she's just saying...

Yes! I medaled...

(When did that become a verb again?) For finishing a few projects during the knitting Olympics, from Ravelry.com:

WIP DANCING (finishing old Work In Progress)

"Please accept this lovely bouquet of snowdrops from the knit-clad Bobettes and crochet-covered Bobdudes:

And bow your head for your medal -- what an honor!

Now will Ravthletes and spectators alike bow your heads for the stately yet intoxicating Ravelympic anthem … dum de dum dum … dummmmmm .. DA DUMMM!

and the crowd goes wild as the competitors proudly sport finally-finished objects of all shapes, sizes and ages, walking off the podium showered with cake and hot chocolate "

MITTEN MOGULS (for the fingerless mitts)

"drums rollin Please accept this Ravatar bouquet for the lovely hand-warming pieces you’ve finished! crowds cheerin

and this wonderful medal is from our very own head of the International Ravelympic Committee, Adonis Dionysius Bobicus Maximus because he knows how much training went into this year’s Ravelympics.

badges waving Please salute our hard working raveletes as our Ravelympics National Anthem takes us to our next commercial break."

Knitting humor. Ya' gotta love it.

blogging article if you're interested

This is the print article of which I blogged:  Download Source article

This is a PDF file. To view/read or print a PDF file you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader software installed on your computer. If you don't have Adobe Reader, you shouldn't be using a computer, frankly. Call the Source and ask them to send you a copy through the U.S. Postal Service. What are you doing reading this blog anyway?  Sheesh.

Fri. frylet: bad kitty (PG-13)

Tiger Woods’ lawyers threatened to sue PETA if they used the campaign presented below. “We agree and have now turned the focus of our campaign to Mark Sanford,” said a PETA spokesman. The organization has confirmed that the new ad campaign for the South Carolina governor would feature the possible tagline,”Your dog doesn’t have to go to South America to get laid.”

 

(Media note: I got this from Facebook, posted by Cheryl, who got it from Entertainment Weekly who got it from Fox News who got it from the New York Post. I didn't dig deeper than that.)

...just as long as they spell my name right.

where the magic happens

The local alternative weekly, the Source Weekly, asked me recently to write a personal article about blogging. And now I'm blogging about my article about blogging. Now that's meta.

Anyway, they didn't spell my name right in the byline, though they did in the little bio after the article. They also didn't publish my photo, for which I'm thankful. But no matter. They got the blog name right.

I'm still not quite sure why they wanted this article, other than the reporter telling me she reads my blog and enjoys it (hi, Sara!). The issue was the Women's Issue, though primarily focused on women in the work world. Also, I'm over 50, which I'm sure the Source didn't know because if they did I'd have been banned from publication. 

I used to work at an alternative weekly in Boston, the Boston Phoenix. I was the traffic manager, in charge of making sure all the ads ran that were scheduled. And all the local clubs would call in to me with their band listings for the week, which was kinda fun for some reason. What I remember most is the coincidence that my sisters' high school friend worked there. (shout out to Clif here) And all the futon ads.

That experience is actually what propelled me to get an MBA and go into advertising. The place was wildly stressful and chaotic (these were the days of physical paste-up. It's when the layout artist actually - oh, never mind.) The national cigarette and liquor ads would come in from the ad agencies all nicely finished with paperwork and such. They seemed so professional.So calm. So organized. Ha.

Since my major from a private East Coast liberal arts college was Art, I clearly needed more education, so I got an MBA in marketing and was recruited by an NYC ad agency actually on Madison Avenue. The rest is history.

So I have a soft spot in my heart for alt weeklies, even if they not proofread so gud.

Does it count as sunny if you have no shadow?

