Knitting in the Shadows

Pay it Forward - Creatively

It's a meme! 

And mostly, it seems to be playing on FaceBook.  But I know that some of you don't READ my FaceBook (or any FaceBook) page.... So I thought I'd spread the joy a little bit here in blogland.

2013 Creative Pay-It-Forward:

I will be sending out five surprise gifts sometime over the course of this calendar year.  These gifts will be something creative -- something I made, or was inspired by.  Perhaps a knitted item.  Perhaps a book, or some music.  There is unlikely to be any advance notice, and I'll send the gift when I'm inspired to do so.  (Could be tomorrow.  Could be July ... Could be December... you'll never know).

I will be sending these gifts to five people who have done the following:

1)  Posted a comment on this blog post  OR the corresponding FaceBook status; AND

2)  Posted this offer on their blogs or FB statuses (in other words, agreed to send five gifts forward to folks who have agreed to send five gifts forward.... )

When you make the offer, be sure to make sure I know about it (email me, comment here with a link to the offer, or tag me on facebook).

I've already got some fun ideas for things to give.... I'm just looking for some folks to play with.

 

ETA: FaceBook got excited early this time -- I've got some responses now (from folks who actually posted their offers as well)

Colleen M.
(Amber - who posted the offer, but didn't comment)
Kendra

You are amazing -- the best "meme" ever

Someone on facebook linked to this blog post.  The post (which I'm about to copy for you, because I'm going to play), urges us to pause for a moment, and consider the fact that we are (yep, each and every one of us), kinda awesome.  And not merely to pause and say "yeah, I guess I am pretty awesome sometimes" but to stop, and actually LIST specific things about ourselves that are awesome.

I think it's a marvelous exercise.  It's good for us to pause, every now and then, to think about how wonderful we really are.  Especially in this world full of messages from the advertisers, other disgruntled souls, and our children, that tell us that we're less than awesome. (Seriously, I saw a TV ad last night talking about the fact that even if you have smooth skin, "that isn't good enough" -- you "need" their product.

So.  Without further ado -- the original post, followed by my answers and the thoughts they provoked.

You are awesome.

Not a little bit awesome. Not sorta kinda awesome. You are thoroughly, completely, and incredibly awesome.

Really, have you looked at yourself lately? Have you taken a moment to consider your many amazing qualities? If not, here’s a little activity I’d like to you do:

1. Make a list of five amazing, beautiful physical qualities about yourself. Don’t couch them in an insult (“I look good for my age” or “I have nice legs for an overweight person“). You have at least five beautiful things about you, I guarantee. If you can’t see them immediately, this is your opportunity to search for them. Find those five amazing things about your appearance and list them.

2. Make a list of five amazing things about your mind. Don’t couch them in an insult (“I’m smart for someone who never finished college“). You have at least five incredible things going on up your head. If you can’t think of them immediately, this is your chance to discover them. Find those five amazing things about your mind and list them.

3. Make a list of five amazing things you have accomplished. Don’t couch them in an insult (“I’ve accomplished a lot for someone with children“). You have accomplished at least five spectacular things in your life. If they don’t spring immediately to mind, take this time to remember them. Find those five amazing accomplishments and list them.

Now you have yours lists of amazing things about your physical appearance, your mind, and your accomplishments. What can you do with them? Here are some ideas:

Share them here in the comments.
Share them on your blog as a new post.
Share the link to this blog with others, so that they can comment with or blog their lists.
Copy and share this entire post on your blog, along with your lists.
Share this entire post or a link to this post on a favorite forum, along with your lists.
Email these prompts to friends and family and encourage them to share their lists or post them somewhere.
Print out your list and put it somewhere visible (your car, your desk, your bathroom mirror) and look at it every day.
Encourage your spouse/partner and/or children to make a list, too, and share them with each other.

Read your lists as often as you need to in order to remember that you, the unique and remarkable you, are an amazing person. Don’t let anyone tell you anything different. We spend too much of our lives tearing ourselves down or letting other people do it for us. I personally think all of us should stop that bad habit RIGHT NOW. I recently made a rule that I would never say anything outloud about myself that I wouldn’t say about someone else to his/her own face. I hope you can start doing the same for YOU.

-----------------

So... here are my sets of five things

The five amazing and beautiful physical things about me that I see are:

1.  My eyes.  Everyone has always told me how beautiful they find my eyes. Eventually, I even came to agree...

2. My body can dance. No really -- it can boogie, and two-step and do the west-coast swing -- and it never seems to lose the beat.  It does it well enough that people dancing with me tell me I'm good.  And it feels good to do it. ---

hmmm... does that count?  I think this section is supposed to be about acknowledging beauty, not rhythm and skill...

2. (take two)  My hands can take skinny skinny sticks that look like long toothpicks and some string, and make socks, and mittens, and intricate lace shawls, and warm fuzzy sweaters.  And do it without my eyes keeping very close track.

Damn, I did it again -- that's still about skill not beauty (though the stuff my hands make can be quite beautiful.

2. (third time's the charm, right?)  I have very nicely shaped feet.  They're good looking feet... (we're not discussing whether they meet any norms anywhere for shapeliness or shoe wearing... that's not part of this question).

3.  I have always had shapely calves.

4.  I have nice breasts. (Yep the very same breasts that I've just volunteered to be part of one of the Army of Women's studies -- they need some that have had a clear mammogram in the past three months, and mine qualify).

5.  I have a good singing voice...

DAMN... again with the skipping the beauty part.

5. I have nice ears.  They wear earrings well, and ear cuffs well.  They're also pretty functional, but that's not relevant to this discussion.

(I pause for a moment to note that I found it really hard to write that list.  I think, perhaps, I need to spend more time accepting my body as it is now, and find ways to SEE it as beautiful).

 The five amazing things about my mind are:

1. My mind is open more than not.  I do believe that minds are like parachutes - they work best when open.  I keep mine open as much as I can (which is not to say that I can't be judgmental ... but I try not to be PRE-Judgemental.)

2.  My mind is fertile ground -- it's full of creative ideas.

3.  My mind is hungry -- there is always room to learn something new.  This can be a problem sometimes, because it's always WANTING more... but mostly it's good.

4.  My mind is quirky and curious.  That means that it looks at things from many sides, and that it will likely twist something normal into something silly.  And that can be fun.

5.  My mind is agile ... it lets me think on my feet; it also provides me access to both my analytical and creative sides -- without fighting back very often.

And finally... sort of... my five accomplishments

1.  I have managed to raise two lovely daughters who are intelligent, mostly sane, and more responsible than not.

2. I have done the school thing, gotten a law degree with fancy latin words* on it, and argued a case in front of the Illinois Supreme Court.

3. I have performed well enough at the Krannert Center of the Performing Arts to get rave reviews in the newspaper.

4. I have taught people -- and successfully gotten them from the "what the $%^&*(??" stage through the "ohhhh" and then the "AHA!!" stages and beyond to the "I'm pretty damned good at this" places -- and in more than one area (Writing, and Knitting).

5. I have had MY knitting designs published, and have been sold designs to knitters whose own work I'm generally very impressed by.

 

I think this would have been much easier to write about someone else, but that's the point of this challenge.  Anyone else ready to take on the challenge of acknowledging your own awesomeness?

 

* Juris Doctor, Magna cum Laude

 

 

I'm a KNITTER....

In honor of Elizabeth Zimmerman's birthday, which was today, August 9, here are some sure signs you are not a knitter... but A Knitter. (My answers are in italics.)(Thanks Kat! I stole from you -- again)

1. You knit while waiting to order at a restaurant. Also while waiting for the meal to arrive and while waiting for others to finish. Check.
2. You knit while waiting for the traffic lights to change. Um, check - especially when the kids are there to let me know when the light changes - okay, seriously, I do plain sock feet for that.
3. You belong to at least one knitting group. Check.
4. You have at least two projects OTN at all times. Check.
5. Your have checked out every knitting book in your local library at least once. Check -- well, at least those I don't already own.
   
6. You know where to find the best yarn deals but don’t know where sales are happening for shoes, clothes, or electronics. Check.
7. Your stash storage area is bigger than your pantry. It's close.  I'll have to measure....
   
8. You view boring meetings, long car trips, and traffic jams as just one more opportunity to knit. Check.
9. You are familiar with the phrase Sock yarn doesn't count and may have used it yourself. um... check.
10. You can quote Elizabeth Zimmerman and own at least one of her books. Check.
11. You have at least one knitting app on your iPhone/iTouch/iPad/Droid. um, no iPhone/iTouch/iPad/Droid.  If I DID own such a thing, there would be knitting apps. I carry pictures of all of my yarn on my iPod  .... and  there is, knitting software on both the desktop and laptop computers.  I'm hoping that counts -- after all, this is about KNITTING, not cool electronic toys.
    
