Talk to me about LOST!

Hellooooo!

So I lost my camera some time ago, apparently around the end of November, and didn't want to blog without pictures. But over the last couple of weeks, I've gotten some of the nicest notes from people wondering where I'd gone and if everything was okay. I was so touched that people even remembered I used to blog, let alone care enough to reach out and check on me! (Thank you!) And wouldn't you know it... we found my camera not long ago to boot!

Life is crazy busy, but good. Really good.

But today, let's talk about LOST! Do you watch? How do you feel about the new season and all this sideways alternate reality stuff?

I'm not sure how I feel yet. I feel like any and all theories are up in the air and wouldn't be surprised to see Johnny Depp arrive in a pirate ship and flip the sea upside down at this point. Any logical progression of expectations seems to have been ripped out from under me and, well, this unsettles me.

And what's with the "The time for questions is over... now is the time for answers." What answers? Where? All I have are more questions. Argh.

Anyway, my favorite part last night was the wheel in the lighthouse!

The wheel showed 108 as being somebody named "Wallace" whose name had already been crossed out. Hmmm. Who do you think is coming to the island??????

Oh, btw, I did finish the flame socks... but can't find my camera again... sigh.

The Good Doctor

I love this picture!

Did any of you see this episode? When Wilson takes House to his father's funeral?

It was so good! And House was superb in this scene.

And remember the scene when the two of them got arrested? Do you?

Less than 5 miles from my house. Seriously!

We recognized the location right away. And you know if I'm going to stalk sets and dress my children like the man, I would've been there... I would've walked there... if I'd had any sort of clue.

The real kicker is that I just found out that a friend of DH's new they were going to be filming there that day... AND... saw... the man... himself... when she got home from work.

Now, I have barely been able to live with the fact that he was so close... but to know that somebody my husband knows, knew, but didn't know to tell him... to tell me. Well, it's just too much for me to handle.

So all I have now is this picture.

I'm So Boring!!

5elementknitr tagged me with the '6 Random Things About Me' Meme, which is a good thing since I have no idea what else I would have to blog about.

The rules:

* Link to the person who tagged you.

* Post the rules on your blog.

* Write six random things about yourself.

* Tag six people at the end of your post.

* Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

* Let the tagger know your entry is up.

1. I looked to see who won Emmy awards before deciding if I was going to watch it tonight or not.

2. I secretly watch Family Guy when nobody is around... like now. Okay, well actually my teenage son is watching as well. I'm a bad mommy.

3. My ideal GPS navigator would have the voice of Dr. House and snap at me with wit and sarcasm when I didn't follow its directions.

4. I think riding along with the Blue Angels would be the ultimate experience. But other than that, I would be content to never have to fly again. (It's just not natural.)

5. I got a pair of Lavender Cornsnakes a couple of weeks ago. I picked them out at the reptile convention and am currently keeping them in our over-crowded living room. I've been kind enough to spare you any more snake photos. You're welcome.

6. I laugh out loud when my kids watch Phineas & Ferb.

Bonus: It is possible I have an unhealthy relationship to the TV. More season premieres this week!

Which one are you most excited about?

Do you think Survivor can survive another season?

Are you still upset that House was so mean to Wilson last week? (I am.)

Finally: I am not only boring, but rebellious... so I am not tagging a list of 6 people. But if you have 6 more interesting random things to share, (which should be just about anyone) consider yourself tagged.

Have a wonderful week of season premieres!!

Just a Random Tuesday

So I'm wandering around the LYS today and notice that the employee and pals are gabbing about the last customer to leave. And it occurs to me that they are always talking about the last person to leave (if not politics of some nature)... or one that was in earlier... or maybe one of their pals who is absent at the time. Often times I've giggled, but today something clicked... what are they going to say about me when I leave? So I tried to act very normal (I'm not sure what this is in a yarn store but I think I managed) while feeling increasingly uncomfortable.

It seems more and more like staking out a knitting spot at the LYS gives one some kind of sense of entitlement to speak their mind with complete disregard for all other customers. Does anyone else notice this? Or is it just me? Or my timing?

Anyway, let's see... I'm coping with life without Julie nearby. It turns out I can still bug her constantly with the meaningless trivialities of daily life via cell phone. I like my cell phone.

