Last Day of the Month

Don't have much time to write, but thought you might like a photo of my new phone.

Have fun with what little is left of February!

Still Hangin' in There

The earache hung on for all of Wednesday, got a bit better yesterday and is back again today.

But I did get out and get my new phone.

The old one was doing fun things like: a half hour after I ended a call, it would make a little alert noise and inform me that it had just ended the call. That's happened five or six times. And it leaves me wondering if I used up 2.5 to 3 hours of minutes that I didn't actually use. I don't know.

So, I got a new T-Mobile G1. It's got some wonderful features that make it easier to use than my old Sidekick 3, but some features that leave me wishing for the Sidekick. I was able to transfer all my phone numbers to the contact list on Google, and it uploaded them to the G1 in about a second after the service was connected and I'd switched the SIM card to the new phone. 

It also uploaded my calendar from Google, which means that almost all the work of setting up a new phone was done before I even started. And the good thing about the calendar is that it opens to the month view every time (because I set it to do that), unlike my Sidekick which would give me a note that said "No upcoming events in the next 7 days" instead of letting me see a calendar.

Switching the SIM card was not as easy as it might have been. You need to apply an excessive amount of force to remove the back the first time, which you need to do to switch the card. I called Holly to see how to remove it, and she assured me that I was doing the right thing, I just needed to be a bit more assertive.

It has some great features, though.

It can pinpoint where you are and give you directions from your present location to any address you care to type in. Well, it does if you're in a 3G area. They put in a 3G network in DC, and continued it out into the suburbs to just about 3 miles short of where I live. It still works fine as a phone, and does very well with the internet, but I know from using Holly's phone that it does even better on a 3G network. Once it knows where you are, it can give you a local map or a satellite photo of the place you are, which can be useful if you're looking for a place that's nearby and can't figure out how to get there.

It has a free application that will let you take a photo of a barcode on an item in a store, and tell you how much it is, plus let you know the prices of the same item in nearby stores and online.

I downloaded a free application that will let me record a sound and make it into a ringtone. I can't wait to make my phone sound like the middlewatch from The Middleman! If you liked that link, search for "Middleman" on YouTube.

One of the things I don't like about it is that I can't pair it with my bluetooth headset. Holly's had hers now for at least 4 months, and she still can't get her bluetooth headset to communicate with it. She said it found and started talking to her computer almost instantly, but there's nothing the two of them can do together. 

She'd much rather have it talk to the headset. 

So would I.  

The instructions in the manual (and online) just don't work. I'm going to have to call them and ask them how to do it.

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There's a new Ghost Whisperer on tonight, and, of course, a new Dollhouse. SciFi will be showing a rerun of Moonlight, always worth watching, as well as Battlestar Galactica.

TNT will be showing The Lord of the Rings trilogy over the weekend, starting tonight with The Fellowship of the Ring, followed tomorrow night by The Two Towers, and finishing Sunday evening with The Return of the King. If you're busy on Friday or Saturday evenings, you can catch the whole trilogy on Sunday, starting late in the morning.

Have a  great weekend!

Earache!

I want to do lots of things today, but I'm being really distracted by my ear.

Yes, the one that is capable of hearing, but is all clogged up so that I can't hear anything out of it at all. It's so clogged today that it hurts. 

Well, actually, it pretty much always hurts (since 1973), but it hurts way more than usual. 

Enough that, although I'm not in unbearable pain, it's annoying and distracting, and is driving me to tears. It's causing strange sensations that seem to be acting on nerves somewhere in the area and making tears reflexively appear. Or maybe it's just pressure in the wrong places.

It's driving me crazy.

Crazy enough that I want to find a plunger, put it over my ear and press it in and out to make my ear unclog. Crazy enough that I'm starting to think about long, thin, sharp objects to put in my ear to puncture the eardrum and make it stop! Yes, I know that doing that would hurt a lot. But maybe it would relieve the pressure inside my ear and make it less annoying. Yes, I know that it would destroy my hearing, but I can't hear anything out of that ear anyway, even though my ear (the inside part) can still hear just fine. Yes, I've seen at least 15 doctors about this, and the last one of them (an ENT specialist) informed me that there's nothing wrong with my ear, and then asked me why I couldn't hear out of it!

All the things I planned to do today are getting shoved aside while I do everything I can think of to make it stop. It's bad enough I can't hear out of it, it's bad enough that I have ringing and other noises in my ears, but why does it have to hurt, too? And worse yet, why do doctors treat me as if I'm an idiot and imagining the problem?

No, I know the answer to that last question. Doctors (with a few exceptions) don't care!  They know you have to pay them anyway, even if they don't bother to do anything for you, and they just plain don't care! They don't care if they cause harm or even kill you, as long as they get paid and you don't sue.

A list of things that doctors have told me or someone I know was their imaginations includes (but is not limited to:

* Sinus Infection

* Really bad allergies

* Cancer (this includes a tumor the size of a watermelon!)

* Adhesions

* Leukemia

* Labor(!)

* And more

I wish you a better day than I'm having, and enjoy Lost tonight!

Leverage!

TNT has turned itself into the Leverage channel for the day!

Tonight is the grand finale of the season for Leverage, and they're showing all the shows that lead up to that, unfortunately, not in order.

Do check it out if you have the chance!

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That's pretty much it for today for this blog because of some big news.

I intend to start a new blog today.

