Knitting Nation + Hugo Cabret = Great Day

A wonderful day, in fact a wonderful two days, but the best thing of all is that now it's the weekend, and I get another two days. Fantastic!

This morning my knitting friends and I went into Boston, to see Phase 8 of Knitting Nation at the ICA. That's the Institute of Contemporary Art, for my fellow philistines (I'd never been, myself).

They moved to a new building on the waterfront, and the outside of the building is to my eyes unexceptional, while the logo reminded me of the IGA grocery store chain logo:

What do you think?

The building might not be much, but the site is right on the water, with beautiful views. In fact, I caught a glimpse of the airport across the harbor, marked by the figure that as a child I called "the giant with a golf ball on his head".


And the views are also good from inside, where the knitting performance was going on.


Eight knitting machines, cones of yarn, piles of fabric ... very rhythmic, very meditative. I'm not usually a performance art person, but knitting is a way to get me in the door. Click on the photos to see bigger.


They had t-shirts, though I decided not to get one. And fortunately, since I'm not a size small, I didn't want to spend $100 on a t-shirt with added knit sleeves, presumably added by the artist. They were very cool, though.


(I took a short video of the machines in action, about 90 seconds, but given that it's been an hour and a half and it still hasn't finished uploading, I give up. I'll try it again tomorrow.)

We sat for quite some time, watching, and of course three of us were knitting. The artist had a photographer there to capture the event, and she took some shots of us, too! Pretty funny: the line between performance and observation. It was a great way to spend some time.

Then tonight I went with other friends to see Hugo, the new movie based on The Invention of Hugo Cabret, and it was excellent. I even approved of the 3D, which I usually am not a fan of. Some of us had read the book and some had not, so I have no qualms in recommending it to everyone.

Two days of good fun, and it's only now Friday night! This is my idea of a weekend.

Last Weekend At Last; and a knitting treat at the end

If I don't write about last weekend tonight, it will be next weekend before I do! I have a mammogram tomorrow night (ugh), so I don't know how wordy I'll be feeling, and Friday night I'm taking the car in to the shop (more on that in a minute), and so it goes.

Friday night I went with friends to see Avatar, and in 3D. So what did I think?

It's a good movie, which does happen to bear a remarkable similarity to the plot of certain other movies*. It's a long movie, damn, almost 3 hours. And I don't think I really like 3D all that much.

*I read the comparison that's floating around online between Avatar and Pocahontas before I saw Avatar, which may have colored my impressions, but yeah, I can sure see it. I never saw Dances With Wolves, so I can't speak to that one.

It was overwhelming. My eyes were tired by the end. When little bits of whatever floated in the foreground, I wanted to bat them away. Yeah, I get it, yeah, it's supposed to be that way, but I didn't really like it. Also, I'm not trying to run down the quality of the theater where we saw it, but the previews I've seen make the colors seem even more vivid than I found them. Is that the fault of the 3D? Who knows? The review in the Globe noted that at the first screening, the 3D had such problems, they rescheduled. It puts the idea in one's head.

It was good. Long. Tiring, which may have had more to do with a busy week and very busy day, who knows. I can't help wondering how I would have felt about it in the non-3D version, but one can't see it again for the first time.

Then, leaving the theater complex, I hit a curb, hard. Snow, road narrowing, and a flash from bright headlights behind me at just the wrong moment. The car seems to be okay, though I'm taking it in to check the alignment just in case, but on top of my already tired/overwhelmed condition, it was kind of the last straw. I pulled into a CVS parking lot to look at the tire, then hyperventilate for a few minutes and check it again before driving home. It looked fine, well maybe a little banged up but not flattening is the point, and the car isn't pulling one way or the other, but it was scary and unnerving and now every bump in the road has me doubting myself and the car. Not fun.

The rest of the weekend was hormones and cramps and headache on and off, only getting truly bad Sunday night, but not really fun and energetic and getting things done. I've had better. The Bruins lost Saturday, not fun either. They sure are not last year's team. That was so much fun to watch. This year, the only consistency is their inconsistency. They play tonight and tomorrow, but in California, meaning I'll be asleep before the opening faceoff.

I hate to end such a down post on a down note! Let me show you something I saw at the Everson Museum in Syracuse.


