Someone has Tampered With My Crystal Ball
You can try to predict the future, my friends, but do so at your own risk.
Since this is a (sort of) knitting blog let me take a tangent here and say that I have made 0 progress on any projects today...
Today I awoke in anticipation of the Moonsplash event that I would attend in the evening. I had it all planned out. I planned on going to the show with a friend. Two bands from the 80's were playing - Dramarama and the English Beat. Now, the "Beat" were one of my very favorite bands when I was a teenager. As evidence, I pulled my old Jean jacket out of the closet today and afixed to the left chest pocket were 2 English Beat pins. (In case you were wondering, I left them on the jacket and did not wear them to the concert)
I was feeling nostalgic and felt that I HAD to go to this show because when I was in High School, I saved my lunch money so I could buy a ticket to an English Beat concert, only to find out that my family would be going out of town the weekend of the concert and there was no way I could go. I was so bummed out.
And Dramarama - for some reason, they were never on my radar. Heard their songs on the radio, but never had any desire to buy their records. The plan got all switched at the last minute.
My friend had a slight mishap and couldn't make it. I couldn't find anyone to take her place so I ended up going by myself. I missed my friend, and she is such a master of people watching, I'm sure that there were observations to be made that flew past me, but nonetheless, I have this to report.
Dramarama ROCKS! They have excellent stage presence and they play so well together. Not to mention their songs sound great and the lyrics are very clever. I am looking forward to attending their next show with my friend.
English Beat was pretty disappointing. Mostly because of a few things - 1. The only original member in the band was the lead singer. Everyone else was definitely new. 2. The English Beat was a Ska band. There was no horn section. There was no Saxaphone. In their place - a keyboard. 3. The banter coming from the stage was so corny, I thought I was watching a Vegas Lounge show. 4. The band sounded like they might have practiced together 10 times before doing the show. Maybe Dramarama set the bar high, but they just sounded sloppy to me.
Most embarassing moment of the night - I emerged from the porta-potty and saw the lead singer of Dramarama standing about 25 ft away talking to a fan. I'm walking and staring and wondering if I should tell him how great I thought the show was. As I'm debating, I trip on the curb and fall down in front of a very substantial bathroom line. I hear a few chuckles and a few gasps coming from that general direction, and decide that it's best if I just high-tail it to the other side of the venue where nobody saw what just happened. I share this with you because I think it's funny. I hope you do too.
Posted by Mel at 11:35 PM
|
5 Rows? I'll take it!
Ever have one of those weeks where you were so busy you didn't have time to squeeze in some knitting/crafting? Then you know how I feel...
I have had little chance to pick up the needles since Sunday. And the only reason I had time today is that I did it on my lunch hour. The SnB group met at Lux this morning, which is very close to where I work. If I was to plan time at night, it wouldn't have happened. I hope this is an anomale and not the way my life has become (I mean not having time to knit in the evening). I needs my knittin' time. So I got 5 more rows finished on the baby blanket before going back to work. There was a great group amassed for todays Stitch n Bitch and consequently, I extended my lunch hour a little so I could eat some Pane Bianco with some of these wonderful knitters.
I also got a little inspiration and information that will help me with a hat I'm going to be starting on soon (if I can carve some time out for it). I'm really excited about the challenge, and am forcing myself to be mysterious about it. I think it will be the most challenging project I have worked on so far...
Posted by Mel at 10:58 PM
|
Podcasting, etc.
I spent a lot of time by myself this weekend. This is a great achievement for me because I've had a tendency to just be flitting from event to event for the last few months. I don't often take time to enjoy the pleasure of my own company. So this weekend I did. And I even have a FO to report. That little Berroco bag is done. I bought a button at the Fiber Factory this weekend and finished it off. And just in time for Mother's day! How convenient that I was making it for my Mother. I have a picture that should be included in this post, only I haven't the patience to upload the pics to Photobucket. But I promise I will very soon.