I may have mentioned that after looking up the Great Depression, I discovered that the things that happened during the Great Depression are happening now (except for the dust bowl, thank heaven!).

Well, after a long string of really bad service, I discovered Comcast is ripping me off, and I'm really angry about it! I should say here that it may be the result of a company that is mismanaged and totally inept. The abysmal quality of service would tend to support that theory.

But the bottom line is that, deliberate or not, they're ripping off about $50 or $60 from a 65 year old woman who's on Social Security. 

And you can bet that if they're doing it to me, they're doing it to others.

The new blog will be about the depressing stuff like this. I hope to let you know about rip-offs that affect how much money you have to spend at the grocery store, but also what to do about them, who to contact, and how to get help, not to mention the more upbeat ways that you can save money on essentials and lead a better life.

I don't know much about all this yet, but we'll learn together, and if we stick together, maybe we can help end this as soon as possible.

So, tomorrow I'll have information about my new blog and how you, too, can read it.

Have a great day, and a better day tomorrow! 

I intend to!

Steve Canyon Front Cover Announced!

John announced the front cover of the new Steve Canyon  Volume 2 DVD! We've been working on it, and finally got to a point where we agreed that it was done.

The back cover is also finalized except for some possible last-minute changes in the wording of some of the text, and the disk labels are almost done. Well, except for the front cover, it's all almost done.

John has been working so hard on this. I will be really happy when my part is done so at least that part of it will be out of his hair.

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I've been working hard on the first sock from the yarn I bought at JoAnn Fabrics. The heel flap is done, the heel is turned, and I've picked up the stitches for the gusset.

I actually got further than that last night, but then noticed the sock had a hole in it. I must've missed knitting the last stitch on the heel flap, and it started to unravel, thereby freeing all the stitches that had been picked up for the gusset. 

Usually, if you drop a stitch, you can just latch it up, but it was a column of stitches that had the gusset fastened to them, and the whole sock was unraveling! So, I knitted a whole lot last night, and then had to frog almost the whole heel and start over again.

I'm still very ambivalent about the colors in this, but I have to say it looks very Spring-like. And I have so few socks that I'll be wearing them even if I don't like them. I don't really dislike them, but I haven't gotten to a point where I like them.

The sock pattern is wonderful, though, and I'll write it up and post it here soon. It's a very plain sock pattern, but really makes comfortable socks. If your goal is comfortable socks, this is the pattern you want.

Have a great evening and enjoy Chuck, Heroes and Medium!

Loot from the New JoAnn Store!

Here's what I bought at the new JoAnn store:

Doesn't look like much, does it?

Well there are some mother-of-pearl star-shaped buttons that aren't in the photo, too. I bought some cross stitch bobbins, which are great for winding the tail when you cast on. How many times have you cast on something, started knitting, and halfway through the first row discovered that you're knitting with the tail from the cast on instead of the working yarn? Well, this stops that.

There are some really nice point protectors, and grips for steel (and larger) crochet hooks, and some interesting sock yarn. I've started the first sock and am just starting the heel flap, so there will be a photo of that soon. I haven't made up my mind if I really like this sock yarn. My liking or not liking seems to be dependent on the color.  I'm still making up my mind.

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We're winding down to the end on the Steve Canyon DVD covers, and it's starting to look good. I can't wait to be finished with this. John and I discussed some really exciting ideas for the DVD labels for the last volume (the one after the one we're working on, which is volume 2). The front cover for this was a lot of work because the copy of the photo used for it was badly scratched, and had lots of dust, dirt and debris on it, so there was a lot to fix even before I could do something about adding color. It looks like it was worth it though. 

I'll have more information as it unfolds.

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I hope everybody out there had a chance to see Dollhouse on Friday. That episode costarred Matt Keeslar from The Middleman, always a delight to the eye, this time as a psychotic killer out to get Echo. Actually, there was a lot of Psychotic killer in evidence during the episode.

By the way, The Middleman will be out this summer (July) on DVD. They're basing the decision on whether to continue the show on how well the DVD sales go, so go out there this summer and enjoy or discover the delights of this wonderful show! I'll let you know when it's possible to advance order it, but if you can't wait until summer, check it out via comic book!

I caught a really wonderful science fiction suspense/thriller the other night, called Deja Vu, starring Denzel Washington. It had me on the edge of my seat practically from the beginning. It involves technology that is close to real time travel, which usually makes the best or worst stories. In this case, it's the best. The science fiction is nearly as brilliant and the dialogue.

At one point the agent is asking if a woman (who is currently dead) is actually alive in the past. He asks "Is she dead or alive?" The techs shuffle their feet a bit, and he says "I'll make it simple so you folks with PHds can understand it." Then he picks up a chair and smashes a monitor. "That monitor is broken. It's dead. It hasn't 'temporarily transitioned to a different state of entropy.' It's dead! Now, is she dead or alive?"

It's a delight and a real thrill ride!

I hope you had a great weekend and I wish you a wonderful week!

A New JoAnn Store Is Opening!

There's a JoAnn store near me that's moving to a new location, and today is the first day it's open. The grand opening includes lots of sales and neat specials.

Unfortunately, the old store had a bus stop right in front of it, and the new store is at least half a mile from the closest bus stop, which means lots of walking to get there. The old store has been almost empty since early December, and the new store is sure to be full of everything! I want to go, but I don't think I'm going to be able to get there today. I still have a little work on getting out a preliminary front cover for the second volume of Steve Canyon DVDs. So, I need to get that done first.