Look at this guy!


How cute is he? And how handy would it be to have all sizes of needles with you when you needed them? No wonder he's smiling.


He's knitting his own outfit!


I could hardly tear myself away.

Too much to fit in one title

The best-laid plans; rose resurrection; garden producing; and fun on the fourth, including fireworks and a great movie

Just over a week ago, I came across something about Stitch and Pitch games, baseball games to which knitters (or, I suppose, any stitchers) are encouraged to come. One of these games was being held by the Lowell Spinners, not impossibly far from Greater Boston; I thought it sounded like a fun summer event, and certainly I want to encourage any entity that sees knitters as a valid group to market to. I proposed to my Stitch and Bitch group that we go, several agreed, and we made plans to meet there.

In our innocence of such things, we (or at least I) did not consider the possibility of the game selling out ahead of time. Was I being naive? I don't follow baseball at all, but somehow I just didn't have the impression that the minor leagues completely sold out all that much. Certainly, I would have known it was different for the Red Sox, since even I have heard how well-nigh impossible it is for anyone to get tickets. (They're not even having a Stitch and Pitch game; no need to try to drum up business.) But, I'm sorry, the Spinners? Really?

We got tickets, but it was close to sold out. Silly me. I did take lots of pictures, but perhaps we'll do the photo essay for that tomorrow, as I would like to get some sleep tonight.

In preparation for the game, I did start the socks this weekend, my traveling knitting for times and places when the blanket is too cumbersome, so that's ready for my trip in two-and-a-half weeks (but who's counting). Pictures of that tomorrow, too. Toe-up again, with the yarn I bought at Webs in April. The down side is that it will be hard to put these aside for the blanket. I may have to leave them in the car, and not bring them in the house at all. Ah, what would life be like with willpower?

*******************

In the Spring, before winter had loosed its icy grip, I bought a small rose plant. It was so pretty, and I craved the color.


Then there was an Unfortunate Incident involving an insufficiency of water, and the plant has been without flower for the last three months. It lost a bunch of leaves, too, but I didn't think I had completely killed it, so I was more diligent with the watering, and it's been filling in nicely. Today I was rewarded with this:


The plant really sprouted over the long weekend. I wish I'd taken a picture on Thursday; ah, hindsight. In any event, I only have an inch or two before I have to move it: it's getting close to the underside of the shelf.

*******************

With some trepidation, I went out to the garden this morning to see what time had wrought. And then you know what? I had a snack.


Delicious! And more coming. I was very excited. That's the way to go, Monday!

Also, one of the flowers has decided to change direction. Interesting:



*******************

As late as a week ago, I didn't have any plans for celebrating the Fourth, but I ended up having lots of fun. My best friend had to work the fourth and fifth, but I drove down to her (she lives in RI) Friday afternoon, had fun, spent the night, and drove home Saturday morning to a whole weekend ahead of me. We had thought of going to the beach in the afternoon, but it was so not beach weather, so she suggested a movie instead.

We saw WALL-E, and it was great! You're totally rooting for this little robot with all his quirks before events even start unfolding, and then! Well, I won't give anything away, but we both enjoyed it very much, and I would recommend it if you're at all interested. To be honest, when I saw the preview months ago, I was on the fence: it looked like it could go either way, be great or a total waste of time. However, the Globe review was very, very good, and then a friend of my friend's had seen it and said it was great, so we decided to go, and I'm so glad we did!

Nor was that all we did. After a delicious dinner at her place, we went out again, for the PawSox were having fireworks after the game. And they, too, were great! Seriously very professional, lots of ooh and ahh. It was such fun.

Now, seriously, I need some sleep! (I wish I could get Cotton-Eye Joe out of my head. Bad enough to have any song stuck in your head, but one you don't like? Ouch.)

Pan in the shower

Most days, Pan gets in the shower after I'm done and licks water from the tub. Perhaps it's because the water is "fresh", even better than the toilet (yes, he drinks out of that, too). It's a bit weird, but hey, my mother and I have had whole conversations about whether my cats are weird because living with me makes them weird, or because I selected weird cats in the first place. (Either way, it doesn't really reflect well on me, does it?)

