Melissa Rambles On: June 2008

Monday, June 30, 2008

Felted Bowls: Not for Soup

That's what the little sign I made for the upcoming craft show says. Hopefully, it's not too corny!

I made a bunch of these for the craft show, but one of the orange ones is going to the winner of the Tea Party drawing (along with some other Halloweeny goodies).

I really had a blast! I made sure to click on every single link in the participant list; it took me a very long time! For my drawing, I entered everyone that commented in that post, plus any participants that commented in other posts during the weekend (and today).

I really appreciate you dropping by, and hope some of you have decided to pop back in now & again.

The winner is (Drumroll Please):

Bluemuf, aka Karen.

Karen wins one of my orange felted bowls, plus a few other Halloween goodies. I've been in touch for her address. Congrats, and thanks ever so much for stopping by!

PS: Karen -- I've sent a couple of different emails. If you still aren't getting them, I've updated my profile so you can email me through that.

Smokin'!

Ah, the 60s. You could smoke in hospitals, doctor's offices, at your desk. Everyone smoked on TV shows, and they advertised cigarettes in commercials. Apparently, in my family, you could offer cigarettes to 2-year-olds and let infants play with cigars.

The above pictures are of me. The first two were taken around my first Christmas; the third was taken when I was two (also at Christmas). As far as I can tell, my uncle Chuck is actually lighting that cigarette in the end picture. Fun times!

One of my fondest memories was of our neighbors, Bill and Maggie, who always made sure that there was a box of chocolate cigarettes on hand for me. They'd even light the end with a match, so I could smoke like everyone else.

Before you get all excited and point at how all this exposure to tobacco - real and fake - led to my downfall: Guess what? None of this made me want to smoke, which is why I still love candy cigarettes - chocolate, bubble gum and those weird white chalky ones. From the time I was three, I begged my mom to quit, and she finally did. Most of my friends smoked when I was a teen, but it never occurred to me.*

*Okay, I did attempt smoking twice: the earliest was during college. I made it through half of one of the long brown ones ("More"?). We bought them because it seemed to make economic sense (we didn't realize they were thinner). Another time, in my late 20s, I was in a very, very stressful job and started taking "smoke breaks" with the smokers. I smoked as an act of rebellion, but wasn't very good at it: I couldn't inhale and cigarette smoke gave me terrible headaches. It had an interesting effect: my boss's boss saw me and expressed his shock/horror. I told him that it was that or kill someone. He started to realize how bad morale was, but really didn't do anything about it. I ended up quitting instead. (ETA: Over the few weeks that I attempted smoking, I didn't finish a pack.)

Knitting fills that void now. Not that my rage is as severe or my morale as low as it was in that job. I think it's a pretty decent sign that you need to get the hell out of a job when it leads you to such dramatic ends.

Disclaimer: I'm not a fan of cigarettes, actually. The smoke does make me quite ill, and I have real issues with people who insist on smoking in vestibules. I love restaurants that are - voluntarily - no smoking. However, I don't support bans on it. Let people make up their own minds. I might avoid a place that allows smoking, but I'm all for them having the right to allow it.

Speaking of knitting
Sock #2 continues to grow. I'm past the cuff into the heel flap now. I can't wait to wear my first socks!

I design ads for a handful of advertisers on Ravelry, usually getting paid in yarn; sometimes in cash or Amazon gift certificates. Over the weekend, I did a print ad that will be in an upcoming issue of Interweave Knits. How exciting!

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Blast from the Past

I need to dig out and scan some more old pictures. I love including them in my posts!

I can remember my mother singing two songs to me when I was a little girl. One of them gave me nightmares. Can you guess which one?

"Let the Sunshine in" (Pebbles & Bamm Bamm)

"Que Sera Sera" ("Video" of Doris Day)

Answer at the bottom.

Antique Amish Pincushion

Completely OT. I was in an antique store in Tennessee several years ago, and found a hackey sack labeled: "Antique Amish Pincushion." I think they wanted $5 for it.

Because I'm in a kooky mood, does anyone know what movie this is from?: Amish Terrarium. (I know, just wondering if there are other fans out there.)