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USA is showing Burn Notice during the day today, and apparently every Thursday, presumably because the new episode is out each Thursday evening.

I believe there's a new Eleventh Hour on tonight, and also Supernatural.

Have fun! I've got to get some work done so that I can schedule a trip to the movies to see Coraline!

Lots More Coraline!

Holly and Robin were planning on going to see Coraline last night. She works at a big bank building downtown, so she has off for all Federal holidays, and could go and do that. I'm supposing they did, but I haven't heard about it yet.

Oh, and by the way, today is Robin's birthday, so,

Happy Birthday, Robin!

Anyway, last week, Holly called me, amazed at all the stuff on the Coraline site. If you go to Coraline's bedroom and open the bottom drawer of her dresser, you'll find the pattern for the starry sweater she wears, but in children's and adult's sizes. If you click the top drawer, you'll find information on the woman who knitted the sweater. There's also a Coraline poster that you can print for yourself, a page where you can design flowers for the garden, and many more things.

Holly texted me a few days later and said "Do you know that Kent's picture is up on the Coraline site?" I called her back and we had a long conversation about a lot of things. I think they must've given Kent an alternate name in the credits, because his credit for Coraline isn't on his IMdB page, it's on a separate one.

Anyway, Holly said that she'd seen two different photos of him in the well. I had hoped to be able to snatch a photo of him, but Flash won't let me. If you click on one of the photos in the well, it'll give you a separate window that will show you all the photos in sequence, with labels that tell who everyone is. I only saw two (excellent) photos of him. He's a very handsome man, definitely worth looking at/for!

But the real news I wanted to spread (in case you haven't heard it before) is about the Coraline Boxes. Knitty got one, and it's really neat! Check it out here. I especially like this box.

There are more photos and information on the boxes here, here, here, and here. Search for Coraline boxes on a search engine. There's lots more info out there! And it's amazing!

As a crafter, I'm thinking about searching some thrift stores for old boxes, and making my own using polymer clay and whatever. Does that start the wheels turning or what?

Did you know that if you're a member of Ravelry, you can join the Knitters for Neil group, which is a group that appreciates Neil Gaiman? 

There's also a Coraline sweepstakes, but you'll have to enter soon, so get over there and do it! I've already entered!

Have a great day!

Happy Monday!

I spent the day riding around on buses and walking a lot while doing errands. It was back to WalMart for me, so that I could get the vitamins I didn't get while I was there with Holly. And, as usual, WalMart had a lot of things that I didn't realized I needed. 

I had been thinking the other day that I needed a stapler, but didn't want to spend the $15 or $20 for a good one. Wally had one that never needs staples and stamps little blue stars around the non-staple. For $4! And now that I've writen about it, I realize that is wasn't in any of he packages when I got home. I'll have to look again.

But the true monarch of impulse buying is Dollar Tree! 

I was in there a bit more than a week ago, and bought, among other things, a dishtowel which I discovered was very nice when I got it home and started using it. So, I went back for more, and found lots of stuff that I really needed or was going to buy somewhere else. I keep hearing good things about Robert Jordan, and had planned someday to buy one of his books, but they had the first book in the Wheel of Time series. So, that was one of the things I came home with.

What a busy day!

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I hope you had a chance to appreciate Dead Like Me, which was on SciFi during their daytime rotation today. Tomorrow, they'll have Haunted, the Matthew Fox cop show where he can speak to ghosts due to a near-death experience. If you watch closely, you'll see him sporting part, but not all, of the tattoo that he wears in Lost!

Tonight we have Chuck back with a new episode! Followed by new episodes of Heroes and Medium, all on NBC.

Have a great evening!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

That kind of says it all.

For those of you interested in history, here's what Wikipedia has to say about it. It's a little depressing, since it involves the martyrdom of various early Christians. In fact, you might not want to read it, or maybe skip down to the antique and vintage Valentines, and continue from there.

Happy Friday the Thirteenth!

Happy Friday the Thirteenth!

You can find more information about Friday the thirteenth here, on Wikipedia.

One of the most interesting lines in that entry says "The asteroid 2004 MN4 will make its close encounter on Friday, April 13, 2029." Doesn't that sound exciting? I'm not sure if I'm happy or relieved that I probably won't be around to see it in this lifetime. No, I'm sure I'd love to see it!

You can find more information about that asteroid here, and Stargate SG-1 fans will be especially tickled that not only does this asteroid have a name (I didn't know that any asteroids were named), but that it's name is Apophis!

There are some people who consider Friday the thirteenth to be a very lucky day. Go out there and buy lottery tickets!

And, no matter what you think of it, brace yourself, because there's going to be another one next month! And, while you're bracing, there will be another pair of Fridays the thirteenth next year in February and March, and then again in 2026!

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Don't forget the premier of Dollhouse tonight!

There will also be a new Ghost Whisperer, Psych, and Monk. Monk is on at the same time as Dollhouse, but it and Psych are also on later in the evening (more like early Saturday morning), plus they're usually on sometime on Saturday, so you really have to check those listings!

Oh, and for science fiction fans who have kids, on Saturday mornings, on NBC, there's a cartoon called Jane and the Dragon. If you like animation, this is a really beautiful one, probably the most beautiful drawn animation I've ever seen. It's stuff for kids that won't make you barf! Hows that for praise?

