Last Wednesday night, I went to my favorite yarn store for Vicki Howell's appearance. (She has her own tv show on knitting and is somewhat of a celebrity). I thought it might be fun. I went to Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's appearance a few months ago, not really knowing who she was but willing to check it out, and I laughed way more than I had in a long time. Even though her snarkiness was sometimes borderline for me, she had such a great appreciation for the art of knitting and such a great sense of humor it was totally worth it. Although I think the name she picked for her blog is a little weird, she had a lot of sincerely meaningful and insightful, funny things to say. Unfortunately, Vicki Howell was a totally different experience. Between gulps of wine and dropping her project samples, the shameless self-promotion and her total lack of preparation for the event... and more gulps of wine... it was really uncomfortable for me, being in the front row. I was so glad when it was over. On the plus side- Trader Joe's has chocolate covered banana chips! And orange chocolate sticks! God bless refreshment tables.

Date:	2006-10-05 21:34
Subject:	trick or treat
Security:	Public
Mood:	sleepy

Pure Nerd 78 % Nerd, 26% Geek, 34% Dork

For The Record: A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia. A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one. A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions. You scored better than half in Nerd, earning you the title of: Pure Nerd. The times, they are a-changing. It used to be that being exceptionally smart led to being unpopular, which would ultimately lead to picking up all of the traits and tendences associated with the "dork." No-longer. Being smart isn't as socially crippling as it once was, and even more so as you get older: eventually being a Pure Nerd will likely be replaced with the following label: Purely Successful. Congratulations! Also, you might want to check out some of my other tests if you're interested in any of the following: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Professional Wrestling Love & Sexuality America/Politics Thanks Again! -- THE NERD? GEEK? OR DORK? TEST

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 91% on nerdiness You scored higher than 29% on geekosity You scored higher than 55% on dork points

Link: The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test written by donathos on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Have you heard of the Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow? I'm thinking about going and I was wondering if anyone else was interested.

Last Saturday I went to the market of the Stitches West conference. Yes, I had to pay to get in, but it was so worth it because there was so much beautiful yarn. I just wanted to buy everything. I bought some hemp yarn for a crocheted cell phone holder and a bag and some koigu yarn for these cute knitted gnome dolls. Yes, the yarn was 22 cents a gram, but the color and quality are really good. I can't wait to get started!

I just finished Shadow of the Colossus last Sunday night. What an amazing game - beautiful graphics and sound, a touching story. Thrilling and dramatic and poignant and scary and mysterious. Wonderful chiaroscuro. A great follow-up to ICO.

Thank you to everyone who watched and supported me as I played. It was fun playing together.

What Samus Aran would wear, if Samus wore sweaters...

http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall05/PATTsamus.html


I love the cable design. The front closure seems uneven, though. Maybe frogs would work? Buttons are classic, but I like the streamlined look. The picture just makes it look lumpy.

Date:	2006-01-13 17:55
Subject:
Security:	Public
Mood:	hungry

I was just at a friend's house, and her mother made anpan. Fresh, hot anpan! Golden brown, sweet bread surrounding smooth, sweetened red bean paste. It was delicious. ^_^

Date:	2006-01-12 19:50
Subject:
Security:	Public
Mood:	touched

I am fascinated by interspecies communication. When I was little, I loved watching the documentary showing Koko the gorilla using sign language to communicate with humans and seeing how tenderly she cared for her kitten. Yesterday, I was watching the news and there was a story about a hippo and a tortoise. Please check it out! http://news.nationalgeographic.com/kids/2005/03/owen.html I hope you like the story as much as I do.

Date:	2005-11-28 21:01
Subject:	cereal
Security:	Public
Mood:	silly

Some people are wine connoisseurs. I think of myself as a cereal connoisseur.