I did cast on for Hyrna Herborgar and I have to tell you that the Handmaiden Mini Maiden is exquisite. I haven't gotten very far because we've been pretty busy adjusting to our fall schedule, but now that I've gotten a feel for the translations and charts it's starting to move along.



I've also been working on the Firestarter sock.



The construction is fascinating, but imho the pattern is not very user friendly. I've found it pretty awkwardly worded and hard to follow, but the results are impressive... and I'm so glad that the Wollmeise is more than just pretty to look at! I could definitely see using it for a scarf or wrap of some kind.

We also had a birthday!



For the first time in over 16 years, I have no children in the "5 and under" category. Field trips just got a bit more expensive. But JoJo had a wonderful day full of friends and pizza.

Well I need to feed the boys and get them reigned in for an early bedtime so our more mature family members (as if) can watch the season premiere of House (woo-hoo) at 8:00! The doctor is in!

BTW - Did anyone else watch the premiere of Fringe the other night? It looks like it has some potential... kind of like a more extreme sci-fi Alias or something.

Vote! Or Not.

As a member of the worldwide knitting community, I feel it's important to refrain from voicing my opinion on controversial issues. I want us to unite... not divide. I want to make friends... not anger people.

But, I'm sorry... I can stand it no longer.

I have to speak my mind and just put it out there come what may. So if you are easily offended or apt to get your panties in a waddle, just move on, because I'm not holding back.









What is up with American Idol???


Did tonight really feature the 4 most exciting young performers that America has to offer??

They went with a safe, talented, yet basically uninteresting group of singers. While there's been a few "wow" moments, tonight was pretty much the epitome of suckdom. (I'm working on getting that word added to the Encarta dictionary at this moment.)

David A: Okay, the kids got talent up the kazoo, but NO stage presence. None. Zip. Zero. BORING. Yet the judges drool over him every week.

David C: Fading fast. Come on... Hungry Like the Wolves??? Unless it's Duran Duran week, there's just no reason to choose that song. None. He had like 50 years of the best Rock and Roll to choose from. 50 years! And he chose Wolves... a song he doesn't really remember because he was a baby. A BABY?! Talk about adding insult to injury.

Jason: "I was thinking Bob Marley! Yeah!" It was the most enthusiasm he's shown to date... and explains a lot actually.

Sayesha: Poor Sa"yes"sha (as I can't still hear Paula's voice taunting me). Why are the judges so hard on her? She was great in auditions... took a while to warm up once the show got going... but has an amazing voice AND... AND is entertaining to watch. I don't get it... except that she has a much more promising future in musical theater than at the Grammys.


Whew! I feel so much better now.

Please feel free to agree with me all you want in the comments!

Oh, if you want to disagree, I guess you can do that too.

Go for it... stir it up.

As for me, I'm rooting for Parvati. Yeah, I know... different show completely... but at least Survivor has been more interesting this season.

Previously On LOST...

I have no idea.

Something to do with Michael... and a freighter... or was it Jin rushing to the hospital in the future... no the past?

Oh well, it doesn't really matter.

All that matters is that its Thursday night and I will be able to watch Survivor and Lost. Harmony is being restored to my universe. Truth be told, I'm a little thrown by the 10:00 time slot... and not just because that means an extra hour of noisy boys who will want to stay up and see it.

Then we have a new House on Monday!!! Yay!!! But... on a Monday. Unstable universe.

And even though I'm thrilled with the return of my favorites, my enthusiasm is somewhat restrained by the fact that these late season returns are merely a peck on the cheek and will be gone in 4 quick weeks at which point we will go into summertime re-runs. Two summertime re-run seasons in one year. It's just not right. It's confusing to my inner sense of seasons... and well-being.

Big Bang Theory remains a strong fill-in, but I do miss 24 on Monday nights. American Idol & NCIS have provided some consistency for Tuesdays... but (yawn) several of the Idols this season just put me to sleep. As for Wednesdays, I just can't find any satisfaction in the 8:00 time slot.

My inner peace relies on a consistent schedule to look forward to. I am like a hungry infant without it... just wandering through the days and weeks with no sense of stability.

