kmsMaverick

Woo hoo! Interwebs at home!

2011-12-28T21:13:00.002-05:00

So, after a way too long hiatus, i have internet at home and can finally resume posting inanne things and pithy witticisms. Tonight i only have the i pad fired up, and i confess, it's not super easy to type on it. but fear not, tomorrow i shall get Rocekt the Laptop up and attem, and i will post piccies, and linkies, and all manner of such! Yay!

now you work for ME too

2010-01-20T09:20:00.000-05:00

so here are my thoughts on this. i’m terribly disappointed, but i can see how it happened. Fiscal responsibly really isn’t all bad, on premise. so using that as a major campaign tool was pretty smart; lots of people will vote for fiscal responsibility, regardless of which party is talking about it. If i’m honest, Martha Coakley wasn’t a swell candidate, but she was in favor of HC Reform; for me, the deal breaker issue is healthcare.

So. there is almost nothing we can do about this, other than make him work for us. he used the whole “people’s seat” and the “people want change” rhetoric, so i don’t wonder if it’s time to up the ante on our demands of our senator. Presumably he’ll have an office and an email, so perhaps it’s time for us to get our letter writing pens out, and get cracking.

So fine you aren’t going to vote in favor of this current healthcare reform bill, but guess what smarty pants, it’s time for you to present an alternative. How would you correct what is broken? I want healthcare that works for the majority of people, not just those who are lucky enough to have an employer who offers it (and said employer will give them 40 hours to make them eligible).

now hear this Senator Elect Brown; you say you’re working on behalf of all the people? well i’m in your constituency too, and i want healthcare reform, whether you do or not.

Dear, unfortunate Wes Welker

2010-01-04T09:38:00.004-05:00

Yeeps. Yesterday's injury came on a technique and motion that athletes of almost every single sport perform on a regular basis. Heck, walking through an ordinary city street causes people to use the same maneuver. perhaps not at the same velocity; and so that could be the cause of the injury, but not playing wes welker in the first possession yesterday is in no way a guarantee of injury prevention.

It is terribly too bad that it's season ending; indeed, my coworker todd is even saying hair-raising things like career ending. I'm not going to go that far yet; it only happened just yesterday, but indeed, it did not look very good.

the sally gap hoodie!

2009-12-26T14:46:00.000-05:00

previously i mentioned a little lake in ireland.

six or seven weeks ago, i decided to make a sweater that tried to capture the same shade of blue.

i think i've done it!

this one is a little bit of cabling, to be reminiscent of an aran sweater, but not so much cabling that i want to poke my eyes out. the cable crosses were every third row, instead of every row or every other row; so that made it a bit easier to handle.

There is cabling on the sleeves as well, so that alleviates the stressed stitches usually found in raglan style sweaters.

there is only one teeny weeny mistake that is easily corrected- one sleeve is short a cable repeat so it's about 3/4 inch shorter than the other, and the cuff is done with larger needles on that sleeve, so it's a bit too loose, but that's super easy to fix- i'll do so in few days or so.

at the risk of being a broken record....

2009-12-18T11:44:00.005-05:00

I do love those Bouncing Souls.

THE BOUNCING SOULS "Airport Security"

Bouncing Souls | MySpace Music Videos

They are soooooo good. They have such good stuff. So true to themselves and their place in the "here and now". Agreed, as they get old, they get a teeny bit less frenetic, but they are no less emotional, original, and creative than they were twenty years ago.

The latest album is a 20 year anniversary album; called Ghosts of the Boardwalk. It's pretty good. It's got anthems and acoustics; harmony and pounders; thoughtful lyrics and some that are just for fun.

If I were a Jersey Girl, I would be at every single show at the Stone Pony next week; alas, I'm a Masshole, so while I take East Coast F*#k You directly to heart, I think it's better to let the locals have all the fun.

It's hard for me to pick a Bouncing Souls Best playlist; even harder to pick a favorite album, which is as near as makes no difference to impossible. I suppose I would have to go with most played souls album. What is it? Dunno really. Probably the self titled, but it could be Hopeless Romantic, Summer Vacation, Maniacal Laughter, or even the Gold Record. The Gold Record is a top drawer album- especially considering that it's one of the later albums. Often the later work of musicians can be the weaker of the library; but not so the Souls. I'm not sure yet if Boardwalk stacks up yet, but I didn't skip any tracks, so that's a good sign, isn't it?

here's how i do a grocery bag!

2009-11-23T08:37:00.006-05:00

so you start with the four sheets (2 of lining, 2 of outside). each one sewn opposite pattern, right side together

then you turn one of the halves right side out.

then you take the one you just turned right side out, and put it inside the one that's still inside out, with same patterns and right sides facing.

(this is just another piccy to show you how it should look)

then you take it to your machine and sew the inside of the handle. (like the inside of a tube).

after all this, and you pull everything right side out again, it should look like this. the two patterns will be back to back, as they should be on the finished bag, and then all you need to do is sew up the side seams (right side and same pattern facing) and then do the bottom as you wish.

if i had ny own house....

2009-11-12T11:23:00.002-05:00

there is a moderately long list of things i would like to have. some a dealbreakers others are just wishes.

I'd like to have a sewing room. Perhaps a futon or murphy bed in there for guests, but primarily it will be a sewing studio.

I'd like a room to sit and read. a small telly can go in there too.

NO telly in my bedroom! you might think i've forgotten how to read before bed!

I'd like a small yard where i can send the cat outside. a basement to put the sandbox in would be good too.

i've got fab curtains i made for sofia's appartment. she returned them when she moved home to lisbon. It would be nice to use them. I would like my kitchen to be pale spring green. I'd like my bedroom to be blue, and the bathroom to be pale yellow again.

I'd like a user friendly kitchen, and a gas cooker would be a extra special bonus, and i'd like enough space to have people over for sunday lunch!

i wonder why i've been so quiet

2009-10-29T10:10:00.002-04:00

it's not that i have nothing to say, it's just that i'm distracted i guess. Some of it i blame on facebook. While i really do love the connection to long lost friends and those who live far away; in a way, it's cut into my creativity. The decrease of posting my life's inanities is directly corollary to the increase in time spent on facebook.

the thing i'm not so crazy about facebook is that it's a bit like sensory overload. it's not unlike the school cafeteria; there's a lot of talking going on- sometimes over each other. So i do like it, but sometimes it's hard to be coherent.

Currently i'm studying for the cptb exam, and i'm getting nervous, because i haven't spent enough time doing so, but on the other hand, i'm also feeling sheepish because i haven't yet worked on the lisbon photos, or holiday shopping or much of anything! yeeps! i need more hours in the day!

lame journalists

2009-10-12T11:19:00.002-04:00

honestly, i don't know why i continue to read boston.com and the globe. I mean i'm all for calling a spade a spade, and i do like it when journalists are matter of fact and all, but i also like it when they have unfailing faith and love for their team; i like it when they can say "Just wait til next year!" with the rest of us.

the way bob lobel and gil santos can do. but no. Since gil santos is a patriots guy, and no other media outlet has given bob lobel a job (foolish), we're stuck with dopes like the curly haired boy, bob ryan and tony massarotti. I used to think mazz was a beacon of hope in an otherwise dim landscape at the globe, but today he has sealed his fate with me.

i don't mind that we didn't beat the angels. honestly. i really don't. we didn't hit very well this series, and we didn't pitch championship pitching. I do not mind that the angels came in and did both those things. but for mazz to pen an entire article about the possibility of being on the decline isn't at all the same as saying the angels were a better ball club.

Do you really want to go out before the 09 season is completely over, and say 2010 is going to be a non-race year for us? is that really the kind of fan you are? Are you such a clever "journalist" that you aren't even a fan anymore? Today isn't a day to be mr prediction, it's not for being edgy and apocalyptic, you asshole. today isn't the day to flatter yourself or blind us with your quote unquote brilliant baseball analysis.

Today is a day to be a fan. Today is when you say, "wait til next year! We'll get you next year!"

here is my list of things to accomplish this fall.

2009-09-24T10:11:00.002-04:00

i'd better get on the stick, because today is september 24, and the list is pretty long. Gah!

knitting projects:
1. dayflower cardigan, using the stupid Rowan felted tweed that i made into the cabled raglan and haven't worn once.
2. Jade cabled hoodie using the super fab knitpicks kettle dyed wool of the andes
3. i must finish mom's pullover. it would be super fantastic if i could do so for christmas but alas, as it has sat untouched for two whole years now, i rather think that's not in the cards.
4. christmas hats for the kids. i've got some done, one i'm on the fence over. if it doesn't look a bit better after a trip through the washer, i'm going to skip hats for the girls, and only make them for the boys.
5. I'm so close to completion on the stripey socks i can taste it. trouble is, the project is so exceptionally BORING that i can hardly bring myself to complete even the last bit of the toe on the second sock. I'm still not too sure why people are SO enamored with knitting socks.

and there's more!

2009-09-24T10:08:00.000-04:00

there are other projects too!

Argh! how am i possibly going to get all of this completed?

household projects
1. paint the cabinet boxes
2. paint the livingroom and bedroom
3. replace the dishwasher and fridgerator

work projects
1. study for the pharmacy tech exam! that's on december 3! I have to get back at studying.
2. complete the cbt's for the new fill system at cvs.

social projects:
1. christmas shopping
2. open house viewing
3. confirmation classes with catha

i have to admit, i didn't realise...

2009-09-11T08:41:00.005-04:00

until i arrived at work. Is that a sign of complacency, or of recovery? The thing is I don't think it's adequate enough to remember September 11 just on the anniversary. And I don't think it's appropriate to simply remember those who lost their lives. I really feel that we must live our lives in honor of and as a legacy them.

We are no further forward in world stability and serenity than we were nine years ago. Is that down to the politicians? Perhaps. Probably. But i also have to admit, I think it also falls down a little bit on us.

I know in my heart of hearts that the way to world peace is open-minded compassion and caring. I know it takes two to tango, and if only one person at the pugilistic party holds these to be self-evident then they have a rather tall order, but I don't care. I'm going to be that idealist. I hold a serious responsibility to look after my fellow man (even when they make me angry); and if Ii can't look after him, then do no harm to him.

It often seems like there aren't many people willing to do that part of it (the tough part) the looking after; and for that matter, I'm probably not as good at it as I should be, but that's what I like to renew on September 11. I like to renew my effort of caring; to try to spread the message of peace. Surely I can't be alone, won't you join me?

here's one thing i'm not sure i understand:

2009-09-10T09:59:00.004-04:00

in the wake of the fairly substantial polemic separation, as well as all the somewhat "la la la la la! i can't hear you! especially when i shout horrible half truths louder than you!" campaigning tactics, i still haven't gotten to the bottom of WHY people are so opposed to universal coverage.
what's so objectionable about it? really objectionable, I mean. What are the real CONS to hammering out some kind of system in which everyone has health care? i'm not talking about costs, nor about illegal residents. Those are somewhat separate facets to the convo, that i'd like to keep separate for now.

No, what i want to know is why is it a BAD IDEA to have health coverage for everyone? I'm really interested in what could possibly be the drawback to achieving SOME sort of system where everyone has some kind coverage?

Up to now i've not seen anyone address this, not even the staunchest republican detractors. I just can't believe that even these detractors feel that our current system is effective. But perhaps i'm wrong maybe they really DO think our way of getting healthy and staying healthy is effective; i mean they haven't really offered any possible OTHER options. Like, Well Mr. President, democrats, and us citizens; we hear what you're saying, we need health care reform. Here's what we came up with, what d'you think of these ideas?

