So, this morning, the four of us–me, Mom, Chappy, and Chris–got in the car.

  About an hour later, after sitting in a road-construction-jam (the first one Chris had seen. He was really curious–said they didn’t have this kind of thing when he was a boy), we arrived…

  Liberty State Park.

  For the Bark in the Park …..

   …. Dog Walk. Lots of dogs. Lots of people. Lots of excitement.

  Especially for the four-legged members of the group. Chappy could barely contain himself. He TRIED to stay more or less at the heel position as we walked, but . . . well, let’s just say that the palm of my left hand is feeling a little raw from the leash . . . and my right wrist is a little sore from a couple of dramatic changes of direction. He wanted to say hello to EVERYBODY.

  Like, the Statue of Liberty. Chappy’s never seen New York City before, much less Lady Liberty.

  Now, we left Chris in the car for the actual dog-walk part of the outing, but as soon as we’d finished the two-mile route, we . . . well, we rested for a few minutes, but then we hurried back to get him, because there was just something he HAD to see.

  Christopher Columbus Plaza. Well, you can imagine his excitement! (And, honestly, I had no idea it was even there, or would probably have noticed, even, if I hadn’t had the man himself sitting in the car!

  By then, of course, we were all tired. So we stopped at Starbucks for some lunch, and headed back to the house. Chris is planning on loading his cargo hold tonight and heading out tomorrow, or Tuesday at the latest. There’s just a little . . . load-shifting . . . we need to do to get everything to fit!

Tags: Chappy, Family, General by Deb
11 Comments »

Um . . . now I’ve seen everything.

Tags: Uncategorized by Deb
12 Comments »

As Jo says, “Christopher Columbus!” What a great day this has been so far!

First, there was the park. A nice, long walk with Mom and Chappy on a beautiful autumn morning. I took lots of Saturday Sky pictures to share with you:

I think you get the idea, right?

  Beautiful day. (As seen through my car’s sun roof.)

  Chappy was thrilled.

But then, it got even better!

  Look who came calling. It’s Christopher Columbus himself, via the Yarn Aboard II trade route.

  He brought quite a cargo, via Illinois, where his cargo master was Lorinda. Just . . . wow.

  I mean, really, look at all this loot! (Er, I mean, trade goods. He’s in enough trouble with the natives as it is.)

  First, he brought some of Scout’s Handpainted Swag sock yarn, in the “Harlot’s Mums” colorway, which is oh, so pretty. (The picture’s a trifle blurry, but the colors are pretty accurate.) So. Pretty. Lorinda said it was hard to part with it, and I believe her!

  There were some cinnamon-apple-scented goodies. And M&M chocolate-flavored lip gloss.

  And–wow–a B&N gift card as an early birthday present, bookmarks, and she gave me the year’s subscription to Wild Fibers magazine that she won as a prize from Cara‘s Spin Out.

  There were even goodies for Chappy-boy himself.

   Which he very much appreciates!

Thank you so much, Lorinda!

Now, I just need to show Chris (he said I could call him that) around a bit and then send him on his way with a fresh cargo . . . I hope his next port of call is as happy to see him as I was.

Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning by Deb
10 Comments »

I’m so glad it’s Friday. Not only is it Friday, which is good in and of itself, but it also means I’m on vacation for a week. Woo hoo! Not that I have any travel plans, but the thought of getting to spend all that extra time with Chappy, Mom, my books, and my knitting and spinning? Definitely good.

I don’t have any pictures to show you–not much visual progress on my knitting (though there IS progress). And, after all, I showed you an absolutely adorable picture of Chappy this morning. It’s an old picture, from when he was about a year old, and before I redecorated my bedroom. (Gotta love that 80s dove gray carpet, huh?)

Snow had some bad news today. I tried to leave a comment, but couldn’t get it through, but maybe you’ll have better luck if you head over to cheer her up. Rachel, on the other hand, had a wonderful early surprise. (Well, wonderful result, even if the actual suprise part wasn’t a big ball of yarn.) And then, Risa is taking over the (huge) Knitters webring from Julia, which I think is great news for both of them

Hey, rumor has it that Gilmore Girls episode 8 or 9 this season is going to be titled “Knit, People, Knit” and is going to have some kind of knitting/spinning going on in the town square. Sounds ideal to me.

There’s a nifty contest over here–come up with an item that Cinderella would knit and tell the story why, with sketches–and you could win the yarn to make it yourself!

So, anyway, have a great weekend every one!

Tags: General by Deb
5 Comments »

Here’s this week’s contribution to Sundara’s Eye Candy Friday.

My very favorite eye-candy!