Some mornings, he's there when I turn the water off, and other times he comes wandering along shortly thereafter, and once in a while he doesn't bother at all. Last year, when I had house guests, we discovered that he does in fact want to get in even if it's not me showering. Once he heard the water going, he was so vocal about the closed bathroom door that I was a tad embarrassed by him, and wanted to reassure the person showering that really, he could take his time, ignore the maniac meowing outside the door.

This morning, Pan was ready for "water world" before I even got in. I had to get my clothing together and there he was, practically pacing. It isn't wet, what goes on here? When I turned the water on, he jumped on the edge of the tub and was looking like he was going to jump right in, which I was certain he would regret, so I lifted him down and moved on. When I was almost done, I looked out and he was still right there. When I finished and pulled the curtain back, I said, "Okay, come on in," and he meowed loudly, as if to say About time, before he hopped in.

Lick, lick, lick. I must get that on camera one of these days.

**********************

Went to see the new Indiana Jones movie tonight, and it was good! Though I couldn't watch one extended scene: I don't know if I'm more squeamish than I used to be, or whether it's just because the ick in question hit my "thing", but I couldn't stand it. Bluck. Otherwise, two thumbs up!

Not the strongest will-power in the grocery store

Going grocery shopping can test my will power, especially if I'm hungry, but I was doing pretty well tonight, until the self-scanner* offered me $1 off my weakness, Ben & Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar Crunch. Well, actually it didn't specify the flavor, but that's always my first choice, and to get a pint for $2? My resolve crumbled.

* Not to do a scan on yourself, but to do the scanning. It's a handheld scanner that Stop & Shop has, so you scan items as you shop, and then bag them right at the cart. I like it because it cuts down on the number of times I handle an item.

Yummm...

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I'm fed up with the Bruins right now. They're down 4-1 after one period in Montreal, and not playing much better than that. They're not burying their chances, and making too many give-aways, letting Montreal walk in and make plays ... ugh. Plus, the game tonight is on Versus, and Sunday's was on NBC, and I miss my NESN guys. (Well, not Katherine Tappen, and her very convincing impression of someone who knows almost nothing about hockey, but some of the others, like Andy Brickley.)

That said, of course I'm going to go watch the second period. But I may be looking at my mitten more than the TV.

*********************
Oh, did you catch that? Yes, mitten! I started mittens for me, me, me! Well, technically, I started one mitten, of course, but if it works, the second will be quick to follow (baby, it's cold outside). They are, naturally, more complicated than the ones I made for the babies, for the simple reason that I want thumbs in mine, but it's still a pretty basic pattern. So far, I like it very well, and find it clearly written. Further updates, and photos, as progress is made.

*********************
I think it's time to buy a new printer. I said I would when I bought the new computer (yes, last May, that new computer), and of course I never got around to it, just bought a cord to allow the old (old, old) printer to converse with the new computer and went along with it.

However.

It apparently has made the decision for me. It has stopped printing, and started making god-awful grindy noises instead (which is not a substitution I feel good about). If it was not printing, that would be one thing, or if it was printing while making bad noises ... but both together, well, I don't know if I can do anything about that. I was hoping to at least wait until after I do my taxes*, but it occurs to me that in order to do the taxes, I will probably appreciate being able to print. So hmmm. Printer shopping, eh?

* I am dying to do my taxes, and the wait for the W-2 is painful. This was the first full year of condo-ownership for me, and I want to see what a difference it makes. They Say owning is better than renting in this way, and I want to see it! I bought my copy of RobotTax, and if my W-2 doesn't come with this week's paycheck, I may cry.

*********************
When I logged on just now, I saw the news that Heath Ledger was found dead today. I'm very sad about this. I loved him in 10 Things I Hate About You and in A Knight's Tale, and Casanova ... so sad. Twenty-eight years old ...

Top 100 Movies (my score)

I caught this meme from Annalea at The Passionate Mind. This is a list of the Top 100 Films of All Time (whose list, I'm not sure, not that I'm bothered enough to try to find out). Since I've seen so few of them, I'm going to bold the ones I've seen and italic the ones I've seen some of, and give myself partial credit for those. (Why not? My blog, my rules.)