To this point they haven't brought anything to the table, so i need to know, Is this whole thing a terrible case of typical republican game strategy, or d'you think they really think it's disadvantageous to have some sort of coverage for all americans?

the cocoon lace stitch pattern clarified (i hope!)

2009-09-08T10:08:00.003-04:00

alrighty, so someone wondered if i can clarify the cocoon lace for them. Well, as is always the case with projects that i can analyze to death, i have done so. I hope. (raspberryconverse, apologies for the crap photos)

so, here's the set up row (this is done in a swatch style, so there is a 2 garter stitch binding at each end). You should have already started the pattern and done a row or two of *knit 5, p1, k1, p1* Also note that this was done at midnight, and the pattern wasn't in front of me, so the right side wrong side might be a bit jumbled.

now, you've knit 5 tog (however is most comfortable, be it k5tog OR slp2, k3tog, p2sso) and you get to this spot here:

the next step is the actual making of one by lifting the bar. be careful that you lift the bar in such a way that there is no gap resulting from it. you don't want a lace eyelet there. then you just knit front back front, and then lift the next bar. then you knit one, and purl 5 tog to start all over again.

While these piccies are of super high quality, this one here is probably all you really needed in the first place (but what can i say? i'm a wordy person, and if there's explaining that needs doing, i'm your man, ma'am.)
=

the first dunkin donuts run!

2009-08-15T09:50:00.001-04:00

when you have a new car, you do silly things. Like document the first time you go to dunkin donuts!

so here it is, the first Two Donut Friday in the Super Black!

i'd like you to meet The Super Black!

2009-08-14T16:21:00.000-04:00

isn't he fab! A special shout out and thank you go my friend sanjay. (Though he mostly knows my friends debra and ben, i sincerely hope he doesn't object to me calling him that as well) He's very skilled when working with dealers, and he's not a waffler! no wishy washing from him! (it's a good foil those of us with fold-like-a-lawnchair tendancies).

This is the first car for which i've ever really done research, test driving, comparison shopping, and consumer reports investigation. It's also the first one where i did all the appropriate research on credit scores, interest rates and so forth. I did a fair amount of searching around dealers and all, and then found the car that was within my budget, yet was also within my expectations on looks.

I traded in the trusty space pod;

and while the space pod was indeed trusty, it was close to the edge of his life- i don't believe he would have survived another winter. No, that's not true, he would have survived, but using him was no longer comfortable. the heater had gone, and the radio was beginning to crap out; so driving him was unpleasant. structurally, and mechanically, once the brakes were replaced (which was simply a wear and tear repair- not a fault of the car), he would have been good to go, if you don't mind being cold, with nothing on the beatbox. No, after ten years, and 140,000 miles it was ok to trade him in. (~sniff!)

The super black is indeed super, i love it so very much! it goes like the clappers, handles like it's on rails and goes 450 miles on a single tank! i won't even mind sending the car payment every month and really, that's the best thing. if you've gonna have a car payment, you should love the car.

even more than an 86 year drought

2009-07-31T11:15:00.004-04:00

This will test our mettle. Anyone can hop on board in 2004 after 86 years. But i'll tell you what- this is a better litmus test of a fan's dedication than even the shittiest of shitty years.

And it seems to be pretty clear some fans in boston aren't fans at all (I'm looking at you Dan Shaughnessy, bob ryan, and regrettably, even you mazz.

How quickly you all are to dump him, seconds after it comes across the wire. The sports wire for crissakes!

How fast you are to pen your knee-jerk and reactionary articles before all the facts are released. So lets have a look at an important thing that's lacking; creditable sources. Your only source has thus far been a new york times article which in turn cites unnamed, untraceable, and anonymous sources itself. if i were writing a highschool term paper and turned in crap like that, i'd get a D.

Have you done any investigative work on this project? Have you gone to the New York courthouse yourself? Failing that, have you even done any kind of due diligence and called the lawyers involved in the case to cajole them into corroborating statements? So far, i have not seen any indication that you have done so. Essentially you have been nothing more than a sports version of perez hilton and TMZ. Shame on you.

You don't even pretend to offer an innocent until proven guilty possibility. For crying out loud- you leave it to Nomar and Youk to point out the holes and reasonable doubt that is all over this stupid "list". Kudos to Amalie Benjamin and Nick Cafardo to put their byline on something that is a bit more than thinly veiled op-ed snippets masquerading as journalism.

This is going to test our mettle as fans, and my sox are red. I've long ago dismissed the late '90s and early 2000s as the steroid years; and d'you know what? those bombs over the green monster? Still pretty awesome. And d'you know what else? Steroids don't affect timely hitting; A Clutch is a clutch hit. How far you hit it is irrelevant.

Until i get ALL the facts, i'm as pleased as punch to have ortiz on our roster; and along with mike lowell- i'm not giving my rings back, so don't ask.

my latest sweater!

2009-07-29T10:39:00.004-04:00

here's the sweater i finished last night.

it came out so good, if i do say so myself! it totally fits, there isn't a single mistake on it, and it's made of smooshy soft yarn made for wool and silk. Silk! ooooh la la!

'tis a bit too warm to wear it today, but i yam anyway, because i just finished it last night!

help me with a playlist?

2009-07-23T10:30:00.004-04:00

so i've decided that we should all dance more. the next family gathering we have were going to do some dancing! Mom even agrees that the Living room is a good dancing room, now that the orange rug is gone!

so here's my preliminary playlist. You'll note that some of them are clunkers, but are fun none the less (i'm lookin' at you captain and tenille!) Some are in jokes for heidi and i, and others are dancing staples.

Now, true to form, i have thought far too much about this, but that's ok, it's fun for me. But i'll to open it up to suggestions. i'd like tunes from all eras, but i'd rather they weren't too terribly obscure, and they've got to be dance=ish.

please, dear readers, note that this has to be moderately PG-13. a naughty word here and there is ok, but we can't have parental advisories all over the place.

post replies of your ideas, i can't wait!

Everyone needs a sweater style tea wallet!

2009-07-08T11:00:00.000-04:00

and here is how you can make one!

it's fabulously easy, and is a good project for learning and practicing the very basics of knitting. knit, purl, use of a pattern and row counting. Plus, you can make it with scraps!

you can click the photo of the pattern to make it bigger, and then print or save it to pdf!

woo hoo! what a day!

2009-06-22T09:49:00.003-04:00

first, the game. the game was early in the morning, 8.30- not my most favorite of kick offs. but we were there, and it was a full squad- and my gosh, were we all amped up. Yesterday was the championships you see, and regardless of the level of play, the league being played, or whether the players are a bunch of young studs, a collection of slightly creaking joints, or a mix of the two, the championships are the championships; and anyway you slice they are something else.

so yesterday was epic. nil-nil going into half time. 0-0! That in itself was crazy, because both of us teams were goal-scoring teams over the season. So it's no score, and at half time we regroup a little bit; but we hadn't done so enough, because they drew first blood on us, only about four minutes into the half. yeep. but lets see if i can get this right- i think dan scored the equalizer 10 minutes or so later, and then they went on top again on a bit jumbley clearance from the 18. I think Kris got the second equalizer with around 15 minutes left. gosh, High drama at lancaster!

so it went back and forth for the last 14 minutes until there was a big mix up in FC United 18 box, and Davey Pitts comes away with the go ahead into the far side of the net, with something like 1 minute 27 left on the clock. sweet georgia brown, what a play!

If i'm totally honest, we didn't really play our best soccer; But that's ok, because we sure as shit played the hardest, most aggressive, and most dialed-in soccer we've played all season long, and that was what pulled out the win. in the end, both teams really had left it all on the pitch the only thing left was to go have a bbq with a band (a real live rock n roll band!) and sit in the hot tub at kris and april's.

gah, what a day!

gosh but this is heavy

2009-06-16T11:27:00.003-04:00

so, i haven't been paying enough attention to the voting in tehran. I should have but i'm remiss.

Often times i get too tangled up in fairly mundane shit that's not important, as i think americans in general do as well. The thing is, there's a big huge world out there; with big, huge problems. Just because they may or may not affect us, or have an impact on our every day lives, Doesn't make them any less horrible.

go have a look at the photos, you'll see what i mean. There's no way to tell who's who; there are no signs on anyone. Just by looking at the photos, we can't see any placards: "i voted for mousavi" or "Hell no, we won't go, Ahmadinejad all the way!" no, the only thing i see when i look at the photos are people; handsome men, gorgeous beautiful ladies, moms, dads, aunties, sons, daughters, wives, husbands, old people, children, and they are all getting beat up.

people in tee shirts and nike shoes, suits, work clothes, laptops and cell phones scattered in pieces. cops and rioters clubbing each other. Rocks and pepper spray. it's absoloutely awful. All those people- all those injuries.

A curious thing is that i don't know that there's anything i can do. Posting here helps some, but really, how can i fix it? I'm not brave like those people who go to the peace corps, i'm definitely not brave enough to demonstrate for my candidate. how can i possibly contribute to peace?

the hounds of ulster

2009-05-29T12:02:00.004-04:00

so, mom and i have returned to the US, against my wishes, mind, but i haven't yet been able to finance a move to killaloe.

anyway, the first day we were there, we came across a band practicing. they were very good, and i bust out my super fantastic camera, and took a bit of video!

they are called the hounds of ulster, and they are a band out of belfast, and though it was very hard for me to understand what the guy was saying, we managed to learn that they were playing at Glor for the Fleadh Nua that evening, and mom and i went to get tickets.

they are very good, very polished, and if you find yourself at a music festival this summer, especially if it's an irish festival, do yourself a good turn, and stop in to see them. they are very good.

ships in a bottle

2009-05-19T15:50:00.006-04:00

a few years ago i posted about going to see butch walker at the paradise. At the risk of seeming like a crazed lunatic fan, i implore you; dear readers, run on over to itunes and get one of his albums and if he stops in your town, do make a point to get yourself some tickets.

here is what i love about him- he is inherently creative and truthful. For good or for bad, his stuff is true to himself, and is a true window into his personality and the lemons life is squeezing at him at the time of writing the song. At a time when real creativity and musical experimentation is not terribly fashionable, he's a refreshing oasis in a desert of my chemical romance, fall out boy and repackaged fleetwood mac and dave matthews band.

Depending on his mood at the time of writing, He's unapologetically crass and hopelessly juvenile; other times he's hair-raisingly candid and self-doubtful. He sings of break ups and new first loves, of drug abuse and recovery, of sunny days and crummy days. He sings about his grandparents, his friends and himself; when it's pretty and when it's ugly. he even makes videos that might even be called thought provoking.

Butch Walker "Ships in a Bottle" Music Video

If everyone should get to know the bouncing souls, they also should get to know butch walker!

one, two three, four, five, six seven eight nine!

2009-05-12T10:29:00.004-04:00

in just nine short days me and me mam will be on the big metal bird over the big blue ocean, on our way here:

(incidentally, this fab photo came from a flickr member, go see the rest of his great photostream!)

We're going to go to ennis for the fleadh nuah, cork city and dunmanway, and we're going to go to the rock of cashel and end the trip in limerick. I say end the trip, but what i really mean is that if i find a single guy or a job, or hopefully both, i'm going to stay on!

hoo hoo hoo! one, two three, four, five, six seven eight nine!

the springtime snap

2009-05-03T21:52:00.000-04:00

over the past year or so, i've taken a few snaps of the wood square park, and here is the spring time snap!

I love the trees in bloom, the pretty pink flowers and the leave just beginning to unfurl. i just love this park. if i ever move away from hudson, there will have to be alovely park like wood square!

everone should get to know....

2009-05-03T00:11:00.006-04:00

the bouncing souls.