Bend boosters like to quote the statistic that we get 300 days of sunshine here -- it counteracts the Oregon = rain perception people hold. Everyone quotes the same number: 300. Realtors, the Chamber of Commerce, the medical clinic, golf resorts and the local HVAC company all repeat this frequently. (With the notable exception of a surly curmudgeon whose entire blog exists to dispute this number.) I'm not sure how the "300 days" stat was compiled, but I'm just saying we'd better see sunshine non-stop through New Year's if we're going to hit that this year.

Due to the frequent brilliant sunshine there's a interesting phenomenon that occurs in Central Oregon around February and March. By now we're seriously bored with winter and start to believe that sun = spring. People shed the down and fleece and run around in shorts and t-shirts. Myself, I stop wearing jackets to work and start leaving the doors open, until I realize I'm freezing. 35 degrees is 35 degrees whether it's December or May.

(There's a subset of guys who wear shorts year-round here. They tend to be of three kinds: snowboarders, 30-something dads who pretend they're snowboarders, and the UPS guy. The shorts are the long cargo-type, so at least we're spared large flashes of goosebumpy flesh.)

The kids immediately wear tank tops (gals) or take their shirts off (dudes) and hang around the park downtown. By the way, I seem to have turned into the kind of mom who says: "Those children must be freezing!" How did that happen?

Then it turns gray and cold and rainy again and we remember it's only February.

I'm happy to report that I'm in a far better place than I was this time last year, when I wrote this depressing post.  Wow. Good thing I didn't have my biathlon rifle back then.

Where the cool kids hang out. And the geese. On a much nicer day than today.

11 years ago, in a mini-mall far, far away...

Today's our "Gotcha Day" as they say in adoption circles, so I'm republishing this post from last year.

Where babies come from: between Domino's and the dry cleaners

Ten Eleven years ago today, in a non-descript office in a non-descript mini-mall in Humble, Texas, a social worker placed a little baby in my arms. I stared down at him staring up at me. I recall my first thoughts were: "You've got so much hair!" followed by "You're so dark!" followed by "I can't believe they're giving me this baby!"  I'm sure Henry was thinking the same things, as he looked astonished, frankly.

My big brother Steve and I had driven from Austin to Houston that morning to "Go Get Henry!" as Steve's map was titled. I had warned him about the religiosity of the Texas adoption agency and he was prepared for whatever came up. (Another couple I knew were invited to pray before they received their child.) We met with the director, who commented on how wonderful it was that my brother lived in Texas and was able to accompany me. My brother, who is an imposing character with a deep voice, proclaimed loudly: "It was meant to be!" Satisfied I was acceptable, she closed the deal. I handed over a check and they handed over Henry.

They let us leave, baby in arms (I was expecting alarms to sound) and we walked off into our life together.

Stuck in a rut, or is it a groove?

This is a quick post to show my friend Polly some yarns for fabric ideas. Polly is multi-crafted: knits and sews, beautifully. (Plug for her etsy shop here)

I seem to be buying the same skein over and over, though in different weights and yarns. Like Picasso in his blue period, right?

I never knit these - I just like to look at them.

This is two years worth of Madrona Fiber Retreat purchases. These are each made by different people -- all hand-died and mostly handspun. They're so beautiful in the skein, I can't bear to knit them.

Do you ever buy the same thing (with slight variations) over and over again?

My life as an A.V. nerd

(I love this painter. He painted 1000 images in 1000 days and blogged about it.)

For some reason that is not at all clear, I have become the A.V. go-to-gal at my office. This primarily consists of hooking up the laptop to the digital projector. It's always right before a presentation when the audience has filed in and is avidly watching. I screw and unscrew connections, push buttons, close and open the computer, confer in a frantic undertone with the presenter and eventually get the image on the screen.

It's a very mysterious ritual and takes a lot of time out of my workday when I could be blogging. (Just kidding!) I guess I kind of like being needed, and I suppose it falls under my role as the Communications VP, but shouldn't it be easier? What I think about during those times is when are these things going to be automatic. Why is hooking up a TIVO, a wireless network or a digital projector still so complicated? And why am I the one who has to do it?