1. Citizen Kane (1941)
2. The Godfather
3. Casablanca (1942)
4. Raging Bull (1980)
5. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
6. Gone with the Wind (1939)
7. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
8. Schindler’s List (1993)
9. Vertigo (1958)
10. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
11. City Lights (1931)
12. The Searchers (1956)
13. Star Wars (1977)
14. Psycho (1960)
15. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
16. 2001 : A Space Odyssey (1968)
17. The Graduate (1967)
18. The General (1927)
19. On the Waterfront (1954)
20. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
21. Chinatown (1974)
22. Some Like It Hot (1959)
23. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
24. E.T. The Extraterrestrial (1982)
25. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
26. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
27. High Noon (1952)
28. All About Eve (1950)
29. Double Indemnity (1944)
30. Apocalypse Now (1979)
31. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
32. The Godfather Part II (1974)
33. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
34. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
35. Annie Hall (1977)
36. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
37. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
38. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
39. Dr. Strangelove (1964)
40. The Sound of Music (1965)
41. King Kong (1933)*
42. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
43. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
44. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
45. Shane (1953)
46. It Happened One Night (1934)
47. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
48. Rear Window (1954)
49. Intolerance (1916)
50. Lord of the Rings : The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
51. West Side Story (1961)
52. Taxi Driver (1976)
53. Deer Hunter, The (1978)
54. M*A*S*H (1970)
55. North by Northwest (1959)
56. Jaws (1975)
57. Rocky (1976)
58. The Gold Rush (1925)
59. Nashville (1975)
60. Duck Soup (1933)
61. Sullivan’s Travels (1941)
62. American Graffiti (1973)
63. Cabaret (1972)
64. Network (1976)
65. The African Queen (1951)
66. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
67. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
68. Unforgiven (1992)
69. Tootsie (1982)
70. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
71. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
72. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
73. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
74. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
75. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
76. Forrest Gump (1994)
77. All the President’s Men (1976)
78. Modern Times (1936)
79. The Wild Bunch (1969)
80. The Apartment (1960)
81. Spartacus (1960)
82. Sunrise (1927)
83. Titanic (1997)
84. Easy Rider (1969)
85. A Night at the Opera (1935)
86. Platoon (1986)
87. 12 Angry Men (1957)
88. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
89. The Sixth Sense (1999)
90. Swing Time (1936)
91. Sophie’s Choice (1982)
92. Goodfellas (1990)
93. The French Connection (1971)
94. Pulp Fiction (1994)
95. The Last Picture Show (1971)
96. Do the Right Thing (1989)
97. Blade Runner (1982)*
98. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
99. Toy Story (1995)
100. Ben-Hur (1959)

Totals: seen in whole, 17*, and seen parts of, 10. Thus, perhaps, a rating of 22? Still pretty low. I've seen so many movies! Just, well, not most of these.

*I said 16 in the comment on Annalea's post, but I'd forgotten Network.

If you're interested enough to count (or blog) your own total, shout it out in the comments, okay?

I Heart Jonathan Rhys Meyers

I liked him in Bend It Like Beckham, but in August Rush, well. It's enough to give a person totally unrealistic ideas about life and love. Sigh... And can we please not talk about how he was born in a year I remember? Thank you.

So, I liked the movie, and so did my friends, though we all had different degrees of difficulty with realism, likelihood, and probability. If you go see it, do tell me at what point your suspension of disbelief broke down, okay?

The Bruins won today, which was nice, and I got some knitting done, too. I have the group scarf from my stitch and bitch again, and it's going much better this time. Don't get me wrong, I still do not like seed stitch (I do not like green eggs and ham...), and pretty much have to sit with my eyes on it, saying, "Knit ... purl ... knit ... purl" all the way, but it is working, which is more than I could say last time. I'm not enjoying it, but I'm not hating it either, and it is working, which is nice. Satisfying. And on Monday, I pass it on!

I ought to go do some dishes now, but I have a feeling that some kitty maintenance is called for. The portable ones do not care for my going out, and require appeasing when I return.

Movies I'm waiting to see, and the one I saw

There are a couple of movies coming out that I want to see. Back in August, I saw a trailer for August Rush, which looked like just my cup of tea. And, it has Freddie Highmore (so great in Finding Neverland), Keri Russell (who was so good in Waitress), and Jonathan Rhys Meyers (who I liked so much in Bend It Like Beckham). Oh, and Robin Williams. This one opens for Thanksgiving. Can't wait!