I feel the staff of Saturday Night Live must be likewise affected because I would think that after 3 months of time off the writers would've returned full of brilliant ideas... but sadly this doesn't seem to be the case. At all. Christopher Walken was good a couple of weeks ago but I can't figure out if he's oddly brilliant or just strangely odd. Check out "Googly Eyes" and "Surprise Party" here. (I'm not responsible for the content of anything else you click on!) Or, you can wait and see the whole show again this Saturday. Apparently they have only been able to pull together about 3 new episodes since the strike which they just keep cycling through. I'm telling you... total breakdown in the television universe. (FWIW, yes I know that SNL is juvenile, but what can I say... I'm easily amused. I just watch with discretion. For the most part.)

I've even lost my knitting rhythm and found myself forced to put in a new sock yarn order for motivation... cause there's nothing like new yarn to restore my inner peace.

Movie Fun

I stole this from Kaity because it looked fun!
***
The rules:
1. Pick 10 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie (or get them out of your capacious memory).
3. Post them on your blog for everyone to guess.
4. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly in the comments, and put who guessed it and the movie.
5. Looking them up is cheating, please don’t!

***

1. "I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request." Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl by Kate

2. "I swear I've seen a lot of stuff in my life, but that... was... *awesome*." Tommy Boy - Yay for Sheila! I'm so glad somebody else has seen this!

3. "You think he's gone? He's not gone. That's the whole point! He's never gone!" What About Bob? - way to go Leslie!

4. "They should have bought a squirrel." Rat Race by Lynda

5. "Reverend Mother, I have sinned." Sound of Music - Lynda again!

6. "I don't know why they call this stuff hamburger helper. It does just fine by itself, huh?" Natl Lampoon Vacation - Lynda (who I clearly need to have a movie night with)

7. "The flash of light you saw in the sky was not a UFO. Swamp gas from a weather balloon was trapped in a thermal pocket and reflected the light from Venus." Men in Black by Becca

8. "There are two kinds of people - Greeks, and everyone else who wish they was Greek." My Big Fat Greek Wedding by Kate & Stephanie

9. "Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming." Finding Nemo - Lynda & Stephanie

10. "Well, I know all the guys that you'd hire to come after me, and they like me better than you." Ocean's Thirteen - Lynda & Stephanie

Proof of Life

I'm. Still. Sick.

I'm not happy about it. I started an antibiotic last week and there are some signs of improvement. For example, I'm not sick enough to get away with laying around listening to audio books and knitting... but still sick enough to be wiped out by the little things.

The last couple of days were spent out of town with #2 son at a basketball tournament. We shared a suite with good friends and in spite of being a bit run down, we had a great time. I've never been much of a basketball fan, but let me tell you, if you're thinking of getting your child involved in a sport, it's the way to go! It's fast paced, lots of action, and, most importantly, has a time limit. Do not underestimate the beauty of the time limit. Baseball, for example, does not have a time limit. A little league baseball game can go on for hours. HOURS! Basketball... an hour fifteen tops.

Anyway, I have actual knitting pictures!

Blue Sky Eyelet Cardigan



Talia from the spring Knitty



They both need buttons and blocking, so I'll share the details once their done.

I have also started a Shetland Triangle shawl with some Dream in Color Smooshy in Chinatown Apple.




Well now it's time for some laundry. But first I must give you a heads up on one of my favorite new TV shows of the season, The Big Bang Theory on CBS. It's on Mondays at 8:00 out here. If you catch it this week, let me know what you think.



I love these guys! They crack us up.

American Idolzzzzzzz

A second Beatles week? Yeah, yeah... I know last week was technically "Lennon/McCartney" week, but us lesser musical minds have a tough time distinguishing between that and "Beatles" week. Assuming there is a distinction.

Maybe it was just me. Maybe I'm just not a big enough Beatles fan... because in spite of a few good performances, my overall feelings would best be summed up as follows...

So what kept me sitting here for the whole 2 hours? I have no idea.

Finished Monkeys!

Monkeys

Seacoast Handpainted Panda, Colorway: Chocolate & Caramel

Magic Loop w/Knit Picks 2.5 mm circular

This yarn is very nice. It has a soft, heathery feel and lovely color variations. It was a great pattern, but I have so many things on the needles I'm really just glad to be done!

