Fill-In Friday

It's the end of the week, I'm very tired, so I found this easy-peasy fill-in meme here. Sometimes you just need to take the lazy way out.

1. I'm looking forward to being somewhere warmer next week.
2. I don't handle animals being hurt very well.
3. Pudahha is something I could eat every day.
4. Warmth and sunlight make for wonderful places to nap.
5. Las Vegas here I come!
6. I don't have any tattoo(s).
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to making beef and barley soup, tomorrow my plans include shopping for new pants and Sunday, I want to meet my knitting friends!

You rang?

Thursday Book Report: The Long Way Home

(In which my geekiness flashes for everyone to see.)



Oh my. Do you know how long I have waited for this? I was searching my library's online database (how I love thee, iPac!) for new vampire fiction when I came across Joss Whedon's graphic novel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Long Way Home. I nearly fell out of my chair seeing that my library had this in stock - it was in my request list in a split second - and I was not disappointed.

Andrew and I are Buffy fiends - we started watching the show when we lived in Japan, and then when we moved back to the US it was our only thing to do on Tuesday nights. The dialogue, the angst, the kick-assed-ness - even the musicality (and not just for the wonderful Once More With Feeling - we love the original TV soundtrack, too). We loved it so that most people assume that we named our daughter after Willow in the show (it isn't true, but that is a story for another day).

This book was designed to start where Season 7 left off - with Sunnydale being obliterated. There are many Slayers now, spread out around the world in squads, doing their best to keep the world safe. Unfortunately, some uninformed uniformed types think they are terrorists and are doing their worst - in the guise of a recurring enemy - to bring the Scoobies down. The stories are wonderful - and the language is just as I remembered it. The drawings are breathtaking - the ones of Willow I think are the best of all - especially the one of her in her black backless shirt with her back to the viewer. Oh my. And the drawing of the glimpse into Buffy's dreamworld where she imagines a threesome with her and two former vampire flames...

This is the first volume in a series covering Season 8; despite the fact that the show is no longer on TV, these graphic novels are designed to be that season that never happened. I really hope that they prove so popular that they continue with a Season 9, Season 10. And if my local library doesn't add the second volume in toute de suite, I think I will be making a purchase of my own... the second volume concerns Faith - need I say more?

Yeah... it's an artistic close up and not a slip of the finger...

WiP It Wednesday: The End is in Sight!

Literally!



I finished knitting my Pinwheel Baby blanket, and was more than a bit discontented with how it was rolling at the edges. I shot an email to Cristi, whose own Pinwheel Blanket had inspired me to make this one, on how I could remedy the rolling. She had a simple solution - crochet a shell border around the circumference of the blanket. Boy, was I glad I had used a crocheted cast-off - it made it that much easier to continue around with the shell border. I am actually on the second round of shells. When I had gone once around I decided to flip the blanket over and continue in the opposite direction, hoping to further counter-act any rolling. I should be able to finish this while watching American Idol tonight!

I peeked in on Willow before I went to bed to tuck her in and found her like this:



This was an odd night - usually her tiger, Sergei, is directly over her face. I don't know why. And Teri - look - she is wearing the jammies you gace her for Christmas!

Lucky and I were cozying up and taking pictures last night - I know I look dead tired - it was past eleven o'clock and I should have been long in bed, but he was being so lovey.

You Spin Me 'Round...

Look what came in the mail for me yesterday!



My Knitty SP is spoiling me rotten! It's very funny, too - the other day I was daydreaming about going to MDSW again this year, and bemoaning the fact that I would have to lay off buying fiber, silk hankies, and other lovely stuff because I hadn't figured out how to use my blasted spindle. SP, you may have set me on the path to spending more money in May! Now let's see if I can master handspinning by then, okay? I love the fact that she also included a DVD; I've never actually seen someone handspin in person and I think that is partly what is holding me back - that I cannot visualize how it is done. Thank you, SP!

Something else came in the mail for me the other day - look at this cool crochet hook keychain:



I had first seen this on Nell's blog and was intrigued. The keychain itself came from 5elementknitr Etsy Shop (sorry -it wouldn't let me create a link!). I may remove the beads and smaller rings and connect the crochet hook to the sturdier ring -but I am really happy with it. It's the perfect thing for picking up dropped stitches and fixing pulls in your sweater.

