Smile!

Day 17: A picture of your biggest insecurity.


Ummmmm, sure. My teeth probably aren't my biggest insecurity, but I am self conscious of them. And they had the most easily accessible cute picture.
Thanks, Almighty Google.

George Washington Sat Here...Definitely.

Props if you get the paraphrased reference in the title of this blog (coughLIZZIEWILLcough)

So Day 17 is a picture of something that has had a huge impact on your life recently.
Obviously, moving to Phila has. And while I wanted to give you all a lovely cityscape today, it's pouring rain. Which translates to me not walking to the river to take a picture.
That's why showers were invented- so you can get rained on in the comfort of your own home.

Sooo...I leave you with this picture from Independence Hall of George Washington's chair.
Seriously. Not a replica. The man himself sat here.

Inspirational

Day 16: a picture of a person who inspires you.

Belated Happy 80th Birthday, Toni Morrison.

PS- why is my blog on pacific time?

Halfway Day!

Day 15: A picture of something you'd like to do before you die.

yeah, yeah, yeah

Day 14: A Picture of someone you could never imagine your life without

This picture isn't really accurate, anyway. I CAN imagine my life without him, but I'd prefer he were in it, because I'm rather attached to him.

This picture just represents what the person that created this thing meant to say, rather than what they did say.

Day 13

A picture of your favorite band or artist.
I have waaaaaaay too many to pick one absolute favorite. Katy Perry makes me smile, though.

Fiber!

Day 12: A Picture of something you love.

I <3 Fiber.

Day 11: A Picture of Something You Hate

Normally, I don't hate Republicans or Conservatives. I don't agree with them on social issues. However, due to the recent "war on women" that the GOP has embarked on (and while that may sound like a melodramatic media label, it's pretty damn accurate) I'm pretty sure I hate every Republican in office right now.

I'm not a fan of elected officials, anyway, regardless of party. They're all slimy. BUT democrats in general aren't jumping on the "let's set the women's rights movement back 50 years" bandwagon, so my hatred is directed toward the elephants.

I mean, really?
Cutting head start funding in Maryland because women should be married and at home with the kids? Fuck you, privileged white men who can afford to have a cookie cutter lifestyle.

And in South Dakota, adding the killing of doctors who provide abortions to the list of justifiable homicides?
It's insanity.
And it makes me sick.

Mew-light Serenade

Day 10
A picture of the person you do the most fucked up things with




I'd have to say George Hearn stalking is one of, if not the number one, craziest thing I've done.

Brains. It's what's for dinner.

Day 8- A Picture that makes you laugh.
This sign, at the Catholic church down the street, makes me laugh every time I walk by. Mmmmm, bodies.

Day 9

Out of order. Because I have a picture I want to take for Day 8, but I didn't get there today.


Day 9: A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.

Treasure, Arrgh!

Day 7: A Picture of your most treasured item.





Fuck yeah I got one, biotches.

It's not good for anything but flaunting, so there you go.

Day 6: Trading Places

A Picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day.





This is Oliver Sacks. He's basically brilliant.
And he has this weird disorder where he can't recognize people's faces.

Day 5: Favorite Memory

I don't think I can pick a favorite memory. This is an exceptionally good memory.

Day 4

A picture of your night.




We're going to see this tonight, and I'm soooo excited, because a) Phila is FULL of great theater. Granted, I haven't seen anything at this theater yet, but when we went last week to try to do the student rush they were sold out, and they had a wall full of Barrymore Award nominations. And one win.

The B) reason that I'm so excited is because I LOVE LOVE LOVE Martin McDonagh. One of my all-time favorite screen and stage writers. He's the king of black comedy...SO dark, SO gruesome, and SO fucking hilarious. Here's the description off the Lantern Theater website, just for a taste.