Then I read about one that was very well-received at the Toronto Film Festival, called Breakfast with Scot. It gets two of my interests right away: hockey and knitting. Megan Follows, too! There isn't much info on this out, and no release date in the U.S. that I could find in a quick search. I hope it comes south!

Then there's The Golden Compass, based on Philip Pullman's books, which I loved (where do you think Pan got his name?). As with all "beloved books made into movies", I'm strictly in the "hoping they do the story justice" mode. Having books you like made into movies can be a mixed blessing.

Which also applies to The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, though as that doesn't come out until next May, there's plenty of time to get ready for it.

Then, I went to the movies Monday night, having been given a pass to see The Kite Runner. Whew! A very good movie, but there were a few scenes that have stuck with me longer then I would choose. It's very thought-provoking, which is normally good, but there were a few violent scenes that I actually wish I could forget. According to the friend I went with, who had read the book where I had not, the movie-makers actually toned the violence down, so I won't be reading the book, no matter how good it is (and it's supposed to be excellent). I have to sleep at night, after all. I usually go for the happy endings, and while there are exceptions, there aren't many.

Seen anything good yourself? Waiting for anything?

weekend notes

First, in a knitting note, I counted the stitches in the cowl, and there are 105. As I was counting and got close to the end, I thought that there might actually be exactly 100 stitches, which would have cracked me up since I didn't count them as I cast on, just kept going until there were enough to join without difficulty. Still, 105 is close enough.

Following up on my hockey-game-time-switching bitterness, let me just note that the Bruins won, even if they did get rescheduled. It was 1-0 in a shootout, thank you Phil Kessel, our amazing comes-through-in-the-shootout kid. When it came to the third shooter, I knew before they said that it would be him. He had an amazing record last year, in his rookie season, no less. He wasn't even expected to make the team in camp, and he did, stayed all year, overcame treatment for cancer in December, and can really put them away in the shootout. He was the only scorer yesterday; very impressive. The Bruins have now won four straight, and are 5-2. Enjoy it while it lasts, but it sure is nice.

Friday night I went to the movies, and the theater was pretty close to where I went to high school, so the drive was a bit of memory lane. As if the radio stations knew where I was going, I heard several songs from the 80s or thereabouts:

• David Bowie, Changes
• Huey Lewis and the News, Heart of Rock'n'Roll
• Supertramp, Goodbye Stranger
• Prince, I Would Die 4 U
  

We saw The Jane Austen Book Club, and it was really good! I read the book, but haven't re-read it in a while, so I can't give chapter and verse on how faithful the movie was to the book, but the movie was good. In fact, I liked Grigg better in the movie! Anyway, if it's your sort of thing, do see it.

It's been unseasonably warm recently, it probably hit 80 today, but it cools down at night. I'm about to close the last window I had open, as the breeze coming in is decidedly chilly. But it smells marvelous. I do love autumn. I think it's my favorite season, because I love it for itself and not what it portends. I mean, if you think about it, Fall means summer is over and winter is coming. What's to like about that? One should prefer Spring, which means that winter is over at last, summer is finally possible. And I certainly do like Spring! But in autumn, when the leaves turn beautiful colors and smells of neighboring cook-outs are replaced by smells of fires-in-fireplaces, I drive around smiling.

Vacation: the Photo Essay

There are those who think of vacations as a time to get out and go, and those who think of them as a time to relax and recharge. My ideal vacation has a combination of both, and my cousin and I managed to do some of each during her week here, though the balance probably went toward getting out. Hey, nobody's perfect! The thing about New England is that there's so much to see and do, in a relatively and deceptively compact space, that you can find yourself saying sure, we could do that, too! And that! And why not that as well?

So, JL arrived Thursday afternoon, and I picked her up and we got settled in, and I promptly abandoned her (with her prior permission) to go Yarn Harlotting. The next day, I worked in the morning, and in the afternoon, we went into Boston despite the high 90s* temperatures. When we were kids and JL visited, we loved to go in to Boston and visit the Faneuil Hall area, wandering through all the little shops. On Friday, of course, we were most interested in the ones with the best air conditioning! How times change. Still, it was fun. Afterwards, we had a great dinner in the suburbs (yes! it can be done!) and hung out chatting before bed.