What? It's not my fault if you can't center your photos.

And in Beautiful Living Colour -

May I present Dharma! She is 7lbs 14 oz and 20 inches long, and my poor sister was in labour for over 27 hours. I simply cannot imagine that! She is beautiful. Look at all that curly hair!



I'm a little sad that I will miss seeing her this small - these are the things that break my heart about living so far away from my family.

Lucky is not so impressed.

What do I care? Baby cats just cry and smell atrocious. Come back in a few years when you can open my kibble container.

And a sneak preview for tomorrow... I got a kick ass package from my Knitty SP late today!

Welcome to the World, Dharma!

Woo-hoo! My sister Teri and her husband Carl had their little girl this afternoon! This is the baby that I knit the cornflower blue blanket for... the one I was certain was a boy! I'm so happy for both of them. I don't have any other details yet - I was only able to talk to my Mom for about 30 seconds. All I know is that she is beautiful and has lots of hair. I hope someone remembers to send me a picture soon!

And now for your bad cat picture of the day:



What is Lucky sitting in? My stash of to-be-recycled plastic bags. A few loads back I had put his emptied plastic kibble bag in there and ever since he has to inspect every subsequent recycling to see if there is another kibble bag - because you never know when there may be a few stray kibble hanging around...

Oh, and I am still knitting - I am within 2-3 days of finishing the pinwheel baby blanket - all I need to do now is the solid blue border around the edge and the bind off. I'm a little scared about this. I know it won't compare to those of you who do intricate lace with a gazillion stitches to cast off, but it will have about 650 stitches, the most I have ever cast off at any given time.

Wouldn't You Like To Know

What was going on in his kitty head with this?



I can too touch my nose with my tongue. Now let's see you do it!

Some Days Are Easier Than Others

...to get an in-focus picture of Lucky.



We had a snow day here today - we received a phone call at bloody 5:22am to let us know that the school district had closed all the schools because of the inclement weather. I was all excited - I thought it was my Mom calling to let me know that my newest niece or nephew had been born. Not yet! I worked from home today and Willow had a cartoon-watching day. I'm such a meanie about school, though - I made her do two pages of phonics and two pages of math. I taught her how to use a plate of Cheerios to help her with her math homework. Don't you love it when your kid thinks you have discovered something amazing!

Thursday Book Report: The Spiderwick Chronicles: Book 1

Yes, a young adult book. And yes, I did read The Spiderwick Chronicles Book 1: The Field Guide to Willow, but I am counting it anyway as it fits my parameters of my 2008 challenge.

Andrew and I first saw the preview for the Spiderwick Chronicles movie back in December when we saw The Golden Compass and both of us were intrigued by it as we are always looking for movies for Willow. However, we both thought that this movie might be a little scary for her. My solution? I told her we would read the book together and if she wasn't scared by the book we would go see the movie.

Well, it took us all of three days to read the book aloud. And we went out and got the second book today.

We loved it! I loved that there was the odd illustration to puncuate part of the story. I loved how the kids seemed real - squabbling, a little messed up by their parents' divorce, and wanting to help each other and hide things from their mother. The three Grace children - thirteen year old Mallory and her twin nine-year old brothers Jared and Simon have moved with their mother to their great-aunt's delapidated Victorian house after their parents' divorce. They all seemed to have been traumatized by the event and have manifested this in different ways. From the moment they step into the house, something seems odd and the three of them set out to find out what is going on and stumble onto something they could not have imagined before.

We can't wait to get started on book number two! And incidentally, as an adult, from the moment I read on page 1 that Jared imagined his sister Mallory would grow up to be "either...an Olympic fencer or in jail for stabbing someone with a sword" had me laughing out loud and I knew it would be a book that Willow and I would enjoy on separate but equally enjoyable levels. We heartily recommend this book - and it is well-suited to reading aloud.

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And just for those of you who thought I was getting just a bit too proficient in my cat-pic-taking, may I present the fastest cat in the East?



Can't let me get too cocky here.

So Not In The Mood

So just a Lucky Shot tonight.

Shan's Revised Book Meme

I saw this on Shan's blog this morning and knew I had to do this as well. She took a booke meme someone gave her and tweaked it a bit. If you would like to play, find a book to fit each of these categories, turn to page 123, and post the fifth through eighth sentences.