12. You have your own knitblog. Check.
13. You have more knitblogger friends than real life friends. Hmm... not sure... I'd have to actually count, and I don't want to -- besides some of my knitblog friends are my real friends, and vice versa.
14. You can name Stephanie Perl-McPhee's husband and all her children. Check.  and other members of her family.

Now, it's not my quiz, but I think I qualify, even without the iFamily of toys.

Additional questions I'd have added:

15.  You decide what knitting you'll take on a trip before you decide what clothes you'll take.

16.  You never travel without knitting.

(check on both of those).

Tomorrow, an actual blog about how lovely it is to be in Maine away from the ghastly midwestern heat -- with a strong likelihood of beach pictures.

Blantant Thievery

Kat posted this...  I loved it too much not to pass it on!

A meme -- and a map

There's lots going on... but my post with actual information/news in it is refusing to write itself, or even be written.  Thus, I'm borrowing a couple of things from my blog buddies.

Thanks to Janna, you get to see a map of all the states I've visited.  A fairly respectable 78 %).  Technically, I could count Idaho, since I did ride across it in a train (which is how I got North Dakota), but it was across that skinny bit, and I'm pretty sure I slept through it.  I am counting states I've driven across -- I couldn't help but pay attention, ya know?

visited 39 states (78%)
Create your own visited map of The United States

And....A Meme, I came upon reading  Stepping Away from the Edge.  I also swiped some of her answers -- or, well, the phrasing in her answers, since my answers are the same.

1. Do you like bleu cheese?  I do not!  I think it's spoiled cheese.
2. Have you ever smoked? Just a bit; and now... I'm allergic to cigarette smoke!
3. Do you own a gun?  No.
4. Favorite type of food?  I can't even begin to answer this one.  I like veggies... and red meat, no wait chicken... um, fish... lobster... chocolate! fruit ....  chocolate covered fruit... cheese (not bleu), salad.... um... yeah.  Food.  I like food...
5. Favorite type of music?  Can't answer this one, either.  Maybe that's why my iPod has over 3,000 songs. . .
6. What do you think of hot dogs?  I'm opposed to them on principle, but every now and then, I like simple ones on white buns with catsup ... just catsup. 
7. Favorite Christmas movie?  Muppet Christmas Carol  or maybe Miracle on 34th Street.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?  Coffee with steamed milk and sugar.
9. Can you do push ups?  You bet I can!  Well, um, I used to be able to. But with my current shoulder issues, I dare not.
10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry?  I wear my engagement/wedding/just because rings every day, but I guess I don't really have a favorite piece that I can identify.
11. Favorite hobby?  Knitting, reading, watching movies and/or TV w/ my girls.
12. Do you have A.D.D.?  What? I was distracted there for a minute... oh, no.
13. Do you wear glasses/contacts?  Glasses - bifocals.  I so wish I could wear contacts but my eyes itch like crazy whenever I try.
14. Middle name?  Katharine
15. Name three thoughts at this exact moment: Why is Bookworm walking like that? I wonder how long it's been since I had a day well and truly OFF that didn't involve me being sick or felled by a migraine.  Why is it that every time there is a class at Stitches that I'm actually excited about, it closes before I even get the flier?
16. Name three drinks you regularly drink:  Water, Diet Coke, Coffee)
17. Current worry?  Um... money and jobs
18. Current hate right now?  folks who can't be trusted.
19. Favorite place to be?  Anywhere - with the people I love.
20. How did you bring in the new year?  At home with my family.
21. Someplace you’d like to go?  Paris, Italy, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, back to Belize.
22. Name three people who will complete this.
23. Do you own slippers?  Yep.
24. What color shirt are you wearing?   purple (is anyone surprised?)
25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets?  I'm not sure I have ever tried that, but I imagine that it would be all slippery and the top sheet would slide off (taking any necessary blankets with it) and leave me cold.
26. Can you whistle?  Yes, but I'm not as good as my Dad!
27. Where are you now?  In my knitting chair.
28. Would you be a pirate?  Not really, I like to be clean, and I like comfortable beds, plus I'm pretty law-abiding.  But I'd like to learn pirate songs.  And maybe drink rum.  And take a sailing vacation.
29. What songs do you sing in the shower?  I talk to myself in the shower, but I rarely sing there.
30. Favorite girl’s name?  Rhiannon.  (Golf Pro wouldn't go for it)
31. Favorite boy’s name?  Nathaniel, followed closely by Michael. 
32. What is in your pocket right now?  Nothing.
33. Last thing that made you laugh?  
34. What vehicle do you drive?  2007 VW Passat Wagon.
35. Worst injury you’ve ever had?  Once I had a couple of stitches in my knee, but other than that, I haven't had any serious injuries. 
36. Do you love where you live?  Nope.  I like topography and large moving water.  I don't live near either.
37. How many TVs do you have in your house?  Too many, but I only ever watch one of them.
38. How many computers do you have in your house?  Five.  One for each person,  and and extra for me -- cause I'm spoiled
39. If you changed your job, what would it be?  Do I have to qualified for it?
40. If you had three wishes what would they be?  For my girls to have fulfilling happy lives; for financial security for my family; for a fulfilling job for myself.

Back to my regular posting tomorr

Show Us Your Wallpaper....

I found an error in the Wings pattern, and thus have little to show for myself while I futz about with the solution.

Luckily, Kat has presented a sort of challenge that makes a perfect blog post today.  She's challenged us all to show her our wallpaper!

My "main" computer (the one at which I spent the day fussing with spreadsheets, and balancing various accounts, oh, and um, finding all the time-sucks on the internet) has this as it's wallpaper

 
My laptop, has this

(It's a shot of the Laminaria I knit last year -- with the sun shining through it).

I'm thinking it might be time for a change though --- I haven't changed them since I got the machines!

Mememe

Since all I've got to show is minor progress on the gloves -- (I lost Friday entirely to one of hell's headache).  I offer you a meme stolen from Kat who got it from Jen  back in May.

* * * * *
What are your current obsessions?
Knitting. Lists.

Which item from your wardrobe do you wear most often?
 Had I answered this meme a month ago, it would have been my Think sandals.  Alas, it's finally gotten cold enough that I don't wear adorable strappy sandals every day.  In this time of transition, the only thing I wear truly consistently these days are my Wicked Good Slippers.

What's for dinner?
By happenstance, I actually do know what we're having for dinner.  We're going out to a place that is usually madly expensive, but which, every so often, holds an "old fashioned" fried chicken dinner buffet -- for $5.00 a person.  That's where we'll be!

What's your greatest fear at the moment?
That we'll never again have an income that exceeds our expenses by enough to be frivolous. That we'll never again, actually, have an income that meets our reasonable regular expenses with enough cushion to pay... for example... unexpected medical expenses.  That the cost of health insurance will continue to go up, while the benefits continue to go down, so much that we can't afford to keep the girls insured.

What are you listening to?
Top Gear.

If you were a goddess what would you be?
But I am a goddess...*

What are your favorite holiday spots?
That depends a lot on the holiday.  If "holiday" is really that euphemism for Hannukwanzachristolstice, then right here at home, with my parents visiting.  If, however, holiday means 'a time when you escape from daily life,'  then I have a wholly different answer:  My mom's in Maine, Florida with the Mother of Chaos,

What are you reading right now?
The  Scourge of God by S.M. Stirling. and Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman

What is your guilty pleasure?
Bad TV.  Well, that's what the Golf Pro calls it.  Gilmore Girls, Supernatural, The Mentalist, Ugly Betty, Bones, White Collar, Flash Forward, Top Gear, NCIS, Private Practice, Grey's Anatomy, Castle, Glee, Criminal Minds, The Good Wife, Monk, Eastwick... and maybe V... I'll have to see.  This does not include shows not currently airing.

Who or what makes you laugh?
  People, my cats, my kids, some TV, myself on good days.  I do miss puns. 

What is your favorite spring thing to do?
Inhale. Set forth again in bare feet.

What is the best thing you ate or drank lately?
Having eaten very little, I'll say my cup of Stash Tea .

When was the last time you were tipsy?
Oh golly.  That's embarassing.  I've no idea!  But certainly within the past 8 months... I think..

What is your favourite ever film?
These memes keep asking me this. I keep being unable to pick just one.  I still love Princess Bride, and Ferris Beuhler's Day Off (both of which make me laugh), I also seem to be able to watch The American President over and over, and there are others.

What is the biggest lesson you've learned from your children?
Patience.

What song can't you get out of your head?
My head is totally empty. No songs in there at all.  Currently.

What book do you know you should read but refuse to?