My cousin turned me onto Podcasting this past weekend. I thought it was just for people with IPods but it works with any MP3 player. A basic explanation of Podcasting is that it is internet radio, but you can download shows to your portable device and listen to them at your leisure. So, of course the first thing I did after downloading the
ipodder software was look for a podcast on knitting. And it didn't take long to find
one. It is hosted by Marie Irshad who has a lovely Welsh (?) accent. And she has had some wonderful guests so far, including Lily Chin and Wendy from WendyKnits. It sounds kind of weird to listen to conversations about knitting without actually watching the process, but I assure you that it is very entertaining. I learned a lot and even found some new pattern resources. I'm digging it!
Posted by Mel at 10:19 PM
|
Have You Hugged a Tree Today?
Happy Earth Day. I am trying to think of a good way to celebrate. Any Ideas? I could plant something, maybe turn the composting pile over.... The smog is really bad today, so maybe I should think about taking the bus to work at least once a week...
That reminds me. Is anyone interested in going to the concert at Moon-Splash next Friday? It's $30 (there is a way to make it only $24 if you're interested in giving your digits to a radio station). THe money goes to the Hand of Hope charity and the main bands are The English Beat and Dramarama. I don't know about anyone else, but I was a HUGE Beat fan in the 80's and missed my chance to see them in concert back then. Pam and I are definitely going and would love to have a big group come along. Any takers?
Posted by Mel at 1:44 PM
|
Monkeys?
Did you hear that Mesa Police may be purchasing a Capuchin Monkey to help the SWAT team? I read about it
here. Can you imagine a little monkey slipping in the back door of some hostage situation and going for some creeps jugular? It seems funny to me, but I wonder if it's not just crazy enough to work...
And then I read that Texas will not let gay couples be foster parents... I guess its a good thing that straight couples are just lining up to pick up the slack - NOT! My opinion is, if there is a home that is willing to provide love and care for some child who really needs a stable environment, why would you limit the population from which you can get it? You hear so many stories about kids being moved around in the system all the time, and I've know families that have had 10 foster kids at a time because the kids needed somewhere to go. Maybe I shouldn't get all bent out of shape without reading arguments for the limitation, but it just doesn't seem right to me.
On a less political note, I've been working on a list of things about me. (In case any readers are interested in the inner workings of my brain.) A partial list is available for your reading torture
here. Be gentle...
Posted by Mel at 10:11 PM
|
Keeping My Arm Straight
Tonight was the first of 4 Beginner Tennis lessons for me. I had so much fun!
I've had a tennis racket for a long time and every once in awhile I'll head over to the court to play, but I haven't taken lessons since I was 12. That's given me a really long time to forget what I learned. So if the tennis balls stay in my court area for an entire game, it's considered a miracle. I'm hoping that this class will help me learn to be less reactionary. Well... it looks like the key is going to be a couple of things. Relaxing, and keeping my arm straight when swinging the racket. I think the instructor told me that about a hundred times. It looks like I will be the 'challenging' student (there's one in every class, right?) But I learned several things tonight and I think my arms will be sore tomorrow, which means I got a decent amount of exercise (yay!).
Chandler has a really great tennis facilty. You can even rent a court with a ball machine on it, if you're so inclined.
Posted by Mel at 10:30 PM
|
Is There a Rip in the Space/Time Continuum?
How is that it is already Sunday night? Where did the weekend go? It's been pretty busy.
I've made a little progress on the baby blanket, but haved slipped on my goal of 20 rows per week. Good thing I put a little slack time in my mental project plan. I'm also finishing up the
Little Hush bag. I spent a little time this afternoon hunting down the "non-yarn" elements needed to finish it up. That was kind of fun, because the purse calls for clear plastic tubing for the handle. I had to purchase it at Lowes. I will post pictures after it's done. If it looks like crap, I can always sell it at the Garage sale I keep threatening to have. I also went out and purchased some needles for the Bobbi Bear. I couldn't be too selective, as I spent a great deal of time hunting the right size needles down this week and could find them nowhere but the Fiber Factory. I ended up getting Addi Turbos and some bamboo double points. The needles cost almost as much as the yarn. I hope that I can find a use for them in the future...