Leenane is a small Irish town with a small Catholic cemetery – too small. Widower Mick Dowd is hired each fall to disinter old bones to make room for the freshly departed, and this year's crop threatens to bring to the surface the long hidden secrets of the living. Irish writer Martin McDonagh, beloved for the gleeful madness of the 2007 Lantern hit The Lonesome West and the Oscar-nominated film In Bruges, is the mind behind this raucous, wonderfully unsettling comedy about death and dirt.


It's apparently Martin McDonagh month here, at least, that's what I'm calling it. I made Ben watch Six Shooter, because it's the best short film ever, we're going to see this tonight, and I stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk yesterday in front of a poster for another theater that is doing The Lieutenant of Inishmore later this month.

Soooo excited! That's one of my favorite plays and I would KILL (haha) to play Mairead. Really. Dream role.

"And don't be countermanding me orders, cause it's a fecking lieutenant you're talking to now!"

Day 3 and a Review

Day 3: A Picture of the cast from your favorite show.




And a review of Gregory Maguire's Wicked

It's true that no one mourns the wicked.

But what makes a person wicked?

Gregory Maguire has made a name for himself by turning fairy tales around and telling the story from a lesser known point of view. With this book he tackles The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and tells the story of Elphaba (a name that came from Mr. Maguire phonetically reading aloud the original author's initials, L. F. B...) the Wicked Witch of the West.

Why is exactly is she so wicked, though? Is it because she thinks for herself? Is it because she chooses to do what is right, rather than what is popular? Is it because she considers herself the sworn enemy of those in power, (the Wizard) even though he runs a vicious dictatorship? Is it because she seeks the truth and tries to protect the rights of others, like the Animals?

With his novel, Maguire presents an interesting take on good and evil, and lets the reader draw their own conclusions. He lays out all the facts, but doesn't concretely answer all the questions, which would ordinarily be annoying. The way he does it though, the answers are there, but first the reader has to decide for themselves exactly who IS good and evil, right and wrong. He guides you in the direction that he thinks you should go, but doesn't force you to choose his side.

So read it, and decide for yourself. Is the Wicked Witch of the West really wicked?
I'm off to read the sequel now.

Day 2:

A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest




Oh, musical theater, I miss you.

Day 1: A Picture of Yourself and Ten Facts

I've decided that I want to try the 30 Day challenge. On here, not facebook. Here goes:




1) I love fuzzy socks.
2) Other than fuzzy socks, I don't like things touching my feet. It took me two and a half years to not cringe when Ben touches them. I'm still working on this problem.
3) I am addicted to yarn
4) I want to write books for a living
5) Being unemployed is stressful and boring.
6) It's really hard to come up with ten facts when it's demanded of you.
7) Gaga's new song comes out on Friday.
8) Ben and I will watch the new episode of Glee tonight.
9) Earl Grey with extra Bergamot is the best tea ever.
10) There is an accordion playing in the next room. Well, not playing itself. Ben's playing it.

Everything's Coming Up...

...TULIPS!

All right, I know that's not how the lyric goes.



But today I tried to design my own pattern for the first time. And I actually met with success. I can't tell you much about what it will ultimately be, on the off chance that my mom reads this blog (it's for her birthday) but I can tell you that it involves tulips. Like the ones pictured here- although these were a test run and they will be made for the real thing in a much nicer yarn. One that doesn't chafe my fingers.

I have finished the pattern test for the panels that I'm going to use to make this mystery project, and it just needs a few little tweaks. Otherwise, I am quite satisfied, and very excited that I was able to more or less create the look that I imagined.

Go me!
Look for the finished product in a month or so...Oh, just realized my mom's birthday is a month exactly from today.
I better get working :)

Scandalous...?

Ooooh, le controversy! Normally, this would be something that would be more likely to appear on the blog of my dear and hilarious friends, The Plastics, but opinions are kind of my thing, and I have one about this video.

http://www.popeater.com/2011/02/03/perez-hilton-rihanna-video-controversy/?icid=maing|main5|dl2|sec1_lnk3|41283

^Watch that, then come back.

I really didn't think it was that bad.