What is your favourite color?
Purple (well, plum), Teal Blue, Midnight Blue, Blood Red.  Jewel tones.

Where's the best place to get decent Indian food within 10 miles of Northbrook, IL? (in case you can't tell, this is the question Jen added).
Kat has no idea; I have no idea either... Sorry, Jen.

What do you like to think about while you are waiting to fall asleep?
Duh. Knitting. Or, sometimes, what's on the list, or what I've stricken from the list.

* And yes, Kat said this too, but it holds true here as well.

Mumble mumble, mutter mutter

It's Sunday.  And thus, it's time for a few Unconscious Mutterings.

1. Disguised :: Incognito
2. Big wheel :: Small Trike
3. Irritating :: inane repetitive noises
4. Care :: Bear (ohh am I ever embarassed about that, but it IS the first thing that came into mind)
5. Grandpa :: Buddy (my grandpa)
6. Shooting :: photography
7. Sunglasses :: I wear them at night
8. Stampede :: dolphins
9. Painstakingly :: laboriously
10. Terrible position :: one play away from check-mate, on the losing side

Not only that... but, well, I have some mutterings about the stuff they send home from school...
First, every teacher seems to think that their students must have a separate 1 - 1/2" binder for their class.  Clearly, no student is competent to keep their papers organized w/o a separate binder for each class.  The fact that this means a kid will need a full size litigator's briefcase to carry all their stuff EVERY DAY is clearly lost on them.  Not to mention the challenge of getting this up and down the stairs between classes:
  (picture ganked from page linked above)

But slightly more troubling is the policies they send home.  Like this one:

Late Policy

• ALL LATE WORK WILL BE COUNTED FOR 1/2 CREDIT
• For every day late 2 days are given to turn in the assignment.

Make up Work

• If a student is absent he/she has the same number of days to make up an assignment as the days missed.
• Extensions may be granted for long absences

At first, I thought that what she really meant was that if you're ABSENT, you have 2 days to turn in an assignment when you come back(since that was the standard policy in Middle school), but the Make Up Work policy undid that expectation.  Now, I have no idea what she means. 

So, she's grading the biology class.  Here's hoping that she's not grading on the clarity of your reports!  (I'm going to see if I can get some clarification for that one.)

As for me, I'm working away on Must Have.  I had a bit of an argument with the fronts about the short-rows, but in the end, I got them to cooperate.  I anticipate that I'll complete the fronts tonight or tomorrow.  That means they can be blocked (again) in time for a sewing together party on Wednesday for my Knit Night with The Divine Though Blogless Elizabeth.  (though Erin may bring one of her sweaters along for the fun).  I'll take pictures.

Just a little meme

I'm still not-quite ambulatory.  Not sure who decided to call it "walking" pneumonia; walking puts me right out of breath and causes me to go lie down for a few hours.  However, I am getting about an extra 20 minutes a day of useful time, so I thought I'd pop in and say hello to my blog readers.

I'd report on my slow knitting progress (I'm within a few inches of finishing the fronts of the Must Have Cardi), but I can't show you pictures because I've evidently drained my camera battery as well.

So... I'll do this meme that the Divine Though Blogless Elizabeth clued me into (she found it here):

Google the phrase "Unfortunately, {name}..." and post the first 15 results.  I'm too tired to go for all fifteen, but here are a dozen.

Unfortunately, Helen, as the fairest of her sex, was the prize destined for Paris.

Unfortunately, Helen refused to take no for an answer, forcing them to face up to their feelings and causing turmoil in the Fitzgerald marriage.  (I like this one -- it's from another person named Helen doing the same meme!)

Unfortunately, Helen is the last of her kind.  (This came up twice, once from it's original result, and once, from yet another Helen doing this meme)

Unfortunately, "Helen" was thrown away by the studio. ("Helen", here refers to a movie).

Unfortunately, Helen was the bride of Menelaus.

Unfortunately, Helen had to commence the CTS 30 miles from Perth.

Unfortunately, Helen was rather unlucky in getting work, she did have a short spell working for Northampton Council but they always had machinery problems, and when Helen had to leave her temporary accommodation in 1996, I asked her to come and live in Peterborough where she took up voluntary work: working for The Volunteer Bureau and most notably The "Broken Barriers Project".  (This author is not known for short sentences, is s/he?)

Unfortunately this was Helen's only album and it's a damn shame that debut single killed a very promising career as most of the tracks here would of been far better debuts and better sellers.

Unfortunately Helen had offered the story as a gift to Perkins Institute director Michael Anagnos whose public praise of the work backfired when the similarity was discovered. Helen was crushed.

Unfortunately, Helen Keller is revered as a saint by many Americans (and Japanese too).  (This links us to this page, which doesn't actually have that phrase in it anywhere, but is a good read).

Unfortunately, Helen didn't have much contact with
them, she was a black sheep of sorts, or perhaps just on a different wave
length from her family.

Unfortunately, Helen was easy prey for unscrupulous people. She was generous, and sympathized with her customers when they explained why they could not pay her.

That's all for me today. 

Giddiness leads to Steampunk fashion.

Giddy over successfully finishing the sock without running out of yarn...

I took a silly quiz:

Your result for The Steampunk Style Test...

The Citizen

68% Elegant, 55% Technological, 73% Historical, 20% Adventurous and 3% Playful!

You are the Citizen, the embodiment of steampunk’s everyday side. You realize that there is far more to a rich, living environment than adventurers and lunatic engineers. For every gentleman-scientist or airship fleet admiral there are a dozen or more “ordinary people” who prevent the genre from devolving into a mass of cardboard caricatures, and you take pride in exploring the great diversity of a steampunk world’s population. Your clothing could easily come from any social group or society, and you are equally liable to dress upper, middle, or working class. However, the unifying feature to your fashion sense is that it does not get carried away with “looking steampunk,” instead creating a person who could have just stepped out of the crowd in a novel. Some people may claim that your style is too close to historical accuracy to be steampunk, but fortunately you know better.

Try our other Steampunk test here.

Take The Steampunk Style Test at HelloQuizzy

What?

Oh, you want to see the sock?  Really?

Okay.... I'll go take real pics as soon as it's dry....

Mutterings and mutterings

You know how it is when you get towards the end of a ball of yarn, and it gets all loose and floppy?  I inevitably pause in my knitting and wind it up into a small cake... so it's not so floppy.  Not sure why I do that, but I do.  I guess I like to think it gives me a better impression of how much yarn I have left.

I wish I hadn't done that.  This little ball, which is getting loose after only a couple of rows, somehow doesn't look long enough to finish my sock:

 

I am decreasing for the toes... but since I do right and left socks, I start that further from the actual toes that I did when I worked totally symmetrical toes.  This makes me nervous.  Mutter mutter mutter...

So, I'll keep knitting and hoping I make it to the end without running out.  Otherwise... my beloved publisher will not be getting a pair of these for the photo shoot.

And while I knit on the toes... I'll do a bit of Unconcious Muttering for fun

1. Sunburn :: Aloe gel
2. Aquarium :: bubbler
3. Otter :: sleek/playful (yeah, I know I only get one word, but both came simultaneously)
4. Awesome :: totally
5. LOL :: IM
6. Accordion :: Accordingly
7. Hot Pocket :: cheap
8. Grandstand :: bandstand
9. Shaved :: skimmed
10. Upgrade :: first-class

I'm more curious than usual about how others answer this set.  Kat? whatcha got?

Another meme... on Films

Though I have many more pleasant things to say about knitting, now that the lupine chart and I are friends again, I don't really have anything to show or tell (what? you're thrilled that I've knit 2" of sock cuff?  well so am I, but c'mon...), and am unlikely to before tomorrow.

However, I got tagged on facebook for a new listy thing.  You know that one about books that keeps going round?  Here's one on films you've seen:

SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 85 films, you have no life. To do this, you'e supposed to mark the ones you've seen. There are 254 films on this list. Copy this list, then, put x's next to the films you've seen, add them up, change the header adding your number.  For blog fun, I've added italicize the ones I'd like to see, but haven't yet.

