Saturday, June 30, 2007

Someday my prince will come...


Last week, a good buddy o'mine sent this cartoon my way.
I got a chuckle out of it, and thought to pass it on to y'all.

Thursday, June 28, 2007

waaaaaaaaaah?

Angry (Little Asian Girl) knitter?
Overzealous knitter?

Neither.

Sitting on the sofa, the dp needle was balanced on end upon my lap.
Set aside whilst I was ripping out (aka 'frogging')(aka 'cleansing') some rows on a sock project.
I bent over to pick something up off the floor.

Snap!
Thank goodness for bamboo needles, that break when undue pressure is put upon them.
Better a broken needle than a nice little hole (size 3!) right into my tummy.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Design for the other 90%



You all probably think I've gone 'bloggy' and you are correctomundo.

There are literally dozens of blogs categorized in b's Bookmarks folders to pick n' choose from for daily perusal. Blogs can be fabulous learning tools, and they are TO LUV.

Folks, I've also gone 'podcasty'. Whilst reading blogs, I listen to podcasts. Some require watching ('Dog Whisperer'). Some are downloadable PDF files ('Craft Magazine'). My list of podcast subscriptions has grown so ridiculously long that downloading them onto the ol' iPod is counter-productive. The podcasts roll in with such frequency that it makes more sense to sit n' listen during the daily internet/web e-mail check.

One of the many many podcasts queued up on my iTunes is NPR's (HUZZAH!) 'Pop Culture'.

'Pop Culture' is chock full of fascinating info, delivered in what I call snippets o' info. The topics are condensed into neat n' tidy nutshell sized summaries and/or presented as short interviews. Sure, they're 'teasers', a bit like 'Reader's Digest'. You want for more on the subject after getting a taste. 'More' can be researched at a later date. Snippets o' info are perfect for listeners who haven't the patience for hour + long, in-depth interviews on any one topic at any one sitting.
Note 'haven't the patience' rather than 'haven't the time', because I believe most everyone does have the time, it's a matter of prioritizing and making the time ...I'm pleading guilty - having gone sloppy with prioritizing lately...
Hmmmmmm. 'Not having the time' looks to be a great topic suitable for (yet another curmudgeon) posting- on another day.

Ahem.
Anyways.
Back to 'Pop Culture'.
Topic on June 17 podcast ~ 'Designing for the other 90%'.
= Design for Survival.
= Functional.
= Practical.
= Affordable.
= Brilliant.

Huzzah Huzzah Huzzah!

Above photo and the following caption from NPR website:
'When the water added to the sand evaporates in the Pot-in-Pot Cooler, it pulls heat from the smaller pot, keeping vegetables cool.'

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

)) poof ((

Lost it.
Gone.

Last night, readied for your reading pleasure, I completed something of a clever, amusing, informative, introspective, been-there-done-that-but-without-major-drug-use, celebrate celebrate dance to the music posting for this blog. Therein was even a reference or two to The Fab Four.

Topic: Summer of Love. 1967.
Me - at 16. Not a hippie, merely emulating some of the look and definitely grooving on the music. Mindful of the ongoing social movement - its broad sweep across continents, across oceans. I waxed poetic that it could have been our first taste of globalization. We're talking a BigAssSnowballMovement here.

I wrote a bit more about being a Chinatown kid: twice removed from the Haight-Ashbury. C-town had its own counter-culture thing going.
Earlier that year, in February (to be sure, a cold San Francisco day), I was initiated into a Summer of Love mindset by attending the Human Be-In at GG park.

It was a fair piece of writing. Typical for b ~ quantity if not quality.
Another stroll down MemoryLane.
A mantra for living life in the present with a fond tip o' the hat to that colourful and influential era.

Right before publishing, I clicked away to check on some factoid.
Blogger supposedly 'saves automatically'.
It didn't.
)) poof ((
My edited post was gone.
The rough first draft still there.
It was late. I was not up for a re-write.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr and Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrowl sez I.
I deleted the first draft. Too rough, sez I.
Gooooooooooodniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiite sez I.
Ffffffffffffffffffffffff sez I.

Morning comes: 1967 still on my mind.
Burnt offerings will have to suffice.

This song will jog a memory for anyone who lived 1967. You'll remember where you were, what you were doing, what you longed for. Your life changed - big time.
Smell the pachouli. You're right back there again.

Those who missed it - can not even imagine...

Saturday, June 23, 2007

9th rock from the sun



Ain't.

It shouldn't have surprised me to come upon an article today that mentioned
EX-planet Pluto.

But I oftentimes forget things (even BIG things like this) that I've learned/ heard/ seen, so surprise me it did: as in 'Whaaaa???!!?? Pluto isn't a planet any more?!?!?'

Alas, Pluto has been dwarfed, and is now categorized with Ceres (Ceres?!?!?).
Whooosssat?