Brought to you by:

Tags: Chappy, Eye-Candy Friday by Deb
9 Comments »

Booking Through Thursday

1. Do you read short stories?
2. Why or why not?
3. What do you like and dislike about short stories?

The short answer is no, I do not read short stories.

The slightly longer one is that, of course, there have been short stories that I have read. I even wrote one that I (unsuccessfully) tried to get published. But as a rule, if I’m going to immerse myself in a character or a story, I want to spend as much time with them as possible.

It’s one of the reasons I like series, so much. The kind that basically tell one long story, just broken into separate volumes. Like the Lymond Chronicles (which, if you’re still at all interested, read this). Or Lord of the Rings. Any that has a distinct beginning, middle, and end, even if they are spread out throughout multiple volumes. (As opposed, you understand, to the kinds of series where the author just keeps writing books with the same characters, advancing their story, perhaps, from book to book, but where each volume is mostly self-contained, a la Nancy Drew.)

Really, the more time I can spend with great characters, fascinating stories, and wonderful writing, the better. Short stories are just so . . short

Tags: Reading by Deb
6 Comments »

Except for the handles . . . and the fact that one side is a little bigger than the other because it didn’t felt evenly . . . still . . . this came out just about the way I wanted.

You know, except for the fact that the other handle is a good 7″ longer than the other AFTER felting.

(I swear, before felting there wasn’t more than 1 row’s difference between the two of them.)

Now, the whole thing is actually kind of huge, but really, it’s just about the same size as the bag I modelled it after. Okay, a little bigger–I can just fit the canvas version inside, but really, see, that’s the beauty of this style of bag. When it’s closed it doesn’t seem ridiculously large, and yet when open, it can hold a massive amount of stuff.

So, all in all . . . and despite the odd handle problem (and the fact that one side is longer than the other), I’m happy with this bag.

I mean, when you consider that I’ve (1) never designed a tote bag of any kind, and (2) had never felted/fulled anything before at all, the fact that the finished product is so close to the image I was carrying in my head is pretty impressive, huh?

Except, it’s not QUITE finished. Although the knitting part is.

What do I still need to do?

1. Figure out a solution to the handle dilemma. (I know, that one’s obvious.)

2. Make a lining for it–also a challenge, since I haven’t touched my sewing machine in about four years.

3. Come up with some snazzy way to close it.

4. Even with the felting, it is still rather “floppy.” I’d like to come up with a way to give the sides just a LITTLE more structure, so that when it’s open, the sides don’t fall flat . . . maybe when it’s full of something like, oh, say, YARN, this won’t happen, but would you want to take the chance? I’m thinking if I go to a fabric shop and buy some of that boning they sell to reinforce shirts and corsets (!) and such, and sew some into the corners of the lining, that should about do it. . . . Unless anyone has a better suggestion?

But still . . . happy!

Added: Thank you all for the suggestions–they are appreciated and welcome! The main problem is that the bag is heavy in and of itself, which probably could be counteracted with stiffeners like plastic canvas or interfacing or . . . something . . . It’s the fact that there’s a metal bag frame at the top, giving structure to the satchel (a very necessary design element), but also adding weight to the top. I’m trying to figure out if there’s something I could use instead of the frame, like, say, a stiff wire bent to shape, but there has to be SOMETHING up there. And the sides of the bag have to be flexible enough to fold inward to the classic satchel shape. Ideally, the bag should stand up straight and wide when open–for that, it’s got to have the frame. Now it’s a question of figuring out how to give the fabric enough heft for it….

Tags: Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning by Deb
14 Comments »

Here are today’s new arrivals.

(Not that I get new things in the mail every day, of course, but I did today.)

A copy–most likely my last, unless they grace an extra issue or so at the end of a subscription–of Knitter’s magazine. It’s better than some issues have been, but, um, still . . . this is not a magazine I plan on renewing. At all.

But also, and much more exciting . . . or, well, maybe not so much exciting as looked-forward-to . . . my new Woolee Winder bobbin for my Lendrum. It came with two when I got it for my birthday last November, and then I went months and months with really very little spinning. Then I came back from Liz’s and it didn’t want to work properly. And now that it’s working properly again AND I’m doing a regular amount of spinning, well, two clearly were not enough. Ideally, I’d want four, but I can make due with three. Certainly easier than I could with just two!

Now, today was another dentist trip–one crown permanently cemented in, but one more visit for the other one (sigh). Chappy keeps sniffing at my “dentist breath” . . . Mom’s, too, since she went to the periodontist today. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that we had nice, soft pasta for supper tonight (grin).

Thanks for the compliments on my sock. I’m really pleased with the way it’s knitting up, nice and thick and warm. The only “problem?” I keep looking at it and thinking “Gosh, this would make a nice mitten.” But the thing is, I don’t wear mittens. Practically ever. I like to have my fingers available for fiddling with keys, dangling things from my fingers on the way to the car. Mittens just get in my way. And yet . . . they sure would look pretty … and, it’s not like I’ve gotten to the heel (aka the point of no return) yet….