Besides the knitting, I've been bopping around - working and socializing.
Wednesday - Went to Martini Ranch to see the Kings of Leon with Pam. It was fun, but the place isn't set up for maximum people watching. However, I did decide that my current taste in men is tending towards the basic t-shirt and jeans look. I'm over the Metro-sexual thing. The lead singer of the band made a comment that they had spend a LOT of money here in Phoenix. Pam and I couldn't quite figure out what they spent the money on, but speculate that it fell into 1 of 3 basic "Rock Star" categories. Ass, Gas, or Grass. Possibly all 3.
Thursday - Hung out at my friend Crystal's apartment. Crystal is an artist and has been trying to sell this painting to a guy that she met. Well, the deal fell through and she had the piece hanging up in her kitchen. I had not seen it before and I think I've fallen in love with it. I'm going to have to decide if this is too frivilous to spend a bunch of money on an original art work. It would look great in my current living room. Only problem is, I'm planning on moving.
Friday - Went for Thai food with Pam and Eva. Afterwards we headed over to the season ending game for Camelback Rugby. It was a lot of fun. I actually got to watch some of the game this time (since I left my dog at home) and its possible that I am starting to understand what is happening on the field.
Saturday - Made myself a huge to-do list and made some good progress on it. Went to see "Fever Pitch" with my Cousin in the evening. My opinion - It moves at the pace of a Baseball game, so if you like baseball, you'll probably like the movie. It had it's funny moments, but it won't be in my top 10 list of great movies of 2005. My cousin's husband thought it was good...
Afterwards we played this really fun game called "Scene It".
Sunday - I did a lot of running around and pulling weeds. Hopefully I won't be too sore tomorrow. I'm starting Tennis lessons through Chandler Parks & Rec. Why, you ask yourself? I signed up on a whim. It's only 4 weeks, so I figured I could handle that.
I'm also working on a list of things about me. It should be ready for posting later this week.
Posted by Mel at 7:14 PM
|
I'm Calling it Destiny
I've had a bee in my bonnet since I started knitting to make this teddy bear that appears in the ads for Blue Sky Alpacas. Through my obsession, I found out that the pattern is called 'Bobbi Bear' (named after it's designer). Exercising what I would consider to be great discipline, I kept 'not' ordering the pattern and yarn because my list of project ideas is pretty long and I don't really NEED a teddy bear for myself. You can't really make one of these for a child in your circle and NOT make one for all children in your circle and this pattern uses something like 7 skeins of bulky yarn. Heck, you can't really afford to make one for every child! But still, like a catchy tune, I could not get this bear out of my mind. What happened next, I will call destiny...
Illanna bought a kit to make one and then decided that she would not get too knitting it up in the near future. That's a lot of yarn to be sitting around, so you know what she did? She decided to sell the pattern and yarn to someone. She remembered that I'd been talking about the pattern and offered to sell it to me. She even threw in some homemade stitch markers to sweeten the deal. That's what I call customer service! How could I pass it up? I'm just meant to make this bear. (Thanks, Illanna!) Here's the kit!
The pattern calls for #17 circular (24-inch) and double points, so I'll be taking a trip over to the Yarn Store this weekend to pick some up. Unless someone out there has some I can borrow ;-)
I'm looking forward to getting started on it.
In other yarn news, while looking for needles at Craftmart last night I decided to find some substitute yarn for the Berroco Hush that I can't find anywhere within driving distance. Yes, I could order it online, but I only need 1 skein. Doesn't seem worth the effort. I have no idea what the stuff looks like in person, but I found something that looked like what I imagined.