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I've been looking around for a good top-down raglan pullover pattern to use for the Coraline sweater in place of the one on the Coraline site. I just don't see the point of all those seams, when it could be knit in one piece. And knitting from the top down means that you can try it on, and see if it fits right. You can end those sleeves at the right length, and make the bottom end where you want, too.

I have a copy of Knitting from the Top around here somewhere, and I'd be willing to bet that there's a pattern in there that would be perfect. 

Now all I have to do is find it.

Knitting with Mohair is a great book for pattern designers, by the way. It has some actual sweater patterns, but it also has some basic patterns for the bodies of sweaters, and pages of different kinds of collars/necklines you can put on them, different sleeve ideas. You can mix and match for the perfect designed-for-you-by-you sweater.

It's a beautiful day out there, and I have to get going and do some errands, so have a great day!

Dollhouse!

I'm sure you're all getting psyched for tonight's new episode of Lost, but bear with me and look forward to Friday, when Dollhouse premiers.

You probably already know that the dollhouse is stocked with people who've had their minds wiped, and are for hire to fill a number of jobs/positions. When hired, a "doll" has a new set of memories installed so they can do the job.

There's an article about it on io9 here. Here's a photo of Eliza Dushku with Middleman's Matt Keeslar in a scene from Dollhouse.

By the way, the plans for a DVD of The Middleman seem to be pretty solid for a release this summer, and they plan to judge whether to continue the series by how well the DVD does. So, get out there and buy it when it arrives! By the way, there's a Middleman fan club on Facebook, and a group on Ravelry.

If you liked the show, and have Comcast, like me, you'll want to get the DVD just so you can get the dialogue. Comcast broadcast the entire series without closed captioning on their standard resolution TV channel, and, in some cases, with the sound going off and on. Other people have been complaining about this on the internet. If you have Comcast and they do that to you, switch to the HD station. They actually add CC that's useable on a regular TV on their HD stations. The sound went on and off on all channels, though. I can't help you there, except to suggest that DirecTV is great!

There's a new post up on the Steve Canyon blog, and you can read it here. It was just posted and I haven't read it yet, but I do know that John will be headed to Ohio to an event that will honor Milton Caniff (among other things). You can read all about it at the above link.

And for those of you who have been waiting in suspense for the Steve Canyon hats, they're coming back! I have a grey one and love it. The construction is first-rate, and they're beautiful.

In the meantime, I've been working hard on the covers for the second Volume. It's going to be great, but I can't really tell you about what it's going to look like until John gives me the go-ahead. It's going to be wonderful, though!

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Here's a photo of the yarn I bought from WalMart on Sunday. It's all Caron's Simply Soft Eco, which is part Ecospun fiber, which is made out of recycled soda bottles. You know those Brita commercials? The ones where they show someone on a treadmill drinking water, and they say something like "20 minutes on a treadmill, eternity in a landfill." Well, that's not really true.

This lead to a really strange conversation between me and two other spinners one time. The conversation went something like this: 

Spinner #1: Here's a sample of another fiber I tried out--Ecospun.

Me: Wow, how did you dye that? What kind of dyes did you have to use? That really feels nice!

Spinner #2: Yeah, it does feel nice. What kind of fiber is that?

Spinner #1: It's Ecospun.

Spinner #2: But what kind of fiber is that? What's it made of?

Spinner #1 and me (in unison): Soda bottles!

Spinner #2: No, really, what's it made of?

You should be getting the general drift at this point, so I won't go through the next 10 minutes of quotes like, "You're kidding me, right? and "Is this a joke?"

The purples and turquoise are to finish a project that I started for someone else, and since it'll wind up a present, I don't want to talk about it too much here.

After finding that pattern for Coraline's starry sweater yesterday, it occurred to me that this might be the perfect thing to knit it in. The colors are a little darker in reality than they look on my  personal computer screen. I'll need more of it, but there's no dyelot, and that's all they had in the store.

I read over the pattern last night, and decided that I'd rather make this up knitted in the round from the top down. So, I'll probably eventually post a revised pattern for it.

Have a great Wednesday, and enjoy Lost this evening!

Coraline Sweater!

I found the pattern for the glorious starry sweater that Coraline wears in her new movie!

This is not my pattern, but I've put it in my sidebar so you can find it in the future. And for good measure, it's here.

If you know me, you may have noticed that I love stars. So, I was excited the moment I saw her sweater, and I've been looking for it for a while. It's possible to find it at the main Coraline site, but it's well hidden. I'll leave it to you to see if you can find it.

Have a great day!

Hold onto your Hats!

There's a full moon tonight!

Just thought you might like to know.

Maybe that explains the unseasonably warm weather we've been having,

New Heroes and Medium tonight!

Enjoy it all!

Spring Is Here!

Well, it was today, anyway. Today would make a believer in global warming out of anybody. Considering it's February, anyway.

Holly and I went out and it didn't take long before we took off our sweatshirts (that we were wearing like jackets).

I know the weather will go back to winter in a few days, but it probably made it up to 60 degrees, judging by how it felt.

I got an IM from Holly last night saying that the headlights in her car were out again! I IM'd back "Will I ever see you again?" We did actually go out today, but we had to be sure that Holly started home in time to be there before dark.

We headed for Borders in Springfield first, with a stop at Michaels, since we were going right past it.