Oh, you all know that Sharon Shinn is one of my very favorite authors, right? Well, if you’ve read any of her books, there’s an excellent 8-page interview with her over here. (Thanks, Kelly, for letting me know.) Really, I just love her books.

Tags: General, Reading by Deb
14 Comments »

Okay, those of you who have been twitching at the thought of an empty knitting bag can relax now.

Because, here’s my bag with not one, but two projects, just started.

One, yes, I’ve finally given in, is a Clapotis. I’m using Brooks Farm Four Play that I bought last year in Rhinebeck. I figure that I should really use it before this year’s, right?

Of course, I hadn’t bothered to check the yardage before I bought the yarn, so I don’t have the yardage I’m supposed to. So it’s going to be more like a wide scarf than a shawl. But hey . . . it’s going to be pretty. The colors are this really lovely blue and green. So nice.

The second is a pair of socks. (Well, just one at the moment.) In my very own handspun. Is that exciting, or what?

Well, all right, so it’s only exciting to me, but still. I’m just so proud of myself for spinning 3-ply sock-weight yarn. And I still love the coppery color with hints of slate blue. Just . . . love it.

Other than emptying my knitting bag, I’ve also been doing some spinning. Kind of.

That is, this is my second bobbin of my Good Vibrations superwash merino, but really, I’ve been doing less spinning this week than usual. Not entirely sure why.

And, well, that’s about it for tonight (grin).

Oh–except, did you know Kay and Ann have published their Perfect Sweater pattern? Woohoo!

Tags: Knitting/Spinning by Deb
17 Comments »

Unveiling. Here you go, a look at my modelled Peacock Stole.

Up-do. (And no, I don’t usually put this many different things in my hair on the rare occasion I try to put it up, but I thought it would be fun to be extravagant with the accessoris for a change.

  Unusual Lunch. A Honeycrisp apple with peanut butter. It’s one of those combinations that sound strange–and I normally don’t even like peanut butter very much–but I’m telling you, this, you have to try. The crisp, juiciness of the apple against the sticky, nut flavor of the peanut butter . . . such a great combination.

  Uncharted Territory. Yes, well, some adventures work out better than others. I felted my bag today, and while it went mostly well . . . um . . . as you can see, the two sides did NOT felt evenly. Granted, I deliberately made one side a few rows bigger than the other, so they would overlap when they were closed, but, um . . . the handles WERE the same size when we started…. I have absolutely no idea what to do about this! It’s possble that, once dry, the uneven SIDES will actually be fine and the difference in felting not particularly noticeable . . . but the handle is going to be a problem (grin). Maybe I can fold the long one to match and put a buckle on it, like I’d meant it to look that way all along? (Suggestions welcome–and I DID try hand-felting it to get it smaller, but I just don’t have the serious hand-strength to accomplish that. Even the original swatch for the bag . . . hand-felting and I do NOT get along.)

Underwear (well, sort of). Jane wanted to see creative pictures of my handknitted socks, so . . . here you go. Sock Art.

  Unheard of! Yes, here’s my knitting bag. Completely empty, at least for the moment. Although, I do have a pair of socks panting to be knitted, so . . . I won’t have empty needles for long!

Tags: ABC-Along, Finished Knitting, Hair, Knitting/Spinning by Deb
21 Comments »

First–a Sky picture for you on this Saturday, even though the picture itself was taken several days ago on my way to work. It looked so pretty, though, with the misty valleys and the sun trying to shine through . . . definitely worth stopping the car for.

This morning’s sky, on the other hand, was an unremitting gray. We opted not to take Chappy for a walk in the park, figuring that it was just too cold and blah to make it a pleasant experience. Instead, we three went to my favorite farm to buy some apples (macouns and honeycrisps, my absolute favorites)–along with a couple homestyle donuts and one of their own frozen apple pies, which I popped into the oven as soon as I got home. We also went to the pet store, where I not only bought some stuff for Chappy, but also some aquarium tubing to slide into my tote bag’s facing before I felt it, to prevent those from closing up. I bought the cheap stuff–20 feet of silicon tubing for $1.99–because, well, it’s not like I’m depending on it to keep my (nonexistent) fish alive and healthy, right?

Oh, and we SORT of went to the park. We stopped there primarily to eat our donuts and drink some coffee. We DID take a short stroll along the length of the parking lot (because otherwise it really would have been a cruel tease to the pup, don’t you think), but basically stayed in the car. You can see how very blah the sky was.