Nearest Book of Any Description - Dungeons and Dragons Spell Compendium

The target of the inferno takes 6d6 points of fire damage unless it makes a Fortitude save. In each round thereafter, the fire deals 1d6 fewer points of damage (minimum 1d6) until the spell ends or the subject manages to extinguish the flames. Thus, the fire deals 5d6 points of damage in the second round, 4d6 points in the third round, and so forth. Flammable, nonmagical items carried by the target automatically fail their saves to resist this damage.

Ookay... I get the math. Beyond that, not so much.

Nearest Grownup Book - My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding

He almost looked somber as the song ended.

"Of course," Elvis continued, "you've had plenty of dates, you're a popular guy, but when you don't find that special gal, there's only one place you can go..."

He sang "Heartbreak Hotel."

The small band was inspired; it was as though he had a full orchestra backing him instead of just a few players and a lot of amps.

That sets the scene pretty well in four sentences, don't you think? The short story in this case is P.N. Elrod's "All Shook Up."

Nearest Book Belonging to ME: S. M. Stirling's Island in the Sea of Time

"They showed me pictures of grain, of bread, of cattle. They want these things, and they will give rich gifts for them."

"Ahhh," Daurthunnicar sighed.

He looked at the ax, at the wonderful sword, at the shining jewelry.

This is one of the occasions where I wish I could have chosen the previous page - it would have explained the scene much better. Nevertheless, read all of S. M. Stirling's books - especially the Nantucket series and the Emberverse series (they are connected) and you will not regret it.

Nearest Book I'm Actually READING: Krakatoa: The Day The World Exploded August 27, 1883

...The water of the sea rose and inundated the land, the country to the east
of the mountain Batuwara, to the mountain Raja Basa, was inundated by the sea;
the inhabitants to the northern part of the Sunda country to the mountain Raja
Basa were drowned and swept away with all their property...

What does it mean? To which mountain - since Kapi is not a name known today - does the passage refer? And when did whatever happened take place? Geologists, more familiar with gazing at fossils or down microscopes, have pored over this one paragraph of elegant Javanese prose and gone over it with a fine-tooth comb.

Another awkward moment since my fifth sentence caught me mid-reference to something else. A fascinating book - Andrew's parents remember their grandparents talking about the cold weather in the years following Krakatoa's eruption.

Book that is Nearest to my Heart: Little Women

Each had made such preparation for the fete as seemed necessary and proper. Meg had an extra row of curlpapers across her forehead, Jo had copiously anointed her afflicted face with cold cream, Beth had taken Joanna to bed with her to atone for the approaching separation, and Amy had capped the climax by putting a clothespin on her nose to uplift the offending feature. It was one of the kind artists use to hold the paper on their drawing boards, therefore quite appropriate and effective for the purpose to whoch it was now put. This funny spectacle appeared to amuse the sun, for he burst out with such radiance that Jo woke up and roused all her sisters by a hearty laugh at Amy's ornament.

Truly, one of my favourite books ever. I could read it over and over, and if the June Allyson version is on TV, you better not be in my way.

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And to accompany your daily Lucky shot, a better picture of Raisin's new blanket. I hadn't intended the cat to be in there, but he insisted.



Yeah... I need to take down those Christmas cards...

Monday Ennui

Yes, yes, yes. My eyes are the same colour as her sweatshirt.



Now let me go!

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Not sure what is going on, but I have been feeling dizzy all day. Like having a mild case of the spins.

Princess Willow and Sock Love

I tried denying it. Sublimating the thought. But I can't hide it anymore.

My daughter is a princess.



Gack! I was in Orlando last spring for a business conference and stumbled into the princess beauty salon in one of the shops in Downtown Disney. Little girls - none over the age of eight all tarted up - yes, make up and all - and it sickened me. Andrew and I try to avoid the girly girl stuff with Willow. She has dolls, but we try to emphasize games, books, sports, and crafts. What does she really want? A princess dress. She borrowed this one from her friend Zoey, and I will be the first to admit she looks darling in it. But the first person who comes near her with rouge gets their offending limb chopped off!

