposes. "Turn off the light if you're not using it" was a frequent refrain in my house, and I have lived by that ever since. There are times I will leave one light on if I'm going out and coming back very late at night, but I should really look into getting a light timer. For that and for the bedside lamp that stays on after I've fallen asleep while reading.

29. Recycle old cell phones. I just did that, two weeks ago! After two years I traded in my Samsung blecchy phone for an awesomely cool Blackberry, and it came with a "All Postage Paid" envelope for my old phone. Thanks for making that easy, T-Mobile!

(Also, the Blackberry reduces the amount of time I spend on my computer, since I can access the internet through my phone. Double score!)

31. Recycle unwanted wire hangers. Most dry cleaners will take them back? Really? That's so simple, yet I never would've guessed. It's amazing how much junk we simply accept into our lives, isn't it?

35. Cut down on junk mail. Aha. Yes. Bane of my existence, and yet I haven't done anything about it--until now. Did you know there's a number you can call that's connected to all the credit report agencies, and by calling this number you can--in theory--reduce the amount of mail you get from credit card companies? 1-888-5-OPT-OUT. Also check out Eco-Cycle's list of tips for reducing junk mail.

38. Give it away. Freecycle!

40. Plastic bags suck. Oh boy, do they. Right now I have a sizable collection, which at some point this summer will be converted into a welcome mat, using this tutorial for converting the bags into "plarn." I have my purple crocheted bag and a couple other reusable bags for shopping--I just need to be better at remembering to always have one handy.

50. Share! Go on, help make every day Earth Day! 

fourteen

While I do want to acknowledge Earth Day, today has additional significance and shall be celebrated with much love, skritches, and tuna.

Scout is 14 today. When I became his person I was told that he was exactly eight weeks old; counting back, that meant he arrived in this world on this day in 1994.

When I became his person . . . I think it's a story I've told before on the blog, but perhaps it bears repeating. It's a good story, I think.

I was living in a suburb of Minneapolis with a friend and her cat, a gorgeous, fearsome hunter who would frequently leave us presents on the doorstop. Sometimes these presents would be not quite all the way dead and Alex was always compelled to take these wee suffering creatures to the nearby Humane Society for--if not rehabilitation, then compassionate disposal. We knew that many times these animals were too far gone to recover, but if there was a chance, she wanted the animals to have it.

Such was the case when, in June of 1994, I came home from work one day to find a tiny field mouse shivering near the retaining wall of the garage. I bent over it (ah, the days before digicams and blogs, otherwise this would all be recorded) and realized that its leg was broken. As I stood there, wondering what my next step would be--see, it was always Alex who found the injured animals, always Alex who took them to the Humane Society--Alex drove into the driveway. She saw what I saw, then begged me to come with her to the Humane Society and fill out the paperwork, since "they're tired of dealing with me by now, I'm sure." I agreed, and we found a shoebox and a towel and carefully packed the tiny injured mouse up, got ourselves into Alex's Jeep, and drove the five or ten minutes to the Humane Society.

The people at the counter weren't exactly representing the organization well, because they thought we were nuts. Injured bunnies are one thing, but field mice? I found their lack of compassion disturbing, but I said nothing and filled out the necessary paperwork.

On our way out, we passed by a man and a woman walking in with a kitten perched parrot-style on the man's shoulder. The adorableness of this kitten made us stop in our tracks, and we cooed at it. The woman said, with all the exhaustion of someone who just experienced catbirthing and the dispersal of a large litter, "You want him?" We looked at each other. We had, in fact, been discussing the possibility of getting a second cat. Alex asked all the important questions: sex, age, health, shots, etc. while this kitten--then named Antonio--looked right into my eyes and said, "mew."

And so, bypassing the Humane Society all together, we walked out with a kitty perched on my shoulder.

He is named Scout after To Kill a Mockingbird--Alex's idea, after I vetoed "Atticus" and she vetoed "Boo," and we decided that after neutering it wouldn't matter that a boy cat would be named after a girl character.

At 14, he's somewhere between 63 and 78 in human years, but he's still such a kitten. And after all this time, I still believe that there is little in this world more comforting or wonderful than a plump cat with the softest fur who will let you bury your face in his stomach when you need to.

movie: smart people

This is primarily for Carolyn--I started writing an email about the movie and then thought it could be a post. I've been meaning to write more pop culturey things here but haven't been very good about remembering that when I face the blank Typepad page. So anyway. You all get to share in my superior taste and judgment now.

Movie ticket prices in Manhattan are between $11 and $11.50. It's absolutely ridiculous, but it has made me even pickier about which movies I choose to see in the theater and which ones I can wait to rent. There are certain exceptions, like when you get together with a friend and choose to see a movie, but then there isn't any "must see" movie playing, so you choose one that looks interesting, that's received a fair share of positive reviews, and has a cast of which you approve.