Of course, right NOW the sun is out. (Naturally!)

Tags: Family, General, Sky by Deb
2 Comments »

It’s been a 50/50 kind of day today. In fact, when I came downstairs this morning, ready to leave for work, I glanced at the thermometer–50 F degrees and 50% humidity–and when I glanced over at the stove and microwave for the time? 7:50 on each. On the drive to the office, it couldn’t make up its mind if it wanted to rain or not, so it spritzed a bit, but never committed one way or another. Two of my co-workers ended up working from home today, so they both were and were not in the office . . . it’s just been that kind of an “iffy” day, you know?

My bag is looking kind of iffy at the moment, too, because it looks like nothing but a big blob. So big, in fact, that it’s swallowed my ACTUAL knitting bag. I’ve got the handles done, and everything for this one, very large piece is finished–not counting the necessary finishing work. Some ends to weave in, the seam for the facing to be sewn. Stuff like that.

It’s so funny though, because at the moment, this has absolutely no structure at all. I’ve knitted some shape into it, but until it’s felted (fulled, whatever), it just . . . sags. So, I’m taking a lot of this on faith at the moment. I know the texture of my swatch, and know this will transform. I have faith. I actually do believe that it’s going to come out the way I expect it to . . . just . . . in the meantime I keep thinking, “Oh.” (grin)

Now, I hate to tell you, but I don’t have a stole-modelling picture for you. Today was too gray and cold (and intermittently damp) even to bother with a photo shoot outside. Had the sun been shining, it would have have been different . . . or even if it had been a little bright . . . but, no. A blah-looking day.

On the plus side, I did WEAR the stole today. (Really, with weather like this, something nice to wrap around your shoulders at the office is a good thing.) It also got several compliments, so we’re happy.

My parents DID have a nice anniversary yesterday–thank you for your good wishes. They went out to dinner with 8 of my Dad’s golfing buddies and their wives. A dinner which has been talked about for months, but was finally scheduled, wholly by accident, for their anniversary. But they had a good time AND there was an anniversary ice cream cake for the two of them (because ice cream cake is Mom’s favorite). How nice was that, huh?

Also, in the time-marching-on category, I’d just like to mention that this is the last month of my 30s. This time next month, I’ll be 40. (Just 11 days ahead of someone else we all know.) How weird does that sound? And, even weirder (and more pathetic)? I somehow managed to get through an entire decade of my adult life without a single date. Sheesh. No wonder I get so much reading done. Good thing I really LIKE being at home, huh?

Okay, I have a couple random links for you:

First, this article from Modern Mechanics in 1950, predicting what life would be like in the year 2000. Hilarious. (I particularly like the bit about washing your living room with a hose, and every family having a helicopter on their roof for long trips.) Really, it’s funny–particularly because it’s written with such certainty. “This IS the way it’s going to be.” I laughed out loud several times while reading.

A very cool, long-exposure picture of an airplane taking off.

And, an editorial on how dignified and very Christian the Amish are being about that horrific school shooting. I’ve said this myself this week–that they aren’t only talking about what Christian values are supposed to be about, they are living it. Frankly, they’re a good example to us all–and I can’t tell you how pleased I am for all of their sakes that they’ve embraced the wife and family of the shooter. And for our sakes, too. It’s nice to see a GOOD example of real, true forgiveness.

Tags: General by Deb
7 Comments »

Here’s this week’s contribution to Sundara’s Eye Candy Friday.

Brought to you by:

Tags: Eye-Candy Friday by Deb
3 Comments »

Okay–the stole has a seam, joining the two pieces in hole-y matrimony–hurray!

Right now, the seam is pinned out and blocking, since there was a pucker at the ends–and who wants that? So for right this minute, this is all you get to see–the seam. Because the finished stole isn’t moving off the blocking board until the seam is dry–sometime tomorrow.

It’s not a fancy seam, by any means. I thought about doing some, snazzy, lacy kind of join between the two pieces, to avoid that somewhat solid line up the center, but . . . I decided I was too lazy to do that. And it’s not like it’s a bulky seam. Oh no. In fact, it’s a mattress stitch-graft between one side and the other–no overlapping of any kind. We’ll just, um, hope that it holds together. Because, I admit, I didn’t do the grafting one stitch at a time. That would have taken too long! (Not to mention that the stitches from the cast-on row were really hard to see–one at a time would have made me go blind.) No, I made galloping big stitches (relatively speaking).

Like I said, we’ll just all keep our fingers crossed, right?

So far, this is an exciting week for finishing, here at Chappy’s. Not only is my shawl done, but–except for a little finishing, weaving in ends–so are my socks.

Not only that, I cast off the body of my tote bag last night and knitted the first of two handles tonight. Which means one more handle, and then a rectangle for the outside pocket . . . and that’s done, too.

