I've been featured!

I was featured last week as the Reader of the Day on Pop Candy. Enjoy!

I totally missed my big day because I was cleaning up some work issues. We had a hacker break into our web server a week ago, and they wrecked everything. It was a lot of work and customer relations for two weeks. On top of that, our provider decided to pull our ip address (which was supposed to be permanent), therefore taking the log in pages of our website down several times. What a nightmare!

In other news, my knitting class will be starting in a few weeks. I'm really excited to get others hooked (can you get "hooked on knitting? I thought that was crochet...) on the knitting drug. Right now I have three projects running, two of which are killing me because they are lace knitting and I stink at lace. The other one is a sock, knitted from the most awesome yarn ever: Yarn Love's Joan of Arc. I bought this at Purls two weeks ago for half price, and I'm so glad I did. I've wanted this yarn for a long time, and now that the store is closed, it will be extra special to me.

One of my new year's resolutions is to blog more and post more photos. I haven't updated my Flickr site since summer, and there's little excuse for my laziness. There are a ton of things I've made that have not been documented yet (Monks Satchel!), so I've got to dust off the ol' camera and get to work on that.

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Today, I'm completely exhausted. We are doggie-sitting my dad's dog for a few days, and he is both fun and irritating. One of the main irritations is our fault: we do not have a fenced yard, and he being a Labrador needs to run free. I do not blame him for that. I do, however, blame him for not allowing us to sleep. I've found that he will not go to bed until both of us are in bed sleeping. If the boyfriend is in the office while I'm sleeping (which is the norm), Mr. Beau will cry and pace and drive us both nuts. Once we are both in bed, he climbs in between us (pushing one of us to the edge) and goes to "sleep". I put sleep in quotes because he really doesn't sleep, but pretends to sleep while keeping alert for burglars and other dangers, like a leaf falling off of a tree.

His other problem is that we have these Pergo laminate-style floors, which he is deathly afraid of, for they are slippery. He actually can walk on these floors just fine, but he slipped once, and now is terrified of attempting them alone. When you try to lead him across, he sticks his nails out like a cat, which makes him slide around like Bambi on ice, and we end up dragging him. If he'd just pad across calmly, he'd be fine. What this amounts to is him staying in whatever carpeted room he ends up in until one of us can coax him into another room. You can see how much fun that could be.

The other problem is that I started getting a tickle in my throat last night, so I kept waking myself up coughing all night. I woke up with an oncoming cold and not much sleep, so I'm doing great!

That's enough of my whining. It's almost a new year, and I get the day off tomorrow to do laundry. Whoopie! Happy New Year, everyone!

Knitting Class

I'll be teaching Beginning Knitting for the Des Moines Adult Education starting in January. If you are interested in taking the class, registration opens December 18th, 2007. My class will be held Tuesdays at Merrill Middle school (on Grand) from 7:00 - 9:00 PM.

I will be working with Tamara to make sure that my class covers everything her beginner's class covers, so if you want to take one of her more advanced classes later, you won't be missing anything. I think this is going to be a lot of fun! Tell your friends!

Happy Holidays!

Even though it is not yet the day after Thanksgiving, I thought I'd start the Santa Duck header anyway. My usual rule is no Christmas stuff until the day after Thanksgiving, but I've been listening to Christmas music all day, so why not?

Totally Unrelated: Here's a video of a tune that will stick in your head all day. (Via La Coquette)

Happy All-Hallows Eve

Today is Halloween in the U.S., but last night was "Beggar's Night" in my neighborhood. What is "Beggar's Night", you ask? I wondered the same thing when I first moved to Iowa. The night before Halloween, the kids go out begging for candy in costume, but they are required to tell you a joke or riddle in order to get the kiddy crack. Since the above link probably won't work after a day or two, here's an excerpt from the Des Moines Register article about the origins of the Central Iowa Beggar's Night:

The flash point came on Halloween in 1938 when Des Moines police answered a record 550 calls concerning vandalism. Krieg, along with the Community Chest' group work council, began a campaign to encourage less violent forms of Halloween fun.

They set aside Oct. 30 as Beggars' Night and got the word out to the public that on that night - and only that night - children would be allowed to go from door to door and say the phrase "tricks for eats." The council urged that "eats should be given only if such a 'trick' as a song, a poem, a stunt or a musical number, either solo or in group participation, is presented."

I think my boyfriend would be relieved that the musical option has gone out of style. The last person he'd give candy to is a tiny Ethel Merman or Tommy Tune.