It's been 20 years of rock n roll mayhem, and all of it good. It's been about nine years or so for me; and you guessed it, all of those were good too.

Tonight i came from the show at the paradise. it was jumping, for sure! truth be told, i think the souls are a bit too big an act for the paradise. Though they did graciously agree to play two shows to accommodate all us crazy fans, they're well beyond the days of house party antics and drunken dudes jumping on stage. There was a tiny skirmish at the end, but all in all it was a fantastic night.

They played a fair few new songs (which i rather groove on) but the very best is when they hopped in the wayback machine for some real gems. No Rules, Quik Chek Girl, Here We Go, and Single Successful Guy. I don't know that i ever heard Single Successful Guy in concert. There were a few notable missing pieces, East Coast F*ck You was not part of the show, and i would have liked to hear Lamar Vannoy, but there were some edgy replacements- Lean on Sheena was in the set- interesting Ah Ha! and a gem of all gems! these are the quotes from our favorite 80's movies!

It's true, they're approaching middle age, but methinks that when i get there, that i would like to be as good at my job as they at theirs. Clever as Greg, solid as papillion, smooth as Rockabilly silk as the pete and rumbly rockin as mike mcD. I also hope I'm as hardworking as they are. there was a nifty article about them in the globe a few days ago, all about their hard work over these 20 years.

So i implore you, dear readers; run on over to itunes and download yourself a Bouncing Souls album. Any one of them; new or old, studio or live, you'll be glad you did.

Really, Everyone should get to know the Bouncing Souls!

whshew! it just gets worse and worse!

2009-05-01T13:16:00.003-04:00

little wonder they had to close HCHS! they've got a million in payroll expenses! oh, and lest you think that's for the entire archdiocese, Au contraire mon frere! that's just for four people!

$1,125,000 for four employees.

Now i'm no economist, nor am i an HR coordinator, but that's kind of a lot. Here's the thing, how can the diocese possibly think that their parishioners are going to be ok with that? I rather thought the entire archdiocese ran as skinny as my own parish has done for the 33 years i've been a member. I thought rather thought ALL the employees of the archdiocese made the same financial sacrifices to benefit the greater good. Much the same as when the HCHS faculty agreed to teach for the paltry salary. If i worked for a diocese school and i saw that salary, i'd be hacked, that's for sure!

Now i see i was wrong, i see that even in the Boston Archdiocese there are haves and have-nots. At first, i thought it was simply a power struggle; some have power, and some have not, and those that do have the power simply can't cope with the thought of reliquishing even a smidgen of it. But now i realize that it also involves money. Those who have the money are LOATHE to share it; how bout this? this is a time of raise freezes, furloughs, pay cuts, and even layoffs. A million dollar payroll for four employees is EXACTLY the same as million dollar payrolls for AIG- criminal.

The whole thing just gets worse and worse. This is exactly why there is attrition at catholic parishes, and increased membership at presbyterian and episcopalian churches. Because people are TIRED of being treated like shit.

Hey Hold Up!

2009-04-27T09:34:00.003-04:00

A steal of home, and it works! Jacoby Ellsbury Has Stole Home!

That is so good, Jon Miller declines the use of correct grammar! And on top of it, he'd already stolen off pettitte that night. And! he even stole second on friday night, and then came around to score on a wild pitch! be sure to make a special note of how silly joba chamberlain looks, and how ellsbury is modeling his heisman trophy pose. (Hey, why not football too?)

hoo hoo! Whomever says baseball is boring clearly doesn't watch the same games i do!

where did all this come from?

2009-04-24T10:07:00.005-04:00

I'm just a family of one and a cat! We live in a one bedroom apartment! I've only been here for five years! How did i get all this stuff? I try not to be a pack rat, I really do; but alas, I guess being sucessful is much easier said than done. Can you believe- this isn't even the stuff form the closets, or the sewing center, or from under the bed! This is only the stuff from my bedroom and dresser drawers!

So tomorrow all this stuff is going to the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Then, I'm going to start all over again, and do my best to unload yet more stuff. I mean geez, if I haven't used it or worn it since I moved in, what's the sense of keeping it?

Some say that he can hear the sound of colour...

2009-04-16T11:58:00.017-04:00

And if you give him a really important job, he'll skive off and play croquet. All we know is...he's called The Stig

i'm really sorry, but i cannot keep it to myself any longer. I think i've got a crush on The Stig. it's preposterous, but i cannot help it. he's like a mystery, but he's the best part of a mystery man- he can drive any sort of car, he has a fab outfit, that makes him look all slim and tidy, and he never really says anything aggravating, because; well, because he never says anything at all! Perhaps it's the arms folded in complete omnipotence that i love most, perhaps it's when he was driving the diesel beemer in the 24-hour race. i don't know. but if he showed up to drive me home from work, i would swoon!

Ride along here!

what a great night tonight!

2009-04-12T01:08:00.004-04:00

After last week's moderately unhappy post about HCHS, i'm so pleased to post this one tonight! Tonight was our fifteen year reunion, and i hate to admit it, but i think that the last time i saw many of my classmates was at the ten year.

We had such fun. the interesting thing is that any clicks we might have been in at school were totally gone. As a mater of fact, we hardly even spoke of high school, we really focused on today, on now, and the future. it was such a great night. Any petty grudges we might have held have simply melted away, and we could focus on having a laugh with each other (and perhaps at each other a few times!). After all these years I've finally realized that people don't have to be close friends to be dear friends.

I'm so pleased i went, and Big Props go out to Dave for organizing the whole thing.

What a great night.

can't save the Wave, Sniff!

2009-04-08T09:02:00.008-04:00

So here it is. It's about a week and a half or so since we heard word that my high school alma mater is closing. My reaction has been a strange amalgam of emotion, running the true gamut from indignation, to sadness, wistfulness, nostalgia and back again to anger.

Yet in a way, the anger is not really from the fact that the school couldn't survive, its financial viability has been uncertain for many years. No; for me, the anger stems from being the last one to know; from having the rug pulled out from under me (and especially from my sister and my mother). I'm rather aggravated that the Church in general and St. Michael in this case have not learned from recent upheaval and reconsidered some operational procedures.

One would think that that this ship didn't sink overnight, nor did it sink over a period of a few months, more than likely this ship has been sinking for several years. I mean going beyond the general "one sheet of paper per art project" budget. So why are we, the parishioners, the people who are supposedly the focus of the parish, the point of the parish (the people who are the best source of capital) the last ones to learn about it? And why have we found out about it after the decision has already been made? I have a feeling it's because generally, the parishioners point of view is still largely irrelevant.

Perhaps this is the latest in the long line of perpetual punches in the gut. Perhaps the Church is banking on parishioners to turn the other cheek again and concede to the mandates and dictums, regardless of how it affects us. Adding insult to injury is the fact that any attempt for St. Michael's parishioners and HCH students to make their jumble of emotions known, have fallen on deaf ears; not just deaf ears; plainly dismissive, and outwardly aggressive and hostile ears. How is it possible that the spiritual leader of the parish might close the door in the face of his parishioners? And how is it possible that the layperson principal of the elementary school might punish a student for clinging to the hope that their school might be saved. Is that actually Christian? Is that actually practicing the concepts you teach?

My anger over this entire thing is how poorly it's been handled. How poorly parishioners, students, current faculty, and alumni have been treated. I'm equally upset that some of these injured parties have resorted to unseemly letters and comments, but that being said, much of the reason for this entire episode spiraling out of control, can be laid at the feet of the pastor and the group he selected to handle PR.

Hudson Catholic High School is immensely important to me. Much of who I am, and most of my values can be attributed to both the school and the parish with which it is associated. Much of how I behave and act toward others can also be tracked back there. How interesting that a parish that instilled Kindness, Patience, Compassion and Service as core values in me can seem to throw them by the wayside when situations most demand them.

HCHS is closing. It is unfortunate. But even more unfortunate is how parishioners; no, people have been treated during this episode. At this rate, no one is going to come out of this without injury, and that is what never had to happen.

Generally I don't say things like "I'll pray for them." That's not really my style. But really that's all that can be done right now.

p2tbl

2009-04-03T12:47:00.002-04:00

so, i am not a filmmaker, as you can see. i will never have a project greenlight. this is how i purl 2 together through the back loop.

you guys have to have a look

2009-03-30T13:26:00.001-04:00

at this great sweater!

if i were a better colorwork knitter i would make one, but i'm crap at colorwork, so all i have is to be jealous.

Zig Zag Tweedy Sweaterlet

2009-03-23T14:00:00.007-04:00

so, last weekend i did this sweaterlet. it's mad easy, and super quick. I've worked up a pattern for it, but i can't post it's link yet, because i'm not sure it's ready. My intention is to make it available for free, but I need testers. Are you a knitter? Would you be interested in testing it out for me? send a message to kmsmaverick AT yahoo DOT com to let me know.

it's got a button closure at the top only, the bottom is unfastened, so it behaves a bit like a capelet.

it's also got a nifty zig zag border

this just in!

2009-03-12T10:14:00.002-04:00

How utterly serendipitous! boston.com is running this article about shopping bags today.

my hannafords offers a 5¢ rebate for reusable bags, and a 2¢ rebate for recycling plastic bags. I'm pleased that massachusetts is making an effort to be less wasteful, and i'm glad the supermarkets are partnering on it too.

I'm working on some way to make a few of my bags (Say two flat bags and five or six singlet bags) available as some sort of raffle prize in a fund raiser. for food pantries, probably; i just have to work out in my head how to do it. An ebay auction? perhaps i'll do the auction, and then the funds raised can go to the food pantry of choice for the winner. i.e, for me, it would go to my town's food bank, where my friend molly might rather it go to one in the twin cities.

I think the first one will be bags made of stash fabric, so they may be a bit of a jumble. If it's successful, I'll make future fabric purchases with the intentions of having them be a matched set. Though, i wonder, if they are a jumble, d'you think people would be less likely to bid on them?

Post a comment, and pass along to people for their thoughts as well.

weeknight sewing

2009-03-12T08:55:00.007-04:00

When one is stricken with the productivity bug, one must seize it, right? even if the end result is yet more crafty goodness, and still fewer clean dishes? well, that's where i'm at. I've gotten this urge to sew like crazy lately, even though i don't actually need any of the things i've been making, it doesn't make sense to have the fabric on hand unused.

In the past i've made some of those singlet shopping bags we all know and love, but those look best if they are fully lined.

This makes them very sturdy, durable and really nice to look at, but they aren't really Fold-up-able, so they are a bit bulky. They take up some space in a person's handbag. Enter the Hodges and Figgis Souvenir bag, which me mam so selflessly gave me; (every so often i call her up and say "Ma! guess what! I've gt a Hodges and Figgis bag!) and which i have meticulously reproduced!

anyway, that is a fab bag, because it's flat, and it's only a single layer of fabric, so it's foldable takes up very little room in one's pocketbook. so it's always ready if you need it!

The things that i don't like about single layer bags are the raw seams. They generally look- well raw. they fray and pill, and just don't look very nice. So, i looked around, and found the answer to my problem, the Flat-Fell Seam!

This makes the bag look fantastically finished and very tidy. plus it makes for a pretty sturdy seam, so the bag will be a bit more useful.

I added on the little pink tag to make it look more clever. the only thing i'm not really over the moon on this bag for is the handles- all i had on hand was flannel. I would rather have used the same weight percale as the yellow and blue; but you know how it goes, needs-must.

