Loving this so much today. The muted trombone solo is amazing. I could listen to Postmodern Jukebox all day!
Heavy crafting this weekend, including finally soaking and finishing handspun from last year (this is not hard or time-consuming, WTH?) in preparation for Tour de Fleece. I also finished spinning this:
(Background photo is from last October, taken of the Hudson River at Cold Spring, NY. It was also used in our holiday cards.) I also sewed myself a very trendy kimono-style jacket out of a sarong bought on my honeymoon. Oh, and we went to an actual play on Saturday night! (Which means in preparation for the babysitter, I also cleaned the house on Saturday. Nice to have done.)
Appropriate because we just bought a ton of produce:
This was of my favorite commercials as a kid. It is funnier now that I actually know the original song. Also, is this when freezer bags came out? How odd that a product I use every day hasn't been around forever... 🤓
In other news, have you heard about the Volkswagen drama? We've been kind of in limbo since September, with a series of rumors floating around, but it looks like we'll know more on Tuesday. Since we were all pretty much lied to, and the Magic Snowflake Fuel-Efficient Automatic with Cargo Space doesn't really exist, we've basically decided on replacing the Sportwagen with a CRV. Everyone we know who's ever had one has loved it, they last forever, reliability, etc. The 2015 models get about 33 highway, which isn't as good as I was hoping for, and I dislike having to get an SUV (I do put my foot down about minivans; I was willing to do a station wagon, but I have my limits), but it has more cargo room (note this is for Mark, who does actually haul things in the Jetta) and is waaay cheaper in the long run than the runner-up, the Prius V. (We also chose the Jetta over it back in 2013, for the same reasons.) Ideally we'd like the auto swap process to be a net-zero situation, but we may end up with a very tiny loan, depending on how much cash back we can get.
I finally watched The Silver Linings Playbook, and I did like it (though minus a star for the age difference, groan), but now I have this song stuck in my head.
Granted, it doesn't take much to get this stuck in my head. I still lament not giving The White Stripes a chance while they were still a thing. The movie had a great soundtrack in general - Zeppelin, even.
Last weekend we went to the beach, for the first time in years (not counting a day trip last August, when it was in the 70s and too cold to even wade). Rosina's favorite part: wiping out in a (small!) wave. That and meeting a baby sea turtle at the aquarium. It was a nice trip! Our other excursions this summer are basically for family obligations, so it was good to have time to ourselves.
I suppose if you're going to have a song stuck in your head, this beats an annoying Ed Sheeran song.
And did you know? It's a Carter Family song. No surprise!
Rosina's birthday was a little crazy, but she was so excited, and her friends had a great time at the party. And my cardigan is done! I even got a chance to wear it today before it gets ridiculous hot. I need to get a photo!
This video is cool for a lot of reasons--and altruistic as this sort of thing goes, since it sounds unforced and is not a hot mess of showboating old men trying to sing/play over each other--but check out the kid in the background. Is that George Harrison's son, or possibly his clone? Whoa. Regardless, Prince's solos are so great, so stay tuned. He is making that hat WORK.
(Speaking of music, I may have been conceived while "Afternoon Delight" was the #1 song in America. I doubt that's what my parents were listening to, but it is indeed troubling.)
Regarding my own little clone: she's turning FIVE this weekend. ("Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars was the #1 song when she was conceived. At least it's not a novelty song! And no, TMI, the radio was off.) I am not sure how we've reached this point. She's a little unsettled herself by all the changes happening in the next few months: she's been at the same place for school and camp for two years, and in September she'll be going to a completely new place where she doesn't know anyone. (She's going to a STEM magnet school, not the base school, but none of her friends live in our neighborhood anyway.) We know she will do great, and that realizing how big the world is is just a part of growing up, but she's been clingier lately because of it, and it does make me feel for her.
On a happy note, look what she gave me for Mother's Day! This is why we keep them around...
Actual Knitting Content: the fingering weight, top-down, garter-striped circular yoke cardigan I've pastiched is nearing the home stretch. There may actually be pictures once I finish the second sleeve.
Why does this keep happening?! I'm still processing--when the news came over the radio yesterday, I just kept yelling NO--but you should check this out. Are we sure he didn't write this song?
I just happened to chance upon this. I went to grad school with Rhiannon--and yes, it is crazy to think there's one person between me and Elvis freaking Costello, but I suppose that's just being a musician... Anyway, she's great, and this is a lovely cover, even if it's for reasons that will not go away.