When I lived in a smaller town, the kids were pretty good with the joke-telling. I live in the Des Moines suburbs now, and I think I only got 4 jokes TOTAL last night. Four! That's outrageous! What is wrong with these kids today?

There was a rather interesting assortment of costumes this year. A fairy/butterfly/princess toddler was extremely excited about this whole Halloween thing. A V for Vendetta was one of my first visitors. I think they were around 10 or 11 and female, though that mask covers a lot. I wanted to ask him/her if they were planning on blowing up Parliament tonight, but I restrained myself.

We almost ran out of candy. I had to shut the door before the 8 p.m. cutoff time (yes, they only allow begging from 6-8 p.m.) to keep people away. Sadly, I also gave all the regular and peanut M&M's away, leaving me with the crappy crunchy mini M&M's. Next year, I need to use better strategy.

Oprah's Promos Hurt My Brain

Today's promo on Oprah was for a show about wives and mistresses, and it made my brain hurt. It was not the subject matter that bothered me, it was the editing. I think it could give you an epileptic seizure.

If I can find a clip of it online, I'll post it. I'm guessing it will be airing again tomorrow and might be online on Friday. It's painful.

Update! They've posted it. See for yourself, but take your meds first.

Great Tutorials Online: Knitting in the Round

Knit Picks has a really great page of tutorials on knitting in the round, including Magic Loop, using circular needles, DPNs, or two circulars (useful for knitting two socks or mittens at the same time). The photos are really easy to follow, and the instructions are good, too. Check it out!

Shout Out to BWE.tv

If you found me today from the Best Week Ever blog link, howdy. The place I originally found that weird video can be found here: blurbomat.com . If that sounds familiar at all, it's because he's married to Heather at dooce.com, making him "Mr. Dooce" I suppose. :)

How about that Office episode last night? Anyone want to sign my cast?

Most blogs seem to be talking about The Office, but what about 30 Rock? I think they were on crazy juice last night, in a good way. I have to single out the scenes between Kenneth, Tracy, and his wife. I loved seeing Kenneth pretending to hit on Tracy's wife. Also, Liz Lemmon is starting to remind me of myself sometimes, which is kind of sad. I'm not living alone with a wedding dress that smells like ham or anything, but I have all these unfinished projects, and I thoroughly enjoyed visiting "the Cleve". Also, her reaction to Jack questioning her about eating that entire steak...priceless.

Did anyone notice last night that the three sitcoms usually shared a joke somewhere. I think Al Roker was a punchline in both Earl and The Office, and I think there was something on both 30 Rock and The Office, but I can't remember. I wonder if that was planned.

Another Famous Knitter

ContactMusic.com is reporting that Kimberly Stuart (daughter of rockin' Rod Stewart) is a knitter:

She says, "Yes, it's one of my hobbies... I can knit a good scarf. The last thing I made was a blanket for my baby brother Alastair."

Maybe she can use her influence to get Paris and Lindsey to start knitting and stay out of prison. I would include Britney in that group, but I fear what would happen if you gave her a couple of pointy sticks.

Attack of the Clay Bunnies!

This commercial is amazing, and how they made it is even more amazing. Check it out!

The Wonder Years without V.O.

This is so true...so true. I still love the Wonder Years, however.

Brandon Routh in Iowa City

Brandon Routh in Iowa City
Originally uploaded by Alan Light

Iowa's own Superman. I'm surprised I never heard about him being there. Thee only news from that homecoming parade that I heard was that some kid got hit by a car in the parade because he ran out to get candy. Now officials are considering disallowing folks to throw candy at the parade. Sigh.
This photo was not taken by me, but by an awesome photographer named Alan Light. You owe it to yourself to take a look at his celebrity photos on flicker.

Mr. Rogers Roundup

I read this really nice article about Mister Rogers on Mental Floss (dated May 23 of this year), and I thought I'd share it:

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/5943

I watched Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood from the late 70's until the late 80's/early 90's (I had younger siblings). I think I've seen the Opera episode (my favorite) about Bubbleland a hundred times.

As I could not find a clip from the Bubbleland opera, here's the trailer for a new documentary about Mister Rogers. The filmmaker says it should be out next year. Enjoy!

I Can't Believe This Video

Squirrels Gone Wild!

The New Knitty is Here!