The Answer
I believe that "Let the Sunshine In" contributed to one pretty scary nightmare I had when I was very young. In it, the red dude with the pitchfork showed up at my house and took a bunch of us hostage in my parents bedroom. "Us" would have been my mom, brother and I, and the mom and kids of a family we were friends with. I'm guessing our dads were hunting. I saved us all with my magic blanket. But really -- a kid's song about the devil? Big shocker. Thank goodness I had my magic blanket. (Mom threw it away a few years later. I still haven't forgiven her completely. She wasn't a sentimental soul. She threw out my Barbies too, including Growing Up Ginger, which was the coolest doll, ever. I haven't forgiven her for that, either.)

Speaking of Ginger, I've only met a couple of people in my life who've heard of this doll and only one who had one. She was a Skipper-size doll (there was a "Growing up Skipper," too), with a flexible torso; when you cranked her arm, she grew about an inch taller, and boobs popped out.

I got mine on Easter weekend, 1975, on my way to spend break with my paternal grandparents. Apparently, it was quite controversial, but I thought I was being clever: two dolls for the price of one!

3 AM

You find the coolest things when you find yourself wide awake at 3 AM and check your Bloglines. This post has a video as well.

The book isn't real, by the way: it's a spoof, and the video is a spoof of the bios on VH1. Dave Lowe is a friend of Vickie's (he's worked on her show) and this isn't the first time I've run across knitting on his blog. The first time I read it, I scanned back a few days and found this: "Don't buy Knit Aid" (Vickie Howell's new book). Because she has a sense of humor, I'm thinking I will buy the book.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Now that's better (& Get Smart review)

Earlier this week, I posted about the discomfort I was experiencing with the ear buds that came with my iPod. Stacie sent me to a site that sold a wide variety. Rather than order online, I took note of the styles and finally got out to an electronics store today and found these. There are 3 sizes of covers, and the smallest one fits perfectly. (And look at the little skulls on the ends.) Huzzah!

Get Smart
I loved the Get Smart TV show when I was a kid. When I heard that this movie was coming out, I had really mixed feelings about it. Whenever things from my childhood get resurrected for now, they don't generally go so well. I've liked some of Steve Carell's work, so I was torn.

When John brought up going to the movies last night, he wanted to go see Wall-e. I'm not in the mood to see that, so I brought up Get Smart as an alternative (still not sure I wanted to see it). Then, last night, I caught another commercial for the movie, and this time they showed Hymie. Well. I adore Patrick Warburton, AND I loved Hymie from the show*. That settled it. We went to see the movie today.

My new rating guide is based on how much knitting I got done: the more yarn balls there are, the less knitting I accomplished. (5 would mean I forgot to knit.) I give Get Smart a 4. It was entertaining and fun, and did not -- most importantly -- spoof the original show.

*When we got our little dog many, many years ago, my dad suggested that we name him after Hymie, the robot on Get Smart. This is Hymie:

Halloweeny Tea Party

Vanessa of A Fanciful Twist is throwing a virtual tea party (of the costume variety). Because I love Halloween, and dressing up for it (even if I'm always a witch (I'm on the right) or a vampire (tiny bit racy, you've been warned)), I decided that my party would be a Halloween-in-June costume party.

Oh, good; you made it! Charlie (the kitty), Fred (his bony friend) and George the rat (don't worry -- he's rubber) were watching for you. Don't mind the creaking doors and thunder -- it's just a sound effects record. Let me get you some punch and ladyfingers!
While this is a virtual party, a door prize/goody bag awaits a brave soul who makes it to the end and comments. Because I love me some comments and I love me some goody bags!

If you're not already viewing the whole entry, you can click on the picture or the link below to open up the whole thing.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Oh, Energizer

And, to make things a little lighter:
After writing about my non-love for Energizer's Energi-to-Go doohicky, I thought it would be nice if I them know how I felt about it. It's not fair to gripe publicly about something the person/company doesn't even know about. In my experience, companies usually blow off complaints. Occasionally they try to make things right. I didn't really have an agenda, because I didn't expect a response. In hindsight, yes, a replacement would have been nice.