Michaels had some beautiful yarn that Holly bought to make a baby blanket for one of the ladies at work. It has ombre stripes and dots of different baby-type colors, so it's self-patterning, like some sock yarn. She'll be making a circular blanket, and I can't wait to see it.

At Borders, I finally got my copies of Coraline and Backup! They are both very short, but I suspect, very good. I started reading Coraline when I got home.

Then we headed to Walmart (the one in Dumfries that has yarn), and I bought lots of yarn. Now I can knit actual projects again. Most of the WalMarts in the area have essentially eliminated yarn from their inventory, so I have to take two buses to get to one that actually has yarn, unless Holly gives me a ride. I also bought lots of regular household supplies.

We stopped and got something to eat, and had a great time talking. Holly got her birthday presents (finally!), and really liked the protective "skin" I designed for her phone.

Then there was a quick stop at Giant, where I used the gift card I got for Christmas.

Holly went to Baltimore last night, which is where she was when she discovered that her headlights are out again! She and Malaia went to the Baltimore Aquarium yesterday, and watched their movie. Holly says it was in 3D, and scary. Kids were screaming, and being removed from the theater by parents, and it was all quite exciting. They also wanted to watch Coraline, but it was sold out far in advance, so they missed out on it.

I need to get some work done for all of you people who are fans of Steve Canyon. John has a new post up on the Steve Canyon blog, by the way, so go over there and check it out! The Steve Canyon hats will be back soon, so you'll want to read all about it. They sold out fairly quickly before, and this may be the only new batch of them, so get them now while you can!

Now I'm going to get something done on the covers so you can watch the second volume.

Hope you had a great weekend!

Happy Birthday, Lynn!

I have the best sister in the world, and today is her birthday!

Just for the record, I've forgiven Mom for having you instead of the older brother I asked for!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LYNN!

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Speaking of birthdays, I haven't seen Holly since Christmas, so I haven't been able to give her Birthday presents.

Actually, this is a pretty good arrangement because I can find lots of things with hearts on them due to the proximity of Valentine's Day. She collects heart-shaped jewelry and other items.

Well, I'll get to see her tomorrow, and she'll get some of her presents, but I'm still working on some of them, and she won't get them all tomorrow. 

Can you say "procrastination?"

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I went out this morning to do several errands. One of those errands was to pick up two books at Borders, and I have to say that Borders has never been as much of a disappointment as it was today.

The two books I planned to get were Backup, and Coraline.

They just plain didn't have Backup, but Coraline was marked as "likely in store." I went looking for it in Science Fiction, and went back to the catalog and discovered that it was also stocked in the "kid's independent reader" section. Couldn't find it there, either, went back to the catalog, and it said "not in store." If I'd been a little quicker, I might have found it.

I went to the help desk, which was unmanned for at least a half hour in spite of the fact that there was at least one person waiting for help that entire time, and most of that hour had two or three people waiting. There would have been more, but people periodically gave up and went away.

I went to the cafe to get something to drink, but they didn't have anything I wanted except water, but I really didn't want to pay $2 for a few gulps of water.

Back at the help desk, with no help forthcoming, I had lots of free time to look around. The row of bookcases that has been there since the beginning of time (you know, the ones that display bestsellers) is no longer there. But there's lots more room for customers in the space it's freed up. If the bookcases were still there, they probably would have had the books I was looking for in them. I miss them!

Although the store was full of shoppers, and the line of people purchasing things was threatening to take over all the floor space, expand outdoors and take over the earth, there were very few people actually working in the store. I was going to say it looked like the first day the last Harry Potter book was released, but they had enough people there to deal with it that day. Today, they didn't.

What is wrong with the economy?

I keep seeing things that there's a large demand for in the store (in spite of the economy), but they're not in the store! I mean things that manufacturers could sell twice as much of if the items were just in the stores, but they're not there. People were all over the store with cash in hand, trying to buy things that the store didn't have!

Could this have something to do with the economy?

Anyway, I did, finally, track down someone who reserved Backup for me at the Springfield store, and said that they would search for a copy of Coraline, and if they could find one, they'd hold that for me, too.

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For those of you who enjoy fantasy on TV, Hallmark will have The Good Witch on this weekend, followed (in some showings) by it's brand new sequel, The Good Witch's Garden. It also has a couple of other showings later in the month, so check your local schedules.

It'll be on TV in a little bit and I want to catch it.

Oh, and have any of you been watching Legend of the Seeker? It seems quite a good fantasy story, based on books by Terry Goodkind, and several stations have it on at odd hours, so, once again, check your local schedules.

I have to go. I hope you're having a great weekend.

Tagged Yet Again

I think Facebook is getting out of control. I was tagged again, and here is the result. I'm not tagging anyone!


1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Yes, me.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Just now. Joan of Arcadia went to the funeral of the boy she babysat with.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
It used to be nice, but it's degenerating.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Jersey tomatoes! Sliced THICK! Also, turkey, chicken or roast beef. Sliced THIN!

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Holly!

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Yeah.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
Of course.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes. Maybe that's what's wrong with me.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
There was a time I might have, but not now.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Cheerios or raisin bran.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
If they have ties.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Lucerne chocolate chip (with a banana) or Breyers peach or black cherry

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
it varies

15. RED OR PINK?
Blue!

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
Right now, my feet and ankles (which are swelling up), my ear (which hurts and won't hear anything except for the repairmen next door who were pounding with hammers at 8 am) and my sinuses (which are attempting to drown me).