How nifty is that??

Of course . . . you realize . . . the fact that all of my projects are going to be done witihin such a short time span means that, of course, any new projects are going to be started at more or less the same time. Which means that it’s likely to be a long time before I finish anything else.

So, really, I have to revel in this a bit, don’t you think??

Tags: Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning by Deb
13 Comments »

See? Here’s part number two, stretched out and leisurely blocking, while part number one lolls around waiting. I really can’t wait to get these two together.

In fact, if things go according to schedule, I should be joining these two in hole-y union tomorrow–which is my parents’ wedding anniversary. Kind of appropriate, don’t you think? Lord knows they’ve been waiting long enough to get together!

Oh, and thank you for your concern. I’ve got plenty of yarn for grafting these together. I have a whole ‘nother skein of the yarn, sitting untouched in the yarn basket. It’s just that–who wants to have to join a new skein of yarn THAT close to the end of a project?? It’s practically heartbreaking! Or, at the least, really frustrating.

This leaves me with exactly two works-in-progress. My tote bag, which I told you, is nearly done. Handles. An outer pocket. I mean, I think there’s at least a week’s worth of knitting there, but still . . . it’s close to the home stretch. And then my Cherry Tree Hill socks, which are also almost done–a couple inches left on the second sock, and, voila, they’re a pair.

So what I’m going to try to do–at least for a few days–is not to start anything new at all until those two are done. Which would leave me with absolutely zero WIPs for, well five minutes or so, which I think would be kind of interesting. I can’t remember the last time that happened, so it would at least be of academic interest, right?

Although . . . if the sock’s done before the bag, I might have to cast on another one anyway . . . I need SOMETHING to take the dentist’s office next week! So . . . we’ll see.

Hey, did you know it’s National Spinning and Weaving week? Who knew?? (Well, Ina did.)

It shouldn’t surprise anybody that I broke down and bought this book. I mean, this is me–dog lover and obsessive reader. It’s a natural! And really, we taught Chappy to read his name the very day we picked him up, so….

Speaking of my boy, he’s a little wet at the moment. I took a closer look at his skin tonight and saw a couple little red patches. His infection HAD been clearing up, but it’s obviously not gone yet. So–medicated shampoo to the rescue! Really, Chappy is so good about taking baths, but I can tell that he’s tired of them now. One every few weeks is normal and accepted, but two a week? This is obviously excessive in his opinion, as evidenced by his curling up in the far corner of the bathtub while the water’s getting hot, and the longing looks past my shoulder while I’m lathering him up . . . he’s behaving, mind you, but still . . . he clearly does not want to be there.But still–such a good boy! (And hey, staph infections can be hard to get rid of!)

Tags: Chappy, Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning, Reading by Deb
13 Comments »

  You know, we all talk about the magic of blocking lace. And we all talk about how amazing it makes it look, so airy and light, the pattern so clear after the crumpled mess that is the freshly-knitted lace.

But how often do we actually get to see the Before and After, side by side?

On the left, the first half of my Peacock stole, fully blocked. On the right, my just-finished second half.

Yes, believe it or not, they are the same number of rows (give or take a couple), the same amount of yarn, the same needle. All of that. And yet . . . so, so different. Looking at this, I wouldn’t believe that the second half is actually the same size as that first half . . . would you?? And yet, in just 24 hours (assuming I do block it tomorrow) . . . it will be.

Magic, I’m telling you.

And, remember how the other day I was mentioning how concerned I was about running out of yarn? I reminded you how much I had left after the first half?

Well, if it’s a matter of a contest between the two halves, there’s no question. Part Two wins in the close-call contest. Phew!! Just barely enough to be able to weave in the ends.

Now. Next for this, clearly, is the blocking, so the second half can look as beautiful as the first half.

Then. Grafting the two pieces together. The only part I’ve been a little nervous about, since the grafting really needs to be pretty much perfect so as not to take away from the lace. But . . . can’t wait.

I cannot believe that I’ve been working on this since March. Almost seven months! The original triangular version only took me three months. Even though the number of stitches in each half remained constant at 126, instead of increasing with every pattern row, obviously, that didn’t save me any time (grin). And having basically knitted this pattern three times now . . . I’ve had my fill of this lace for a while!

I did get a treat for myself. A Samsung DVD-recorder. I’m trying to be good about spending these days, but there were a couple reasons. First, there are some conflicting shows that Mom and I watch (House vs Veronica Mars is number one), and this way, I can record it up in my room and then bring it downstairs to watch. Second . . . I don’t (well, didn’t) have a DVD player in my room. A VCR built-in to the television, and my laptop does have a DVD player, but . . . that’s not practical if I want to watch a movie while reading all your blogs, you know? So I decided to get myself a DVD-R.