They get points for responding to my message within 24 hours. (I actually think it was just a couple of hours, but didn't note the time.) I think there's been a misunderstanding. Since I didn't expect even a response, I didn't ask for anything - not even a replacement. They seem to think that I want to send them this thing that I paid ~$20 for, in return for a vague promise of compensation, so they can look at it. I don't know what "compensate" means to them in this context. Does it mean replace? When would it be replaced? I actually use the thing (with rubber bands holding it together) about once a week. I'm not going out to buy another back-up charger so they can satisfy their curiosity. Do people do this?

I declined, so they offered me a $5 coupon. Still not getting it.

Not a Waste of Time, part two

Reposting the first part from this old (April 11, 2007) blog entry: Not a Waste of Time.

Immediately after learning of my father's death, we were faced with decision #1: organ donation. It's such an awkward approach the staff has to make. In our case, there wasn't quite as much urgency, since none of Dad's major organs were in good shape. We were told that maybe - and only maybe - his corneas could be used, although I agreed to them taking anything they could use that wouldn't affect the viewing. So, less than an hour after saying our goodbyes (he was already gone), I spent what seemed like hours on the phone with the Gift of Life people. Well, one person. I've already forgotten her name, but she was very respectful. But oh, the questions she had to ask! Every surgery I could remember, every drug taken, every hospitalization, the really awkward STD questions. And I found myself wondering: Is this a waste of time? I answered "yes" to every illness except AIDS, cancer and mad-cow disease (or so it seemed). So many times, I wanted to slam down the phone and say, "Forget it, this is a waste of time! He was too old, and had been too sick for this to make any difference."

Well, I was wrong. We received a letter today saying that two women - one from Trenton (where John & I got married) and one from Sterling Heights had each received one of Dad's corneas and were now able to see.

(See that dimple? I have the same one.)

Today (June 27, 2008), this came in the mail:

Crafty Fun Friday, 27 June 08

Look! It's a sock!! Here's another view! Another hurdle mastered. Well, not mastered, but I'm not afraid of them anymore. I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever be able to tackle these things that have intimidated me for so long. I've already cast on for #2. Specifics here.

I could go on and on about how much I love the colors, and how they come together without pooling.

Crafts
(giving) Wrapping gifts with fabric (diagram), from angry chicken. (It's Furoshiki, which is more than just wrapping gifts, but this would be my application.)

(sewing) Cozy, Quick Blanket - I love the ric-rac edging!

(playing) Icy Treasures, via greetingarts

(playing) Sponge Balls, via Crafty Crow

(lunching) Also via Crafty Crow, I'm loving this Muffin Tin Monday idea. The "Monday" part is a meme, if you wanted to join, but otherwise, I think most kids would get a kick out of this. Clicking around on some of the participants' blogs, it looks like it's getting picky eaters to eat more/try new things. Sweet!

(crafting) Recycled Cake Plates. What a cute idea! Via sycamore stirrings.

(stitching) Cross-stitch & Embroidery alphabets - type in your text and get the chart or back-stitch pattern. Nifty! via Whip-up.

(cooking) Will someone make this for me? Fudge w/ a layer of bacon.

(sewing) Pencil case.

(crafting) Getting married? Check out this list of how-tos for flowers, beaded combs, etc.

(baking) Glazed Orange Scones. Yummy.

(crocheting) I'm serious this time. Will someone make me a couple of these acorn necklaces? I'll trade for something good.

(reading) I discovered a couple of new blogs this week, and wanted to share them: Derfwad Manor & 3rd Eye Muse. You should definitely check them out!

(celebrating) Cake decorating with Starbursts.

(lunching) Summer Lunch, including a tomato pie recipe and mini cheesecakes. I want that pan!

(cutting) This is the first tutorial for cutting fabric into one long strip w/o sewing that made sense to me. Via Whip-up.

