Cheeseburger in paradise
Filed Under Uncategorized
Where paradise is a can. Ah, the genius of German cuisine.
Let the lolcatting begin.
Why yes, I am feeling a bit peckish.
Cloverfield comments
Filed Under Movies
We saw Cloverfield in Vermont, which was the perfect venue because the theater near Mount Snow has eensy screens. Thus I was able to watch the movie without fear of motion sickness.
(As if we needed more proof that CNN is no longer a good source for news, did we really need an article telling us that bouncy jouncy movies might induce sickness? We all saw The Blair Witch Project and Saving Private Ryan; we know how this works.)
I enjoyed the movie. Character-wise, they sold the inciting irrational act of running toward the monster, there wasn’t hideous protagonist stupidity, and they stuck to the chosen single-camera schtick. Thus I have some quibbles (including the impressive fortitude saves by characters running around in heels or recently impaled) but am basically happy, even though we got to see a lot of the monster and the Central Park quotes were irksome.
But Jim Macdonald’s comments are much more entertaining than mine.
English 109
I’d like to give a shout out to Mercy College’s English 109 students. Their professors put together a 500 page reader, Tales of Wonder from Many Lands, and my version of an Iraqi folktale, “The Price of Jasmines and Lilies,” is included.
I highly recommend Inea Bushnaq’s Arab Folktales as further reading (for Mercy students or anyone else interested in this particular flavor of folklore). I used the collection as a source for a few of the stories I wrote for Fables, and it’s quite wonderful.
Broadside
Filed Under Music
We went to the Broadside Electric concert last night. Much fun, intimate venue. (I thought Milkboy was a coffee place first, but apparently it was music first, then coffee.) With a year since their last gig, the band was a bit rusty—often hilariously so—but the energy was high. This is the third time we’ve seen them live. (Which is twice more than I’ve seen any other band, not counting dance musicians, and probably a sign that I should get out more.)
Picking up on this blog’s recent Oddball Instruments theme, check out the list of instruments the band’s used in the past eighteen years. I get a kick out of the Chapman Stick, in part because it’s the only instrument name I can think of that’s a registered trademark.
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Things I accomplished this week
Filed Under Life, Knitting, Daleks, Skiing
Skiing! For five days. Really enjoyed it. Did not experience the debilitating lower leg pain that made this year’s first outing, and the final one last year, so unpleasant (and short). I’m still not a good skier, but I’m back to functional and have reconfirmed that I really like my equipment. I had previously done some of Mount Snow’s blue trails, and did more this time. (Spring Mountain claims I have done a black diamond, but their black diamond is neither black nor diamond.) I also went farther up the mountain than I have before. This was an accident—the bottom part of one trail was closed, so Larry and I had to ski over to a different lift—but a happy one. I enjoyed the longer trail down, though doing it as the last run on the last day was a bit tough. But I’m walking normally again, with limited twinges. I also had the experience of skiing on soft white stuff. Since my skiing experience is limited to the east (what is this “pow-der” of which you speak?) this was a surprising departure from crunchy or slushy, but I rather liked it.
Obtained goggles! Given the wind on a couple days, this was a wise purchase. Admittedly, it would’ve been wiser at the beginning of the week, not the middle….
Outlet shopping! Okay, I’m not really into outlet shopping. But it was a fun group outing, and I got some things I like, which I would never have bought at full price.
Parmesan encrusted tilapia! Cheaper and cheesier than crack.
Hot tubs and heated pool! Because it’s an awful lot of fun to sit in a warm bath while snow falls and your hair freezes.
Knitting! Made and attached Dalek appendages. Modified the pattern so the eyestalk ends in a black bulb with a bit of gray yarn in the center for contrast. (Because dude, I know what a Dalek’s eyestalk looks like, and it’s not just undifferentiated gray.) Partially stuffed Dalek (which still lacks a base). Determined that it looks much more Dalek-like when stuffed. Also determined that the bobbles and eyestalk on the head are not centered over the gun and manipulator arm. I am not particularly upset about this, because Daleks are perfectly capable of turning their heads, so I guess mine just thinks there’s something interesting off to the right.
Obtained glasses! They fit reasonably well, and unlike contacts they correct my astigmatism. Most importantly, they came with a beefy case. It’s not Kiko-proof, but will stand up better than the old case, which was soft, velcro-based thing.
Received flooring quote! This is actually a big deal. The first people we asked for a quote came to measure but never contacted us after that; the second could only give us a quote on the living room, not the basement. Paid flooring people a substantial deposit. Encountered no unpleasant divisiveness over color or materials, despite the fact that Larry’s dislike of browns eliminated many of our carpet color options. Not that it makes him a bad person or anything, and burgundy’s a perfectly dandy color. But I’m just saying.
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Another tick in the “truth is stranger than fiction” column
Filed Under Politics
A tale of George W. Bush’s affection for “A Charge to Keep” and how things don’t always mean what one thinks they mean.
Making a list
Filed Under Story picks
“Things I Counted Today” by Jonathan Wood
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I finished most of my Dalek
Now I just need to weave the head shut, knit and attach the appendages, stuff it and close it up. Well, that’s not really a “just,” but I now have something that looks more like a Dalek than a tea cozy. I am inordinately proud of the thing. I don’t often create physical objects, and there’s something viscerally satisfying in taking a strand of yarn and turning it into something.
Just wanted to share, because I know you’re all on tenterhooks waiting to find out how my knitting project turns out.
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Old MacDonald had a farm
Filed Under Uncategorized
E-i ei o
And on that farm he had a Gundam
E-i ei o
Because a mobile suit is the perfect solution to the problem of an aging workforce in an industry that depends upon manual labor.
Those wacky Swedes
Filed Under Music
Last night was the semi-annual ceilidh, filled with the standard sketches, auction, songs, and other performances. I found the nyckelharpa performance most interesting, by virtue of the fact that I had not previously known the nyckelharpa existed.
It is a rather ridiculous looking Swedish instrument, but it has a great sound. (Here’s some Bach.) If I had a musical bone in my body, I would teach myself to play the nyckelharpa. Largely, I confess, because of the entertainment value of the “What is that thing?” looks one would get.
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