(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
( ) Fight Club
( ) Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
(x) Blazing Saddles
( ) Airplane
Total: 6

(x) The Princess Bride
( ) Anchorman
( ) Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
( ) Saw
( ) Saw II
( ) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
( ) Anger Management
( ) 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
(x) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total: 4

( ) Scream
( ) Scream 2
( ) Scream 3
( ) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
( ) American Pie
( ) American Pie 2
( ) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
Total: 0

(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
( ) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
( ) The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch
Total: 5

(x) Finding Nemo
(x) Finding Neverland
( ) Signs
(x) The Grinch
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
( ) White Chicks
( ) Butterfly Effect
(x) 13 Going on 30
(x) I, Robot
( ) Robots
Total: 5

( ) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
( ) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
( ) Along Came Polly
( ) Deep Impact
( ) KingPin
( ) Never Been Kissed
( ) Meet The Parents
( ) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
( ) Joe Dirt
(x) KING KONG
Total: 1

( ) A Cinderella Story
(x) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
( ) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
( ) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
(x) Halloween
(x) The Ring
( )The Ring 2
( ) Surviving X-MAS
( ) Flubber
Total: 3

( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x) Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
(x) Hellboy
( ) Secret Window
( ) I Am Sam
( ) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards
Total: 3

( ) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child's Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
( ) Ten Things I Hate About You
( ) Just Married
( ) Gothika
( ) Nightmare on Elm Street
( ) Sixteen Candles
( ) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
(x) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
() Son Of The Mask
Total: 2

() Bad Boys
() Bad Boys 2
( )Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number Slevin
( ) Ocean's Eleven -
( ) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled
(x) Predator I
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog
( ) Ice Age
( ) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George
Total: 4

(x) Independence Day
( ) Cujo
() A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
(x) Christine
(x) ET
( ) Children of the Corn
() My Bosses Daughter
( ) Maid in Manhattan
(x) War of the Worlds
(x) Rush Hour
( ) Rush Hour 2
Total: 5

() Best Bet
( ) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
() She's All That
( ) Calendar Girls
(x) Sideways
( ) Mars Attacks
( ) Event Horizon
( ) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
( ) Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
( ) The Terminator 2
( ) The Terminator 3
Total: 4

(x) X-Men
( ) X-2
() X-3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
( ) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
( ) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(X) Freaky Friday
( ) Reign of Fire
( ) The Skulls
( ) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
( ) The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
Total: 7

(x) Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street
( ) Old School
(x) The Notebook
(x) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf's Tribe
( ) A Walk to Remember
(x) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
( ) The 40-year-old Virgin -
Total: 5

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total: 6

( ) Baseketball
( ) Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
(x) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
(x) Highlander
(x) Mothman Prophecies
( ) American History X
( ) Three
Total: 4

( ) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(x) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
( ) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard
Total: 3

( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
( ) Hulk
(x) Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
(x) Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
() 28 days later
() Orgazmo
() Phantasm
(x) Waterworld
Total: 4

(x) Kill Bill vol 1
() Kill Bill vol 2
() Mortal Kombat
() Wolf Creek
() Kingdom of Heaven
() the Hills Have Eyes
() I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
() The Last House on the Left
() Re-Animator
() Army of Darkness
Total: 1

(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
() Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
() Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(X) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
() Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
()Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total : 4

(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix Reloaded
() The Matrix Revolutions
() Animatrix
() Evil Dead
() Evil Dead 2
() Team America: World Police
() Red Dragon
(x) Silence of the Lambs
(x) Hannibal
Total : 4

() Alive
(x) Jumanji
(x) Jurassic Park
(x) Sister Act
(x) Sister Act II
(x) Fame
(x) Little Shop of Horrors
() Penny Serenade
() My Favorite Wife
(x) Tootsie
(x) Mrs. Doubtfire
(x) When Harry Met Sally
(x) City Slickers
( ) The Red Balloon
(x) The Sound of Music
Total: 11

Final Total: 101

There are others, of course... that I've seen and loved and wonder why they're not on this list.  Someday, when I've nothing to do, perhaps I'll add to this list.  But for now... well...

I guess I have no life.  I thought I had a life... but I also have a DVD player....  And children, you manage to make me see things like Princess Diaries 2....
And friends, like those I'd tag if they had blogs, who've either caused me to see movies, or caused me to make this note.  I blame you all   :-)  and Elizabeth? Oh Divine Though Blogless One?  I challenge you -- post in the comments how many YOU'VE seen!  I dare you!

I should be back tomorrow with knitting things..

Shadow-ology

Lupines continue to kick my butt.  Luckily, Bev tagged me for this meme. 

To be honest, I totally woudln't have done it had I not had NOTHING nice to say about knitting today, but she said please please... so what was I to do.  I've tried not to be too dull in answering these...  And so, from Becca, to Bev, to me, to you....

Shadow-ology

***********FOODOLOGY***************

1. What is your salad dressing of choice?
At home -  Newmans' Own Balsamic Vinaigrette.  In restaurants - Caesar or a good Raspberry Vinaigrette.  On days when I just need comfort food - Ranch

2. What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?
um. well.  You know me.  This favorite thing creates problems.  They always mean ONE favorite.  Some of my very favorites are gone  :-(.  However, The Lantern House restaurant, that may or may not still be on Delmar Boulevard in University City, Missour has yet to be ousted by any other Chinese restaurant.  Their wontons remain the benchmark for all others. L'Escargot in Chicago (again, one I think may be gone) was my favorite French restaurant until I ate at MilleFleure in Rancho Santa Fe, a small town near San Diego.  Yellowfin's sushi never fails me... and the Italian Village in Chicago tops my list for favorite Italian.  General food -- Gullivers in Evanston (Rogers Park??) ... in part for the memories.

3.What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of?
Well... duh.  Chocolate.  Because I do.  But if we're talking meals?  I once ate Papa Del's pizza every day for two weeks and wasn't sick of it, but that was year's ago.

4. What are your pizza toppings of choice?
Extra Cheese, green olives, green peppers, onions, and anchovies on the side (do NOT cook the 'chovies).

5. What do you like to put on your toast?
er... Honey Butter.  OR  Cream cheese and grape jelly.  OR a sandwich.

***********TECHNOLOGY***************

1. How many televisions are in your house?
Too many. One that I watch (via DVR or DVD) and play Wii  with.  One that is not connected to the cable and the kids use to watch VHS movies.  Three (three!!!) that are watched almost exclusively by DH (one in his "library" one in the kitchen, and one in our bedroom). I never watch TV in the bedroom.

2.What color cell phone do you have?
Gray and Purple

***************BIOLOGY******************

1. Are you right-handed or left-handed?
Mostly right, but left for some things.

2. Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
An abscessed cyst and two children.

3. What is the last heavy item you lifted?
Same as Becca and Bev! My ass off the couch! 

4. Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
Yup, once abusing physics on a swing, once doing a yard-sale fall on the ski slope and once falling off a runaway horse.

************BULLCRAPOLOGY**************

1. If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
I don't really know.  On the one hand, it is tempting to take Bev's approach (she wants to know "cuz then [she] could do all the crazy shite [she] wanted and know that it wasn't [her] time to go!  But I'm not sure I do want to know.  Then I'd be wondering if there was anything I could do to change it (unless of course it is clear that I die from old age at 103).

2. If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
I used to want to change my name.  I've thought of going by my middle name (which has room for nicknames).  But right now, I can't think of any name I'd like better.

3. Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?
Hell no!  I wouldn't drink a teaspoon of hot sauce for $1,000... well... maybe....

************DUMBOLOGY******************

1. How many pairs of flip flops do you own?
Depends.  Do we count the fully structured well made sandals with arch support that happen to have a thong between my toes? or the inexpensive flat things?  If the former, two. If only the latter, one.

2. Last time you had a run-in with the cops?
Discounting the last time I was pulled over for speeding (over 20 years ago), um... when I was on my way to a movie, and found the road ahead of me closed... and chose to drive about 50 yards on a paved area that is used primarily as a sidewalk by college students, but is also used by university police and other personnel as a roadway to get from where I was to the parking lot on the other side.  I met the UofI police seargent in the parking lot when I got there.  Luckily -- I was a police dispatcher at the time, and though a certain ration of shite was dispensed, he sent me off to catch my flick without writing me up.

3. Last person you talked to?
My husband, as he left the house to take the kids to school.

4.Last person you hugged?
My Husband

**************FAVORITOLOGY****************

1. Season?
Transition seasons.  Likely fall more than spring, but ....

2. Day of the week?
Don't have a favorite.  It changes weekly.

3. Month?
Ditto.

***********CURRENTOLOGY*****************

1. Missing someone?
Susan, my "bad TV" buddy who is spending a year in DC, Nat, who is living in Zurich, Rich, who is living through hell in the PNW right now (being there is likely the only thing saving his sanity), my Mom and Dad.

2. Mood?
Content, though surface frustrated over designing snags.

3. What are you listening to?
The silence of my house.

4. Watching?
my computer screen -- and the letters appearing thereon as I type.

5. Worrying about?
How to fix that stupid sock pattern; how to make ends meet.

***************RANDOMOLOGY*****************

1. First place you went this morning?
To the kitchen to make coffee.

2. What's the last movie you saw?

3. Do you smile often?
Not as often as I would like.

4. Sleeping Alone Tonight?
Nope

***************OTHER-OLOGY*****************

1. Do you always answer your phone?
No. I do answer it more often than not, but if I can tell from the caller ID that it' a charity calling for donations, I don't answer.  I give as much as I can, but I do NOT take solicitation calls.