I'm going make a few more of these, i might give them away, if you know anyone who can use a few shopping bags in surprise fabric, send a message!

saturday sewing

2009-03-09T11:01:00.003-04:00

Over the weekend i got busy with the little-engine-that-could. I do like that sewing machine, and it does me pretty well. One thing i learned how to do is button holes. they are so easy, once you get a few done on practice scraps.

And here's the thing, once you get a little good at them, they are SO MUCH LESS WORK than snaps! i wish i would have given them a try ages ago!

Now i'll be trying to think of ways to work them into all my new projects. look out!

This is a new dress i made for kristin. it might be a teeny bit too short, because i was trying to stop the stash, when i remembered that a half yard was enough when she was still a littlest googie, but now she's a toddler googie, so i needed to punt. this one is totally reversible too, thanks in large part to the great new buttonholes! yay!

spaceman shirt!

2009-03-07T11:18:00.005-05:00

so, i had this idea that i want to get back to sewing a bit more. I do love to sew, as much as i love to knit. but i really neeeed to use some things that are already in my stash, there is nothing more aggravating than having a shelf full of fabric unused.

then i saw someone's craftster post, and thought, well, those look really great, i bet i could do those too. so, i looked for a pattern, and settled on simplicity 3856. I shopped the stash and found this space man flannel i purchased for a duffel bag project that didn't pan out.

now, clothing is not without challenges, and the only way to get good at it is to have a few pancake pieces. (pancake, because they are much like the first pancake off the griddle; they generally go to the dog) But this one is only a little bit wrong. Just the collar in the back. the rest of it is totally correct! yay! even the button holes came out perfect!

cast on a few extra stitches

2009-02-25T19:43:00.009-05:00

so when you get to where you need to cast on, in this example, it's a button hole.

you loop it around your thumb, like so

then you slide the right hand needle in front of the yarn, and behind your thumb, pull the working yarn tight, and zip your thumb out.

pull the loop tight-ish, and close to the working stitches. you'll have to finesse this a little bit, you don;t want the stitch to strangulate the needle, but it shouldn't be too loose.

you keep repeating it until you get the number of stitches you need.

now, a word about the number you'll need, i like to cast on two stitches more than the number i'll need, then on the subsequent row, i knit two together one on each end, to make the fabric a little neater.

latest crafty crafts

2009-02-21T22:54:00.003-05:00

so, i've been lamenting my recent frivolous purchases of fabric. i really should stop buying fabric without a project in mind, but alas, i have no self control. but that's ok, today i made these nifty change purses!

The orange one is the prototype, so there are a few mistakes on it, the blue one is better, and the black one is the best of the three, but there are craftsmanship flaws with all three. i wish i was better at finishing. those snaps look really crummy. i'll have to go to tallpoppy.com to see if there is a better option than the snaps.

the black one is a little bit larger than the other two, it's large enough for the ipod that i purchased in another bout of poor self control.

more sweater progress

2009-02-12T09:39:00.004-05:00

Here's where i am with this cabled raglan. it's coming along, slowly but surely. I'm not sure why, but sleeves tend to be my crafty nemesis. they are usually too short, and often times too loose, but this one happens to be far too long, and also too loose. i haven't decided if i'll undo it and make it tighter.

But so far it looks pretty ok. i'll have to undo the band at the bottom- the cable makes the front scrunch ip a bit, so the hem is somewhat wonky and uneven. i think what i'll do is carry the Cable panel down through the hem.

i've just got to do one more cable sleeve, and then it will be finished. I hope to be able to post it in a week or so. perhaps i'll put some good time into it this weekend (whilst the laundry is doing itself?).

sherman thinks it's for him.

Ah, it's Truck Day!

2009-02-06T09:20:00.001-05:00

Dear readers, you'll know that i'm often remiss with my capitalization. sometimes i don't even capitalize peoples names and such. but you will notice, that i always capitalize Truck Day. Truck Day is worthy of such distinction. Truck Day is more than just looney New englanders investing more emotion than is healthy into their sports teams, it's a tangible (even touchable for some brave folks who went to yawkey way) reminder that winter is not going to get the best of us, no sir.

And could we use that reminder! We started out this winter with an ice storm that knocked out power for four weeks for some people, then it's snowed 8-12 inches just about once a week for a four weeks subsequent to that ice storm, Add to it that it's been frigid cold for most of the season. Toss in the crummy economy; and boy, we need spring.

but have no fear! it's Truck Day, and that means spring is near. pitchers and catchers report on thursday. And then it's sun and fun, fungos and flyballs. bring on the funny looking tan lines and the double sessions! Hoo hoo hoo!

a little bit of baseball heresy

2009-01-30T10:24:00.003-05:00

hold on to your pink hats girls, but i've got a bit of news for you about your boyfriend. He's a jerk. let's not dress it up. Somehow or another he was put on this pedestal of selflessness and ego strokes, and he LAPPED it up. So now, since so many people fell for this act, we're stuck with out a catcher. the sox traded away all thier prospects thinking that varitek would stick with them, (lets not even touch the fact that he was never going to stay young for a moment) Even though he's played this game before.

he played it when he was still in college, then he played it again after finishing college

Varitek opted to return to Georgia Tech for his senior year after being drafted in the first round by the Minnesota Twins in 1993. He then reentered the draft and was selected in the first round by the Seattle Mariners in June 1994, then signed with the St. Paul Saints of the Northern League because he could not come to terms with the Mariners.

Varitek never played for the Saints and eventually signed with the Mariners in April 1995, but he lost almost a full year of development.
- find the entire article here

Then he harangued the sox into a $40 million 4 year deal in 2004; and lest we forget, he has always worked with scott boras, who is world renowned as a top drawer bulldog in the dollar department. Players only work with him if their greed and ego can manage him and his. Make no mistake, it's not a coincidence that Varitek works with him.

Sorry, but when every one starts pissing and moaning about how it's just a game and how can you be so greedy, and what's the diff between 5 mil a year and 8? and All the lamentation of in this economy you're holding out, you should be so lucky as to not get laid off. All the venom sent towards manny, and teixeira, and yes, even A-Rod; you best include the captain, be that is exactly what he is right now.

Cake or Death?

2009-01-28T21:28:00.005-05:00

em, cake please.
(click the title, it's a linkie!)

the newest issue of martha stewart has cupcakes in it. and one of them is boston cream pie cupcakes, Great idea! but i don't have the patience tonight to make 24 little tiny boston cream pies, so i went with a more traditional version.

yummy!

sweater progress

2009-01-27T13:07:00.004-05:00

i'm working on the cabled raglan, and i have to be honest, i'm not really sure i'll like how it will come out. i knit so terribly loosely that the fabric is ending up much more holey than i like.

but i'm going to keep going, because if it does correct itself when it is blocking then it will be one of my favorites. if it doesn't sort out, i'll have to think of something, because the yarn was moderately pricey. too expensive to not make into something.

coffee cuffs

2009-01-27T09:54:00.004-05:00

here's the one i made yesterday before soccer. (which we lost, unfortunately. we were short on boys, and then our one sub went down with an injury of sorts, and those who were left played for a long time with no subs, but i digress)

anyway, these are pretty easy to make. one could sew them by hand if they wanted, but i never want, so i used the little engine that could. All you have to do is carefully unglue the one you get from the shop, then trace it on tissue paper. then use a nice metal ruler with nice markings, and measure 1/2 inch all around the edge. connect the dots, and now you have a pattern!

cut one of the outside, one of the lining and two of muslin for the interface. make your fabric sandwich, with right sides facing, and the muslin on the outside of the sandwich. then sew along the three edges, leaving the flat end seam undone. Oh, use a 1//4 inch seam allowance! Now, clip your corners, clip your seam triangles, and turn rightside out and run an iron over it. fold in the flat end there, and press. now run a top stitch all along the edge, sewing the turning hole closed as you go. Alrighty. Now, on the ones at the coffee shop, there's the little flap there, where they apply glue- you can do the same, with a velcro coin or snaps. Me? i just sewed the flap to the edge of the cuff. it looks the same as the blue one, but it's not exactly.

here's the blue one on an actual coffee.

Here's my only concern with these neat things. What's the point if they go on a throw away cup? I know it's every litter bit helps, but here's what i would like: a plastic cup, exactly the same shape, size, volume, diameter, weight and everything as this Dunkin Donuts cup. Decor craft sells I Am Not A Paper Cup but that's not really what i'm after. i don't want porcelain. i want a plastic cup. is there no one who can help me? Perhaps i should pitch it to the dragon's den, and make a fortune selling coffee cups with coffee cuffs.

Be careful, the bevvy you are about to enjoy.....

2009-01-26T12:09:00.003-05:00

may be very hot!

so what you need is a coffee cosy!

I made this over the weekend. it's supposed to go on coffee like those from caribou, or panera. what is strange is that i seldom stop there any more. Coffee from a Shop was one of the first things to get the ax when i was making hard financial choices. (that particular one was hard on everyone else, as the adjustment from high-caff to half-caff was significant!)

but this is a fun project, and it's totally earth friendly, as it's reusable and not made of paper. it's even made from scraps, so the fabric was re-purposed. plus- machine washable. this is a prototype, so this one will probably stay with me. now i've got my legs under me with the project i'll make a few more for my friends who might like em.

sewing shermy

2009-01-23T15:44:00.001-05:00

here is shermy, he is helping me sew.

a winter scene

2009-01-18T13:38:00.005-05:00

A few months ago i took rather touristic shot of memorial park in my town. it was a summer shot. Today it is snowing (again), and i thought, hmm, it might be nice to have a winter shot.

I do rather wish the truck wasn't there, perhaps when i go out to shovel (again) I'll see if i can score one without the truck.

The proof is in the booking!

2009-01-16T14:12:00.004-05:00

here it is! We really are going to the west of ireland for a few days! Well, all told, it's seven days, but the last day is taken mostly by getting back to the airport and returning the car (sniff!), so that doesn't really count.

but 'tis ok! Because we've got six days of green! We'll use Ennis as a hub, because it's almost exactly equidistant between Westport and Cork City. And did you know that at that time of year in ireland sunset is around 9.15 pm? it's true! lookee here if you don't believe me! That's super fantastic because even if places we visit don't stay open that late, it means we won't have to worry about driving on the very narrow roads in the dark!

hoo hoo! the letter arrived at it's destination!

2009-01-14T10:39:00.004-05:00

yipee! Do you know what this is? This is the letter containing my application for a renewal passport! yaaay! that means the only thing standing in my way now is the possibility that i sent the wrong form, or didn't send enough cash. It's 75 clams to renew you passport. $75! but that's ok. it's valid for ten years, so that's only Seven.fifty per year.

so here's the plan- me mam and i are headed to the west of ireland for me birthday! yippee skippy! Everyone should turn 34 at the cliffs of Moher. We're gonna use the town of ennis as a hub, rent a car and go see the towns where mam's family came from. yaaay!

january again.

2009-01-09T13:38:00.002-05:00

january is my least favorite time of year. well, january, february and march. the whole winter is just so stifling! I was able to plow through it for the last few years, the part time job at the pharmacy was good for distraction, but now i don't have that anymore, so i've got to think of something else.

tomorrow it's supposed to snow. blech. but at least it isn't until the afternoon. perhaps i'll try to get up early in the morning, and go to the gym. i've decided to really make an effort to lose ten pounds before the spring. So today i'm going to joing the gym. the gym three days a week, soccer two days a week. hopefully that will get me back into a bit better shape. we'll see!

here's the piccy

2008-12-27T12:58:00.004-05:00

of all us four.