*that's mid-30s Celsius for the rest of the world

Saturday we headed north of the city (generally referred to as the North Shore), up to the Cape Ann area, and stopped in Gloucester, where they were having a sort of festival thing with booths and music and it was fun. I found this sign interesting; I've seen signs for Objets d'Art, but never seen it translated into English before:


It is a little hard to read, but it actually does say Objects of Art. Interesting. Anyone seen that elsewhere?

Then in Rockport, a lovely town itself:


I saw a sign I liked for a different reason. Here's a word for you: seafencibles. My goodness!


I hate it when all my seafencibles are taken prisoner. Plus, if you're using your stockings as slings to hurl rocks, they better have been well-knit to begin with, don't you think? Go, knitters of Rockport!

All right, on to some pretty pictures. A flowery thing (still in Rockport):


And a beach scene, which means now it's Sunday and we're in Rhode Island. Isn't it pretty?


Caution: low-flying sea-gulls:


Dunes and beaches and grasses, oh my:


On Monday, somewhat worn from the weekend, we were a little less active. In fact, we went to the movies! We saw No Reservations, which we both enjoyed (although it's not all sunshine and light, it's still overall fun), and we also saw a preview for August Rush*, which was the only one of the many previews they showed that made both of us say Absolutely Yes. (Of course, it doesn't come out until November.) So many of these things make me say no way: I have to agree with my brother, who refers to the things as Repulsions, instead of Attractions.

*It has Freddie Highmore, the child actor who was so great in Finding Neverland as well as in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; it has Keri Russell, who I just loved in Waitress; it has Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who I loved in Bend It Like Beckham; and oh-by-the-way it has Robin Williams.

On Tuesday, a beach of another style, what we called ghost beach:


This was Nantasket Beach in Hull, south of Boston, and the spray/surf/whatever was rolling in. Perhaps if it had been super-hot, the temperature change and steady breeze would have been a nice change, but as it was ... we gave it a try, but the sand was soaking wet, the water was cool, and after a while we decided that it wasn't fun. We drove around looking at the pretty town:


Then, on our way back toward home, found that only a short distance away, the sun was out, over another beach! So we stayed there for a while, soaking up sunshine, and it was nice, and check out the scenic New England-ness of the view.


Even the gulls were lined up looking out over the water:




And we were in time to see the west-bound goose crossing, too.


Finally, as the sun sank slowly in the west (I know, where else would it sink?), we packed up again and once more headed home (and to dinner at Legal Sea Foods, JL living in a landlocked locale).

When I was at work on Wednesday morning, someone asked, "Do you have any big plans for the last night?"

I said, "Yes, we're going to Vermont."

To fully get the look I got, you have to understand, I can drive to the closest edge of New Hampshire in less than an hour. Same with Maine, Rhode Island, and probably Connecticut. Vermont is probably more like two hours just to get to the border. I, of course, was planning to go to Ben and Jerry's, which is in Waterbury, which is three hours from me. Each way. After I've worked all morning. So it was a crazy plan, but we really wanted to go.

Before you ask, the reason we didn't go on the weekend is that, although they do give tours on the weekends, the production floor isn't running on the weekends, and we felt like that would make a difference. It just wouldn't be as neat when things weren't running.

Sure, we're crazy. Everyone's crazy about something. At least we were compatibly crazy on this.

So, here's something you see in Vermont that you don't see everywhere you go:


And B&J plants some pretty flowers on their grounds:



Now you know you're getting closer:




I am proud of number 8; JL claims number 5 as her personal best:


This is my idea of a factory:


And the views of the neighborhood aren't half-bad either:


It can be a little spooky, though.


We went into Burlington for dinner, and that's certainly a city I'd like to explore at more length another time. We went down to the water to look at Lake Champlain, and I loved this name on one of the boats (being as we were near Stowe, Vermont):


I also liked this window display, especially the blue rubber duckie in the middle:


And that about wraps it up for the photos, since my camera felt that the stars were too far away to capture (silly camera! they were so close, and there were a million of them!). We got home late on Wednesday, and Thursday was hanging out and packing, and airport and goodbyes, and then it was over. Next time, I suppose, I'll visit her, and hang out with her boys, and think of silly things to teach them (I wonder if they can do fish-face yet?), and it will be a different kind of fun. But this was a good vacation.