Although, I haven’t tried playing the DVD-RW from this machine in the DVD-R downstairs . . . fingers crossed! And if not . . . I still have a recorder and player in my bedroom, so I can watch things that I enjoy but Mom doesn’t. So, well worth the money, right?

Tags: Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning by Deb
23 Comments »

Let’s see . . . what can I tell you tonight?

My knitted bag is moving along. I’ve got one side done, and am working on the facing of the other side. The thing is huge! You must remember, I’ve never felted a bag before, so this project feels really big to me (grin). I’ll finish this part in a couple days (I’m guessing), and then I’ve got the handles to do, and some kind of pocket on the outside.

My never-ending Peocock stole? Um, well, I might actually get to the end tomorrow.How’s that for a shock, huh?? This makes the big question whether the skein of yarn will hold out to the end.

Pictures are coming, I promise.

Now, Lorette tagged me for this meme, where I’m supposed to name my favorite songs . . . but the thing is, I don’t really have favorite songs. I mean, there are songs I like better than others, and there have been times when I’ve had favorites, but overall? Not really. I have a tendency to get hooked on one specific album and then listen it to death before moving on. I rarely listen to the radio, and when I do, it’s almost always my favorite classical station, WQXR. In high school, my absolute favorite group to listen to? The Beatles. (Everyone else was listening to Pink Floyd or AC-DC, but no, my best friend and I had to be different! The Beatles or other 60s bands, or Bach, Mozart, Beethoven. We were really, really cool.) Some of my favorite albums over the years? The Beatle’s Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Paul Simon’s Graceland. The soundtrack to Sleepless in Seattle. Harry Connick Jr’s We Are in Love. The original Chess concept album. Oh, and I love the Andrew’s Sisters. And please, let’s not forget the Proclaimers, who I’ve thoroughly enjoyed since college.

For some more links–I got a few comments on my reading list about the Lymond Chronicles. I’ve said before that I think it’s incredible. Incredibly challenging, multi-layered, sophisticated, and not the least little bit dumbed-down. I’m on my fourth reading through both of Dorothy Dunnett‘s amazing series, and I am still finding new things, making new connections, putting more pieces together. Love it, love it, love it. But don’t take my word for it. Look here, and here, and here. Not to mention here and here.

Oh. And . . . my God. What is wrong with the world today?

Tags: General by Deb
8 Comments »

Mom and I have been watching a bunch of movies lately that aren’t quite “old,” like, say, something with Fred Astaire or Cary Grant. Nor relatively current movies with, say Orlando Bloom or Brad Pitt.

No, the movies we’ve been watching the last few weeks are ones from the 80s or early 90s.

Like, The Year of the Comet with Penelope Ann Miller and Tim Daly (not to mention Louis Jourdan as the villain), from 1992. It’s a “light” little movie about a priceless bottle of wine being stolen while our heros try to rescue it. It’s silly, sure, but entertaining, and the two leads have a great chemistry with each other. Oh, and scenery (Scotland and the French Riviera) is just stunning.

Or, 1984‘s American Dreamer, with JoBeth Williams and Tom Conti. She plays a bored housewife who wins a contest to write in the style of her favorite mysteries, the Rebecca Ryan series. She wins a trip to Paris where she’s promptly hit on the head and wakes up believing she’s Rebecca Ryan, and madness ensues. She hooks up with Tom Conti’s character–the author’s son–and, under the impression that he’s Rebecca’s assistant, drags him into an imagined mystery. And yet, oddly, there may actually be something to it . . . Again, this is a silly little movie, but she’s so darn entertaining running around as Rebecca, and Tom Conti’s frustration as he tries to rein her in is adorable.

Then there was Max Dugan Returns (1983) with Marsha Mason and Matthew Broderick (in his film debut) as a financially-struggling mother and son, who–just as she starts dating a policeman, Donald Sutherland–has a sudden, late-night reappearance of her long-lost father (Jason Robards), running from some angry people in Las Vegas who say he stole a large sum of money from him. He claims that they stole it from him first, and fair’s fair, and meantime, he wants to share the money with his daughter. For the rest of the movie, it’s like a Cinderella story. Every time Nora comes home, there’s a new (expensive) surprise waiting for her . . . all while her policeman boyfriend is starting to get suspicious. Oh, and Kiefer Sutherland has HIS film debut in this, too, for a very brief shot as a little league pitcher. Ironically, though, he doesn’t play Donald Sutherland’s son in the movie.

And, you already know I’ve been watching/listening to 1983‘s Pirates of Penzance with a very sexy Kevin Kline, Linda Ronstadt, and Rex Smith. (I had actually finally had my fill of the soundtrack when Studio 60 did their riff on the Major-General song and got me started again!)