2. Its four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it?
spam

3. If you could change your eye color what would it be?
Green

4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic?
Sonic?

5. Do you own a digital camera?
Sure do. Haven't you noticed?

6. Have you ever had a pet fish?
Me? no, but boyfriend with whom I used to live had a pet Angel Fish named Fatso.  He was remarkably responsive to us.

7. Favorite Christmas song.
Carol of the Bells -- in at least four part harmony.

8. What's on your wish list for your birthday?
wow.  um, it's not til October.  I've no idea yet.  There are toys I'd like, but I don't have a real wish list.

9. Can you do push ups?
Yes... just don't ask for too many.

10. Can you do a chin up?
A chin up... yes!

11. Does the future make you more nervous or excited?
Well, since I'm not afraid of it, I guess excited... but not really that either.  It will come.

12. Do you have any saved texts?
Yes.  One makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  One makes me laugh.

13. Ever been in a car wreck?
Yes.

14. Do you have an accent?
Well now, that just depends on who you ask doesn't it?  Local folks would say no.  Mainers and Bostonians and New Orleanians would say yes.  Then again, I can USE many accents when I want to. Which one should I use today?

15. What is the last song to make you cry?
I don't remember.  They do.. .I just don't remember which one right now.

16. Plans tonight?
Cirque Eloise!

17. Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom?
I was going to say not really, but there was a day when I literally could do nothing but cry.  And I'm embarrassed to admit that it was over a guy.  Not my guy now, but I still love him anyway.

18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday.
I can't.  I spent no money yesterday.

19. Have you ever been given roses?
Of course

20. Current worry?
Money

21. Current hate right now?
I'm with Bev here ...I am going to change that to dislike.
Don't really "Hate" anything or anyone.
Really.  Hate is a huge investment of emotion and energy.  Nothin' out there worth that much of me on the negative side.
But, dislike? disdain? despise?
That is a different story.
I'm currently displeased with our school district, the mess it's gotten itself into and the lame-ass nonsense it's pretending will get it out.  I'm less than amused that they just reduced the honors track sciences in high school.

22. Met someone who changed your life?
A few that come to mind, both good and not so good.
But really, doesn't everyone who becomes a part of your life change it?

23. How will you bring in the New Year?
Laughter, food and wine.

24. What song represents you?
Oh please.  ONE song.  Get a life!  I have one, and thus am not going to spend the day trying to figure out my own theme song.  I'm happy to hear suggestions if anyone has any.

25. Name three people who might complete this?
The Divine Though Blogless Elizabeth would if she had a blog
Kat might, since we seem to trade memes and quizzes.
And you will answer some of these questions in your mind as you go along.

26. What is something your friends make fun of you for?
My past life as the most high-maintenance restaurant diner on the planet.

Muttering in Memory Lane

It's that time again. A Sunday when I don't have anywhere near enough progress to show on all the stuff I've been working on, and so resort to Unconscious Mutterings to jump start my post:

1. Pain :: and suffering
2. Lego :: my Eggo
3. Trooper :: Blair*
4. Flicker :: demon**
5. Character :: play
6. Determined :: tenacious
7. Wing :: and a prayer
8. Control :: freak
9. Automatic ::
   
10. Yeah :: So What?

And where did it take me?

Down an old and dim section of memory lane, and into the TV show I was watching last week.

First... the old section of memory lane. To *Trooper Blair. 

Trooper Blair was a highway patrolman in California in the 1980's. Let me set the stage:

I knew a fellow then who liked to drive exotic cars.  Porsches, yes, but also Mazeratti's, Lamborghini's, Ferrari's (do you detect and Italian theme here?). He owned an arrest-me-red DeTomaso Pantera (I even got to drive that one.... sweeeeet  and very fast).  It looked a lot like this one:

My friend was a self confident lad... cocky beyond his years.  Capable of amazing politeness and generosity, but also, well, a bit more impressed with himself than maybe he ought to have been.  We'll call him "Dick".

When Dick went to California, he'd manage to rent one of these exotic cars.  The slowest most mundane car he'd get would be a new Mustang GT 3.0 convertible.  How he pulled it off, being as he was under 25, I never knew, but he did.  And one time he came home with a story about Trooper Blair.

My friend, you see, was driving one of these sporty exotic cars, as he did.  He was zipping along some Southern California highway, almost certainly weaving in and out of the traffic at a speed even higher than the ten-to-fifteen-miles-over-the-posted-limit speed the rest of the folks were driving, when he passed Trouper Blair.  Trooper Blair that that playing race-car driver on the California highways was inappropriate behavior, and duly pulled him over.

Did I mention that my friend was a cocky fellow?  There he was, wearing nothing but swim trunks and beach shoes, racing along the highway ... and when he got pulled over.... he talked back to the trooper.  The trooper, of course, didn't take this well, and said something along the lines that Dick's behavior was not tolerated on his highway. At that point, Dick actually said, "I'm sorry, sir, I missed the sign that said 'now entering Trooper Blair's highway'".  

Dick then had to call someone to come fetch him from Trooper Blair's police station. 

For some reason, the word Trooper today, took me there.  (and then to Heinlein's book Starship Troopers ).

**Flicker, despite the frequency with which I use Flick'r  to host photos that I then link to in Ravelry, did not take me to that site.  It took me to "recent" (to me anyway) episodes of Supernatural.  In season one, at least, flickering lights mean that the evil demon that (who?) killed Dean & Sam's mother (and Sam's girlfriend) is about to attack someone else.  So. Flicker got me to demons.  The mind is a very strange place to play, isn't it?

Edited to add:

which I "borrowed" from KmKat .  Enough said.

One Word

Stolen from KmKat. 

I wasn't going to steal it... but her answers said I would, so what could I do??

USING ONLY ONE WORD! It's not as easy as you might think! Copy and change the answers to suit you. It's really hard to only use one word answers.

1. Where is your cell phone? Hip
2. Your significant other? Working
3. Your hair? Graying
4. Your mother? Gracious
5. Your father? Healthy
6. Your favorite? Friend
7. Your dream last night? None
8. Your favorite drink? Vino
9. Your dream/goal? Comfort   
10. What room you are in? Solarium
11. Your hobby? Knitting
12. Your fear? Bankruptcy
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Elsewhere
14. Where were you last night? Here
15. Something that you aren't? Barbie
16. Muffins? Chocolate
17. Wish list item? Students
18. Where you grew up? Mid-West
19. Last thing you did? Blog
20. What are you wearing? Jeans
21. Your TV? Off
22. Your pets? Furry
23. Friends? Yep
24. Your life? Busy
25. Your mood? Variable
26. Missing someone? Nope
27. Car? Gray
28. Something you're not wearing? Makeup
29. Your favorite store? Internet
30. Your favorite color? Plum
33. When is the last time you laughed? Wednesday
34. Last time you cried? December
35. Who will resend steal this? Blogger
36. One place that I go to over and over? Maine
37. One person who emails me regularly? Mom
38. My favorite place to eat? together

********

Toes

 

Fiber

Bright

 

Warm

 

Grafton

Quizzes and Knitting and such.

The cold lingers on, but seems to be abating somewhat.

Thanks to Kat, I've got some quizzes to share!

Thanks to the Divine Though Blogless Elizabeth and her effectiveness at getting me to sit still, I've some knitting to share.

Thanks to Crystal Palace Yarns, I've some knitting to be elusive about.

First up...Quizzes...

Your result for The Commonly Confused Words Test...

English Genius

You scored 100% Beginner, 100% Intermediate, 100% Advanced, and 93% Expert!

You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly! Way to go!

Thank you so much for taking my test. I hope you enjoyed it!

For the complete Answer Key, visit my blog: http://shortredhead78.blogspot.com/.

Take The Commonly Confused Words Test at HelloQuizzy

Kat also took a History test... but I'm not going there.  It wanted me to know too much Asian history. I was feeling pretty stupid until I followed up with the Furry Animals test.  Some of those were tough! (Tracks?  I'm a city ... well... town girl. What do I know from tracks!).

Your result for Can You Recognize Furry Animals?...

You scored 82% !

(Kat has a wonderful picture with a very true story on her blog, but I'm not stealing it ALL from her.)

Take Can You Recognise Furry Animals? at HelloQuizzy

and next... Knitting

The Divine Though Blogless Elizabeth came over the other day, and gave me encouragement.  Laminaria made some progress..

 

Please ignore the marker.  There's a live stitch attached to it.  No, I have no idea how that happened. Shut up.

Instead, take a look at the little minx as she flirts with Elizabeth's Must Have Cardi sleeves...