Really. Things happen so fast that unless you're carefully watching it (which I did, the first time, just to see what the fuss was about) you're not going to be completely sure what you're seeing.

I haven't extensively researched the specific complaints about it, but I can imagine them. And I've read the comments on this article.
It's been flagged on youtube as inappropriate. Is it really any worse than a PG13 movie? I don't think so.

One mother complained that she didn't want her children influenced by something like this...Then don't let them watch it?
I'm sorry, but if you don't feel your children should be watching this, then it's your responsibility to make sure they don't. Don't let them watch MTV. It is not the rest of the world's responsibility to make sure that your children are sheltered.


Also, if we didn't make such a big deal of it, would it be that big of a deal? No. I feel the same way about swearing. They're only "bad words" because you say they're "bad words."
I happen to think they are GREAT words, some of the most versatile that we English speakers have.
Getting your feathers all ruffled and flagging it as inappropriate only makes people want to watch it more.


Another comment was from someone who worried that SM was being presented to their children, and that it was dangerous because kids are going to want to try it. Again: be the parent.
And honestly? I kind of feel like sheltering kids, like preaching abstinence, doesn't work. I'm not saying show this video to your 12 year old when you're having the talk, but your older kids? Discuss. Teach. Parent.

I'm not even going to touch some of the racial comments that were made on the article, because they were more inappropriate and offensive than the video, but I will tackle the gender thing. Someone said it was the presentation of a woman in a position of power that was offensive. To a certain extent, I'll agree with that- we're not as progressive a people as we think, and women in power still scare a lot of people... coughMENcough.
Even more than that, I think it was the presentation of a woman who enjoys sex. I feel like the way women are presented is more as sexual objects, rather than human beings who find it enjoyable too.

That said, I think the song is incredibly catchy.
And Perez Hilton on a leash made me laugh my ass off. Does he come in teacup size? Because I kind of want one...

A Story and a Sneak Peek!

I had the weirdest interview of my life on Tuesday. I applied Monday at a pizza place a few blocks away, and a couple hours later was called and asked to interview. I assumed that Viru, the person I was interviewing with, was the woman that I spoke to on the phone. Not so. Viru was a tiny old Italian man, who barely spoke English. The interview was as follows.

Him: You checked waitstaff and day cashier. Which are you applying for?
Me: I can do both, whichever you're hiring for.
Him: We are hiring everything.
Me: Okay, then waitstaff. Is that a daytime position as well?
Him: Maybe some days, and nights.
Me: Oh okay, well then I guess I'd rather day cashier.
Him: You can't work nights?
Me: I can, but I'd really prefer to work days.
Him: [reads through my experience again] Well after about 2 the cashier does cooking.
Me: [what!?] Ohhh, then waitstaff. I don't have any cooking experience.
Him: What days can you work?
Me: any weekday, and some saturdays, but not all.
Him: [writes it down] I will have to see with them [vague hand gesture that I took to mean the other waiters] about daytime waitstaff.
Me: Okay, great.
Him: okay.

Then he gets up and puts away my application, and goes into the kitchen. No "I'll be in touch" no "goodbye" I wasn't even sure that we were finished until he didn't come back.
I had no idea whether I should take that as an "okay, I'll see what I can do" or an "okay, forget it, I'll find someone who wants to work nights."

I was in a state of constant confusion, until I went in today on my way back from knitting group. The head waiter (at least, he was the one wearing a tie) remembered me, and said not to worry, that I should hear within the week. He didn't think they'd called anyone back yet, but they would.

Okay. And he remembered me, which I think is good. Fingers crossed.

Story part two:

This is the product of my pattern where I ran out of yarn. At Linda's suggestion, I finished it, and one side is shorter than the other. However, she's right; you can't really tell when it's on. Oh well. Lesson learned: beware the free patterns.

And finally: a sneak peek. One half of my mother's pair of owl mitts. Or as she calls them "Madonna gloves."

Ten minutes later: Ok, fuck that. My card reader is being a jerk, so you don't actually get a sneak peek. Sorry.