She can ski, shoot and knit. All at the same time!

Just when I was bemoaning my fall from scuba diver to knitter, here comes a true athlete. Biathlete AND knitter, Magdalena Neuner. She even has her own pattern and yarn line.

Here's her blog banner:

Hmm. Maybe I need to get a rifle.

I can't say it any better

From Forbes.com:

What's ironic is that I am an advertiser on NBC. Granted, I don't buy national airtime for a car brand - it's a museum in the Central Oregon market. But hey, I'm paying them money. And even as an advertiser, this total lack of respect for the viewers really pisses me off. I'm close to pulling my media buy but for the fact that I care about my local franchise and my reps. I've let them know how I feel, but I doubt it's going to get back to 30 Rock.

And yes, we're still watching the Olympic prime-time coverage at home - what choice do we have?

Oh wait: I take that back. I could be watching the Olympics right now (Sat. afternoon): NBC is providing live coverage. Up now:

Men's Hockey

Late round-robin action features the Slovakian men versus Latvia.

Phrases I'll ban when I'm Queen

This is officially a Friday Frylet, as it's Friday.

This week's phrase: "Game changer" 

GAACK! I HATE this phrase. Everything's suddenly a game changer this year. Who started it? There are books, blog posts, editorials and pedantic pundits who are now calling anything new a "game changer." Quit it!

In my opinion, this is the only thing that can be called a Game Changer:

Yes, that's a doggy remote-control holder, available here.

And Kathi D: they didn't make a Sheltie version.

Obama and the Lama

But will anything change?

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the Map Room of the White House, Feb. 18, 2010.

(Sorry - couldn't resist that title)

The first sign of spring

Feb. 18:  Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training.

Feb. 23: All other players report to Spring Training.

I have to admit that if I read a similar post regarding football in August or whenever they all report, I'd think "what a loser." But hey, it's my blog, so it's cool.

An alien ate my homework

Henry and I saw Percy and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief yesterday. (awkward title, but comes from the book series.) It was mildly entertaining --100% formula, a sort of Harry Potter-very-lite, but with a nice original Greek mythology theme.

This particular formula goes like this: teen feels like a misfit; hooks up with other misfits; together they save the world from _________ (evil wizards, aliens, motor vehicles who transform into aliens, Greek Gods, spy kids, superhero-villains); gain coolness and set the stage for the sequel. All with hipness, wittiness, hottieness and all the other attributes misfit teens possess. Adults are either 1. ineffectual, 2. non-existent, or 3. clueless losers who get in the way. 

There's the usual geeky (or in this case, goaty) sidekick, the cute but unavailable girl, the bullies and bad guys, fight scenes and diner scenes. All normalcy returns in the end and the misfit gets the girl.

There were some amusing effects: Pierce Brosnan as a horse's ass (his words, not mine!), Uma Thurman as a wonderfully campy compelling Medusa, and Rosario Dawson as a very hot Persephone (a little geek greek mythology humor there - get it?). Unfortunately, next to the adults, the kids are a little colorless. Lots of no-names with no personalities, frankly. Maybe they'll develop in the next ones.

As a pre-teen, Henry eats up these movies. I wonder what messages he's getting. I also wonder where these kids get the money for food and gas and how they're going to describe this adventure on their college admissions essays.

Uma's having a bad hair day.

Update: embroidery scissors no longer terrorist tool

From the Transportation Safety Association: good news for flying fiber crafters:

Item	Carry-on	Checked
Box Cutters	No	Yes
Ice Axes/Ice Picks	No	Yes
Knives - except for plastic or round bladed butter knives	No	Yes
Meat Cleavers	No	Yes
Razor-Type Blades - such as box cutters, utility knives, razor blades not in a cartridge, but excluding safety razors.	No	Yes
Sabers	No	Yes
Scissors - metal with pointed tips and blades shorter than four inches	Yes	Yes
Swords	No	Yes

But, please, leave your meat cleavers in your checked baggage.