Work continues on Loopy Laces...

one down, toe started on 2nd.

I love the pattern and the beautiful Lorna's Laces Tuscany.

Now for the bad... I am beyond crushed, but I have to say it... I was so disappointed in House last night. It's the first time I've ever watched the show and thought it was lame. But what really annoyed me was Dr. House's dialogue with the CIA gal. It was like watching Family Guy (I mean, I imagine it was... not that I have, you know, ever actually watched Family Guy... or would admit to it if I had). Lewd, crude, and obnoxious. Cynical, sarcastic and edgy is one thing, talking like a Will Ferrel character is another. Actually, I like Will Ferrell too... most of the time... but just like I can't picture him as House... I don't want to see House be him.

Anyway, I felt like I was watching an episode that was written while the writers were on strike not before. And speaking of the strike... no, actually I'm not going to. Suffice it to say, that unless their very life or health is at risk, I think people should work. It's only my opinion... and yes, I know, everyone has one. And I'm a bit stressed about possible interruptions or delays (think Lost) and I'm already missing Jay Leno.

BTW, Why doesn't Oprah have union writers? I thought that was odd. I guess she's like an industry unto herself.

Oh well, now I will duck, cover and knit.

"Maybe It's Lupus"

Well, well... what did you all think?

I especially enjoyed the House vs. Wilson exchanges. Wilson really got a chance to step it up. And Dr. Buffer was a crack up.

But... I missed his team terribly. Can he survive without them? For how long?

Blogger Goes Green

Did you watch the Emmy's last night? I did. It's the one night of the year when I realize that I don't watch nearly as much TV as I thought I did. It was okay overall... there were some funny moments (Ellen Degeneres and Steve Carrell alone can make it worth the while), and I was glad that the Sopranos didn't take a clean sweep of the awards (nothing personal... I've just never seen the show and find it boring to watch it win for everything), but clearly they made a huge mistake with the award for Best Actor in a Drama Series (but it's okay Hugh... only 8 more days).

Of course, in following the new standard of political correctness, the producers of the Emmy's decided to "go green" with the show. Now don't get me wrong... I love the color green. Really. It's probably my favorite of the colors. Half of my clothes are green, at least half my yarn, and even my carpet is green. (Although if a carpet is green and nothing was recycled to produce it, is it still green? Descartes can rest in peace knowing he didn't have to struggle with that one.)

Seriously though, I like many of the "green" ideas... and I'm not opposed to the concept of "going green" (although I am slightly more opposed to bandwagons and slick, overused catch phrases). I very much agree that we need to be more aware of how we can make less of an impact on our environment. However, I find it hard to reconcile the whole green concept with the elaborate gatherings of entertainers to celebrate their achievements and contributions to society. I mean, sure, I suppose those solar panels provided enough power for at least a couple of the cameras on the red carpet (whew!), but wouldn't it be more efficient to just buy a good steam cleaner and re-use the same red carpet each year than to recycle bottle caps? After all, I would think it would take a significant amount of power to produce carpet from bottle caps. No?

Oh well, I know it's all in the interest of public awareness (which is good) but it still makes me roll my eyes. I thought the few minutes with Jon Stewart and the Colbert guy said it all. They were a crack up.

Anyway, I've finished the back and fronts of my Minimalist cardigan. Last night I cast on for the two sleeves. It's the first time I've knit two sleeves at once and was grateful to come across the suggestion of pinning them together so I'd remember to go all the way across.

Now I must go sort my trash for any boxes or cans we may have accidentally thrown away so they can be properly recycled. Hey, maybe someday Hugh Laurie (or Dr. Gregory House as I really prefer to think of him) will walk on one of my plastic bottles! (What? A gal can dream can't she?)

Can You Guess Who?

So last night while I was knitting away on Montego Bay, I did some TV viewing as well. Have you seen the new show, The Singing Bee? We watched the first one just to see how lame such a show could possibly be... and while it is fairly lame... I do have fun trying to sing along. I also find great comfort in learning that there's a whole world full of people out there who can't sing either.