 

I'm thinking if I show off just how good Elizabeth's sleeves look -- out here in public and everything, she'll be encouraged too, and will step up the pace to I can start on the body!

 

In the mean time, check out the art shot.  The sun was shining in just right....

 

I love it when yarn glows.

I also love it when patterns work...  And so far, the little toe up number I'm designing for CPY is doing exactly what it's supposed to do...except when presented with a camera, in which case it pulls a camouflage act and looks gray instead of green. 

In other news... my Grafton Fiber Batts arrived!  They are SOOOO scrumptuous that I'm saving them for another post where they can be the center of attention.

Kreativ Blogger -- moi??

Today had an inauspicious start.  I woke at 3:00 with a sore throat.  You know the kind, like someone slipped a soft thing covered with tiny spikes into your throat and left it there... yeah.  I got up, applied Listerine (ran out doing so) and crawled back in bed.  This moring, I rousted myself only long enough to confirm that my children were up and dressed, and thus would be ready to go when the Golf Pro headed out for work (he drops them off at school on the way).  I think I'd planned to stay there, wallowing in self-pity, bemoaning my newly spawned cold, secure in the knowledge that tonight would be a living hell, since I'd agreed to let not one, but both daughters invite not one, but two or  three girls EACH to spend the night. 

Luckily, I have friends with magic powers.  My dear friend and neighbor called me to invite me along for an exciting trip to Home Depot and Sams Club.  Knowing that there are some things that my larder lacked, I drug myself out of bed, emplyed the magic neti pot, ate decongestants, and generally turned myself into a marginally functional person in time to go shopping.  Not a stunning display of creativity there, eh?

Nonetheless, I came home to disocver that (Joy, over at JoyKnits nominated me for this award.

The witty woman who nominated Joy posted a funny, funny acceptance speech on her blog that Joy wisely chose not to try to match.  Joy knows that this sort of thing (choosing not to write a witty acceptance speech) is like a wee lacy gauntlet to me.  After all, if I'm supposed to be creative, I ought to be creative enough to be able to write up a little acceptance "speech", neh?  Especially when my Kreativ Blogger award comes so swiftly on the heels of Blogger Presents.

And thus...

I'd like to thank Joy, of course, for nominating me for this award.  I'd also like to thank her for her awesome timing, what with my stunningly uncreative morning.

I'd also like to thank all of you.  Without you, my dear readers, and your comments, I'd have quit writing long ago -- then there'd be no blog, and no where to post that pretty award!

(yeah, I know, neither creative nor witty so far... but those are the true thank yous, and I didn't want them to get lost).

I'd like to thank my daughters, for helping me to do that which Elizabeth Zimmerman urged us all to do: knit on through adversity.  For they have done their level best to ensure a little bit of adversity appears in every day.  In their younger days, they even went so far as to apply themselves to make sure some of that adversity happened to my knitting.  (A smaller thank you goes to KnitPicks Options cables for reminding me about adversity with lace and other knitting).

I'd also like to thank the girls for their limitless capacity to reject all patterns found in books or magazines in favor of giving me vague descriptions of what they want in their sweaters.  It guarantees that I'll have to cough up two new designs every year. (It would help, though, if they'd not distract me from writing it all down).

I'd like to thank the traffic on Chicagoland freeways, for teaching me the benefits of always carrying "car knitting" even when you're driving.  I'd never have learned that knitting during stop-and pause traffic can prevent road rage, while giving you ample opportunities for swatching, if I hadn't spent so much time on the Eisenhower allowing my car to roll forward a few feet at a time (never even a full car lenght???) between rests of several minutes instead of zipping along at the posted speed limit.  After all, if you never let your car move more than 5 feet at a time, steering really isn't an issue.

And I'd like to thank my dear husband, the Golf Pro, whose generous habit of making dinner more often than not has given me that much more time to spin and knit and otherwise do creative sorts of things.

And finally, I'd like to thank the Kreative Blogger who started sending this award around.

Housekeeping:  Apparently there are rules to this award.

1.  Copy the award to your site.

2.  Link to the person from whom you received the award.  (Gotta love the good grammar.)

3.  Nominate 8 several (er... a few??) other bloggers.

4.  Link to those on your blog.

5.  Leave a message on the blogs you nominated.

(Shamelessly copied from Joy, who copied it from Judy) If you want to play along, that’s great!  If you prefer to incur the wrath of the chain letter gods just bask in the glory, that’s fine too.  Thanks again for making my days brighter!

Following their excellent example, I’m nominating just a few of the blogs I read regularly. They’re not all frequent posters, but I enjoy them when they do!

The Mogs Blog (Amber Moggie) (just check out those "femmes"!

Passing Down Crazy (and definitely NOT because she just sent me presents)

The Panopticon.  I was going to omit this, just to avoid burdening a busy man, but his post on Process clearly calls for this award.

And I know... that's not several.. that's three...but if I don't get this posted, you'll never see it.  I'll try to add more later.  I've got lots of favorite blogs, but I'm feeling compelled to find specitically CREATIVE blogs... not just good blogs.... not just my faves... but ones I find to be CREATIVE  (er KREATIV). 

Sunday Mutterings and a few more cables

Well, by golly, it's Sunday(or at least it was when I started this post) -- and so time for Unconscious Mutterings

1. Take :: Five
2. 350 :: (I cheated --- I had NOTHING, so I googled and the number one answer was this. I wonder how many people knew and thus could link it w/o the google?)
3. Stand :: Tall
4. Raspberry :: Vinaigrette
5. Turnstile :: Beatles
6. Infomercial :: irritant
7. Dejected :: glum
8. What’s the word? :: Qu'est-ce que sa veut dire?
9. Awestruck :: Moonstruck
10. Smashed :: bananas

It's also time to show some progress. I've not made a lot on Laminaria since I last posted... but I have reached the point on the Must Have Cardi's sleeves that I have to determine how to make it work to match the size Large front and size Medium back that I'm knitting to make it fit ME.

 

And look, ma, no miscrossed cables! 

While I'm exposing progress, I thought I'd bring out my slowly growing sock.  I'd started to the heel flap on Wednesday, but when I tried it on, just to be sure, I discovered that it stretched a LOT width wise, and thus shrank quite a bit in length, and would be too short to be comfortable.  So, I ripped the flap back, knit a bit further on, and am now much happier with it.

 

This particular cable rib is soooo stretchy (or perhaps pulls in soooo much) that it feels equally snug on my wrist and my ankle.  I had a brief moment during which I considered bailing on socks, and turning these into mitts.  But... this is nice sock yarn; plenty soft for feets, but not soft enough for my delicate (cough) wrists.  Besides, I recently had to wholly retire a pair of socks.  The sock drawer is light!

And finally, it's time to unveil my truly mindless knitting.  I took it out to see Inkheart yesterday, and actually knit so far that I had to tink back half a round.

Moebii are rather like lace in that they look like a wad of nothing while still on the needles.  This one looks like this when you can actually see it.

 

I'm far enough along that I've actually measured how much yarn a round takes so that I can be sure to reserve that much plus a bit for a bind off.  It worked wonderfully well in the movie though... I knit along merrily, my hands doing their thing, and keeping themselves out of the popcorn tub that the girls were diligently emptying.   If I'd paid a scoche more attention, I'd have remembered to start purling at the right spot and no tinking would have been necessary.  Then again, I was marvelling that Paul Bettany could look so attractive -- the last role I saw him play was Silas in the Da Vinci Code, wherein hes was suitably creepy and not at all appealing to me.  Here... he reminds me of Viggo Mortensen.  No wonder I got distracted.

Laminaria has not been forgotten... but I've yet to finish a full chart, so she refuses to pose for a picture.  I'll see what I can do about that.

This post comes to you from the letter 'M'

Walden has given me the letter "M" in new game.  Accordingly, I'm supposed to come up with ten things I like that start with the letter "M".  If you'd like to play along, let me know, and I'll give you a letter of your own....

1.  Merino.  Lovely, soft, cushy, warm merino..... ahhhhhh, and while we're talking about yarn, how about Malabrigo, or Mirasol....

2.  Movies.  On DVD at home.... in the theater... whatever.

3.  Moonlight... especially on a cloudless night, or reflected on the water.

4.  Mindless knitting.  You know the stuff -- simple patterns that you can do while watching TV, or sitting in the dark in the theater (you know, at the movies).

5.  Massages.  Any kind.  Shiatsu, or Swedish... foot massages, hand massages, full body massages.   Not much better....

6. Misha. Mikhail Baryshnikov.  And not just in ballet ... I loved him in White Nights (oops, movies again).

7. Mission Possible -- it helps me get the aging UFO's outta the closet.

8. Marjaryasana (Cat pose) especially when combined with Bitilasana (Cow pose).  Let's my back feel wonderful.  Sure helped today!