Okay - onto less tumultuous stuff. I'm in love with a sock. Don't tell my husband.



I finally succumbed to knitting a sock with a pattern - I started these Jaywalker socks on Thursday and this is how far I had knit by Sunday morning (it is longer and has a heel flap now). It is only a two-row repeat pattern and I am entranced by its simplicity and I find myself going around and around just to see how the chevron pattern comes out next. The kfb is a bit challenging on size 1 needles, but I think I have it under control now. I am definitely doing the second sock on two circulars to save time.

Lucky is particularly drawn in by these socks - perhaps just the yarn itself - he tried chewing through the ziploc bag the yarn was in before I even broke it out to start knitting with it. It's odd - that is the only yarn he has singled out that way.



Mmm... it looks like wet cat food with just a hint of tuna...

You Can't Make Me!

You don't even want to know how many pictures I took in an attempt to get one with Lucky on Willow's lap. This was the best of the bunch.

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Andrew and I went to a Korean Barbeque restaurant on Friday and it was so delicious - so much so that I forgave Andrew for throwing a tantrum in front of the initial restaurant we were planning to eat at (because while it was a Korean restaurant, it didn't have the barbecue). Semantics. I was starving by this point - and we went down the road in search of the other restaurant. It was heavenly - we had bulgogi (thin strips of prime rib grilled and wrapped up in lettuce leaves). They serve you all sorts of little dishes with miso, marinated vegetables, daikon, fried tofu strips, kimchee, soy sprouts to put in your leaf aong with a bowl of rice. It was all so good and I can't wait to go again. We didn't bring Willow with us, but I feel that we wouldn't have any problem taking her in the future.

Friday Lucky Shot

What? No one bothers me under here.

Thursday Book Report: Kiss Me Deadly

And back to the genre romance...

Michele Hauf's Kiss Me Deadly is the first book I have ever read in Sillouette's Nocturne line - and if this story is indicative of the quality, I'm hooked. And better yet, this is apparently the second book in a series and I would not have guessed that if I had not read it in the introduction.

Kiss Me Deadly (okay, I could have done without the bad 1980's song title) has an interesting take on the urban fantasy world. Centuries ago, after being constantly enthralled by vampires who soaked up witches' powers when they drank the witch blood, the witches fought back by casting the 'Protection,' a spell that made the witches' blood an ugly and instant poison to any vampire who came in contact with it. Ever since, the vampires and witches have been at war.

Ravin is a vampire-hunter witch, complete with blood-infused bullets and killer (literally) martial arts skills. She also owes Himself (think horns and tail) three favours in return for the Sight (the ability to recognize vampires among humans). Whilst completing one of these favours, she bumps into Nikolaus, a vampire she thinks she has killed. Since he was able to survive her poisonous blood, he is now a phoenix - a vampire immune to her blood. And, due to Himself's favour and an accident... now enspelled in love with Ravin.

I really enjoyed this book and hope to find more books by Hauf - and I will definitely be checking out more books in the Nocturne line.

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A pensive Lucky shot:

WiP It Wednesday: Don't Believe The Hype

Yes, another blurry photo - and Lucky is being rather rude - but the picture serves my purpose.



I finished crocheting Raisin's baby blanket for my sister Teri last night during American Idol. Moss Stitch, 4 skeins of the *freakin'* supposedly no-dye-lot Caron Simply Soft in blueberry. Do you see what I see? Four distinct stripes of colour in the blanket?!? Argh... Oh well, at least it is uniform. We will just pretend that I planned it that way.

And yes, I can still count this as a WiP - I haven't woven in the ends yet.

Only one baby blanket to go!

The 24-Hour Kid-Sized Shawl

Last Friday afternoon I was clearing out Willow's backpack when I noticed a note from Willow's teacher saying the kids were to dress up for their 100th Day of Kindergarten (which was today). Dress up how? Well - I misread it. I read the note as if the children were supposed to dress up as if it were 100 years ago. Easy-peasy. I had something Alice-in-Wonderlandish in mind, thought I could ask my MIL nicely to whip Willow up a pinafore and we we would be done. Then I asked Willow if her teacher had given them any hints or ideas of how to dress up.

"Like old people! You know, wigs, canes, suspenders."