Eva, bless her, made a trip to LA this weekend and did a little hunting around the yarn shops for Hush, but could only find 'Plush'. She picked up a couple of skeins, and even though it wasn't right for the 'Hush' project, it's really soft and pretty, so I think I'm going to keep it anyway and make something for one of the crop of new babies coming into my life. So, I must have been meant to have some of this yarn, too! BTW,
I'm making a little bag with my Hush-sub yarn. It's based on a pattern on the Berroco site. The knitting part finishes up quickly (about 2 hours). Now I've got to sew it together and add the embellishments. Stay tuned for pics.
And, I hate to post all this stuff in one day, but who knows when I'll post again... So one last thing. I picked up a fabric flower kit at Joanne's and was able to get that project finished the other night. I made it to pin on the floppy hat that was completed last month. Here's how they match up.
And the flower was super-easy to make. Now that I know the pattern, I can put fabric roses on everything!!! (just kidding)
Posted by Mel at 11:27 PM
|
Never-Ending Excitement
Someone backed into my car today. I have no idea if it was my fault or not, but now there is a huge dent in my bumper. I think it is easily fixed, but I need a person with stronger arms than me to help out. I know this because this isn't the first time this has happened to me. Maybe it goes with the territory of being a clutz. It's too bad that this happened after my parents left town...
Speaking of my Parents - we had a great visit. There was a lot of fixing of things around the house going on while I was at work. It was kinda cool to come home and have a new gate, for instance. All I can say is that I feel very fortunate to have such a supportive family. I got them to take a few breaks so that they could enjoy some of the things Phoenix has to offer. My parents love Square and Round dancing. We couldn't find a dance in town that fit their schedule, but I remembered that Mama Java has a Bluegrass Jam on Sunday night. So we went down and checked it out. We also checked out Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa. They have the most incredible Organ there that has over 1,000 pieces that are mounted all over the inside of the restaurant. It appeals mostly to toddlers and seniors, but I think it's pretty cool too.
Yesterday I went to Rugby in the afternoon. Along with the usual spectators (Kim and her kids, Kim's friends, and Pam) were Brooke, Jack and my friend Crystal (who's re-learning how to knit). It's always a good time watching the guys running and tackling each other. A male friend of mine pointed out that this just might be the female equivalent to men watching 'girls jumping on trampolines' - a staple on 'The Man Show' (and something I could not appreciate from a female perspective).
At night there was a party for my friend who just returned from Iraq.
There was a delicious cake and Derek and his son Jonathan teamed up to blow out the candles on top of it. There were lots of people at the party that I hadn't seen in a long time. We had a good time catching up with each other. Of course, the best part was playing basketball with Jonathan, who is one of the tallest 2 year olds I've ever met.
Today, I've been shopping for new shoes and birthday gifts for my niece. I had to make myself a task list for today because there was so much to do. And posting to my blog was part of my list, so I'm actually getting stuff done, right now!
Knitting is on the list, too, but it has a low priority, since I got a few rows done yesterday. So there's not much to discuss in the realm of progress, except that the baby blanket is a little over a third completed. I'll post some progress pictures soon.
Posted by Mel at 6:07 PM
|
Too Funny Picture
Couldn't resist sharing this picture. Bizarrely hilarious!
Posted by Mel at 5:22 PM
|
Yay!!!!!!!!!
I just received a wonderful phone call! My friend Derek, a Marine Private, just returned home from Iraq after a 7 month tour. Words cannot describe how happy I am to have him back in the States. I was actually overwrought with emotion to hear his voice and know that he is safe. And I can't wait to see him and give him a huge hug!
In other news, my parents are visiting and my Dad has been fixing stuff around my house. I can't tell you how thankful I am to have a Dad who is so handy. While I was at work, he built and mounted a new RV gate for the side of my house! Saturday should be a little less intense. Maybe hang some blinds and fix some electrical things.
Posted by Mel at 4:07 PM
|