(everything) Monster list of shoes & slippers tutorials. Also via Whip-up.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Dear Energizer

Dear Energizer:

See this little gizmo? I think it's pretty nifty that I can charge my cell phone with a couple of AA batteries. I think it was a little pricey, but less expensive than buying a car charger AND a back-up charger for work. It comes in handy when I'm out & about and notice the battery is getting low, and would have come in handy when we lost power during that storm last week and my phone was almost dead. (Except that we didn't have any batteries. My bad.)

But do you see a problem here? The rubber bands. Why on earth would you go to so much trouble to design, produce, package, ship and market this gizmo and not see if it would SHUT when you put BATTERIES in it? The little catches on the sides will not click in place when there are batteries inside. They work fine when it's empty. Handy, that.

Sigh. I'm so disappointed in you.

Sincerely,
Mel

(ETA: I sent a message to Energizer about this, minus the sarcasm. Wonder if they'll respond?)

I hope you'll come back on Saturday, for my part in the Virtual Tea Party (see sidebar). Mine is - of course - Halloween-themed, and there's talk of a prize.

Because it doesn't fit with the theme (remotely), I wanted to share the story of this mug. I received it as a gift from my mom many, many years ago; I liked tulips, and tea, and she thought it was pretty. I actually used it, although I don't now. During her long illness, there was a time when she enjoyed a nice mug of tea, and commented that she'd like to drink it out of a pretty mug. I took this to her in the hospital, and would make tea in it for her whenever she wanted.

We had a little incident with someone trying to take it home with them, but I've decided to try and not dwell on that stuff. At some point, I brought it home again, and have kept it in the kitchen window. I haven't used it since, I think because I'm afraid to break it. It still has a piece of tape on the bottom with her room number on it.

Saucy's Wedding Party

I talked about the wedding at length here (old blog), including all the drama, so for this party, I'm just going to talk about good times.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

More Tunes

Looks like I'm going to be up a little later tonight than intended. I finally caved and signed up for iTunes so I could download the song I mentioned earlier* and the other one I remembered**. They had the former (woot) but not the latter (weird). I also tracked down an MP3 of this fantastic performance. You know, I don't care if the Canon is corny or whatever people want to call it. I like it. And I really like it on electric guitar.

Since I got my new computer a couple months ago, and lost my my iTunes, I haven't gotten everything straightened out; I've just been using my work computer to charge my iPod. But it's time. I was serious about either just sending out CDs or doing a swap if anyone is interested.

*The Vogues, You're the One (not an easy task -- iTunes has crap-loads of re-recorded stuff and the first one I bought was not the original)

**Badfinger, Day after Day. Hello? How can they only have re-recorded versions and not one copy of the original? Come on!

A few more things; calendar

Red Scarf Project: In addition to Interim House, I also support the Red Scarf Project. Norma has a sweet story here, plus an update.

This story made me cry a little. Via needle book.

One more update (I keep editing this post, sorry): Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs came out yesterday. Of course we already watched it. Verdict: kooky, but excellent.

Calendar

Thursday, June 26: Saucy's Wedding Party.

Saturday, Jun 28: A Fanciful Twist's Mad Tea Party (of the costume variety).

Friday, July 4: It looks like John & I are heading to Ohio for a BBQ. Should be interesting. I've never partied with a bunch of Libertarians before.

Tuesday, July 8: Psych season 2 released on DVD

Friday, July 11: Hellboy II comes out. One convert (Hi, Anita) is going with us!

Friday, July 18: Psych season starts

Friday, August 8: IH Contest drawing; my birthday

Saturday, August 23: Craft Show @ Holly Library 9:30 - ?

September: Viva Pinata 2

It's almost zen; Tunes

I heard something on the radio last week, and darn if I can't find any stats to support it (yet), but it intrigued me: angry drivers use more gas than patient drivers. Well, yeah, if you think about it: impatient/angry drivers are constantly revving their engines, running up on the car in front of them, braking hard, switching lanes, etc.

I hate driving. Like, a lot. Of course, I have a near-hour commute each morning and a slightly longer one each afternoon. Thank God I get to work from home one day a week, because I would have to find another job if I had to do this every day. Part of my drive involves 275, which stretches from here to Florida, and part of that includes at least 2 different junctions where I have to get across all the lanes in a reasonable amount of time to stay on my route. (This is not a picture of 275. It's a picture I borrowed from Microsoft Clip Art.)