Not that I'm feeling this maudlin, but my birthday is tomorrow, and the gravity of being very close to forty has hit me, and it is not pleasant. I could complain about how I feel like I've wasted time, then admit that I really haven't, life well-lived, etc., but that is BORING so whatever. Mark and I haven't discussed anything about it, so I wonder if he has some surprises planned. I do love surprises! Coming up soon after that is our anniversary (and THANK GOD I was able to line up a sitter, as we have absolutely terrible luck with that), and Rosina's birthday a month later. We're planning a party this year, but considering the possibility of renting a pavilion at a playground and just serving cake and drinks, rather than an actual meal. It would be easier if her birthday weren't in mid-May, when it can be relied upon to be hot and humid, with an afternoon thunderstorm--otherwise a party from 3-5 would be great. If you have a party from 9:30-11:30, is it okay to just have cake? Maybe if we have coffee to appease the adults? :) I'd love to do a donut party, but Rosina is currently skeptical. We'll keep working on her!
I meant to post this last week, but somehow it was still pending. Anyway, this song was stuck in my head all last week.
How cool is Lorde?! Since I am actually old enough to be her mom (i.e. I even know who her father would've been), it seems like a weird choice. Most of her songs are about being a teenager, naturally, and she wouldn't be here without the ladies of my era--definitely Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, Ani?--but damn, she just does it so well. And she seems fairly normal and well-adjusted in interviews. May she make fifty more albums!
Despite my usual (and justified!) reluctance to embark on charity knitting and knitting-for-hire, I've decided to knit a few hats for Rosina's preschool's silent auction. Her Felicity (technically made for me) was so darn cute, and she got a lot of compliments on it. I had two more skeins of the same yarn, so why not? That and a few basic watchcaps--also from leftovers--and hopefully they will earn a few dollars. (As in, they better go for at least $12 apiece. Probably better if I don't ever know...)
In my continuing examination of twenty-year-old music, Exhibit Foo Fighters. Out of the ashes of Nirvana, polymath Dave Grohl writes and plays all instruments on the group's eponymous album. It wasn't even an actual group yet (he had to recruit them for the tour!). I liked Nirvana OK, but for all the posturing, I was never wholly a grunge person. Even at my worst teen angst, I was still inherently an optimistic person, and have always been a lover of melody. And even in this first attempt, we see what Foo Fighters would continue to be: more melody, more interesting harmonies, better singing, a freaking sense of humor, lyrics that aren't just about shocking people... So yes, I maintain that Foo Fighters is/was a way better band than Nirvana, even at this stage.
And this video--with all its grunge-era posturing--is apparently about fighting viruses or something, a la Fantastic Voyage? Already this is more fun than Nirvana. Just wait until they start spoofing Mentos commercials!
Rosina had kind of a pointless field trip this morning--storytime at Barnes & Noble? Other than change of venue, this is basically what they do every day at school--but after dropping her back at school, I had a particularly Bourgie Mom morning: eyebrow threading (ouch! luckily I only do this about once a year to maintain shape), Bath & Body Works (belated birthday gift for my mother), then shoe shopping (because I always default to sneakers, even to work, and I don't love that). Does it help that the shoes are faux Alegria Mary Janes with a blue-and-purple swirly pattern? They should go really well with my new hipster-Ariel glasses...
For some reason, multiple radio stations have been playing way more Bush lately than seems warranted. (After Jeb Bush suspended his campaign, ironically...) I've never been a huge fan, but this song reminds me of that time in tenth (?) grade when we had one school dance DJed by the local hard rock/alternative station. This was one of the last songs they played, and I finally had the courage to ask Ed M. to dance. (I had a crush on him forever--an actual nice guy, which was rare, but it didn't mean he was interested! I later learned he'd had this huge unrequited crush on a girl who'd been with the same guy since middle school. That couple is still together.). He mumbled something about being right back, then did not rematerialize, but he was even more awkward than I was, and was probably unable to deal... But yeah, this song brings it all back!
Gavin Rossdale was cute in such a '90s way. I am a bit envious of his bouncy curls, but what were they all thinking with the man-bobs?? Incidentally, if Google Image Search is any indication, he has aged extremely well. He is fifty, and still pretty hot! O.O
Speaking of aging, I hope the child grows out of her current rebellious phase with a swiftness. Today was not a good day for that. I am very looking forward to having a few hours to myself tomorrow morning.
This makes me feel really old, but is also super awesome (stay tuned around 3:15):
Way to rock the Weber grill!
We came home an hour early today due to possible tornadoes, so now I'm kind of killing time with the kid. (Luckily she is over the drama that ensued when the television was turned off.). I think we will bake some bread! I usually go the no-knead route, but recently heard about a three-hour no-knead version--fantastic if it does work. I should really also clean the bathrooms...
I know fun. is on a break right now, but dude, this guy's voice is so compelling to me. I'd love to give him a lesson--see what's under the proverbial hood, so to speak.