Sock fetish

This guy should be in the Guinness World Book of Records, if they cover knitting events.

He's knitting 14 socks on one needle. Seriously. And, each pair is in a different (and intricate) pattern.

Why? Because, um, I have no idea. But it's pretty impressive.

fibery goodness 2010

Warning: this blog is being highjacked by knitting topics for the next few days. If that isn't your thing, come back on Monday, when it will be released into randomness again.

Here I am in a swanky moderne hotel in Tacoma, Wa. I'm here for my annual pilgrimage to the center of fiber madness in the Pacific NW, the Madrona Fiber Retreat. (I say fiber because there are a lot of spinners here as well. Funny to see these quaint wooden wheels being lugged around by funky young women. And a guy here and there as well.)

Knitters are everywhere: in the elevator, lounging in the lobby, at the bar, in the cafe. It's a bit bizarre, but you just have to let go and get into it. I got here this morning and hit the yarn market. The real finds here are the handspun, individually dyed yarns - the creators are here selling their handmade wares. Incredible subtle shifting colors, odd combinations that work, yarn from the owners' own alpacas or sheep. I've decided I never want to buy commercially-made yarn again (must stay out of yarn stores).

Of course it means a sweater will cost well over $100, so I'll be limited to making shawls, scarves, socks and such. I'm taking a few classes, mostly in colorwork (I'll post the swatches). Here's a shot of the marketplace.

Caution: fiber fumes

Ravelympics 2010 - get your needles started...

Alright. We've established that I have no life, correct? This is what it's come to: I'm getting overexcited about the start of RAVELYMPICS 2010!

From the Ravelry website:

Time for the next round of madness that is the Ravelympics. This time we’re “gathering” in Vancouver, Canada during Feb 12-28, 2010. Goal: 2 weeks of focused, intense personal & team challenges to tackle while watching the actual Olympics unfold before our eyes.

Tonight, mass quantities of knitters, spinners and crocheters are going to start projects all at the same time when the opening ceremonies begin. Right now the count of participants is 8,729, with 33 events like Beading Biathlon, Felting Freestyle and Hat Halfpipe. There are hundreds of teams and it all unfolds live via the website with forum chats, countdowns, music and general silliness.

Oh, those wacky crafters! 

I have a few UFOs to tackle and am going to challenge myself with toe-up socks on two circulars. Whoa. Hope I don't break a finger.

So who's with me? Anybody??  Polly?

Bob, the Boston Terrier, the official mascot of Ravelry and Ravelympics.

Update:Just finished my first unfinished object! Medalled! On to the next...

Top Ten Tues: boring details edition

Drowning Girl by Roy Lichtenstein

What idiot said: "Don't sweat the small stuff -- and it's all small stuff"?

Actually, he's right, it pretty much is all small stuff. But it all has to be sweated, or it won't get done. Then what do you have?? The fabric of our society torn apart, rather than just fraying at the edges.

I'm having one of those nights. Here's what I'm obsessing about:

1. Henry's 11th birthday tomorrow - I haven't planned anything
2. Buying cookies for Henry's class on the way to work in the am
3. Finishing videos and the website for the new exhibit we're opening Thursday
4. Flying out at 6 am Sat. for a knitting retreat
5. Organizing Henry for the weekend, complete with ski stuff
6. Valentines Day (the day I return) - cards, candy, etc. for H.
7. Ravelympics 2010 - a knitting event during the Olympics (I'm on Team Hopelessly Overcommitted)
8. Calling my parents
9. Getting Flash to the vet, and oh, who's going to watch him this weekend?
10. Fixing the leak over the kitchen window - needs professional help

Sometimes it's all too much. Nothing to do but have another glass of wine and tackle today's Sudoku. Or whine about it in a blog post.

What do you do when you're being sucked under by the small stuff?