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
My mom.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST?
I want everyone to do as they please.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
No shoes. My feet are swelling. The rest is none of your business.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW
Joan of Arcadia.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Medium blue.

23. FAVOURITE SMELLS?
Lemons, baking bread or cooking food.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
John Ellis.

25. HOW DO YOU KNOW THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
We met on the MST3K forum on Ravelry.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Figure skating

27. HAIR COLOR?
It used to be brown, but now it's grey.

28. EYE COLOR?
Brown.

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
No.

30. the age i was 2 years ago 63

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Both

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Wide Awake.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Black

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Spring.

35. HUGS OR KISSES?
yes please

37. DESCRIBE YOUR PENCIL CUP.
I need one, and I have to go buy one.

38. FAVORITE ARTIST(s)
Ry Cooder, Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen, Maria Muldaur, Chris Smither, Fred Wedlock, etc.

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Inkdeath.

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Don't have a mouse pad.

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
Lost!!!

42. FAVORITE SOUND(S).
Anything I can actually hear.

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Both.

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Probably Switzerland. Maybe Iceland. I'm not sure which is further.

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Art. And knowing things.

46 WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Philadelphia.

47. FAVORITE PIECE OF JEWELRY?
Too many to list.

48. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE/SIGNIFICANT OTHER?
None.

49. SUN OR SNOW?
Sun.

50. LAW & ORDER OR CSI?
Doctor Who!

I'm starting to get tired of all this being tagged, and I'm not going to play anymore. 

But at least it gives me something to put into my blog today instead of crying on your shoulder because I feel sick today, and it's bad enough that I just want to cry.

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

I have bags of stash, but I really don't have a project to work on, so I'm knitting a swatch (which may become a scarf) just to have something to do with my hands while watching TV.

Now I wish I'd gone out with Holly on Saturday.

Not having a specific project probably has to do with not feeling good.

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

Lost was wonderful last night! If you're a Lost fan, I hope you got to see it.

Tonight, there will be a new: Burn Notice, Eleventh Hour, and Supernatural.

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

I have to return some stuff to the Library, and I'm running out of food, so I have to go to the grocery store, and I really don't want to because my feet hurt. I wish there was a place nearby that sells yarn!

I hope you're having a better day than I am.

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

PS-- Coraline opens tomorrow on the 6th of February, 2009. Sorry. I have a good grasp of when things are supposed to happen, I just don't have a good grasp of what day it is.

Coraline

I was hoping to get over to Borders yesterday and get my copy of Backup and Coraline, but my feet were all swollen up, and the bones inside hurt as they always do when this happens, so I didn't feel like all the walking that would be needed to do that.

But I read this post by Vicki Howell about the knitting involved in the Coraline movie, and I'm starting to get really excited about it. There's a link there about Althea Crome, which I've duplicated here. She did the knitting for the movie. Where you see Coraline and the others wearing sweaters in the movie, they're real, knitted sweaters.

As anyone who knows me will guess, I'm fascinated with her blue sweater with white stars. I want one! No, not a tiny one. One I can wear. But with pockets. In my opinion, the only clothes that should not have pockets are nightgowns. And some of the ones I've owned had pockets, too.

Then, this morning, I found this link from Knitty.

If you click the Coraline movie link above, you can take a tour of all the handmade stuff. It's beautiful.

I'd like to see the movie, but it wouldn't do much good since I wouldn't be able to hear it. I'd like to buy the DVD just for the beautiful art, though

John Ellis just sent me an AIM message, and we've been chatting about this. John is the producer of the Steve Canyon DVDs.

He said that our friend Kent Burton has been working on it all last year. I knew Kent when he was John's house-mate years ago and from science fiction conventions. He also animated the spiders in New Genesis. If you click that, please note that I had a small part, and it was credited to Johann DesRoches in addition to the work I did as crew (one of my credits was as handweaver!). John sent me this link, too.

The movie opens tomorrow.

I am so excited about this!

Don't forget that Lost will be on tonight!

Happy February!

This particular February boasts a distinction that other Februarys haven't had in quite a while.

It has a Friday the thirteenth.

The significance of that is that because February is 28 days long, it means that March will also have a Friday the thirteenth.

Two of them! Back-to-back!

I'm sure you're beginning to understand why some people have said to me, "You're easily amused!"

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

I got tagged on Facebook, and put it up here so it would be easier to read. So, there will be three posts up today, so when you finish reading this, there are two more.

One of the entries on Facebook says, "John Ellis is predicting that facebook will blot out the sun and then swallow the earth within 7 days."

He's got a point.

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

The Christmas stockings, which were done last week were picked up and paid for last night! The fact that the project is completed is a major relief for me, and it's leaving a knitting vacuum in it's wake.

I have several projects in mind that I'd like to do, but no yarn! I'd like to go out today and get some yarn, but this cold/flu/infection is hanging on, and I woke up today with my feet swollen up and my right foot hurting. It hurts enough to make me want to limp, so I'm less than enthusiastic about walking to the bus, and then walking to all the places I'd like to go. 

I have a $15 credit at Borders, and I want to use it to buy a copy of Backup. The list price for it is $20, but it's a novella, barely more than a short story. I have no doubt that it will be good, but everyone that's read it thinks the price is more than a bit stiff. Yes, I know that it's available at Amazon at a lower price, but there's also shipping, so it doesn't make a lot of difference. But my credit will mean that it'll only cost $5! So it will be well worth the price. I'm really looking forward to it.