On the other hand, I haven't knit since the Yarn Harlot left. I have to finish that sock!

Did you realize, by the way, that I've been blogging for a year now? Amazing ... already, it's part of my life to the point that, for example, when I saw that boat, I took a picture because "that's blog-worthy". I've missed blogging the past week. I've really gotten used to doing this regularly. Funny, that. I wonder if there's a post there...

Even cuter in person

The hat's done! I'm pleased with it, and may make another for myself, as I have more of that yarn left (note to self: cast on 72 stitches, size 10 needles), since it actually fits me quite well. Figures, when I'm not trying to make it to fit me.... I don't think I caught its best side, but photography's like that, for me anyway. The only reason the cat photos tend to come out well, I think, is that the cats are too cute for me to totally mess it up. Here, for example, is Pan helping me select my needles when I started the hat:

Why, look, it's something largely fur-free, that has not been thoroughly sniffed! This must be rectified immediately. Then he muses on what his nose has reported:
Hmmm ... it has an interesting bouquet ...

I finished reading The Namesake, the book of the movie I saw recently. It was interesting as further insight into the characters, but I'm not sure how I would have felt about it had I not seen the movie first. One of my friends has read it, didn't love it, but plans to see the movie, so I'll be interested to hear what she thinks of the film version. It's funny how people bring such different experiences to movies, and can like or dislike them from such vastly different places, isn't it?

Fine, turn around when I give up on you, be that way

I threw my hands up in disgust at the Bruins last night. I wasn't quite reaching for the remote, but honestly. Being down 2-0 in the second period is far from insurmountable, and getting a power play is a good time to turn it around, so when they instead gave up a shorthanded goal, argh! I was doing some very loud muttering (does that still count as muttering?) about what was was wrong with them, and how they aren't going to make the playoffs, and they don't deserve to! In the symphony of inconsistency that has been their season, this was a particularly sour note.

I was nervous enough about watching this game, and perhaps jinxing them, after they beat Detroit, in Detroit, when I wasn't looking on Sunday, but I thought perhaps if I snuck glances while doing laundry (can't be out of long underwear with a snowstorm coming), that would be safe enough, and this is my reward, this utter mediocrity. (Why yes, I do take my hockey seriously, thank you for noticing. Summer is my off-season, I rest then.) How can they beat the good teams and not the bad ones? Why, oh why?

Then they scored on the power play.

And twice more, again on the power play, before the end of the game, so it went to overtime, and then the shootout, and Bergeron scored in the shootout, and so did Ovechkin for Washington of course, but then the kid Phil Kessel, who they're starting to call "the closer" (pretty sappy, but better than "special k", which is the other thing the announcer tried out), scored his fourth shootout-clinching goal of the season, and the Bruins won. Would that the world worked this way more often.

They're just so up and down. Between the New Jersey and Detroit games, those two great games, were three stinkers in which they scored a total of two goals. Two goals in three games and then six on Sunday. Couldn't score on the power play for the longest time and then whoops! They remembered how. The coaches must be batshit trying to figure them out. Oh well, they drive me crazy too, and I do it for free.

In other news, here's the driest lead-in I ever saw to what has to be one heck of a story:

Ambassador recalled for conduct unbecoming
Mon Mar 12, 2007 1:25 PM ET

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel has recalled its ambassador in El Salvador after he was found drunk and naked with sex toys lying nearby in the yard of his official residence, Israeli media reports said on Monday.

Then there's the photo of a protester in London, outside Parliament, holding a sign saying, "Nuclear Weapons are Naughty and Horrid".

I love the British. You can't argue with that, can you? American protesters are so crass by comparison. "Hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today?" That's just not ... nice, is it?

Finally, a good movie opened today, if you're looking for a recommendation: The Namesake. I got to see a preview of it recently, and enjoyed it, and the Globe liked it too. It's based on the book, which I'm now reading and also enjoying. So, whether you're looking for something to read or something to go see, I've got you covered! Don't say I never did anything for you. Happy St. Paddy's to you, in case I don't catch you tomorrow.