A few weeks ago, molly posted a snap of everyone in her family, along with their kids, and i thought it would be a good thing to post one of the four of us. it's just the four of us, the kids weren't allowed in this, because ma already has two other piccys of us, when sean was a few months, then again when he was around twelve, and now he's thirty (yipes). so we're running a bit late on the elapsed time, but that's ok. it's actually quite nice, we're all got real live similes on our faces, because someone of us said something funny, (probably at another's expense!) hee.

by the end, even the wise men were pooped

2008-12-25T22:48:00.000-05:00

what a day. my whole family was over at me mam's. All four of us were there- even sean and i were both able to get the day off from the harrows of retail and service industries. Plus me sisters' husbands, and the great collection of kids. No one fought; not even the kids! Everyone left feeling safe, loved and singing holiday cheer. Yet, we were all as pooped as the wisemen (who knows where baltazar is. Perhaps he's still sitting at the last pit stop, unable to bear forging on home). Ma had to change up Christmas dinner at the last minute because there was a racket on Roast Lion (pork loin and eye of the round roasted in the same pan) so we had ham and chicken tenders. Nothing spreads holiday cheer like crispy chicken tenders with buffalo dipping sauce!

I love christmas. I love how secure it makes me feel. It's like the best day for positive reinforcement! i've got the best family, and even though we probably drive each other crazy, i wouldn't trade my family for anything in the whole wide world!

Merry christmas every one.

i'm a winter wimp.

2008-12-23T11:51:00.000-05:00

i don't groove on winter. This particular winter so far has not been my friend. Last weekend, we lost power. This weekend, we have power, but we also have 19 inches of snow from the sky. Blech! How is this possible? every so often, i toy with the idea that i would like to move away from new england to a place where it does not snow so much. Of course, lisbon or dublin would be my first choice, but it's hard to score a work permit. perhaps somewhere south. For a time i thought kentucky or tennesee might be possibilities, but having just returned from there, i think i might have to reconsider. They are too.... foreign. That would be too stressful.

Snow- it's cold. it piles up everywhere, then it gets dirty and looks really gross. When it melts it makes a big mess. And when it snows, people inexplicably lose all their common sense. Myself included. Though i do my best to stay home with my neurosis, I try not to inflict my lunacy on others. Except this past weekend, i did decide to go to the grocery before the snow came. Well, it was only me and everyone else in town! and god forbid a person might have to walk a hundred yards to the door of the store. noooo! Instead, Let's all become Parking Spot Vultures. So the poor girl, stressed already by the thought of facing a whole long weekend of being trapped in the house with cabin fever toddlers, has to feel someone's hot lexus SUV breath down her neck while she negotiates with said toddler to get into the car seat, then put all the bread and milk into the trunk. All the while the blinker is flashing the maddening impatience!

It's funny how snow will turn otherwise pleasant, friendly and neighborly townies into crazed lunatics. Generally i try to keep a stiff upper lip regarding winter, but i have to admit, i lean toward the crazed side. Sigh. And yesterday was just the first day of winter. pooey.

nothing spreads holiday cheer

2008-12-22T10:45:00.001-05:00

like a christmas clash album!

This gem (if a do say so meself) is a gift for my dear brother in law- he loves the clash. We even had a bit of hush at christmas a few years ago, because joe strummer died on 22 december, 2002. It only seems appropriate to give a gift of his music this time of year.

CBS Football:

2008-12-07T18:41:00.003-05:00

for the love of god, and all that is holy, would you shut the hell up!

Please, just tell me the pertinent details of the effing play. don't provide me with color commentary- How bout this: you aren't all the god damned colorful. SHUT UP! I do not care that you used to play offensive line, and the cold windy rains didn't affect your play. I do not care if that referee blew the call. SHUT UP. Tell me who's got the ball, what down it is, and how far to a first down. i'd rather dead air than to listen to you pillocks so shut up!

buttony sweater progress

2008-12-01T10:37:00.004-05:00

so, over the holiday and then the weekend i knitted like crazy. i'm hoping i'll be able to wear the sweater soon. That has taken a bit of a sidetrack though, since i've run out of yarn. pooey! Here is where i stand right now:

since now i am in neutral with the project, i decided to weave in the ends and add on the buttons. i'm quite chuffed with the button band.

i really wanted to make a pullover sweater; yet still have it look like a cardigan, though i'm not really sure why. So early on i knew i would have to make some sort of trompe-l'oeil, something that looks like a button band, but isn't, then at the top and bottom separate the halves out so they look like halves of a cardie. My idea was just a sort of concept, but i'm quite pleased to report that it TOTALLY worked! Have a look here:

adding thread to your bobbin

2008-11-28T21:38:00.003-05:00

hey all, perhaps this is useful. loading a bobbin is pretty universal, though your machine might be sort of different than mine, the concepts are the same.

first, put your machine in neutral- on my little engine that could, i have to pull the whole purple wheel out away from the casing.

then un thread your machine so the spool is just sitting on the holder. then, find the turning point. on my machine it's the thing that looks like a screw just to the left of the tension lever. pull the thread around that, and then back toward the spool.

next, you take the thread, and thread it into the bobbin from the inside out, pull enough through so there's a bit to hold on to.

then you put the bobbin on the holder (you might need to slide the holder to one side or the other), and use the food pedal to spin it. you need to hold on to the little bit you threaded through, so it will be tight enough, and you don't want to go too fast, because it might tangle or go all wonky.

test

2008-11-22T22:11:00.001-05:00

to see about the feedback buttons. There are buttons you can click on all the ravelry posts. blogger has incorporated them too. there are lots of neat features here on blogger. some day i'll go through them and have a look at them all. then you'll be bombarded with on-line fripperies!

a return to football!

2008-11-18T09:13:00.002-05:00

yay! you must have been wondering where have all my silly sports gone? well, i've actually just got back on a team. last night was our first game. we smashed them. it was something line 15 or so to just two.

i think dave and dan had the most- but i lost track. next up was probably mick or perhaps jon, i only had one. but that's ok! it was very nice to get back on the field. i haven't played for many weeks, so i am slightly out of shape (100% out of shape) but that's ok, i let the young studs do all the hard work, and i celebrate the win. Just kidding!

a change of plans

2008-11-15T19:32:00.008-05:00

for the buttony sweater! (hey, i'm nothing if not indecisive!)

So i did a bit of a swatch with bobbles over the weekend. Blech! they are a drag to knit. i'll try again when the yarn arrives, but i'm leaning toward no-go. then i considered a cable collar, and cables around the hem, and then more narrow cables along the sleeves. one something like leabhran's Coronet Hat.

but then i learned that cables often curl in, side to side- the crossover of the cable causes the pull. so that's not so appealing either.

so then i thought, perhaps a scallop edge might look neat. This one is
KnitsByRachel's Scallops Pattern Dishcloth (it's about half way down)

I'll have to try them both out.I'm sure i'll go with the scallop edge, or the bobble, as planned, since the cable is WAY more work. not the cabling itself, that's actually pretty easy, once you get your legs under you, but cables run vertically; and collars, hems, and sleeve edges run horizontally, so you have to knit the cables off line, then graft them on to the sweater. blech!

I expect the yarn to arrive today or tomorrow (hurry, kind postman!) so i'll have to give some ideas a try then. More news when it happens!

Actually, while looking for the owners of the pics, i found Coronet Cuffs.

Methinks they look pretty neat, I'm leaning a bit toward that pattern for the colalr and cuffs!

arrrgh! the suspense is killing me!

2008-11-14T10:31:00.010-05:00

so yesterday i placed an order with my favorite online yarn shop thus far knitpicks. i got Wool of the Andes Kettle-Dyed

in the colorway soot.

but now the suspense is killing me! i simply cannot wait for the package to arrive! arrrrgh! i'm going to make myself another buttony sweater. I learned some valuable lessons from the last one so this one will be more successful i think.

initially i was going to post a long dissertation about my intended modifications to the buttony sweater. Dear readers fear not. I came to my senses before doing so, lest your eyes glaze right over.

Instead, have a look at this person's great posting Not for the first time i'm embarrassed by my lacking language skills. She did a really great job on hers, and her photos look soooo good. I hope mine turns out half as nice.

so the order is placed, i just need the string. Hurry kind postman, Please don't delay! i need to make that sweater, and i simply can't wait a day!

update:
Your Knit Picks order shipped 11/14/2008! Your order number is 80894.

Items Shipped
Qty Item # Item Description Price
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 24289 Soot Kettle WotA @ $3.49 = $17.45

Hee. This makes me giggle

2008-11-12T09:36:00.005-05:00

Candids are tricky things.

you can see that this sweater is a tiny bit too roomy. That's ok; according to my sisters, too roomy is way better than too tight.

Snaps of children's clothing on hangers is nice and all, but snaps of the children are better! i'm pleased, now i get to have Roo on my blog too!

Mini Minnesota Vikings Fan

2008-11-08T13:05:00.001-05:00

my friend molly will have received the package by now so i think i'm ok to post this. so they like their vikings in minnesota, i like that, we like our patriots here in new England, it's like we're all kinfolk. Now, the grape-flavoured vest took far less yarn than i expected. But what to do with the rest? Allow it sit around, taking up space, mocking me for my poor planning and foolish, wasteful spending? No silly! Make it into something!

As a matter of fact, i also had some yellow leftover from kristen's sweater too. It's perfect Vikings yellow! How utterly serendipitous! So. I used the same pattern as kristen's. i'm a bit nervous, because i think the one for Riley Roo is a bit too large. but it's the 2-3 year size, and i followed the destructions exactly! Well, mostly i followed them exactly. i did the sweater top down, on one needle, rather than doing as pieces and seaming. it's really easy to do it that way. send a message if you need advice. I'd like to reemphasize my complete love of the Peace Baby!Pattern
It's well worth the investment of a donation to the worthy cause, and the pattern is really useful.

Perhaps Molly will be able to email a snappy snap of the sweater in action, dear readers, so you won't be stuck with just an ugly maroon hanger.

separating good carbs from...

2008-11-04T10:55:00.003-05:00

better ones!

There is something sublime about tasty baked goods. like spaghetti and meatballs, they are comfort food, at it's most effective.

I love brownies, but i'm moderately particular about their texture. i like them to be dense and fudgey, but i also like them to have a bit of chewiness to them too.

so on sunday i had this inexplicable urge to make chocolaty brownies. I tried to talk myself out of it, but succeeded only in making the craving worse. I searched my cupboards for brownie mix. even an ancient box. nope, nada. Then i remembered an old every day food magazine dedicated to brownies. tada! but alas, it called for 8 oz of chips, and i only had about 4 (strangely, i did have cocoa in the house). no probs, i found a jar of nutella hazelnut spread tada!

so they came out fantastic! my oven runs a bit hot, so next time i'll have to cut back the temp, but these came out so nicely. it's 100% as easy as making them with a box. no more brownie box for me. the only added step is melting the butter and chocolate together.

yummy!

Halloween is different this year....

2008-10-31T15:46:00.008-04:00

Last year we were here:

this year we are home, and it's nice but... I would like to be a dubliner. Or perhaps a dublin suburbanite. I dunno if you'lll be able to see the pics very well, i should have done a more thorough selection, but i don't to take any more out. As it is, there are tones of great things i've left out. Like Marianne and Dad completing the race, and the great cappuccino at the mall, whilst i was so jetlagged i almost tipped right over.

We had a fantastic trip, anyone who is worried about travelling with people should travel with marianne- she's swell. Travel with me Mam and Dad too- they're swell, even though on a couple of occasions i did my best churlish teenager routine, they didn't tell me off, not once!

I'm saving to go again, just you wait and see. the next trip will have a car i think. hooo hoo hoo! you'll know it's us by the white-knuckled co-pilot!

do you know what today is?