[OMG, time for a nap...]

Friday, June 22, 2007

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Sometimes you feel like a nut...


ALMONDS (TOASTED)!!!
Any which way but loose.

Almonds are staples in my larder.
I go into withdrawal when any of my almond (from Trader Joe's) stashes run low:
Slivered toasted almonds.
Sliced toasted almonds.
Whole toasted almonds.

I use 'em daily.
Liberally.
Can't get enough of toasted almonds ~
At breakfast (sliced almonds atop Greek yogurt with berries and honey and granola).
For mid-day snack (whole almonds).
At dinner (slivered almonds atop tossed salad greens).

As you can see, almonds are consumed in typical b's Overindulgence Mode.

I hope beyond hope and trust beyond trust that almonds are oh-so-healthy to eat.
Because, Little Lottie - I am eating them.

Sometimes you feel like a nut...

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

John from Deadwood ... aka...'Ode to'...



... I'm re-watching Seasons 1, 2 and 3 of 'Deadwood'.
Screening these DVDs is against my better judgment; doing so reminds me just how much I miss 'Deadwood'.

I love this series.

In spite of unfair depictions of women, racial slurs and the many random acts of raw n' bloody violence.

I adore this show.
The characters. I am very much interested in the period of history (America's Old West) in which this show is set.

I heart the music!
Ran out and bought the first season soundtrack.

I enjoy the challenge of the show's language.
Besides the liberal use of the F word and a couple of very potent C words, the language of 'Deadwood' is outrageous, colorful, twisted, poetic. Much of it flowery to the point of sounding ludicrous. I mean, who talks this way?!? The show's creative force, David Milch - claims they did. I imagine the language of the Old West was undoubtedly a wee bit more colorful than, say, the dialog on 'Gunsmoke'.

So - I hang on every *ock*ucking word.
Trying to understand the dialog of 'Deadwood' requires that I watch with CC English subtitles on. Subtitles + audio allows for a better comprehension of the rather unorthodox combinations of adverbs to nouns to adjectives to pronouns et cetera.
Literary references abound, as do no-longer-in-daily-use words.
Having a dictionary closeby could also prove handy.

'Deadwood' ended rather abruptly with Season 3.
Too close to when the last episode aired was when HBO announced the show wasn't going into a fourth season.
Seems the show's creator, David Milch - had other creative roads to travel down, and 'Deadwood' was dropped from his project lineup like the proverbial hot potato.

Foaming-at-the-mouth fans (includes yours truly) of the series live in a sustained state of dismay since the end of the third season. I exist in a state of suspended disbelief /denial. Can it really be that the unresolved story lines of that last episode are the last glimpses I'll have of the makeshift town, ramshackle camp, the muddy thoroughfare, Swearengen's face as he's about to utter another 'Ffffffffffffff..', Bullock & Star Hardware, Wu's hogs, Trixie's cleavage?
Tell me it ain't so!

A week or two back, HBO premiered Milch's latest project for HBO: 'John From Cincinnati'.
I tried to watch it, really I did. Less than 7 minutes into the first episode, first my mind, then my feet - wandered - as I left the room looking for something better to do.

Wasn't 'John' worth watching?
I don't know and at this writing I don't much care.

I confess to not giving 'John' a chance because (damn it) I'm pretty pissed that Project John is very likely the main reason 'Deadwood' did not move into a Season 4. That the 'Deadwood' wind no longer fills and propels Milch's creative sails. That the proposed/promised two 2-hour movies to wrap the 'Deadwood' series - may never happen.

Eventually, I may warm to 'J from C'. Not anytime too soon.

Actually - I want my 'Deadwood'.
Ptui on (read: Ffffffffffffffffff....) all the rest.

Monday, June 18, 2007

savings stamps

Any b's blog readers out there old enough to remember S&H Green Stamps?

S&H is still going strong! It's morphed into S&H Greenpoints and it isn't necessary to lick stamps anymore...

I have vivid kid-memories of helping Mom lick n' paste little green savings stamps into fresh, smooth booklets with gridded pages. We filled book after book until we had a BUNCH of them. No longer smooth and flat, the completed S&H books would be bulky once we got done getting those stamps into them. We'd count 'em, stack 'em up, felt accomplished. We looked upon our stamp book booty with admiration. Guess what else - we felt RICH.

Big smiles all around.
Laughter and giggles.
The books could be traded in for a NEW something.
Something practical, something frivolous. In any event, a treat.

Giddy with anticipation, we'd get over to the redemption center with a paper bag full of S&H books. Half the fun was deciding what we could redeem the stamp books for - invariably, we'd choose something useful for the house. A space heater, shiny new toaster, warm blanket for someone's bed.