9.  Music! Popular music, classical music, celtic music, new age music, peaceful music, lively music....

10. Moving water -- either large enough to have tides or deep enough to have channels.

That's a fair start... eh?

Not so much with the lace ...

I seem to have lost my lace momentum. It's been replaced with cable mojo.

First, I whipped up this square for a future baby blanket (it's going to be one of a bunch of squares knit by a group of friends of the mother-to-be).

 

The heart cable was designed by another member of our group who is currently suffering from ailments that prevent her from knitting tricksy stuff. (I'm not fessing up as to who yet, because the blankie is a secret).  I liked the idea of her design and my knitting combining in this gift for our mutual friends' baby.

I have enough of the yarn left over that I really want to knit another square (and had 8" squares been assigned, I would have plenty).  But so far, it appears that I don't have enough.  I've tried one nifty lace heart that I thought would be a neat counter-point to this one... but ran out of yarn about 2/3 of the way through.  Alas.  To knit another full square would mean buying another skein, and thus knitting two more... for which I don't have time given the deadline for mailing so that the wonderful woman who is assembling the thing can get that done.  I am forced to admit that I can't work up a second square.

But... knitting cables on nice big yarns (worsted weight) got me started on the Must Have Cardigan, which I'm now doing along with Maria and the Divine though Blogless Elizabeth.  Maria is way ahead of me, and I'm trying to catch up.  I've finished one whole repeat of the larger cable pattern on two sleeves:

 

Elizabeth is behind me, having swatched but not yet cast on.  She's trying to persuade me to slow down.  She might get her way if I decide to go back and fix the error that people with keep observation skills will see in this picture:

 

I blame Gibbs and Abby.  Whaddya think? worth fixing?

Meanwhile, it's time again for some Unconscious Mutterings

1. Unwanted :: rejected
2. You’d better :: watch out
3. Woman :: Goddess
4. Weighed :: measured
5. Upright :: piano
6. I feel :: I touch
7. Ill :: unwell
8. It’s like :: valley-speak
9. Poor man :: Rich Man, Poor Man
10. Great :: Tony the Tiger

A mutter, a crow, and a whine

Looks like it's time for some more Unconscious Mutterings. I like to answer these before reading others' responses... and I almost slipped up when reading Kat's blog today. So...here I my mutterings for the week.

1. Arrival :: Departure
2. Vomit :: spew
3. Fit :: Wii
4. Stutter :: Nerves
5. Lifestream :: Jetstream
6. Tread :: lightly
7. Desire :: lust
8. Freezing :: outside
9. Permit :: junior license
10. Crinkle :: laugh-lines

  Here also, is my latest FO! (The Crowing)

 

Beechwood (by Ilga Leja , out of Mirasol Chirapa), ready to wear when I brave the cold today.

and my latest whine. 

Someone please tell me when I became a masochist?

You remember that friend I wrote about?  The one who unfriended me without notice or explanation?  For some reason, I still read her blog.  I also still regularly read one of the others that she lead me to... one of those people she calls "My ___". Or did.... things are changing now...

Every so often, my former friend links to one of the others in her select group.... and every so often I click over.  The last time I did this, it was to wish that blogger a happy birthday (I mean how controversial or offensive can that be?) That's when I discovered that the other blogger (the one I don't read regularly) has blocked my posts to her blog by marking them as spam.  For some reason, this made me feel like a puppy who just got kicked for wagging its tail. 

It also made me curious... in a masochistic sort of way ... so I went back to look to see if any of the comments I've left on either of the other two blogs are making it through -- For the one, the last day my comments appear is December 31, though I'm sure I've commented since then.  And for the other, I checked a recent post that I remember (and remember commenting well enough to recall what I said).  My comment wasn't there.

So, not only have I been shunned to the degree that my former friend isn't responding to any attempts I've made to communicate with her... she's blocking my comments from her blog, and she's got her cohorts to block my comments from their blogs.  A true blogiverse shunning technique I guess.  Still don't know why, of course.  But, what's next?  getting folks to stop reading my blog by some subtle campaign?

I can hear you asking "Why do you keep reading these blogs?"  Good question.  And, for that matter, why do I click over to the others?  Surely, there are better blogs out there.... I'm not stalking these folks.  Seriously.  I guess I was just reading with perpetual hope that whatever my offense had been, that they'd get over it in time. Now that I know they're blocking my comments, I won't waste the effort comment further -- and removing that level of interactivity is likely to get me to quit reading as well.  But da'amn.  I sure wish I knew what I'd done to warrant full bore blog-land shunning. 

I enjoyed reading their blogs before, and still did until I realized the degree to which they've turned their backs on me. But I can take a hint.

Now all I have to do is figure out how to explain to my children, who still think of one of these people as a friend -- an unofficial aunt even -- and who were looking forward to visiting her again when next we travel that way.  

The end is nigh.....

This post started somewhere else.  You'll see where if you stick it out to the end.  But frankly, I'm not impressed with the readability (or enjoyability) of the results of this meme, and thus would rather give you something more interesting to read first.

And so it is, that I tried to wrestle Willow into posing for some pictures.  These are likely to be the last before I begin the bind off row... very soon.  (We will not discuss that I fear the bind off row will take so long that I'll be forced to photograph it in process more than once).

 

She sulked her way onto the couch.

Luckily, I was saved by the postal carrier, and thus have something MUCH more fun to share.

First....

 

60" cables!  My moebius can resume progress.  (Mission Possible 2009, back in gear).

But... much much more fun....

 

Toys from The Knitting Goddess!  In particular (and in addition to these buttons that I just couldn't resist), yarn for Laminaria!!!  Probably this delicious, though slightly greener in real life, 100% Cashmere Laceweight.

But maybe this Wensleydale instead.

So... here's what I thought I was going to blog about today..

2008 in Review -- through the eyes of my blog.

Often, as I read my favorite blogs, one of the writers puts up something that I want to join in on.  Today... that thing showed up over at Throws Like A Girl.  She swiped it from one of the blogs she reads...  On HER blog, it was kind of interesting...

Anyway, the drill is that one is supposed to present the first sentence of the first post of each month of the previous year. 

January:  New day... new year... new project. oops.

February:  What is it with me anyway?

March:  I find it highly disturbing that I got 80% on a font quiz.

April:  Today, the Harlot launches her new book in Toronto.

May:  In the news today, we see that some people's version of reality is vastly different from the rest of us.

June:  I wrote this post almost a week ago....I was SURE I'd posted it.

July:  Today we went to visit the promising hole in the ground.

August:  I'm HOME... I'm half way through a post about our visit to Buffalo.

September:  I've been making tracks on Kitty's Cables....

October:  I've been engaging in some stealth knitting.

November: I hope you had a lovely Halloween (Samhain for those who celebrate it), and a blessed All Souls Day.

December:  Despite all outward appearances, Shadowland has not folded. 

While I did enjoy looking back at all the posts... I think it would have been much more interesting to list their titles, and not their first sentences.  Their first sentences suck.

Perhaps I will learn from this adventure.  Perhaps not.

Muttering... and finishing...

It's time for a few Unconscious Mutterings.

1. Confirmation ::Travel plans
2. Verse ::Poetry
3. Authorize ::Credit
4. Blog :: new friends
5. Thirty ::Cents
6. Heir ::apparrent
7. What are you doing? ::Stop it!
8. Complaint ::Settlement
9. Leave ::Arrive
10. Tune ::Melody

And for yet another FO!

I had almost forgotten that in addition to the wee sweater I knit for Crystal Palace Yarns, I also had a wee cap and a pair of booties to knit.  I'd interrupted that process by knitting the Weekender Stole for them.

So, Saturday I grabbed the yarn and cast on a wee hat.  Last night, I finished the wee cap

A Lovely lacey baby cap

Ain't it cute? 

And though they weren't on the list of things I plan to knit... I cast on for the booties last night.  After all, I promised I would.  And how can I send this cap off without it's booties?  Seriously!

Besides, I'm still waiting for the 60" cable for my moebius to arrive from KnitPicks, and for my yummy new yarn for Laminaria to arrive from Knitting Goddess Yarns.

Mutterings and Stolen Memes

If it's Sunday, it must be time for some Unconcious Mutterings

1. Destined :: to be great
2. FAIL :: SAFE
3. Camping :: Johnson's Shut Ins*
4. Only you :: can make the darkness bright
   
5. Incessant :: whining
6. Tomorrow :: promise
7. Impressive :: weather -- lately anyway
8. Riches :: lame TV
9. Dislike :: dishonor (and no, it makes no sense to me either)
10. Speaker :: of the House (or ... for the Dead (Ender, Book 2) )

*Johnson's Shut-Ins is a place we used to go camping a lot when I was a kid.  We had such fun there.  When I googled to link for you, I discovered that it flooded out badly in 2005, and they've not yet restored it.  sad face for that...