275 is kind of notorious for asinine, aggressive drivers and 80+MPH speeds. By the time I get to work (and have to deal with the shuttle, which is a whole other post), I'm wiped out. Getting home is worse, and that's only if I don't have errands to run afterwards.

I'm a little impatient, but I'm not an ass; however, I decided to try something new: driving more patiently. All week, I've been just going the speed limit, or even a little less (if someone is going slow in front of me). I do still switch lanes if I get behind someone moving very slowly, but no longer freak out if they're going below 75. My speedometer hasn't seen 80 all week. I don't know if my gas mileage has improved, but I am calmer in the car. I figure that it might take me 4-5 minutes longer to get somewhere, but I'm calmer, and safer, when I arrive.

Tunes
You know how, when you are trying to remember a song that you like, but it just won't come? Awhile back, I was putting together a list of songs for John to track down for me, and I couldn't remember one song for the life of me. I finally gave up. Over the weekend, I jumped in the car to run to the grocery store, and it was on the radio! I had left the radio tuned to the oldies station (rare for me), and I'm so glad! I haven't found it yet, but at least I know what I was looking for: You're the One (That I Love) by the Vogues, released the year I was born. There's always another song, just out of reach.

Other old favorites that have randomly popped up:
Build me up Buttercup, The Foundations (for Bec)
Come a Little Bit Closer, Jay and the Americans
Black Betty, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (never heard it my whole life until a few months ago)
Oh How Happy, Shades of Blue (I liked this song before I knew that John's uncle was the lead singer)
A Little Bit of Soap, The Jarmels

So... is anyone interested in an eclectic CD mix from me? I'll put a couple together if anyone wants, just for fun. Regular CD or MP3, just say the word. Even better, but not necessary: a music swap, so I can hear some other folks' eclectic faves.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

IH Contest Prize Update

(Updated 7/23/08)

The main post is too long, so here are pictures of the prizes:

Good news! Illiane's Corner has generously donated an knit or crochet bag of the winner's choice! The blue knit bag is shown here, but the winner will be able to select the style and color & have it shipped directly to her/him.

Stacie, another longtime IH supporter, has donated a prize package consisting of a (sold out) Ravelry tote, a "Where My Stitches At" T-shirt (size M) - which I don't think is available at all anywhere, and a couple of Ravelry buttons.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Interim House Contest Time

It's about that time again: my third annual Interim House contest! If you're new to it, this post should cover everything you need to know (and you can leave comments with questions). If you're an IH Contest veteran, I'll do my best to get the info. you're looking for at the top. Check for updates via the ih_contest label in the sidebar. I'll post about developments, update about prizes, etc.

Click below to read the whole entry -- if it's not already visible.

Ouch!

I have weird ears. Decent hearing (when I'm paying attention), ridiculously narrow ear canals, according to the E-N-T doc, and Miniere's disease (okay, that's the inner ear). Also, my iPod earbuds hurt. They do not fit in the normal way, and actually hurt quite a bit if I wear them that way.

So, I'm looking for alternatives. Preferably under $20, even better if they're less than $10. Suggestions appreciated. Simply put: I need something that a small child could comfortably use.

Midsummer Festival (WoW)
I've been slowly leveling my undead (shadow) priest on World of Warcraft. I reached level 50 yesterday. It's slow-going when you have a guild of two and a pretty intense fear of dungeons. Just hitting all of the horde bonfires during this festival will get me pretty close to the next level. I hit a couple of allie bonfires last night, which was fun (double experience).

This festival beats the Easter celebration (whatever they called it -- oh, wait -- Noblegarden) into the ground. I think it would be fun to join a group and hit as many alliance fires as possible.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

First sock, take two

I'm so glad that I tried on my first sock yesterday. It was a little snug, and since I hadn't gotten that far, I decided to frog it and cast on a few more stitches. And look! Magic!! There's a heel, and a gusset and stuff. Go me.