Here's a quote from the beginning of the book:

Let's get something clear right up front.

I'm not Harry Dresden.

Harry's a wizard. A genuine, honest-to-goodness wizard. He's Gandalf on crack and an IV of Red Bull, with a big leather coat and a .44 revolver in his pocket. He'll spit in the eye of gods and demons alike if he thinks it needs to be done, and to hell with the consequences--and yet somehow my little brother manages to remain a decent human being.

I'll be damned if I know how.

But then, I'll be damned regardless.
My name is Thomas Raith, and I'm a monster.

I can't wait! It's really a book in the Dresden Files series, but it's told by Thomas, and it's an account of his adventures providing backup for Harry on a case.

I also want to buy a copy of Coraline while I'm there. Coraline has either just come out or will be out as a movie real soon now. I want to see the movie, because, as the second link will tell you, the entire world of the movie has been created by hand. And then again, it's been written by Neil Gaiman, so it couldn't possibly be bad.

And then I want to walk across the road to Radio Shack to buy some DVD cases. Then there's a walk over to WalMart, and I really need to stop at the dollar store, which is another walk. None of these trips are far in themselves, but all together, it's a lot of walking.

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

I haven't been telling you about what I've been reading lately, so let me remedy that.

I joined the Folklore and Fairytales group on Ravelry. I suspect that if you're not on Ravelry, you won't be able to see the page that link takes you to. It did cause me to put up a Fairytale section in my Amazon store, though.

Anyway, they've been discussing lots of interesting books, and I've been carrying tons of them home from the Library and reading them. A large part of what I've read because of this group is from Dianna Wynne Jones. First, I reread Fire and Hemlock, which is a tale heavily based on the Tam Lin story, with a touch of Thomas the Rhymer thrown in. Then I continued with The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Volumes I, II, and III. 

I'm currently reading the Inkheart Trilogy, having finished Inkheart and Inkspell, and I'm now partway through Inkdeath, and I'm enjoying it immensely. My library card has been getting a workout with all this! The first of these three has come out as a movie (last month) and I suppose if it does well that they'll do the other two. If anyone has read the book and seen the movie, I'd really like a review from you.

I currently have a copy of The Alchemyst lined up for when I finish Inkdeath, and it's sequel, The Magician, is on order at the library. I'm going to have to wait until May for the third book, The Sorceress, though.

These are fictional stories about a real character named Nicholas Flamel, who showed up as a peripheral character in the Harry Potter books.

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

This post is starting to get out of hand in length. Blogger has just thrown a fit because I have too many tags listed, so maybe I should quit while I'm ahead.

There will be a new Fringe, The Mentalist and Leverage on tonight!

Have a good one!

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

PS-- Here's a link to information on a movie that John's just finishing some work on. He's syncing dailies, so the movie is nowhere near finished.

Tagged Again

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. I'm not tagging anyone, but feel free to assume I tagged you.

1. I like to knit. In fact some people have failed to recognize me because I wasn't knitting.

2. I love science fiction, and started reading it when I was 11 years old with Robert Heinlein's Red Planet, which is a great book for kids. I also love fantasy. That extends to movies and TV, too.

3. I worked on several science fiction movies, but especially Invader and New Genesis.

4. I was one of the people responsible for putting on three science fiction conventions.

5. I've gone to a lot of science fiction conventions, and met many of the guests. I love to watch TV because I see people I know.

6. I've piloted a plane, and soloed. I belonged to the aero club while I was in the Air Force. I am a natural. I just got in the plane, flew away and did some simple aerobatics. I especially love T-34s because they're stressed for aerobatics.

7. I was in the Air Force, and on the base smallbore rifle team.

8. Places I've lived include: Philadelphia PA, Maple Shade NJ, Charleston SC, Lackland AFB, Charleston AFB, les Prevanches France, Aspen Hill MD, Washington, DC, Alexandria VA, Woodbridge VA.

9. Places I've been include: Fort Sill OK (I got to experience a sandstorm the day after Malaia was born--it's orange), Morgantown, WV, Pittsburgh PA (whether I wanted to or not), Atlantic City (back when it was fashionable and not a casino), New York City, Tampa/St. Petersburg FL, Rhode Island,  Arromanches and some of the invasion beaches, The Alamo, and Connecticut.

10. Favorite places I've visited include: le Mont St. Michel, Rouen, Brittany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Fort Shenandoah.

11. I've been either a technical illustrator or graphic artist almost all of my life.

12. I was part of a crew that installed swimming pools one summer.

13. I drove a bulldozer and helped build a lake in the western part of Virginia.

14. I used to be in SCA (the Society for Creative Anachronism) and went to live in the Middle Ages most weekends for a few years.

15. I can drive anything on two wheels, four wheels, tracks or tricycle gear. I rode a motorcycle for years.

16. I was probably the first woman ever to be assigned as a draftsman in the US military.

17. I was probably the first woman to ever taxi a place onto the Air Force ramp at Charleston AFB.

18. I helped put on an air show at Charleston AFB, and got to meet Bevo Howard on the taxiway there, and was buzzed by him during his subsequent show. I believe he had been world champion stunt pilot for 7 years at that time, although he won the title a few more times after that.