Then we had the great disappointment of realizing that Pirate Master, Mark Burnett's Survivor-with-a-Pirate-twist, had been cancelled mid-season. With all the really shameless reality shows on TV, I was surprised that they would cancel one mid-season. True, it wasn't what I'd call captivating... or even good, but my 8 yo loved it. The remaining episodes are playing on CBS.com so he got to skim through that and tell us who was cast-off.


I was up late enough to see Rob Schneider as Lindsey Lohan, who had apparently needed to cancel at the last minute (what a surprise), on the Tonight Show... and even some Conan O'Brien who tends to make me laugh in spite of myself.

But in between I watched some of a TV series I rented on DVD.

Who is that fine gentleman walking down the street...


and sipping tea in bed?

That should help.

Can you name the actor? How about the TV series... can you name the TV series too? There's a prize in it for you if you can!! Maybe, hmmm, sock yarn.

ETA: Uberstrickenfrau was right on. It's Hugh Laurie in Jeeves & Wooster. An old British TV series in which he plays a rather foolish, hopeless man of wealth who is often rescued from his foibles by his butler Jeeves (Stephen Fry). It's especially enjoyable because the character is so different from Dr. House, yet the expressions and mannerisms are so much the same... only silly instead of sarcastic.

And yes, DH is well aware of my House crush... but knows the two of us wouldn't last an hour in the same room together... plus, you know, the whole fictional character thing is a problem.

Going Bug-Eyed

You guys are so kind and encouraging... but I don't think you understand.. I really did nothing last week. Really! Nothing!


And it's most certainly not post-baseball season blues, because my oldest made All-Stars for his first time ever (I may have mentioned it before but it's worth repeating especially since his arch enemy, aka my middle son, has made it twice in his four years of play). Anyway, it's too soon for the blues because he will be playing many games over the next 10 days with my husband as one of his coaches. And not even I can justify missing his only All-Star games in 15 years.

But it does turn out I really was sick last week (as opposed to falling into a hopeless trance of laziness) since 2 of my boys came down with the same symptoms yesterday and have laid around the house since. Meanwhile I've become buried in piles of paperwork and e-mails as I finalize preparations for our church's Vacation Bible School next week. I guess I'm what they call the "director" but I like to think of it as the administrator or, better yet, the person who does nothing but gets to make all the decisions and tell other people what to do. But that's clearly an awkward title so I'll go with what they gave me.

Due to my inability to control all people and circumstances as much as I might like (don't worry, I'm working on it), I ended up with all the final registration forms much later than I'd hoped. So after 4 hours at church (dealing with VBS stuff in addition to the service) I came home and spent a solid 8 hours going bug-eyed on the computer entering and sorting the names of 200+ kids and volunteers. Around 6:00, DH peeked under the piles and asked me something about dinner... I mumbled something about doing whatever he wanted... which he misunderstood to mean, "Why don't you go on a bike ride honey and leave the hungry kids to me." So delirious was my data entry that at 7:00 I actually handed my credit card to my 14 yo and told him to order food... pizza, of course.

DH returned and felt bad because he truly hadn't heard me (although I think it was really because the cheese pizza was gone). But with a pencil in my mouth and the furious typing it was quite possible that I wasn't coherent in my request so I do believe him. (That and the fact that he reads this so I have to be nice... love you honey!) At some point during the fight over the last pieces of pizza, my carefully balanced plate was attacked by a hungry teen with a knife who ignored my requests to take my plate to the kitchen before cutting the last slice in half. (I really don't think anyone around here listens to me so your comments are always most truly appreciated.) Next thing I know I have a knife covered in pizza sauce sticking out of a hank of Blue Sky Cotton. I wish it had been the red still, then nobody would ever notice. Ugh!

I put down my laptop at 9:00 and popped in the first season of House. Now I don't know if it was simply mental meltdown on my part or if it was really just that good, but I was cracking up. (DH asked me if I'd been drinking so it's quite possible that it was just me.) He is so horribly abrasive, obnoxious and insensitive... and I think he's just about the greatest character ever! And come on now... be honest... aren't there times when you would just love to say some of the things he says? The scenes when he actually interacts with the patients at the clinic are the best... although I certainly wouldn't want to be the patient. I'm looking forward to watching these over the next few weeks.