I can still get a happy (no artificial stimulants required) high similiar to the one Mom and I reached from filling those S&H books. Call it the po' people rush - whatever. The dizzy anticipation of consumer reward that could be attained by filling up those silly little green stamp books - boy, did it feel good.
Living in Chinatown, we coveted every 'this could benefit you - you are special - you get the prize' feeling.
(Remember the 'Queen For A Day' ** TV game show?)

Years ago, I discovered that my local grocery store (dare I call it a SUPERmarket?) offered savings stamps with every purchase over a certain dollar amount.
The store provides blank cards instead of books to paste the stamps in.
Once a card is filled, it can be redeemed (along with a coupon from the store's weekly advertising flyer) for a seriously discounted (sometimes free) food item.
Example: you can buy a can of tuna for 15 cents with a filled-out card + the tuna coupon.
A few months ago, I bought a $3.59 bag of Craisins for 99 cents with my stamp card and a coupon. Actually, I got 4 bags for 99 cents each + four filled-out cards +one coupon (low to no limit on the number).
What a savings!
WhooooooooHoooooooo!

This definitely appeals to the Discount%%%Mama in me...
...better yet - it brings back a fond memory from my youth.

You better know - I treasure the cheap thrill.
More so since my grocery store savings stamps aren't self-adhesive, but the good old-fashioned lick n' stick kind.
Just like them good ol' S&H stamps.

Always thinking of you, Mom.


** HD's grandma was a contestant - alas, her hard luck story didn't win the title/crown.

Friday, June 15, 2007

pocket - hankin


For too many months now, I've avoided a certain topic for b's blog, but something grossed me out in the laundry room today - prompting me to write this post:

Men who tote hankerchiefs for blowing their noses into.
Convenient.
Eco-friendly.

I beg to differ.
Hankies toted round for nose-blowing are, in essence - snot rags.
Blow your nose. Wad up the hankerchief. Shove it back into your pocket. Wait for another opportunity to re-use the already been used hanky. Use and re-use until it's a crumpled dried wrinkly mass of....of....of.....euuwww.

Bring it home, toss it into the laundry basket for someone to discover (and have to handle?!?) when it's time to do a wash.

Grosso estrememosso.

The only reason a man should carry round a clean cloth hankerchief is to offer it to a lady who needs to blot a bit of perspiration from her brow on a hot day, or to dab the area 'neath her eyes when a tear manages to escape. To my knowledge, ladies who still carry hankerchiefs don't do the snot-blow-then-carry-it-around-thang. So, guys - stop awreddy! Think Kleenex tissues. Use and dispose, s'il vous plait.

Where oh where is Mrs. Tiggle-Winkle when it's laundry day 'round here?!?

Addendum: BTW, in this house, we both do the laundry. Since the arrrrrrghhankies aren't separated out (I've asked, but this request is not complied with), I sometimes/ oftentimes come across one in the dirty clothes basket = Jump back, Jack!

In some circles, pocket-hankins have proven useful to wipe up other things. But we won't go there on b's blog. Not today, anyway. And definitely not until M. Tiggle-Winkle moves in and takes over washday duties.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Forgive me, Father... for I have...

just put in another order for yarn at KnitPicks.

I just can't help myself with this yarn thing.
Yarn is the absolute in touchy-feely. Major tactile stuff.

Hell (forgive me again!), I'm not even a 'good' knitter. That is, I don't 'knit good' (forgiveness!).
I just love surrounding myself with bundles of yummilicious yarns and thinking about the potential each skein offers.

As far as the cozy softy factor goes, many dogs and cats are also nice to touch. Keeping pets requires a bit more care/ TLC/ maintainance than keeping a stash of yarn.

Like any collectible, yarn can cost $$ to acquire.
Before this addiction gets too out of hand, I may need to frequent the thrift stores for old sweaters to unravel.
Yesterday, I checked a cool craft book out of the library. It's a handy dandy volume that is all about recycling flea market finds into creative wearables.

You can sense that guilt is factoring into my sin of insatiable yarn acquisition.
Repent repent.
Better yet, confess and go on.
[smile]

P.S. Don't even get me started on knitting blogs...

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Japanese Simplicity



Early on in feathering the home nest, I often used the term 'Japanese Simplicity'.
My aesthetic vision was to someday live in a place that was deliberately styled and furnished minimally with just the essentials: with the right balance of texture, line and positive to negative shapes. Simple furnishings, all in lovely solid colors accented by a few yummy arty printed textiles and one or two pieces of artwork in a room.

Clean lines. No clutter.

Nice vision, eh?
Well - life got complicated.
Hand-me-down furniture and makeshift became the decorating mode. There wasn't much money to live on (is there ever?), and what little HD and I had was squandered on tasty foodstuffs (nevah evah skimp on food!) and Cost Plus chotkes.
For the longest time, I could not stop buying dishes. And chairs.
(We never really had a lot of matching dishes or chairs/sofas when I was growing up in Chinatown).