2008-10-28T15:02:00.004-04:00

I'll tell you. Today is one week for the US General Elections. The elections are important, it is your responsibility to vote- just as your right to free speech is a right, your right to vote is equally important. With great power comes great responsibility, no? You've got this great power- choosing the next president. you've got to fulfill your responsibility and make your voice heard.

Whether you're conservative or liberal, i think you'll have to admit that the past eight years have simply not worked well. Our budget is in ruin. Our international reputation is laughable. Our employment situation is frightening. Just about every single area of the health and future of our country and society is on the brink of collapse. Conservative or liberal, I don't think i'm saying anything profound when i say the last eight years have been a failure.

I'll not pretend i'm still on the fence, you already know that. I'm for Obama, and i think you should be too. His plans for the tumultuous economy, his goals for foreign relations, and his expectations for health care are more feasible. The purpose of this post is not to get you to vote for obama, it's to get you to vote at all (well, it's also to get you to vote for obama)

Should you still be on the fence, here are some handy sites:
Obama Official
McCain official
Bear in mind, these are the campaign sites, and should be a taken with a grain of salt.

there are an abundance of great news sites available, but the ones i like to use are these:
bbc's coverage
FactCheck
newsweek
My friend Ernest says the economist is a good site as well. I've not used it very often, but he wouldn't recommend trash.

so the point of this is this: Voting is so empowering! Take advantage of it. do a bit of research, you'll find yourself becoming more aware of your world, and what you can do to change it. Google has a fantastic tool for finding where you go to vote, Find it here

I'll climb down now, from my stump. But before i go, i'll just quote Bob Schieffer (and his mom),
go out there and vote, it will make you feel big and strong

grape flavoured vest

2008-10-24T14:25:00.003-04:00

So. I really want to make a vest for johnny. i know, it's a bit nerdy- a vest, but that's ok. i had a rowan pattern, but it was so hard- all sorts of “knit as for back until you get to here…, then proceed as follows” blah blah blah. Blech. So there is one in debbie bliss’s essential knits for kits, i’ve got that on order from the library, but i’m impatient, what can i say. so i settled on a lion brand pattern.

I went with only a single cable, on the right front. I like asymmetry in my sweaters. I also worked this on a single circular needle, rather than two straights. when i made the peace baby, i decided that i just don’t groove on seaming, and if i can avoid it, i shall.

Now, some mods to the pattern itself. the sizes don’t go quite high enough, so i sort of guessed on the number of additional stitches to cast on to fit a 6 year old. Too big is ok, he can wear it a bit longer. i just don’t want it to be too small.

i suppose it was a moderately boring project, as a mostly stocking stitch sweater will be. Knitpicks yarn is great to work with. It’s very predictable and dependable. i really like it.

Argh! i finished a good bulk of this sweater, and the dumb thing wouldn’t fit over his noggin! arrrgh! No Problem. I undid one shoulder, and put buttons on it to so it can be opened up.

and then, guess what i learned! over a lunch break, i learned how to properly pick up stitches. My other attempts have been unhappy at best. but this time, like a great muse descended upon John Milton for Paradise Lost, so to did the knowledge for picking up stitches.

I finished this sweater in about a week. not too bad. i finished it last night before soccer. (incidentally, if you need a girl to play indoors, send a message) My newly acquired skill of picking up stitches helped me immensely. i’m going to send it out UPS to the recipient today.

alrighty then.

2008-10-20T10:32:00.002-04:00

it's a long time since i've posted a snarky sports post, for a number of reasons. i'm trying to move away from the jerky fan syndrome. if last football season taught me anything, it's how to win and lose sportsmanly. The Uefa soccer last summer, and the olympics a few weeks ago have helped me evolve into a sports fan, more than a team fan (though i do still wish every yankee would trip in the batters box, and make errors in the field).

All that being said, For the love of god and all that is holy! would you please pinch hit for Jason Varitek! He is a Shitty Hitter! He was 1 for 17 in the first six games of the series! 1 for 17! Why would you ever use the three run homer the other night as an indication that he's got a hot bat? ARRRRGH! pinch hit for him for crissakes! who cares that kevin cash or that other guy will have to catch in the ninth? Papelbon is a top tier closer. If Paps can't figure out what to do without varitek calling his pitches, we've got additional problems.

The sox have painted themselves into a corner- we have a glaring deficiency in that position. Plus, since they have been so reluctant to spell varitek, none of our other catchers have had good opportunity to learn how to call the game the way he does. so we've doubly hurt ourselves. What will happen when Varitek's knees do finally call quits?

I know, i'm on a lonely island, everyone and their grandmother loves jason varitek, and what i'm saying is tantamount to heresy, but sweet georgia brown, he is a terrible hitter. fine, he calls a good game, and he keeps the infield together. Fine, he has good rapport with his pitchers. Fine Fine Fine. But he is almost a guaranteed out at the plate. He looked like a rusty gate in that AB in the 8th last night. How is that helpful? how is that at all helpful when the game is 100% on the line, and we need a hit?

peace, paby!

2008-10-15T08:41:00.004-04:00

I was apprehensive right from the start. Sunshine is much more egg yolk than i expected, and allspice is much more flat brown than i expected.

I’m wasn't at all sure the resulting sweater will be very nice. It certainly wouldn’t be very babyish. But i figured, i would have to continue on, with an amount of trepidation.

I knitted during the dodgers/phillies, and then the two sox/rays weekend games. Then i had to put it all on hold to help cover the pool, so not too much knitting was done. but i did get started on the embroidery, for which i did decide to go with embroidery floss.

Now, the yellow and brown are pretty…. well not very pretty. The yellow isn’t my favorite, and the brown isn’t either. So i really needed the embroidery to pull it all together. Embroidery isn’t really my strongest skill, but i do rather like the way it came out. I really do like the way the brown is tied in with the yellow now. I’m actually rather pleased with it.

I had a pretty hard time with the neckline. my skills don’t yet extend all the way to sewing icord as i go along. Plus, i’ve only got metal dpns; i knit very loosely on metal needles, so the icord was sloppy and taking a long time. So, i tried crochet around the edge. no go. looked terribly sloppy. So in the end i simply picked up the stitches all the way around and knit 2 rows then bound off. The button loop is half double crochet.

So, my thoughts: this is a great sweater, and a great pattern. it could become a go-to pattern for me. I would probably rework the instructions to be a top down, done in the round. Like many other people, i’m not crazy about seaming. i love the yarn, it’s very predictable and pleasant to work with. All in all, i think the project is a success.

Fall birthdays snaps

2008-10-05T16:05:00.000-04:00

my friend molly is great at posting super snappy-snaps and video of family functions. I'm working at it, but i'm not really a great photo hound, so sometimes my efforts fall a bit short of the endzone. My latest go was confounded because i had the camera set for night time snapshot. Well, Pooey.

but that's ok, i did manage to get a good one of the littlest googie with first birthday party muffin, appropriately mooshed into grossness.

You see, initially we planned to go apple picking to get cider doughnuts, peanut-caramel apples and a few for pies. Alas, the entire town of Stow had the same plan! Parking was a snarl, and I do not exaggerate when i say everyone and their grandmother were at the Honey Pot Hill Orchard. It also was terribly muddy.

So we decided to move to plan B. Plan B meant Nana Mary got apples from ferjulians, Other Nana went to get donuts from HoneyDew, i stopped for peanuts and caramel ice cream topper, and we all went to heidi's house.

It was fabulous B-Day party for the fall birthdays of the family. YAY!

snappy snaps

2008-09-29T10:07:00.004-04:00

so, here are some more snappy snaps from my home town. The Assabet river is a meandery river, it's not terribly attractive, and it's got snapping turtles in there. But every so often, it puts on it's nice outfit and looks quite photogenic. The only thing missing from the snaps are the swans who live in the little islands down in the fog there.

On The Economy

2008-09-25T08:48:00.003-04:00

now, I know, i'm not terribly smart. Especially in terms of money. I don't really understand what goes on on wall street or day to day at a mortgage bank. I don't really now exactly what they are all talking about.

But one thing i do know, if you don't have the cash, you can't afford it. If you only make $2000 a month take home capital, you can't afford an $1800 mortgage. So here's me; subscribing to a pretty sound economic policy, While all of the rest of the country, the money boffins, and the presidential administration en masse, were involved in this horrible and delusional vortex of business and even life on spec.

i'm really sorry, but I'm moderately hacked off that the people whom i entrusted to run the country and its finances didn't see this coming. I've been living within my means since i moved out on my own four years ago. Why the fuck hasn't everyone else? could it be because the ringleader of the current administration is short sighted?
It's human nature to for people take the lead of those in charge; and it's little wonder we became a nation of spenders and squander.

Over the years i've made a practice of saving and saving for major purchases. I've become more smart and logical about how and when i spend my money. I make informed decisions, and i do not by an Audi if i can only afford a VW. But the rest of the country seems to have been transfixed by The Precious.

People like myself, and joe schmoe iowa corn farmer have a lot to be hacked about. We are paying for people who had unrealistic financial ambitions. While it's immensely too bad they've lost their shirt, it's an absolute travesty that i should have to lose mine as well. I'm not above helping people, but i do have to express my complete and whole dissatisfaction with those who initiated, exacerbated, and are right now perpetuating the problem.

I'm not at all sure about this buyout program, and truthfully, i would like a debate to take place to help explain it to me. For the past six years we've had a smoke and mirror economy, and it's time for some transparency. Now is not the time to postpone a debate senator McCain, now is the time to lay your cards on the table. Show me what you've got, because if you think for one minute that I'm going to vote for you simply because you talk about change you are wrong. I want to know what you plan to do- break it down for me, simple economics style.

a gift for the happy couple

2008-09-15T12:33:00.004-04:00

so, now that Ernest and Sarah have been married, i feel i can post the snappy snaps of the gift i made for them without letting the cat out of the bag. The wedding was on saturday, and i don't mind saying, it was fantastic. Easily one of the most fabulous, sweet, heartfelt, genuine, happy and fun weddings i've attended.

initially i wanted to do reusable fabric grocery bags, but mom gave it the thumbs down. oh dear. but i don't like to give cash for gifts. To me a gift is a gift, i like it when some thought is invested, both when i'm the recipient, and especially when i'm the giver. I like the gifts i give to have sentimental meaning, yet are more useful than decorative.

so, i settled on a quilt.

I do hope they don't mind the gift is handmade (some people do you know). I went with blue and white, because i thought they were the colors of the wedding, but as it turns out, the wedding was way more fabulously colorful than that; i could have used any color pallet and it would have been appropriate. but that's OK.

I personalized it for them, and put the date of the big event on there too.

Congratulations, Sarah and Ernest!

seven years

2008-09-11T08:23:00.006-04:00

so. it was a morning just exactly like this- chilly for the am commute, but promising to be a bright, warm and crisp, beautiful early fall day.

around nine or so i lost my internet. I remember being aggravated. then i remember martha telling me that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center in New York. I remember calling my mom to tell her to turn on the news. I remember not getting a single shred of work done that day, and feeling on the verge of puking.

I remember that in a blink of an eye, life was different. The world was different. No-one is safe from a sucker punch. A girl can't insulate herself from the sting of the cute by turning her down. A mom can't really prevent her son from making poor decisions. A husband can't really prevent his beloved from dying. But one thing we all sort of forget is that we also can't avoid a sucker punch. As humans, we try to keep our wits, and make contingency plans, and make an effort to keep everything well thought out, so plays from behind are our only weak spot. A play from behind ultimately changed the entire world.

New york is different, The travel industry is different, the entire world is different. That girl and the boy who turned her down; the son and his mom who worries for him; the husband, his beloved. But mostly the families; They are all different. We are all different.