Hrm?!?! I read the note again. Sure enough, they were to dress as if they were 100 years old. That is open to interpretation. In any case, my MIL stepped up to the plate and quickly sewed Willow a pink gingham nightgown. I went out and let Willow pick some yarn (and don't you know it, she chose Lion Brand Homespun) so I could knit her a shawl to go with the nightgown. Yeah, we were going with the theory that someone a 100 years old would be in bed. I meant to start it Saturday... but I ended up a cold-medicine induced sleep most of that day. And Sunday. So, the shawl was started sometime after dinner on Sunday and finished last night - here it is:



I didn't use a pattern. It's all in stockinette stitch; I started out with three stitches and increased with yarn overs on every knit row until I felt it was long enough. I used size 11 KnitPicks circulars and used maybe 2/3 of the skein. Willow loves it and I foresee it being reborn as a superhero cape in the near future.

Here's the front and your daily Lucky shot:



Still sick - I stayed home from work today and my sinuses feel like bricks.

My Cat Has Evil Eyes

I told you flash does weird things to his eyes.

Still sick. Bleargh.

Don't You Love Your New Food Container?

Honestly, I think the fact that it is transparent is driving him nuts.

Cristi, who takes wonderful pictures herself of Calvin and Ripple, has this to say about taking cat pictures:

The trick is turning on every light in the house and turning OFF the flash on your camera and hoping and praying that of the fifty shots you take of the cat at least one turns out not only cute but clear. Not easy. But the no flash is key. For me.

Oddly enough, that is my modus operandi with Willow as well. I need to stop using flash on Lucky - he has light green yes and the flash does weird things to them in pictures. Back to Calvin and Ripple - I think those two are Willow's favourite computer cats - she knows them by name when I am reading blogs. And I have to thank Cristi for the idea of the plastic ribbons on the top of milk jugs - Lucky goes nutso for them.

Here's a question for you cat people out there: Lucky has a few raw spots where he has scratched himself. One in the less-furry spot in front of his ear, one near his collar, and the other above his shoulder. He doesn't have fleas or other bugs. These showed up about 10 days ago when we stopped feeding him tuna (side tangent - he was getting the tuna because he was on amoxicillin for a sinus infection and the only way to disguise the bubblegum smell was to mix it with tuna. Why to they make feline antibiotics taste like bubblegum?!?! Anyway...). So, it showed up after we stopped the daily tuna. I'm wondering if his skin is really dry right now and that is why he is itchy - I know my scalp is painfully dry right now so I am just drawing a correlation. I did give him some tuna today mixed in with some canola oil. Does anyone have any insight into this?

Just A Lucky Shot

Willow and I have been felled by colds -hers a chest cold/cough and mine a sinus cold. We are miserable and Andrew is a trooper for dealing with us.

A FO! And Only Two Years In The Making!

Yes, people - it took me over two years to finish these socks. Not that they were overly difficult or my sock-knitting skills that paltry... but I finished them last night! I'm wearing them right now and I have to tell you that they are the most comfortable of all the socks I have knit for myself.

The Specifics:

Yarn: The now-defunct Knitpicks Dancing (and I can't remember the colourway), 2 skeins
Needles: Now this is one of the reasons it took me so long... size 0 DPNs. I thought I was working with size 1s, but then when I gauged them last night when I was done I was shocked to find out I was working with zeros!
Pattern: The generic sock pattern from Ann Budd's multi-gauge knitting pattern book

I have to tell you... I'm itching to start on another pair of socks (not in size 0) right away!

And now, for your daily Lucky Shot:



I have to tell you - I don't know how Jen gets such clear shots of Fee and Grady...

Thursday Book Report: Flyboy

Look Ma! A non-genre romance novel! (Yes, I do periodically wander from the angst of werewolves and vampires...)

I picked up a couple of the Harlequin Blaze and Silhouette Temptation novels from the library, assuming that they would be quick reads and would allow me to pad my yearly book total... and boy, was I in for a surprise with this one. Way back when I was in university I used to devour these books - what can I say, I was at a school where girls out-numbered boys 3 to 1 and being cute, short, and let's be polite and say abundant... the guys that were around weren't exactly breaking down my door. So, I read a lot of romance novels. I remember them being invariably 189 pages long - fiesty girl, committment-phobic boy, snappy repartee, hot sex, and happily ever after. Not long on storyline, but honestly - that wasn't why I read the books.