We watched Sleepless in Seattle the other day, too, from 1993, when Meg Ryan still looked cute (great hair) and before Tom Hanks began his Oscar-run. And, I’ve already told you the Earring story, right?

Yep. It’s been an exciting day!

Actually, it’s been a perfectly nice day–it started off rainy, but turned out stunning. I did lots of cleaning–with the allergy thing and the shedding/itchy-dog thing, vacuuming, at the very least, is a must. In fact, I’ve noticed lately that my allergies/asthma seem to bother me more on weekends than on weekdays. You know, the days I spend mostly with Chappy. A little worrying, huh? But I figure that it’s just the confluence of allergy season plus his skin infection which no doubt involves more dander than usual and definitely more shedding than usual . . . because, while I’ve never been formally tested for allergies, I do know that I’ve got a sensitivity to dogs–not always, not all the time–but it’s there. And I think that with the regular autumn allergens already working on my system, I’m more sensitive to Chappy. Hence the fact that he got another bath this morning (grin).

I also sat and spun for over two hours this afternoon, while watching 1995‘s Sense and Sensibility. (Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, and a deliciously snide Hugh Laurie, from a time when I’d only ever seen him in comedy and had no idea how good he could be at drama.

See? There’s just something nice about sitting down with old friends you haven’t seen in a while!

Tags: General by Deb
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Here’s my reading list from September. Relatively short compared to recent months, but I actually spent an entire week without reading any fiction at all . . . none of the ones I tried “clicked,” so I eschewed fiction to kind of reset the “system.”

1. THREE CUPS OF TEA by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (331 p.) True story about a man (Mortenson) who failed in his attempts to climb K2, but after being nursed back to health by a poor, Pakistani village, promised to build them a school. He came back to the U.S., completely new to trying to raise money, but came up with the $12K needed . . . and has since built lots of schools–as well as community centers, and other forms of aid, not only in Pakistan, but also in Afghanistan. He “fights terror with books,” as the tagline goes. Remarkable story not least because it’s all true. The writing style is a little breathless, thrilling, golly-shucks-gee-whiz, but it makes a good story because it IS a good story, and eminently readable. (Oh, and the three cups of the title? From an old saying–when you serve a guest tea the first time, he’s a stranger; the second time, he’s a friend; the third time, he’s family.)

2. SENSE AND SENSIBILITY by Jane Austen (368 p.) A classic, of course, and a nice refreshing change of pace. Do I need to explain this one? Elinor and Marianne Dashwood both fall for inappropriate men (one for the man himself, one for his connections), and deal with their disappointment according to their natures . . . one by being sensible and calm, the other by being all sentiment and emotion . . .

3. AGENT OF CHANGE by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (241 p.) Sci-fi Liaden book–the story of how Val Con and Miri meet, but first, they have to deal with the misunderstanding between themselves and the Juntavas, the interplanatary crime syndicate….

4. CARPE DIEM by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (323 p.) Stranded on a low-tech world,. Val Con and Miri get to enjoy almost a vacation, filled with music and new, good friends. I really enjoy this book. I find it interesting, though, that the man on the cover of this book looks completely different than the man on the cover of the last one . . .

5. PLAN B by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (330 p.). Now, Val Con’s clan, Korval, is at war with the deceptive, secretive, and evil Department of the Interior back on Liad . . . but first, there’s this unfortunate invasion by the Yxtrang….

6. I DARE by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (467 p.) Korval is moving on the Department of the Interior, but meantime, a stray member, believing his family is dead, is trying to get a foothold on the inhospitable planet of Surebleak, so that he can avenge his clan. You know, really, I just love this series. The Liaden world is unique, the characters are fascinating, and they’re just good fun.

7. THE KILTERNAN LEGACY by Anne McCaffrey (262 p.) Usually a sci-fi author, of course, she did write a few contemporary books that near but don’t quite become Romance novels, of which this is one of my favorites. Irene Teasey, recently divorced and with a pair of 14-year old twins, inherits an Irish estate from a great-aunt she never knew. They fly over to wrap up the estate, but find reasons to stay instead, while figuring out what the great-aunt would have wanted  . . . and what they want themselves.

8. THE BLUE CASTLE by L.M. Montgomery (218 p.) Also “romance-ish,” this book by the author of “Anne of Green Gables” tells the story of Valancy Sterling, who’s lived a prim, constricted life with her selfish mother and cousin. Then, she’s told she only has one year to live and, by their standards, goes a little crazy. Keeps house for a man with a dying daughter. Even gets married, and flaunts her independence in her conservative family’s collective face.