I am.

I don't know that there is anything to be gained from September 11. I like to think at the very least we could see first hand how racism and hatred are catastrophic; the most vitriolic and damaging of all personal values. But I don't know.

Yes i do.
I learned it.

Hatred has no place for me. I will not foster it, and i will not tolerate it with those i hang around with. I sincerely hope others have banished hatred from their being, but i can't be responsible for that. I can lead by example; and i'm going to do so, I started seven years ago, and it's my responsibility and honor to carry on doing so.

Dear unfortunate Tom Brady

2008-09-08T11:49:00.002-04:00

this is a nice snappy snap, no? One to put on the fridgerator at their mom's houses.

too bad the world of Quarterbacks came crashing down all around us in the form of Kansas City Chiefs. Uh Oh. This could be very bad indeed. Even if it's not a surgery situation, it's a still pretty bad scene.

which words?

2008-09-05T09:20:00.005-04:00

so i found this great thingy wordle.net I found the link to it at the cotton and cloud blog, from the directions provided at the best handbag site online.

So which words do i use most often, well, i'm pleased to report they aren't curses, and they aren't really affiliated with complaining. that makes me smile, because i am sometimes concerned that i spend too much time whingeing.

so with out further blather... here's my wordle!

the summer snap!

2008-08-16T10:34:00.001-04:00

here is what i love about having a nifty camera that i couldn't really afford, but can keep in my pocketbook ready for action: I can grab snappy snaps when they magically appear.

I like to try to get the most from life, and capturing simple gems of niceness is one thing i like to do. So here's one that i'll share with you. i went to my Public Library yesterday, and as i was walking up the little knoll, this nice little picture of wood square appeared.

That's a worthy snappy snap, i don't mind saying.

Blue 2.0

2008-08-11T08:59:00.006-04:00

So. Last week, i posted the blue dress. my first go at sewing a project for a purpose. It went well, and the dress is totally wearable and very nice. the trouble is, on further observation, i feel it looks too much like a hospital gown- and while hospital gowns perform an honest, noble and necessary function- they aren't entirely appropriate for a wedding.

To that end, i tried it again. I went back to the fabric place in framingham to have another look at the blue fabric (it had to be blue because the stole that i've made is blue- and knitting takes me longer than sewing, so i really wanted to use that, as it was 7/8 complete).

alrighty, i really thought i was going to strike out on the fabric- am i the only one who thinks apparel fabric is really pretty nondescript and nothing to write home about these days? so on a whim, i decided to give the home dec dept a look round. and sure enough, i found this duponi silk sort of stuff- it's not too stiff, and it's quite nice- dressy and formal, without going overboard.

it's a tiny bit short, but this is the prelim shot, i didn't realize i was making it so short, and wonders of wonders, i didn't chop all the excess off before double checking. it's also way crooked, one side seam was 30" and the other was only 27" so i made both seams 27" and hemmed up to 26. so it still might be a bit short, but too late now.

I'm glad i did the Cotton one first- i got my legs under me, and was able to make this second version much better. this second version has fewer mistakes, and the craftsmanship is a bit better. on top of it, i was able to complete it in an afternoon- less than an afternoon, i started around 1.00 and it was compete around 3.30 or so.

All in all i'm very pleased with Version 2.0.

blau, μπλε, azul, bleu, голубо, blu, 青い, blauw

2008-08-05T08:49:00.007-04:00

Whatever you call it, Blue is the colour. It's my favorite. I drive a blue car, i have a blue living room, a blue blogspot background, and now, i've got a blue dress. this is the dress i made for sarah's wedding.

I used the pattern i mentioned before, but i did make some modifications. i made it so there are no gathers at the side. i really tried to make those look nice, but no matter which way i did it they still looked like i got my fabric tangled on the machine plate, and it didn't look nice. What i really love about the pattern otherwise is that it's totally doable. i won't go so far as to say it's entirely free of strife; it's a good pattern for someone of my skills- a good place to learn more clothing techniques but it wouldn't work for a person just starting out- the directions are not clear enough. there is some sewing intuition called into play.

the dress is super wearable, and even though i had a tiny miscalculation and went a little crazy with the shears on the hem line, and it's only because god was smiling on me that night that i didn't ruin the dress.

the other thing i like about the dress is that it looks like a wrap dress, which i find rather interesting, but it's not a wrap, there's a zipper in the back (which; incidentally, came out PERFECT!) so it's way easier to put on and more comfortable to wear than a wrap dress which ties.

so all in all, this part of the wedding outfit project is a cerulean success. now to complete the shawl.

this fanny is still for manny, though i wish he would SHUT IT!

2008-07-31T09:36:00.004-04:00

so i have to admit, it's becoming very hard to be a manny fan. He says some daffy things, and to some daffy people, and even i have to confess, i'm beginning to see (and be okay with) the very real possibility that manny isn't going to be a red sox much past this afternoon.

That is all i have to say, because it's so long and drawn out that i don't have the fortitude to type the entire thing, but if he's so unhappy, and he's such a detriment in the clubhouse, then the sox have no choice but to deal him.

For the record, i do not for one minute belive the current loss has anything to do with manny's behavior. if pro ball payers can't separate themselves from off the field activities for nine innings then they need to find new work.

If Drew, and Crisp, And lowell' and varitek, and ellsbury's current hitting slumps are the result of manny's behavior, i'll eat my hat. If wakefield's getting shelled vs the yankees, and the same with Dice-k a few days ago are the result of manny being in their head, then they are not as good as we thought they were. Just as it takes a team to win a ball game, so too does it take the team to lose it.

That being said, I'm beginning to see that the list of cons with keeping manning is beginning to be longer than the list of pros. If manny were to zip it and simply pay ball, i don't think so much venom would be sent his way. But that ship has sailed, and now we're on the verge of sinking.

I don't expect the sox to pick up his contract options, and after yesterday, i think the possibility is even there to be dealt today. too bad, because this is also what we got out of manny:

* 9x Silver Slugger Award winner (1995, 1999-2006)
* 12x All-Star selection (1995, 1998-2008)
* 2x World Series champion (2004, 2007)
* World Series MVP Award winner (2004)
* Led AL in batting average in 2002
* Led AL in home runs in 2004
* Led AL in runs batted in in 1999
* Has the most career grand slams of any active player

in 2004 alone, he

• hit a two-run homer on April 25, providing the Sox all the offense they would need to win 2-0 and complete the three-game sweep in New York.

• went 4-for-5 with two homers and five RBI against Texas on July 10.

• hit grand slams on August 20 and September 10, giving him 17 for his career, fifth-most all-time.

• had two homers in the Red Sox' 10-7 win on August 31, as they opened a big series against Anaheim.

• led the American League in home runs (43), at-bats per homer (13.2), slugging percentage (.613), and OPS (1.010). He also ranked second in extra-base hits and at-bats per RBI, third in RBI, and fourth in total bases.

• joined David Ortiz to become the first pair of teammates in baseball history to each have 40 homers and 40 doubles in the same season.

2004 Postseason Highlights
• hit safely in all 14 of the Red Sox' postseason games. Dating back to 2003, he hit in 17 straight postseason games, tying the major league record.

• drove in at least two runs in each Division Series game, hitting .385 with two doubles, a homer, and seven RBI over the series.

• In the ALCS, Manny hit .300 with a double and three runs scored. He was 2-for-3 with three walks in Game 4, and was 2-for-6 in Game 5.

• went 3-for-5 with two RBI in Game 1 of the World Series. In Game 3, he hit a home run in the first inning to give the Sox a 1-0 lead. Then in the bottom of the inning, he helped Pedro Martinez out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam by catching Jim Edmonds' fly ball and throwing Larry Walker out at home plate.

• batted .412 in the World Series and was named MVP. He became the first World Series MVP in Red Sox history, since the award was not given out before 1955.

wedding outfit update

2008-07-29T13:22:00.003-04:00

Alrighty, so i've got the pattern, and i've got the fabric. I've also gotten the invite, and the event takes place on September 13, 2008. That means i have just about six weeks to finish the dress and the shawl.

here are the latest photos of the shawl. It's more like a stole, since it's not as wide as i thought it would be, but i think it will look nice. I'm going to block it when I've used one whole hank of malabrigo lace weight- i think that will be an ideal length.

Incidentally, This malabrigo lace is much nicer than the frog tree i used on the last project. The price point is better also- frog tree is rather spendy, and it doesn't have nearly the yardage a hank of malabrigo lace, and the malabrigo is a bit less scratchy to me. but- live and learn, as they say.

today's post is brought to you by the the number 4 and the letter k

2008-07-23T08:55:00.005-04:00

sunny days, chasing the clouds away! Here is what i love about sesame street: everything.

There is no children's show that is more clever, creative, educational, and relevant than Sesame street. Any way you slice it, it is a show that fosters learning, tolerance and humility to children. Very often i wonder if more adults should watch the show more often.

What i enjoy about sesame street is how famous people enjoy working on the show also. there's a wiki list here.

And have a look at this great song feist did.

Right now i'm on my way to where the air is sweet.

This fanny is for manny.

2008-07-22T11:47:00.005-04:00

I'm really sorry, shoving the travel secretary notwithstanding, it seems that people are more than interested in smashing manny ramirez to little tiny pieces.

have you seen this gem? I'm really sorry, but where is his credible witness? This is really beginning to be bothersome to me, when his own media seems willing to hang him out to dry. This could have been left exactly where it was posted, but no, TATB has to post the link, and make baseball and manny fans like me all agitated.

This seems to be as much hooey as crazy bob lobel dished a few days ago. Perhaps i'm missing something, and there is some credible person backing the guy up on this, but sometimes i wonder if people (the media) get off on making up stories about him.

I get it, manny gets a free pass sometimes; alright, often even. but come on. I'm aggravated with myself because i'm so heated up about it, because it's so far removed from useful sports reporting but WTF? If you are a sports reporter, report the fucking box score, and the fact that many was pretty good in the night's game. Don't fucking try to get your stupid fucking blog picked up nationally on the coattails and at the expense of a famous person.

God i'm so mad i'm swearing like crazy.

to be clear, i don't condone the shoving of the travel agent guy; but come on, all the other "incidents" lately have been 100% exacerbated by the media, including nesn (dennis eckersly)

Are we interested in a pretty tight AL and AL east, or are we only interested in manny? How bout this? he's one of only three players who had hits in anaheim, is that not more relevant?

that which doesn't kill me.....

2008-07-22T09:33:00.004-04:00

blah blah blah.... Trouble is, this might do just that.

So Dear Sarah and Ernest are getting married in a few weeks! And since they are so kind, they've decided to let their soccer hooligan friends join them for the ceremony and reception. As is the case with all girls, (and probably for guys as well), i'm beginning to agonize over what to wear.

For me, shopping for clothing almost always ends in tears. It's so unpleasant- especially when one is shopping for an important event outfit. So, in an effort to avoid some unhappiness, i've decided to make a dress to wear. This could be a tall order. But on top of that i've decided to knit myself a shawl to wear instead of a sweater. yipes. This is a pie in the sky plan, and it could very well end in as many tears as shopping; but why do something the easy way, when you can make it oh so much harder for yourself?

So. i think it will be something like this one: B4723, though i've never used a butterick pattern before. Also, the fabric it calls for is not the kind of fabric i've purchased (This dear readers is why you should never buy the fabric first).

This is the fabric i've settled on. it's rather casual, D'you think too casual for a wedding outfit? I figure the cut of the dress will make up for the casual print, i hope? I'm planning on making it this weekend and next so perhaps i'll post photos and take a little opinion poll.