19. I was once charged by a rhino.

20. I learned to ride a horse when I was nine, and was one of the few people the stable would let loose with a horse. My sister and I used to ride in Wissahicken park in Philadelphia. I've ridden Topper, Hopalong Cassidy's horse, and I've had a horse try to roll over on me. Then he got up and tried to kick me in the head.

21. I went to North-South Skirmish Association events with my aunt and uncle and then later with friends. I especially love the canons.

22. The first rifle I fired was a 54 cal muzzle loader. I love black powder!

23. My brothers said they were the only people they knew who went to their sister for advice on ordinance. 

24. My favorite event of the year is the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival at the Howard County Fairgrounds in Maryland. It's better than Christmas!

25. I have a spinning wheel and can and do spin my  own yarn. I have also been known to card and comb wool and other fibers, weave, tat, crochet, and lucet among other things.

26. Yes, I know, I'm supposed to put up 25, but I just thought of another one. The thing I love best is creating. It doesn't matter if I'm putting together a book, movie, DVD cover, knitting pattern, sweater, art, sewing, writing, or whatever. I want to make things more than anything else.

Tagged

 Somebody else got tagged with this, but it looked like fun. You're supposed to answer with one word.

1. Where is your cell phone? Table
 2. Your significant other? None
 3. Your hair? Grey
 4. Your favorite thing? Knitting
 5. Your dream last night? None
 6. Your favorite drink? Coke
 7. Your dream/goal? Business
 8. What room you are in? Living
 9. Your hobby? Knitting
10. Your fear? Creditors
11. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Alive
12. Where were you last night? Home
13. Muffins? Good
14. Wish list item? TV
15. Where you grew up? Jersey
16. Last thing you did? Blog
17. What are you wearing? clothes
18. Your TV? 19"
19. Your pets? None
20. Friends? many
21. Your life? frustrating
22. Your mood? OK
23. Missing someone? no
24. Car? Please
25. Something you're not wearing? Hat
26. Your favorite store? ACMoore
27. Your favorite color? Blue
28. When is the last time you laughed? today
29. Last time you cried? yesterday
30. Who will resend this? friends
31. One place that I go to over and over? Borders
32. One person who emails me regularly? Holly
33. Favorite place to eat? Texasroadhouse
34. Why you participated in this survey? Bored
35. What are you doing tonight? TV

Happy Groundhog Day!

Also, for those of you so inclined, happy Imbolc! According to Wikipedia, it's a time of weather prognostication, so maybe that's where we got groundhog day. 

I don't have a groundhog, but if one where here, he would see his shadow, which means 6 more weeks of winter. It's supposed to rain this afternoon, so maybe if the groundhog slept late, we might have an early spring. Then again, it may be different where you live. Individual results will vary.

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

Doctor Who is on all daytime on SciFi today, and you just missed Blink! But there are two more. Sorry I forgot to mention that yesterday. No Lost tonight.

But, tonight on NBC, they'll be bringing back Chuck, Heroes and Medium! And Chuck will be in 3D! Get your free 3D glasses where they sell Pepsi products.

Have a great day, and I hope Spring comes soon!

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

PS--Crazy Aunt Purl was doing her usual crazy thing and speaking about the new year yesterday. She claims that 2009 is really almost 2010, and that tickles her for some reason. She's turned off comments, so I feel justified in commenting on her post here. 

It got me started thinking. In a few years, it'll be 2020, which, I suppose, should be voted the year for good eyesight.

Click on the first link and you can see today's post, which I won't spoil by describing it here except to say that it includes a sort of porn.

High of 56 Degrees!

The bus company around here is all mixed up.

Right now, the weather report I just looked at says the high today will be 56 degrees, but that it is currently 60 degrees. It always makes me giggle when they do this. Oh, and there is glorious sunshine, and I plan to go out when I finish this.

Anyway, on a beautiful day like today, the buses aren't running. But tomorrow, when we expect rain, the buses will be going full force. At least it will be warm tomorrow. Tuesday, when I'll have the money to do my errands, it will be snowing.

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

For any of you Medieval fans, please check out the sidebar for Designs Toscano. They just sent me an email saying that I haven't sold anything through the link, so they're going to cut me off.

If you are interested in the Middle Ages or the Renaissance, please check it out. They're a great company and have stuff I know you'll love and want to buy. No kidding! My ex-husband used to work there, and bought me this from them for Christmas one year.

They always have a dozen things I want!

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

On Monday evening, Chuck will be back and NBC will bring back Heroes and Medium, too. The interesting thing about Chuck is that it will be (ornate fanfare). . . in 3D! The reason I'm telling you about this now is that to see it in 3D (rather than a blurry mess) you'll need 3D glasses. It took me a bit of searching, but I eventually discovered that all this is because of Superbowl Sunday (which, for you non sports fans, like me, is today).

It turns out that the Superbowl will have a batch of commercials in 3D, so lots of places are distributing 3D glasses free. The ones I got were from Safeway, and some CVS stores are also distributing them. The distributers of Pepsi have out a drink I've never heard of before, and you can get the glasses almost anywhere that distributes Pepsi. They come in a sheet of 4 and you can punch part of them out, but you have to cut some of it out. So you have to take the whole sheet.

The SciFi Channel had Lost listed for all evening on Monday until a few days ago, but they've changed their minds at the last minute, and reruns of Lost will not be on SciFi on Monday.

I'm going to go out and enjoy the day! I hope you have weather as nice as mine so you can do the same!