And while we're answering other people's questions... I've Stolen this from LaVerna, who stole it from Cookie.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Not my first name.. which was chosen so that it would be neither so common that there would be several others with it in every class, nor so odd that it wouldn't seem odd no matter what profession I chose (my father just commented that he wanted it to be appropriate whether I chose to be a stand up comedienne or chief justice of the supreme court).  My middle name, however, is different.  I was named after my mother's mentor and favorite Chemistry prof at Sophie Newcomb College (now a part of Tulane, but then it's sister school).  It's why no one can spell it:  she spelled it Katharine ... and so do I. Evidently that's non-standard enough to create problems for my schools.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Hmm... if it's little crying, like you do at the movies... yesterday.

If it's big crying, like the world is hurting your heart.. it's been a few weeks.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Sometimes.  My handwriting varies with my mood.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Hmm... it varies.  Often turkey (preferably kettle fried), but sometimes roast beef. I also like tuna.


5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Yes. 2 of my "own" and one step-daughter.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Definitely. I am very generous with my friends.  (and yes, I stole that from LaVerna too but it works.  Okay, maybe not VERY generous, but definitely generous.).

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Who me?  You're kidding, right?

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes.  Though when I was in high school my doctor told me that we probably should have taken them out when I was little.  They got infected every year.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Um. NO...  but I would sky dive.  Go figure.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Currently?  Kashi Go Lean cruch.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
On the rare occasion that I wear shoes with laces... yes...

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
In some ways... yes.  In others, no..

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Hagen Dasz Rich Light Dutch Chocolate...

Well, really -- Godiva Belgian Dark Chocolate, but my grocers seem to have decided to shun it, so I can't get it anymore...

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
It varies.  At a distance, likely how they're presenting themselves (clothes, hair, etc.), then, of course, whether they're knitting, or wearing hand knits...but when met face to face -- their eyes.

15. RED OR PINK?
Oh... Like it's that simple?  Like "red" really defines a color?  Tomato red is right out.  Blood red is much better than most pinks... unless, of course, we're working with Magenta.  Salmon pink and peachy pinks... ew.

But... if what you're asking is Saturated or Pale.... the answer is Saturated!

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
I'm impatient.  Especially with what I perceive as intentional or even negligent incompetence.  And I'm too judgmental with my kids.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
Oh my.

When?  On Christmas Day? my mother.  This was one of three in my life I've spent with out her.  And even daily phone calls didn't undo that absence.

Sometimes its Nat.  Sometimes its my cat Shadow, who died in 2001.  Sometimes its my grandma, or my grandmother, both of whom died before we got 2's as the first digit of the year.  Sometimes its Rich, even though we IM chat almost daily.  Sometimes its DT.  Sometimes its me... as I was at 23 or 27 or even 30.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO DO THIS?
EVERYONE??? Not really.

19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
shoes?  Why on earth would I be wearing shoes?  I'm indoors!  Shoes come off at the door.  I'm wearing striped socks (blue/purple/black&white).

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
mixed nuts sans peanuts

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
The tappity tap of computer keys.  My daughters and I are all typing something..

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
um... I dunno.

What I'd be means that the color somehow represents me. I turn to the internets and the folks who make quizzes for guidance ... they say:

BLUE

You give your love and friendship unconditionally. You enjoy long, thoughtful conversations rich in philosophy and spirituality. You are very loyal and intuitive.

Find out your color at QuizMeme.com!

and

Take the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.

who seem to agree, but ...

What color are you? Green You have a lot of close friends but you feel down most of the time but you can always count on your friends to make you laugh.

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

Then again..

you are lavender #E6E6FA

Your dominant hue is blue, making you a good friend who people love and trust. You're good in social situations and want to fit in. Just be careful not to compromise who you are to make them happy. Your saturation level is very low - you have better things to do than jump headfirst into every little project. You make sure your actions are going to really accomplish something before you start because you hate wasting energy making everyone else think you're working. Your outlook on life is bright. You see good things in situations where others may not be able to, and it frustrates you to see them get down on everything.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

and quibblo says I'm purple, but won't give me the code to link to them properly.

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
spicy scents, chocolate, fresh coffee, leather, sterling silver roses, stargazer lilies, freshly turned earth, bread baking, lavender, clean

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
The Divine Though Blogless Elizabeth

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
Hmm.  Don't know.  I've not met her face to face.  But from her blog, I think I'd like to meet her.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Figure skating, gymnastics  -- say once every four years during the Olympics.   Otherwise... oh... yeah, gymnastic diving - synchronized.    Wow.

27. HAIR COLOR?
Dark Brown.  Pay no attention to the hints of silver trying to peek in.  They are to be shunned, ignored, and otherwise made invisible until oh.... thanksgiving week in 2010.

28. EYE COLOR?
Blue

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
No.  I'd like to... but we've never managed to find ones that don't make my right eye itch.

30. FAVORITE FOOD?
Food, as in that which nourishes us and gives us sustenance?  or as in that which is edible and which tastes yummy (in which case: dark chocolate).  Assuming the former... a balanced meal of protein, lots of veggies, and a bit of unassuming carbs.  Probably with cheese.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
yes?  Can't scary movies have happy endings?  I like scary, not gory.  I also like happy endings.  And thinking movies. 

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Mama Mia, with my daughters and parents.  What a romp.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Shirt?  well.... if sweaters count, blue.  If they don't count, I'm not wearing one.

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
According to the colour guide thing, I'm a winter.  I prefer the transition seasons though, if we're not talking colour palettes -- spring and fall.   

35. HUGS OR KISSES?
Both

36. FAVORITE DESSERT?
Um... chocolate... haven't I said that already? Sheesh.

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
hmm... kmkat?  carrie? maybe even Janna?  I dunno.

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Joan, of the Fairy Godknitter

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Just finished Anathem by Neal Stephenson... and am about to start The Black Angel: A Thriller (Charlie Parker Mysteries) by John Connelly

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Purple... just purple

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
Are You Being Served

42. FAVORITE SOUND?
I have no idea how to answer this.

I'm going to say purring... but that ignores gentle waves lapping the shore, gurgling brooks, breezes through the trees, my daughters singing, the soft click of knitting needles at work, music (oh MUSIC), waterfalls, laughter, silence......

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Beatles!  no question there.

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
4,659 miles -- to Paris, France

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Doesn't everyone?

Oh... you want to know what it is?

Putting babies to sleep; finding a rationalization for almost anything -- or for it's opposite; almost always being able to see and understand both sides to any conflict.

Scarves are SCARY!

Now that I'm knitting a scarf for my Beloved Stepmother, my Dear-Sister-In-Law (DSIL) has had a scarf related accident that makes me think that they should be banned from the planet.

DSIL was riding the escalator, a thing she does at least twice daily.  Somehow, and I do not yet have the details, the escalator managed to get a-hold of her scarf, and without sufficient warning to let her unwind it from her person so that the escalator could just have the stupid thing, it pulled her forward, slamming her face into the ground.

This was more than just a wee ouch.  This was a trip to the emergency room and thence to surgery, to keep her from just plain losing her nose, with a healthy topping of 70 stitches.  And to add to the fun... her heart stopped while she was in surgery and they had to do one of those Pulp Fiction moves, where they stab a needle right into her heart to inject some drug so it would start again.  SCARY.

With this as background, I'm guessing you're all thinking what I'm thinking.  I must knit a cowl for DSIL.  I must knit this cowl RIGHT NOW.  I must finish it before I see her at the family party on the 23rd.

My only challenge --- well okay, my main challenge -- I have no idea what color coat she wears (or wore, she may be getting a new one, as I imagine the old one is stained).  And, I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't really know her color preferences.

I will brood over this for a few minutes with my morning coffee ...

Gotta love the mug, yes?  Even though I'm not a huge Starbuck's fan -- and if fact actually prefer the coffee provided by our local coffee shop folks -- once I learned that BigBucks had this mug -- I just had to get one. In my case, I went into the actually store, and came out with mug and coffee.  I've since learned that you can shop online...but I can't find this particular one in their online store.

Okay, while I go call my OTHER Sister-in-Law about DSIL's color preferences, I'll leave you with...

This week's Unconscious Mutterings:

1. Carpet ::Beetles
2. Bottoms :: Up
3. Music ::Life
4. Nails :: Claws
5. Watch it! :: Don't push me...
6. Your life :: Complicated
7. Candies :: butterscotch
8. Chafing :: Dish
9. Svelte :: history
10. Ding :: dong the witch is dead....