9. PEGASUS IN FLIGHT by Anne McCaffrey (290 p.) The sequel to “To Ride a Pegasus,” this takes place in the not-too-distant future, in our world, but with scientific evidence of psychic Talent–telekinesis, telepathy, empathy. We’re just building a real space station to ease overcrowding, when they discover a boy with a remarkably strong kinetic talent . . .

10. PEGASUS IN SPACE by Anne McCaffrey (373 p.) Taking up where “Flight” left off, Peter Reidinger is even more confident in his Talent’s strength as he grows up, and suddenly, is able to send packages to the Moon . . . or can he go even further? These “Pegasus” books are actually fore-runners of McCaffrey’s “Talent and the Hive” series which takes place further into the future, when interstellar travel and psychic talents are even more engrained. I enjoy these even more, though, because the world they inhabit is so close to ours . . . if psychic talents DID exist with this kind of strength, this could really almost happen . . . And it’s classic-McCaffrey, too. Good story, great characters, and the interaction among them is spot on.

11. SPUNK AND BITE by Arthur Plotnik (253 p.) A “hip” kind of grammar book (meant to be the cool new answer to the classic “Strunk and White” . . . but really, I think the author tried way too hard to basically disagree with everything they said, all the classic rules, and so anxious to sound smart and knowing and sarcastic, that frankly I found it more unreadable than not. There are entertaining grammar kind of books (“Bird by Bird,” “Woe is I”), and then there are too-cool-for-school kinds. Eh.

12. OD MAGIC by Patricia McKillip (315 p.) A fantasy by one of the most unique fantasy authors I know. Her books have such a unique, dreamy kind of quality. This one starts with Brendan Vetch, a grieving young man who is asked to become the gardner the kingdom’s one and only magic school, one which the king protects jealously, wanting to be sure that all trained magic is loyal to him. But is that what the school’s founder had in mind?

13. GAME OF KINGS by Dorothy Dunnett (543 p.) First book of the Lymond Chronicles, one of the best historical fiction series ever. (No, really!) In mid-16th century Scotland, everyone is all a-twitter at the return of the bandit Francis Crawford of Lymond. Accused spy, traitor, thief and all-around scoundrel . . . or is he? I admit this isn’t my favorite book of the series. It was the author’s first and has a completely different tone than the others, but still . . . wow.

14. QUEENS PLAY by Dorothy Dunnett (432 p.) Second in the Lymond Chronicles. His name cleared, Francis Crawford goes undercover to France, to help protect the 7-year old Queen Mary from an unknown, but very real, threat. Or, is he going to spend all his time carousing? Is it all part of the game?

15. DISORDERLY KNIGHTS by Dorothy Dunnett (503 p.) Third Lymond. This time, Francis is on his way to Malta, where he meets on of the Knights most famous, most godly men, known as Gabriel. Will they be able to save Malta from the Turks? Will Francis be able to save his former lover, now captured?  And, when he heads to back to Scotland, will he be able to keep the loyalty of his own men, once Gabriel and his beautiful, young sister come to town?

16. THE PIRATE COAST by Richard Zacks (380 p.) A history of the story behind the “…to the Shores of Tripoli” lyric in the US Marines Hymn–a secret excursion by a handful of Marines in 1805 to rescue enslaved seamen in Tripoli. Interesting and entertainingly written.

17. ALLERGY SOLUTIONS FOR DOGS by Shawn Messonnier (190 p.) Exactly what it sounds like–a book which analyzes allergy causes and symptoms in dogs, and what you can do for them. (This read was Chappy’s idea.)

18. PAWN IN FRANKINCENSE by Dorothy Dunnett (486 p.) Fourth in the Lymond series, where he heads to the mid-east (Tripoli, in fact, which I found interesting–especially when he’s captured at Djerba, a city which the US actually captured in 1805 and which I only just read about in the Pirate Coast). Anyway, this is a desperate mission, this book, as Francis tries to save not one, but two young children from the hands of the Turks–and his most evil enemy. Absolutely heart-breaking climax, which makes me cry….

19. FOR THE LOVE OF A DOG by Patricia McConnell (288 p.) A study in the emotions of dogs–starting with, “Do they have any?” (a stupid question to almost any one who’s ever owned a dog, I think). I personally don’t see how there can be any question but that dogs can feel fear and anger, love and hate. And happiness. Let’s not ever forget happiness! But the analysis is interesting, her writing style is wonderfully engaging and entertaining, and ultimately I want to agree with just about everything she says. Not only that, she speaks often about her sheep, which her dogs help her with, and I constantly want to know–what kind of sheep? Are they wool-sheep? Or meat-sheep? Maybe I really have been spinning too much lately.

Tags: Monthly Reading List, Reading by Deb
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