Boy we sure can squeeze a lemon

2008-07-19T14:40:00.000-04:00

bob lobel publishied this gripping article in the globe today.

The thing is, Manny isn't the first loon in the sox clubhouse- he just happens to be the most talented loon. He's also not the first to say things to reporters about their contracts- papelbon has done it as recently as this past spring. A contract isn't based on a player's personality- if that were the case we would still have dave roberts, orlando cabrera and we would still be saddled with kevin millar and shea hillenbrand.

Contracts are based on performance- Manny's has been pretty consistent, and consistently good. Additionally, anyone who thinks a player in a contract season is going to throw an at bat (bob lobel) is on qualudes.

I don't appreciate the shoving incident any more then anyone else, but if I'm an asshole to a kid in the warehouse, I've got to appologize to the kid, not to the whole town. True, John henry has his hands full when dealing with manny and his personality foibles, but henry has benefited from manny as much as manny has from the free pass he gets. John henry's team is better with manny. the sox will not be as good without manny in the batting order. Henry will have to decide if the personality is too big a con for the long list of pros manny has to offer.

Sure manny gets a free pass often enough, but he sure enough does get a much greater ration of shit when people are hacked with him (and historically it seems lobel has always been keen to dish out rations). As fans we are never willing to look at things based on wins and losses. We want our players to do goofy spots on nesn, we want them to be good with our kids, hustle down the first base line. We want them to give interviews with cheer; and when they do, we want them to use good language. We want them to be likable.

That is naive and the recent article illustrates that the media is a major reason why it's perpetual. I want Manny back next season, and i'm willing to pay him an appropriate amount of money to hit bombs.

sox finish out the first half on top!

2008-07-14T14:43:00.010-04:00

So, edgar and i went to the ball game yesterday. I scored a pair of tickets from a very gracious vendor, Source 4. we had a good time, the recent rennovations to fenway allow a nice breeze to blow in from right to left, so it's not nearly as hot as it used to get. But i'll be glad when they renno those old grandstand seats. yipes. I'm not terribly tall, and still there was nowhere for my short legs to go. the Sox won, despite papelbon's best efforts to give it away in the ninth.

I got a nifty new camera pecifically for the game, and boy am i glad, it takes fab photos!I a should have taken more of the batters, but i didn't, i'm a dumbhead. I also should have taken some of us (even if for no other reason but to get evidence of a yankee fan at fenway having a good time!) dear readers you'll have to be satisfied with game shots.
This of course is manny ramirez, he drives others crazy, but not me, this fanny is for manny.

here's pedroia catching the throw comin'down

and sally's future son in law ellsbury (she just has to figure out a way for him to get in touch with her daughter).

oh, i nearly forgot; dice-k matsusaka pitched.
He doesn't throw gas, so it's a bit hard to watch sometimes, because he's a moderately finesse style pitcher, I rather find hardball pitchers more comforting, but he got the job done, and he was very good, since the offense seemed to have phoned it in a bit. Note to Sean Casey- no more stretching singles into doubles, you aren't nearly as fast as your mom told you.

tea wallet 2.0

2008-07-10T12:59:00.009-04:00

A short while ago i posted the tea wallet on a crafting site. Sometimes i'm moderately disappointed because there have been some misrepresentations with other tutorials. i'm going to hold off posting version 2.0 there until i get the pdf made. Truthfully, a pdf really shouldn't be necessary, because it's as easy peasy a project as there is, but sometimes directions are useful.

so without further ado (and without further sour grapes) here it is, tea wallet 2.0

These ones are a bit different, rather than slots for tea envelopes, they've simply got a pocket and a flap cover. This is to accommodate nekkid tea bags as the GlitterKitty so lovingly calls them (she's the person for whom these were made). i really enjoy making things like his because they are a great way to use up scraps. They are a fun project.

My shermy sherm is so handsome!

2008-07-08T09:20:00.005-04:00

so here's my sherman.

He's a terribly handsome cat, though i have to admit, i'd rather like it if he would stop being social while i'm in the bathroom.

he's a good cat, he's very pleasant, and he doesn't even scratch or bite very often, unless i tease him.

tote bag mania!

2008-07-04T19:15:00.000-04:00

So i needed to make a new tote bag for myself, it was supposed to be like this one here but as it turns out, it's not really like that one at all, the shape is very different. But i rather like this one anyway.

it's smaller thatn the big satchel bag i use when i go on interviews, yet it's large enough to carry a small knitting project and all the other crap i've gotta cart around. it's quite sunny and bright, rather cheerful. i like it.

I'd like to make an amendment

2008-06-25T11:31:00.005-04:00

To my afore mentioned desert island discs. I would also please like to bring the entire Weezer Library.

When i was in college, my roommate had the blue album, and i loathed the music. What can i say? I was still a WAAF Listener. But people can learn! People can learn to appreciate new and clever and truly creative music and lyrics.

Fast forward to the also afore mentioned 2005 foo fighters show. that's where i learned how to love the Weeze. since then thy have gone into regular rotation, and i listen to it very loud indeed. I just recently got my hands on the red album, and i think it's my favorite, there isn't a dead spot on the record, and most of the songs are really rockin. I like my records to rock, I like he soul searching as well, but i really like my music to be rockin.

sewing circle

2008-06-23T10:15:00.002-04:00

So debra came over on saturn-day to learn how to sew. I had to teach her on my little engine that could sewing machine. my machine really needs to go to P.C. Vac and Sew for a tune up. But debra persevered and went home with a super nifty tote bag. the fabric is a super pair of stripes and toille. We did use a pattern, i thought it was a mccalls pattern, but now i can't find it on their site. the pattern called for also including a hidden pocket, but i felt that that was a tiny bit too advanced a concept for a first date with a sewing machine. Perhaps next time.

Debra did a really great job of sewing, i did hardly any of it. She even did the tricky bits of sewing around the top seam, with all those layers of batting and fabric. She wasn't even put off by how long it took, and how moderately boring it can turn out to be. I'll have to see if she can send me a photograph so i can post it, I'm a Dumbhead, so i didn't take one at the end of the lesson.

Ah, i've been remiss

2008-06-17T10:23:00.004-04:00

Cristiano Ronaldo is the footballer i spoke of earlier. he's got a wiki page here.

he's terribly good, but he's terribly melodramatic, and people often times are angry and bitter when his team beats theirs (my friend dave is still bitter over win against england in the World cup 06).

but Uefa Euro Football is indeed exciting. According to soccernet.com, This is how the groups line up as of today:

I'm not so skilled at keeping track of this stuff, but from what i've heard, #1 plays #2, and Group A plays Group B, while C plays D in the next round, which is a knockout round. so Croatia will play Turkey (incidentally, Turkey beat the Czech Republic whom i predicted would advance. So really, don't listen to me!), and Portugal will play Germany. Yipes. That be some football!

Now, from what i gather, Group C is all sorts of up in the air, with the exception of Holland; they advance as #1. here's the qualification explanation. Group D is a bit tangley too, though not as much, nor as exciting. Essentially it's must win for all teams playing today, making for some excellent soccer. check them out on espn360.com. They are all on at the same time, to avoid any sort of match fixing. I'll be streaming today, for sure!

sewing for me!

2008-06-16T12:14:00.003-04:00

So, even though saturday was World Wide Knit in Public Day i made myself a shirt.

It's a very easy pattern

I did make an alteration to the length than is shown in the refece photo, I'm too short to really wear something long like this, and the additional length really didn't look good on my hips, so i made it more like a blouse, and it mostly fits perfectly.

It took me the better part of saturday, since I'm really only beginning to sew clothing. but I'm pleased with the results and I'm sure that the next one i make will really look nice, and won't take nearly as long.

I love to sew!

2008-06-13T10:08:00.005-04:00

And when the urge to sew hits, i like to take advantage of it. I'm beginning to dabble in clothing, as you have already seen, Niece Kristen got a few dresses a few months ago. This time Niece Caitie is going to be the recipient. (incidentally, Kristen wore the pink swirly dress in public the other day, and i have to admit, though it looks cute on a hanger, it looks way better on a cute baby! I've heard that clothes make the person, but the opposite is true, kristen makes the clothes!)

anyway, here are the two things i made for Caitie:

this is a a summer dress that looks like it's the same pattern, but it isn't. I suppose i could have use d the same pattern, but i'm just learning, so i didn't realize they were so similar until i already had it purchased. The biggest difference between this pattern and the one from before is that this calls for a zipper in the back. the next one i make i'll probably use the first pattern, and make it so the straps are buttoned or snapped, like before, so the other girls won't have to fumble with the zipper in the back (too much of a PIA for a little girl.)

I had some of the blue polka dots left so i thought i would make a top to wear with jeans or shorts on a summer day.
So from the same pattern i made this:

I also wanted to try something i've had in my head for a long time. Should I ever get married, I'd like the bodice of my dress to have something like this- so the front looks like the breakfast at tiffany's dress, but in the back, the straps would taper to about 1/2 inch wide or so, and then go straight along the shoulder blades. This shirt was an exercise to see if it's possible.

I suppose it sort of did. I have a feeling a more experienced seamstress could figure it out much better than i can. But it worked pretty well for a child's summer top.

Methinks these are pretty ok, all in all.

he is really good.

2008-06-12T11:54:00.004-04:00

I just wish he didn't play for manchester united, and i wish, wish, wish he was a little less melodramatic! Please, don't act like such a wanker when you get fouled.

But i have to tell the truth, he's a really good player. His silliness with the ball drives me crazy, but that's because i don't normally have much patience for showboatsmanship, (and as someone who used to play marking back and stopper it's really aggravating) but the rest of his game is really solid. He's incredibly fast and really strong. He's a big guy, and despite his whining on the pitch, he's a pretty tough customer.

have a look at this goal in yesterday's euro match:

beside that, he's not even too terribly selfish, as far as working with and using and helping his teammates- it seems that he really does rather win the game than get all the goals.

All of this is made all the better by the fact that he's still just a kid- he's only 23 years old, Not to mention he's pretty easy on the eyes, footballer or not.

Yesterday's game against the Czech Republic has a deceptive score. Portugal was very good, but the Czechs were very good too. They'll make it through to the Quarters, and then they will give their opponent a very good game indeed. But, on the other hand, don't count out Turkey from this- they beat Switzerland yesterday. Yhat really makes it so that the only shoo in is portugal, and that's not even really a shoo in. Wow, what a good tourney so far!

someone is definitely stealing my milk, dammit!

2008-06-06T12:03:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, i left the mark on the bottle in red, it's on the side, you can see it in the photo (I also put my name on the bottle hoping it would be left alone. When i arrived this morning, the milk was at the same level. I figured for sure no one would use the last few ounces of milk that didn't belong to them. i thought i'd have it for lunch, a small cup of milk, but a cup of milk anyway.

This is where it is right now:

WTF?

Seriously, what kind of a jerk leaves that amount of milk in the bottle anyway? You're already a jerk, so just finish the effing bottle! As if leaving a tablespoon in the bottom of the bottle is going to make me less hacked off. My stinking name is on it for a reason. it's mine. If my name weren't on the bottle, i suppose i could appreciate that you didn't know who to ask, but that's not the case. If you figured hey, she'll probably let me borrow some anyway, so i'll just go ahead; you're only partly right. had you asked, i would have agreed. but now you've been a jerky coworker and i don't really know who you are, but i don't like you just the same.

so on monday, when i bring the hannaford half gallon in, i'm going to plaster a big huge jerky-jerk KRISTINE all over it in sharpie marker. hell, i might even put a super snarky Don't drink this milk! on it too.