Karen Foley's Flyboy has a lot of those above-mentioned attributes... Sedona is an aerospace engineer fighting her way in a man's world, Angel is a hotshot pilot who is not looking for a permanent relationship... but underneath it all was a story that sometimes made me forget why this book is sheathed in red bedsheets and has the brand name 'Blaze' emblazoned on the front. Not completely - Ms. Foley has a deft hand with that attribute as well. According to the introduction, this book is her debut novel - and I have to say I will be looking for her name again.
ETA - Apparently not her debut novel, but her first novel with Harlequin Blaze. I found her website and she has written other books as well.

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And here's your daily Lucky shot:



I tried getting an action shot but the cat is too fast and my camera not equipped for it. I did warn you I would be supplying you with out-of-focus cat shots.

Thank you Knitty SP!

Look what I got!



The dog on top is for Willow, and she loves him. She has named him mr. Fuzzy Wuzzy and she hasn't put him down since we unwrapped him. Also in the package were some specialty hot chocolates, a kit to bake chocolate cake in coffee cups, Rogers (!!) chocolates, so lovely hand cream, and the most beautiful smelling eye mask. I think my SP has paid attention to the fact I have been a bit stressed out lately! Thank you, SP!

Lucky: What?!!? I only ate him a little...



For Lent - a picture of Lucky a day, and I'm not going to eat after 8pm (and trust me, that will be the hard one!).

Step Away

She's mine now and I'm not letting her go.

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I need some suggestions - Lent has snuck up on me this year and I am at a loss as what to do on my blog for the duration. If you remember, last year I (tried) to give you a word a day, and the year before that I learned something new each day and reported on it. So... does anyone have any ideas? Because at this rate you might just have an out-of-focus picture of Lucky each day for Lent.

Third Annual St. Brigid's Silent Poetry Reading

Arctic Rhododendrons

They are small purple surprises
in the river's white racket
and after you've seen them
a number of times
in water-places
where their silence seems
related to water-thunder
you think of them as 'noisy flowers'
Years ago
it may have been
that lovers came this way
stopped in the outdoor hotel
to watch the water floorshow
and lying prone together
where the purged green
boils to a white heart
and the shore trembles
like a stone song
with bodies touching
flowers were their conversation
and love the sound of a colour
that lasts two weeks in August
and then dies
except for the three or four
I pressed in a letter
and sent whispering to you

- Al Purdy (taken from 15 Canadian Poets X 2)

Want to participate in the silent poetry reading? Please check out the details here.

Belated Book Report: High Stakes

Sorry for the delay - it was Andrew's birthday yesterday and by the time we got back from the restaurant I was too beat to write up the book report.

I learned about High Stakes a few months ago. I had been looking up a different book and saw this in a sidebar as a "if you liked 'X' book, you will love..." link. I'm glad I clicked on that link, because I was laughing from the first paragraph of this book.

Ethan is a vampire who likes going to the dentist because he likes than smooth clean feeling afterward. He also needs to find himself a wife because he is running for re-election as president of the vampires and the life of a swinging playboy is just not cutting it with the political undead these days. He thinks he has hit the jackpot with Brittany - a sweet, beautiful, tall dentist with an interesting secret... but then he meets her sister.

Alexis is nothing like her sister. She is a pint-size wispy-haired blonde with a sarcastic and mistrusting streak a mile wide. Oh yeah - she is also a martial arts enthusiast and county prosecutor and she does not take kindly to a deluded casino owner who thinks he is a vampire saying he is going to marry her baby sister.

This is the first book in a series and I know I will be seeking out the subsequent novels. Ethan falls hard for Alexis - and while Brittany would have been a more politically sound choice for his wife, he can't resist Alexis. Their romance cracked me up - especially when her idea of foreplay is beating the hell out of Ethan - just because he won't complain she is playing too hard. If you like paranormal romances, pick this one up - it lacks the angst of a lot of novels in this genre, but it makes up for it with sheer silliness.

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Okay, January is over - how am I doing with my 2008 challenge so far? I read 9 books (2709 pages!!) in January - so if I can continue this rate I can make it to a hundred books.