Also, apparently this song is about being on tour? Am I the only person who thought it was about Iraq or something?
Children's programming question of the day: what kind of currency is accepted on the Dinosaur Train? This show requires so much suspension of disbelief (TARDIS-y train, a T. rex raised by pteranodons, dinosaur Elvis??), I don't think it's too much to ask.
My brief hiatus has as much to do with being busy (two colds, performance, sewing the dress for said performance!) as with the sorry state of Blogger when it comes to smartphones. The app sucks if you want to do anything besides enter text, and Safari is not fully compatible--and while desktop YouTube has a Blogger button, the app does not. You would think Google would want to have connectivity among its own products... But I guess we're stuck in 2005 here.
Anyway, David Bowie died, and I'm still bummed about it.
I was never a #1 Bowie Fan, but I always respected the hell out of what he did. (I also cannot dispute the powerful effect of Jareth the Goblin King. That wig! Those pants!!) I've been enjoying some deeper cuts that don't get much airplay, even on AOR. For example, how was this not my absolute favorite song in high school?! I listened to WNEW and everything! Scandalous.
So Rosina is officially registered for kindergarten. I have no clue how she is almost five already. We applied for a few magnet schools--specifically this really cool engineering magnet!--but she is currently assigned to her very good base school, and wait-listed for the other. They do another magnet round in April, so we will hold out until then. Only six months away! :O
After a quick flurry of Lopi mittens for Mark and Rosina, I have started a fingering-weight cardigan for myself. (Another one?!) I couldn't find exactly what I wanted--top-down, with a circular yoke in garter stripes and the rest in stockinette--and I wasn't going to pay for a pattern that didn't meet my parameters, so I'm basing it loosely on this. The main yarn is Louet Gems Fingering in burgundy, and the contrast is some lovely peachy-orange Ella Rae Lace Merino. Working from stash, yo...
I know the holidays can be difficult for people who are alone, or have suffered losses, or who struggle with depression. As I came here to post three of my favorite (secular) Christmas songs, it occurred to me that all three of the artists suffered from mental illness, and all died as a result of their illness. When I listen to these songs now, it prompts me to send extra long-distance hugs to my friends and family having a rough time. You are loved, even from far away!
First, the imitable Judy G, with her lesser-known holiday favorite, from another Christmas-ish movie that doesn't seem like one (and in this case, the movie is a loose remake of one of my favorite Christmas movies, The Shop Around the Corner--remade again as You've Got Mail).
Next, a song that has been covered--BADLY--so many times. The original is terrific. Why is Donny Hathaway not on constant rotation on oldies radio?!
Lastly, another of my contralto ladies. If you don't like this, we cannot be friends.
There are some very weird fan-generated Murdoch Mysteries videos. This is not even one of them. But you can see that Yannick Bisson is an expert on smizing. (I suppose puppy-dog eyes are a helpful tool.)
Busy busy over here--everybody getting sick (sidebar: tummy meds still working!!) while I desperately try to avoid illness in preparation for rehearsals starting tomorrow night! (The chorus of the concert performance I alluded to a few posts back. The audition did go fairly well, despite my jitters, and while they were quite complimentary, I wasn't cast in any of the comprimario roles I was interested in-- they were probably precast anyway. I decided to sit in in the chorus, despite not having sung in an opera chorus since 2006--and then only as a favor!--and because there's more music to learn, it may even be more helpful for diction education than a comprimario part.) The process has indeed been helpful in my comprehension of general diction in the given language. (Vague Girl is being Vague.) I feel that learning pieces in this language will be a lot easier in the future because of the work I'm doing now. Plus I get to hang out in the vocal basement, my favorite place to live.
In other news, we are getting ready for Christmas, albeit slowly due to the aforementioned illnesses and music-learning. We have a wreath on the house, and we bought a tree at Costco Thanksgiving weekend, but we haven't brought it in yet. (There are NO TREES available here after December 10--it is so weird--so you basically have to buy early, cut off a few inches of trunk and keep it in a bucket of water outside if you don't plan on putting it up right away. My father's birthday is next week, and he was grumpy about it, so we never put up the tree until afterwards. Ideally, it would be up already, though.) We had Rosina write a note to Santa, which she will deliver to our neighbor/professional Santa (who she knows is "Santa's Helper, not actual Santa") on Sunday. We have not done any shopping for her yet, but I am almost done with a life-size knitted puffin. It's a very clever pattern, with lots of short rows and slipped stitches used to great effect. I just didn't know it was going to be so BIG.
My love for Gene Kelly is well-established (like I said, I have a type, like whoa), and this is a lovely use of Bruno Mars. (I like that they referenced That's Entertainment! at the end, since this is an obvious homage.)