Such was Smart People. I'd read a decent review and actually had been looking forward to this movie for some time because a) I really do love Dennis Quaid, and b) the movie is set against an academic backdrop, with Quaid playing a literature professor specializing in the Victorians. Check that: a grizzled, disillusioned, completely pompous and self-absorbed professor for whom teaching no longer holds any pleasure--if it ever did. In other words, me in 20 years had I stayed with the profession. Academic stories hold that sort of fascination for me--I'm always curious if they're going to reflect my own experiences.

And this movie, for the most part, does. What it ultimately reminded me of was David Lodge's university-set novels (down to the two-word title), and it made me wonder if this was the kind of story Lodge would tell if he were American. I thought that in particular the purely college scenes--Quaid teaching, meeting with committees--were very well done and true to life. It was extremely gratifying to have the movie start with Quaid lecturing on the character of Mr. Casaubon in Middlemarch (which as some of you know is one of my very favorite novels), which clues those who have read that novel into Quaid's character right away.

Ellen Page plays the college-bound daughter who has absorbed most of the house-related responsibilities like laundry and cooking since her mother died. When this actually happened is rather vague, but what I liked about her situation is that it felt...rather Victorian. It's clear that in addition to working her ass off in school in order to please her academic father, she also sees herself as his helpmate--much as Dorothea Brooke in Middlemarch fantasizes about helping Casaubon with his Key to All Mythologies, by positioning herself as daughter to his Milton. But it's also clear that she's very conflicted about the role that she seems to have willingly accepted--that her youth is rebelling from her over-tuned sense of responsibility. Though much has been made of Ellen Page in this movie--that it's "Juno 2" or "Juno's sequel," and it's true that the two characters are both sarcastic and quick-tongued, I honestly don't think it's fair to layer Juno's success on this movie. To me her character in Smart People is completely different.

My main problem with this movie was the romantic relationship between Quaid and Sarah Jessica Parker. It apparently derives from her old schoolgirl crush on him, when he was her professor. But he crushed her hopes then, prompting her to switch majors from English to Biology/pre-med. I never fully bought their attraction to each other. I never really got on board with the way the relationship progressed--it just wasn't believable and frankly, it was a little disturbing. Is she interested just because it's the fulfillment of a fantasy she may have had 20 years ago? Anyway. Not a fan of the romance in this movie.

But a big fan of Thomas Hayden Church. Jackie and I agreed that he was the best part of this movie, and ultimately the reason I would say go see it. He plays Quaid's brother (which Quaid consistently amends to "adopted brother," ala Royal Tenenbaums), a completely unreliable layabout with some rather unfortunate facial hair, and yet someone who doesn't fall into the "unreliable layabout = amoral skeeze" trap. Now that I'm writing this, actually, I realize his character is the moral center of the movie.

The trailer I linked to above really does its job well--it presents the movie's best potential, but the movie itself doesn't quite live up to it.

here's something

I have used the word "lackadaisical" at least three times within the last five days. I'm pretty sure I went for years and years without taking much notice of the word, whether it flew under my radar in other people's usage and/or I had no need for it. Now, apparently, it's the one word most apt in describing a great deal of things. Weird. Do you have words like that too?

Lackadaisical (adj.) Lacking vigor or enthusiasm; lazy, indolent; languid

Hmm. Yep, definitely apt.

I looked up the word's origins and found that it, unsurprisingly, derives from the expression "alack-a-day," used to express dismay (Example: I just ran out of yarn on the sweater I'm making.* Alack-a-day!). It used to be a strong expression, but got softer over time until it was used much in the way we say "oh, shoot" today. Kinda like how "awesome" used to mean not only awe-inspiring but also fear-inspiring, and now we say it -- or at least I say it -- when the slightest cool thing happens. "The bodega had one pint left of Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby. Awesome."

[Sidebar: OK, I'm going back and forth between writing this post and reading Gothamist, and I just saw that Comic Con is in town this weekend. What a strange confluence of events to happen on the same weekend in NYC--Passover, the Pope, and Comic Con. I'd love to see the Venn diagram on that one.]

When "lackadaisical" appeared, sometime in the 18th century, it referred to someone who frequently exhibited dismay, regret, shame, etc. -- in other words, someone who would conceivably say "oh, alack-a-day" on a regular basis. And then, over time, it morphed into meaning someone who was helpless, often in an overly dramatic way (as you would expect someone who frequently bewails "oh, alack-a-day" would be). And from there, it evolved into its present-day meaning.

* This example is purely hypothetical, at least for now.