There was no escaping the 'house plant craze phase' back in the 70's.
It seemed like everyone, particularly urban apartment dwellers like myself - embarked on weekly hunts for cool houseplants. It was essential to add a bit of nature's greenery to the sterile stark interiors of our citified lifestyles, one little potted plant at a time.

Overnight, a generation of young adults learned the names as well as the light and water needs of dozens of houseplants. Armed with that knowledge as well as mist bottles, plant food, grow lights and macramé plant hangers (!), the collective lot of us turned humble abodes into virtual jungles (and ruined a few hardwood floors with water that runneth over from watering those plants).

Babies entered our lives, and with them - baby paraphernalia.
Soon after, we began to collect and compile years and years of kid's toys.
You can't get too minimalist with kid's toys. Hot pink Barbie furniture and a plethora of My Little Ponies and Star Wars action figures do not blend well with the idea of Japanese Simplicity.

Displaying countless bits and pieces of memorabilia from family/friends also factored heavily into the design mix. Souvenirs from a friend's European backpacking trip set on the mantle alongside old family photos and a Sesame Street toy and mini art trophy I received at high school graduation. Let's not forget about the various candles + votives. Why everything had to be out at the same time was probably due to having No Storage Space. In and of themselves, knickknacks can be so overwhelming.

Throughout the 70's and 80's, I became influenced by patchwork quilts, lace doilies, ruffle-edged pillowcases and curtains, rough-hewn as well as hand-carved golden oak wood, dainty teacups and saucers, pretty prints of chintz and soft textures like velvet, rough surfaces like Navajo rugs.
I've decorated with folk toys, English and Asian teapots, Japanese print fabrics, reproduction wood-cut prints, a cookie jar in the shape of a fanciful rhinoceros.

Well.
You get the picture.
My home decor = modgepodge.

Japanese Simplicity?
It never did happen for me in the 70's, 80's and 90's. The new millenium has brought little change. It looks to continue to be a pretty mixed bag around here, in spite of my occasional decorating purges.
I still appreciate clean lines, but also love homey cottage things and a touch of moderne as well.

Eclectic seems here to stay.

Even so, this week I'm entertaining a great fantasy.
It involves tossing (almost) all the old stuff out and starting anew.
A clean sweep.

HaHa.
Delusion reigns.

Saturday, June 09, 2007

W.W.K.I.P.



World Wide Knit In Public (Day).

If you're not able to get to a public forum - go out and knit at a café or in the park with a friend; or do a bit of knitting by your lonesome in the privacy of home.

Knitting is gooooooooood for the soul.

Friday, June 08, 2007

Pipe Dreams



Bag pipes, that is.

Last week I learned the difference between Scottish bagpipes and Irish (Uillean) bagpipes.
The diff was described to me by a woman whose grandson quit his day job in social work to persue his love of playing bagpipes full-time. He hopes to become a professional musician.

Here's an example of how the two bagpipes sound:
Scottish.
Irish.

And here I thought a bagpipe was a bagpipe.
It (almost) goes without saying that everything (everyone, for that matter) deserves a closer look...

Thursday, June 07, 2007

b.y.o.b.


Bring your own bags.
It's a good thing.

This went into effect on March 15th.
Just goes to show how infrequently I shop Ikea. Learned about the new bag policy at checkout yesterday (there's also self-checkout now - good if the scanners aren't malfunctioning).

So - I'm one of the last to know, but still appreciative of the statement that BYOB (or buy a reusable blue bag for 59 cents) makes.

Ikea.
A nice place to shop.
A nice place to work?


Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Texas Blues and Texas BBQ



Blues @ Antone's.
Mmmmmmmmm Mmmmmmmm nice.

and

BBQ @ The Salt Lick in Driftwood, Texas.
Mmmmmmmm Mmmmmmm good.

Tonight, my soul is hankering for some dizzying soulful bluez and my mouth is watering for some tender tasty ribs...

Friday, June 01, 2007

bury my heart - revisited


Did not mean to mislead.
Mea maxima culpa.

The HBO show 'Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee' is not a miniseries, as I had originally thought.

It's a 2-hour film.

Long awaited and well received.

I thought it quite good.
Still wish for a miniseries, though. There are many more chapters from the book that need to be told.


I confess to being somewhat insatiable on the topic of 'Natives' and the true accounts of their part in the settling (resettling?) of this country.

The good.
The bad.
The very ugly: shameful realities.

America, a prideful country. Be not too proud.
Repercussions of earlier acts upon their peoples continue to reverberate within The Nations.

Much to learn.
Field trip, anyone?

Pictured: Chief Sitting Bull ~ photographed in 1885 by D.F. Barry