Speaking of Bruno Mars: If you weren't listening carefully to "Locked Out of Heaven", you'd miss some choice lyrics. "Your sex takes me to paradise"?!?!? That is so damn awkward and embarrassing. I am no prude (though I have taken to changing the station in Rosina's presence when certain things come on--Tone Loc, I'm looking at you!), but if they were going for poetry, they missed the mark. Surely the word "love" would mean nearly the same thing, and scan better as well. And damn, I actually liked that song, and now I feel weird about it.
Since I neglected to mention it, a link to my tummy cure. At least it seems that way. I have been on some serious antibiotics in the past--Cipro for food poisoning twice, I think, and three weeks of clindamycin this spring--so I was definitely skeptical. But things are a lot better at present.
Turned in the sample on Monday! Now I'm nearly finished with some knee-high tube socks for Rosina. She has been a bit impatient about them... I have one sock finished of a pair for myself, but other than that, I've been thinking about starting some cool fingerless mitts from the yarn I bought in Manhattan. Also, Rosina says she wants a stuffed alligator, but I don't love the patterns I've seen. She'd been pushing for a hedgehog earlier in the year, so I may encourage that. Also, I have seen an amigurumi narwhal. That will be happening regardless.
(Post pending for a week due to technical issues.)
I enjoy singing this to Mark, mainly because it is cheesy. Also, he hates REO Speedwagon. This video is classic '80s weird (crazy effects! floating candles!), with the most hilarious punk in the first few seconds. And why does the band look so narcoleptic? Was this filmed at 4 A.M.?
Somewhat related: my current Netflix binge-watch is Murdoch Mysteries, which I recommend to anyone who loves murder mysteries, super Canadian things, historical dramas (especially with a hint of silly steampunk), and sexy grown-up Boy Scouts. (Yes, I have a type: Superman, though not Christopher Reeve. Is this a problem?) This morning "Kiss Me" came on the radio, and it reminded me of those terrible rom-com montage videos--and I realized you could make a hilarious one from this show. Lots of footage of Murdoch on his bike, a shot of the night-vision goggles, Dr. Ogden analyzing a victim's stomach contents, Brackenreid making grumpy faces--and I suppose a little kissing, just in juxtaposition. I may be on to something here...
I promised some crafting content a bit ago, didn't I? I did finally finish this twin-size afghan for Rosina:
(Apparently Blogger sucks too bad to post pictures at the moment. Here's a link.)
I started this in January 2013, and it is almost entirely made from wool leftovers. We're planning to get Rosina a convertible loft bed in the next few months (she is still in a toddler bed, but is outgrowing it!). I've never been one to have a lot of things on the needles at once, but there were a few days in September when I only had one project going that wasn't spinning! I'm currently working on a sample, but am also working on striped tube socks for Rosina (a break from a pair I'm making for myself).
Our long-awaited trip to New York was last week. My cousin got married on Long Island on Saturday, then Mark and I spent a few days in Manhattan on our own--a mini tenth-anniversary second honeymoon, six months late. We had a great time, mostly staying on the Upper West Side, but we also went on the Circle Line, since neither of us had been. (Definitely worth it, even if you live there!) The trip included my first trip to the Met (I KNOW--but when operas get out after ten, it's fairly inconvenient to go if you're coming in from the suburbs, as I always had), and we did it in style with Tannhaeuser. Mark has been humming the hymn theme all week, but this morning I woke up with this in my head:
That lead singer wants sooo bad to be Robert Plant, you can just tell.
Lovely trip, though, despite a bit of a false alarm with my tummy stuff. (Stay tuned--we may have found something that works!) We got home yesterday, after too-brief visits with family and friends, and now I am faced with towers of laundry. Also, I need to get Rosina's Halloween costume done now, since I should be receiving the yarn for a quick-turnaround pattern sample on Monday.
Down some Wikipedia rabbit hole the other day, I was reading about the very underrated Joe Jackson. I hadn't remembered that he wrote "Real Men", which Tori Amos awesomely covered on Strange Little Girls. (Fun fact: that album dropped on 9/11/01. Hence the song "I Can't See New York" on her next album--she was in the air to promote the album release.) But the original! It is so good! And the video is soooo weird, even for an '80s video.
Gee, a pop song about questioning one's sexuality. I wonder why this wasn't a big hit record in 1983... Would any mainstream radio station even have played this?? And I can't imagine seeing this on MTV at the time, along with unchallenging fare like Journey and Phil Collins. (I was an intermittent early MTV viewer, though I was a little young--my aunts really liked it. "Ceci n'est pas un pipe...")
