Occupational Hazard

I really don't give a crap about Ancient Rome. There. I've said it.

Seeing Red

Frustration at the politics and elections? Yes. Stressed about the start of the new school year and more time away from the family? A little (on the other hand, relieved to be back into using my brain and interacting with adults, quite frankly.) Solution: knitting lessons.

My college has a fairly active knitting community. I had my first lesson last week. I have "homework" to complete for this week. My new boss knits, and suggested I aim toward doing one of these:


Red Scarf Project

(He seems like a great guy. Good old Cascadian Hippie Knitter type.)

I'm working on putting up some pics of my recent crochet projects also. I finished a sweater for Baby W and am still truckin' away on the duckie blanket.

You Might Think

So, yeah, I needed a little cheering up after the Anne of Green Gables: The New Butchering rant. And I found my bliss:



Three cheers for YouTube mash-ups!

Why Kevin Sullivan must be locked up

He's coming out with a new Anne of Green Gables movie. Ok, so for those of you not in the know, this is the guy who did the wonderful Megan Follows version in the 1980s. The one that got me hooked when it was on PBS lo these many years ago.

And then he did a pretty lovely sequel a couple of years later. Sure, it deviated from the books, but it stayed true to the heart of the story and to the characters. So I was cool with it. (Even spent a relaxing few evenings at Julie's place watching it in her adjacent recliners, while eating flavored popcorn and hearing her dad say, "I know this is a chick movie and everything, but I really like it." So true.)

So, circa 1987, all is right in the world. Then, in 2000, Mr. Sullivan figures (I suppose) that he needs more money. So he decides to do a WWI epic with Anne. Great, I think! L.M. Montgomery's final Anne books talks about that very thing, seeing the war through the eyes of Anne's 14 year old daughter, Rilla. Would make a good film, I say.

Not so. Sullivan instead COMPLETELY messes with the timeframe, making Gilbert (oh, my beloved Gilbert!) go off to war and Anne, in a leap so far out of character I couldn't even fathom it, hunts all over France to find him and bring him home. Um, no. I watched it, but it was painful. And there was much grousing from the peanut gallery (K-lyn and the aforementioned Julie.)

And just when you think it couldn't get much worse, you ain't seen nothing yet: Sullivan is now in post-production (meaning: this travesty is already filmed) of ANOTHER "Anne of Green Gables" film, this time... oh, hell. My words won't do justice. Here's the plotpoints:

• Gilbert's been killed overseas in World War II (HUH??? He'd be at least 75 when the war breaks out, in my estimation) so Anne returns in her head to the past to make peace with herself.
  
• Anne was evidently mistaken (or lying?) about her parents, and her birth father was in fact alive??? (Um, she visited his damn grave in the books.)
  
• She's played by Barbara Hershey, who is not a Canadian and is definitely not very Anne-ish.

In the ensuing emails between our little gang of Anne devotees, I offered, "as a Professional Historian (TM)," to write to Sullivan and mention the timeline problems. K suggested that I should expect a response along these lines:

Dear Professional Historian (TM),

Thank you so much for calling this to our attention. We were all smoking crack and have since sobered up enough to realize how right you are. To compensate you please accept this all expense paid trip for four to PEI to experience Anne's world and the works of LM Montgomery in a way that we can't mess up.

Sincerely,

Stupid Idiots with No Brains to Speak Of


J and K will of course accompany me on the trip. Final guest to be determined (maybe Julie's dad!)

Bumper Sticker Watch: Feline Edition

"My significant other says MEOW"

I so wanted to pull up alongside this person and say, in my best Bruno Kirby impersonation, "You made a woman meow?"

Working in the Sticks

My job is in a small town community, and the college feeds a larger rural community surrounding it. Which is kind of cool, as I have interaction with rural folks that I've never really had, being an urbanite or suburbanite my whole life.

Fun stuff: a flyer posted around campus with a picture of Fonzie. Caption: "Hay! Hay for sale, call xxx-xxxx." Besides that, there are at least occasional offers of free farm products: apples from peoples orchards, eggs from their chickens and geese, and even the occasional "Does anybody want a lamb shank this winter?"

Scary stuff: I'm talking about developing a team-teaching course with another instructor. He says the best way to plan this out would be if I came up to his place (WAY out of town), ride some horses, and then we do work. He just got 3 horses and is tremendously excited about them. I'm a little terrified of horses. Wish me luck.

I Hate Ike

This is the email I got this morning from a good friend in Houston:


I hate Ike, but we're fine. I took in some other friends and dogs. Ike went right over us. 6am the back side hit hard; forced rain water through some windows and actually through my wooden front door--the door, not the edges of it. All under control, minor other damage. Little rain/wind now, but not going out yet. Still have electricty, a/c, tv, ec. --one of the only parts of the county with electricity. Water supply may be bad, but plenty of bottled water and alcohol. Buffalo Bayou that goes through downtown has overflowed its banks, NOT from rain, but from the tidal surge tht forced water back all the way from Galveston Bay into town. One of my best friends had a 60' pine tree go through his home. He's safe.

It was as bad as everyone said it would be, and I/we got damn lucky.


Just as a side note: Buffalo Bayou is about 50 miles from Galveston Bay. That's a hell of a surge.

Geez, I am so glad I moved.

Some sort of post commemorating Neel's Birthday

I put this (with title) as a placeholder post on the 10th, when I sent dear friend PW her birthday greetings... her birthday's the 11th, but she understandably chooses to celebrate early or late.

And so now it is nearly the 13th, which is the birthday of another dear friend, of the same vintage as PW. We don't get to see him enough, but he might be the only person out there who could entice me to go to Vegas!

Happy birthday, Neel. May the force be with you!

Flippity Floppity

Spouse, observing tonight's bath: "What are you doing with your peanut?"

WB, holding himself: "I'm making it go flippity floppity to see if any yellow water will come out."

In my own words

I'm currently reading Kings or People: Power and the Mandate to Rule, by Reinhold Bendix, which is long and somewhat tedious, but has some very important stuff in it. As per my standard practice, I take notes on everything I read, putting the main ideas into my own words.

So when Bendix talks about the formation of Islamic empires, he traces it back to Mecca establishing itself as a holy space pre-Muhammad where no blood-feuds could be practiced. This "safe haven" label is what helped establish Mecca as a center for commerce in the Arabian world. Looking over my notes, I wrote, "Forbidding bloodshed makes Mecca a Mecca."

Bendix probably said it better, if not more concisely.

The Latest

Please make a note that I am a lazy crocheter who does not check my gauge with a swatch before starting a project, despite being warned repeatedly that I should do so. I am also lazy enough to use the wrong sized hook if I can't find the correct hook but really want to start something.

Witness: DQ's back-to-school sweater.



It does not fit her. It almost fits me. Oh, well.

The Great Debate

So, I'm not watching the RNC. It angers up the blood a bit too much. But my mailbox had all sorts of info on it today, and then there was this:

Baskin Robbins has a contest where you can vote for your preferred new ice cream flavor: Straight Talk Crunch or Whirl of Change. I guess I should thank my lucky stars that it wasn't Chocolate vs. Vanilla.


By the way, I will ALWAYS pick Chocolate in that matchup. Just like I prefer dark meat at Thanksgiving. Big surprise.

I Found It

Thanks to all the commenters who suggested things to make me smile. I found something just right:



Michael Palin brings SexyBack!

A Terrible Horrible No-Good, Very Bad Day

I'm in need of a pick-me-up. Anybody out there got a priceless YouTube or internet gem they want to share with me? I'll start the ball rolling with something Nate sent me last week: The Top 11 Naughtiest Moments in Animaniacs.