P.S. Last night I was at the Mermaid Inn, kicking back a refreshing martini along with a plate of fried calamari, which was served with thin lemon slices that had also been fried. It made me wonder whether this has always been a thing, or whether someone in the kitchen goofed once around the deep fryer and, serendipity strikes again, the results were tasty. Because my friends, the deep-fried lemon slices were so delicious that we asked our server to bring us a special small plate of just that. He did, which was, yes, awesome.

yay! also, padding the queue

Hey kids, if you want to read even more of me, go out and get the Spring 2008 issue of Interweave Crochet. I got a nice juicy article in there.

I need to start contributing to more magazines I want to get for free.

This issue also has some totally cute patterns. This is what's going in my queue:

I'm developing a slight obsession with crocheted skirts. I own one already (which I did not make), and I love it and will wear it until it falls apart. I have a ton of cotton yarn that I can't seem to part with, because I think it would work up into a really cute skirt (there's that phrase again...) and I have my eyes set on Violet Beauregard (Ravelry link). And now there's this one. It's so pretty, so work-appropriate (were I ever to, you know, need to work in an office again). I absolutely love the little faux slip of contrast color at the bottom.

I wish I had yarn for this already. Although maybe that grey linen I've had for freakin-EVER would work...wonder if I have enough...anyway.

And then there's this:

Which is just so pretty. It looks like it calls for sport weight yarn, but I can see using fingering weight to make something even more wispy and delicate.

And there's this as well:

First, this looks completely lovely and cozy. Second, the method of joining all the "dots" looks completely fun--what you can't tell from this picture is that those "dots" are really circles with loopy chains crocheted around them, and then instead of sewing or crocheting the motifs together, you use your fingers to link the loops together. Finger crochet! I haven't done that since I was 7! Awesome!

mustering mojo

I was faced with actual subway riding time over the weekend (how rare!) and was still not feeling the love for the still-yet-unfinished Anastasia socks, but in the mood to try a new pair of socks, to attempt to regain a little bit of sock knitting mojo.

I think the problem with the Anastasia socks...well, there are two problems. One is that I can't seem to concentrate on the pattern and keep making mistakes. It's a very simple yarn-over pattern, and I'm on the second sock already, so the fact that I keep messing up is ego-bruising. And I have one way of dealing with ego bruisings. I run away. The second problem is that, much as I am still in love with the colorway, it strikes me now as too dark and gloomy for the early months of spring. The blues are still blue, in other words, when I'm ready for leafy green and sunshine yellow and lilac and rose.

And I just so happen to have a leafy green/yellow/lilac/rose kind of sock yarn, from the Koigu family. No surprise there. But what kind of pattern?

Once again, I turned to Ravelry and once again, spent the better part of a day searching for possible patterns. My Rav friends may have noticed an uptick in number of sock patterns queued that day, because in a fit of indecisiveness, I simply queued anything that looked like it might work with Koigu.

Like Cookie A's BFF socks, for example. Gorgeous ... but more a wintry sock pattern, I think. For Mojo-Generatin' socks, I wanted something light and breezy, even if the socks themselves would be warm and toasty.

There have been a couple excellent looking slip-stitch patterns that would work well with Koigu, like Anne Campbell's Show-off Stranded Socks (Ravelry link--it's a free download either way) and Knitfreak's Aquaphobia socks (fear of pooling. Clever!). But again, for springtime socks, I felt something frilly and lacy would be in order (despite my ambivalence about lace on my feet). Something to wear with a really cute skirt. (I have some STR that I plan to use for Aquaphobia, later).

What I love most about Ravelry (well, one of the things I love most) is that I can look at all the different incarnations of a particular pattern. What I've noticed about the knitting community is that there are a lot of people out there who have, at some point in time, knit a particular sock pattern originally intended for a solid color yarn in variegated or self-striping yarn, with varying degrees of success (and these degrees are entirely subjective). (The converse is also true, but with slightly more predictable results.) So when I came across the pattern for Flint Knit's Marigold Socks, I knew that by checking on the 67 people who have started and/or finished them, I could see how the pattern works with variegated yarn (completely forgetting that I've already drooled over the modified version Veronique attempted with Vesper yarn).

I was sold. It's a lace pattern that stays relatively closed up, so there's no danger of getting lost in the color changes, and the single purl round lends definition and the appearance of stripes even if the yarn itself isn't striping. But mine seems to be. Imagine that.

I started with a Turkish cast on for the toe, which has become my preference in working toe up socks. It's easy and fast and there's no fiddling about with provisional cast ons or short rows. And I think I've found my magic number for how many wraps to make around the needles (which is the first step in the cast on): 12. And now that's been recorded for posterity, should I forget the number but remember which blog post it's in. (ha.)

I may go in for a picot bind off to boot.

So yeah, sock knitting mojo risin'.