Oh, and the knitting thing... since today involved plenty more paperwork, I've managed a new personal low with only 1" of a sock being knit since Saturday. Hardly worthy of a photo shoot. I'll knit for you tonight though... really. It's the least I can do since you are so kind to be here even without pictures of yarn!

Argh! Pirates We Be!

As some of you may have heard, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End was released tonight at 8:00. This is nothing less than a tremendous event in our home... probably the highlight of the year! (Really!) I promised the boys we could go tomorrow morning since we just wrapped up our week of testing today.

But feeling kinda antsy tonight, I grabbed a few of the boys and hopped in the car at 7:45 to see if we could catch one of the 4 shows starting between 8 and 8:45 at a nearby theater. Now, of course, this was destined to be a futile effort, but, well, what the heck.

"Just a minute," yells Daniel...

Okay, ready to go.

We arrived at the theater, walked right up to the ticket booth, and by 8:02 we were sitting in the theater with popcorn and sodas in hand (in great seats I might add) for the 8:10 show!!

Of course I got dressed up too...

(Well, I was wearing black pants.)

We exited the theater around 11:00 to find mobs of people waiting to get in... including my oldest son who was there with a group of friends and a dad who had purchased tickets for the midnight show over a week ago!

Oh, and the movie... Awesome! Exciting, funny, action-packed, and unpredictable... no sequel slacking here!

ETA: As thrilled as my sons are to have a mother that will not only take them to see Pirates but enjoy it as much as they do, it was much to their chagrin that I was the only person to give a big "Woo-hoo" for "the kiss". What kiss? I'm not telling, you'll have to see it yourself.

BTW - If you've seen it, e-mail me... I want to know what you thought! tlreed_81 at msn dot com

A Little Progress

Bonita is coming along. I finally got to the point where I separated for the front and back. I'm just struggling a bit to keep gauge with the fine cotton yarn on the purl rows, but it's getting better... and I just love decreasing!!



I started the "Napa Valley on Top" with SWTC Oasis Soy Silk last week. I like the stitch but it hasn't really grabbed me yet.

What I really need on the needles about now though is a simple knit-in-the-dark project for reading and movie going. Not that I go to a lot of movies but I did go to 2 in one week before I left for Mexico (making 2 total movie theater trips this year) and what if I want to go to another one?

What did I see, you ask? Well, I saw "Meet the Robinsons" which is a rare gem of a true G rated family film... no innuendos, no adult jokes... just very creative, playful, and entertaining fun. Next I saw "Blades of Glory" which, I must admit, was not so wholesome... but a great laugh. I took my 14 & 13 yo sons to see it (yes, I'm hanging my head in shame) the day everyone left for Mexico without me. I wasn't planning to let them see it, but what can I say... I was depressed, I wanted to laugh, and I didn't want to go alone. It was actually fun to grab them and do something with just them... and we left the theater laughing together while I made them swear not to repeat any lines at home. At the risk of causing irreparable damage to your opinion of me, I must admit that Will Farrell, although often a bit too lewd and crude, cracks me up. Sorry, but it's true.

Anyway, back to knitting... I'm just trying to figure out what my simple, portable project will be. While I'm unlikely to go to a theater again soon, I do have a stack of good books to read.

I'm thinking of starting this cardigan... it would be great for summer.

Or, I could start Knitty's Tahoe with the Cathay and Koigu pictured.

Hmmm... it is long sleeves, but I do love the yarn and colors. I guess tonight will be a Pay-Per-View movie and swatching.

Speaking of PPV, we watched "Stranger than Fiction" last night... great movie. It was a totally different role for Will Farrell, and Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman were outstanding in their roles. (At least per my humble, uneducated movie-watching opinion.)

Bonita Progress and "Lost"

I haven't had much time to knit so I'm surprised at how fast Bonita seems to be going... especially considering the time I've spent with fixes.

See the mess up in the lace...



Cringe... these fixes stress me out...


But overall, I'm loving it. It feels great too. It's going to be a nice lightweight summer top.

By the way, do any of you watch Lost? They were starting to lose my interest last season but the twists and turns of late have me hooked again. What about John Locke's father?!? What do you think?