Today I was thinking about what I'd like to knit next, having just finished two scarves (photos will be up later) that I completely worship. I realized today that I'd like to make a small, rectangular bag with a long strap. I do have a pattern for one of those at home in the book Folk Bags (see the American bag), but I was thrilled to see the adorable (check out the button!) Percy! The thing I like the best is that the pattern includes pockets, which are a necessity for me. This pattern was written by Cheryl Niamath, who also designed the fabulous Fetching, from which I have made several pairs.

Other highlights for me:
Neiman
Mr. Greenjeans
Flower Power - Could this (and the model) be any cuter?
Foliage
Pecan Pie - I heart berets!
Urchin
OMG! Woodins!

What a great issue! I can't wait to get started!

You Are What You Eat

Has anyone watched "You are What You Eat" on BBC or BBC America? I've been watching a few episodes this week, and it is both riveting and utterly disgusting.

Here's how an average episode goes: an overweight, unhealthy family (or person) is profiled based upon what they eat. The nutrition expert, Gillian McKeith, a "holistic nutritionist", comes in to examine their cupboards and fridge and chastise them for having too much yeast* in their systems. They bring the family to a table (more like a huge wheelbarrow) containing all the food they ate in the past week. This display is usually all meat, white bread, and cookies (biscuits) or crisps (potato chips). The only thing that could make the display more disgusting is if they had showed the food AFTER they'd eaten it. Speaking of disgusting, she also examines their "poo", describing it in graphic detail. Yummy! Watching this show is a great diet aid: watch it before a meal and lose your appetite!

After all that fun, Gillian tells them what they should eat. The people usually protest a bit, but they eventually are convinced to switch to veggies and beans. After a month or so, we get to see the before/after pictures, resulting in better health and lower weight for the family. Hooray!

*I'm not really sure where this obsession with yeast comes from. I've never heard anyone in the U.S. railing against the amount of yeast in our diet or bodies. Gillian explains that the yeast in the body is not the same as the yeast you eat, but the yeast you eat can cause you to have yeast in the body. Wha-? This really smacks of quackery, so I did a little more investigation, and found that she indeed does not have a proper degree in nutrition or diet. I think I'd rather listen to someone like Mehmet Oz, the "Oprah Doctor" who was a heart surgeon and professor. He says similar things about eating vegetables and fruits and beans (and even loves to discuss "poo"), but I've never heard him even mention yeast as an issue.

I wonder if any of the people profiled were able to stick with the healthy diet. I imagine it would be a huge adjustment going from eating a table full of meat and chips to eating beans and greens. I'm sure I'd relapse once in a while and eat a dozen cookies. Heck, I'm a pretty healthy eater, and I ate a half dozen of them the other night!

Gay Marriage in Iowa = Economic Growth

Hey! A couple of gay guys made history today by getting legally married here in Iowa. Soon after, it became illegal again, which is no surprise to any of us. Our governor, Chet "Big Lug" Culver, is against gay marriage.

Chet is currently campaigning to get some Iowa-born Hollywood celebs to promote our humble state. He wants to stop the brain drain and youth flight from Iowa by having Ashton Kutcher convince people that Iowa is awesome. If it's so awesome, than why did Ashton move? If Chet really wanted to improve our economy, he should make gay marriage legal. Here's my reasoning:

Iowa would be the only midwestern state with legal gay marriage. Women and men would flock here to get married and have their rights as a married couple recognized. Having an increase in the gay & lesbian population would really stimulate the economy: more salons! More art galleries! Clothing boutiques! Restaurants! Theater! It's true: studies have shown that bringing a "creative class" of people to a city spurs economic growth, and who more creative than "the gays"?

Richard Florida, author of "The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life," explained his theory in this interview with Salon.com:

My theory uses the three T's: technology, talent and tolerance. You need to have a strong technology base, such as a research university and investment in technology. That alone is a necessary but not in itself sufficient condition. Second, you need to be a place that attracts and retains talent, that has the lifestyle options, the excitement, the energy, the stimulation, that talented, creative people need. And thirdly, you need to be tolerant of diversity so you can attract all sorts of people -- foreign-born people, immigrants, woman as well as men, gays as well as straights, people who look different and have different appearances.

The reason so many young, creative people (gay or straight) are leaving this state is because there aren't a lot of employment opportunities for them AND the ones that are here don't pay as well as those in other states. Those same people from other states don't want to move here for the same reasons. It's a chicken-and-egg issue: we need more jobs to keep the people, but we need the people to create jobs. Maybe we need to start breaking some eggs.

In honor of this historic day, I present to you episode 5 in the Planet Unicorn saga. Enjoy!