Below are some of my favorites:

for their delicious crunch and texture:
-Kashi Crunch
-Optimum Power Breakfast
-Gorilla Munch (and the milk left over is really good)

cereal nice by itself:
-Corn Chex
-Crispix
-Raisin Bran
-Cracklin' Oat Bran
-Cinnamon Life

tasty with bananas sliced on top:
-Cornflakes (fresh strawberries are also good)
-Cheerios
-All Bran (it sounds weird but is actually pretty good)

cereal that's so good but I can't find it in stores:
-raisin filled shredded wheat squares

hot cereal classic:
-oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar

and... the black list of yucky cereal:
-Cream of Wheat
-Grape Nuts
-Frosted Mini-Wheats

What's really annoying:
-spilling cereal on the floor

My cereal quirk:
-Cornflakes or Rice Krispies with soy milk and chocolate chips on top is really good.

The issue of storage: original boxes or plastic containers?
-Use plastic to maintain freshness but keep the original boxes for the fun facts and mazes.

Milk of choice:
-Silk Vanilla soy milk

Preferred method of eating:
-Pour enough milk to cover about half the cereal in the bowl. With your spoon, make a well in the center where the cereal has a chance to soften with more milk. Eat that cereal first, and widen the well in the center to eat more cereal. This way your cereal will be neither soggy or too crunchy.

Remember:
-Don't pour on too much milk.
-Keep cereal containers closed so the cereal stays fresh.
-Don't restrict yourself to eating cereal only in the mornings. It makes a great snack.

Date:	2005-11-09 22:24
Subject:	daydreaming
Security:	Public
Mood:	cheerful

( I want to be a princess... )

Date:	2005-11-03 21:26
Subject:	books
Security:	Public
Mood:	relaxed
Music:	Stars -- Switchfoot

I just finished Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass. I highly recommend it.
Also good: Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli.

I love curling up with a cat and a good book.

Favorite link of the day:

http://www.kittenwar.com/

I’ve been torn about posting my thoughts on Sin City on my journal. I wanted to get the word out about this movie, but I can’t say I like talking about something this violent on my LiveJournal. So, here is...

My review

Sin City is a myth of misguided heroism that needs no retelling. In Sin City, blood drips on the screen in stark cinematic contrast as red, black, and white. Blood and death are everywhere, and violence, although stylized, pervades the movie. I dislike violence, but I am more likely to watch a movie if violence is not gratuitous. I found the movie to be a nauseatingly bloody with no point to violence other than to portray gruesome horror.

The deluded male characters make themselves out to be heroes and try to “rescue” and “protect” the women through violent rampages, murder, and abuse. The female characters on the surface may seem empowered. For example, a portion of the city, Old Town, is owned and protected by a group of women. Sin City’s women, however, are prostitutes, strippers, and murderers. Even though they do control the town, “empowerment” is hardly the ability to flaunt one’s body, maim, kill, and sell oneself for sex.

Sin City’s visual artistry can hardly make up for the reality of the movie’s constant violence: torture, cannibalism, rape, murder, castrations, domestic abuse, and brutal beatings. The list goes on. Visually interesting does not make up for seemingly limitless violence with no meaning or purpose other than for violence itself.

Particularly pithy reviews

An excerpt of Brian Webster’s review, on Apollo Movie Guide:

“Sin City, perhaps best described as film noir on steroids, is a movie that’s so cool you’re not supposed to be concerned about its total lack of moral grounding. Nor its profound sexism. Nor its misanthropic nihilism. This is a movie for people who hate people. And why is it cool to like stories about little more than corruption, greed, hate and violence? Just because it is.”

Read the full review


Excerpts of Jeffrey Westhoff’s review in the Northwest Herald :

“Here Miller and Rodriguez plant another of their artistic defenses, that the women of “Sin City” are powerful. Yet this is a pathetic example of the comic-book definition of female empowerment: the ability to kill without conscience while flaunting enormous breasts.”

“Rodriguez has no feel for irony. He glories in violence for the sake of violence. It means nothing in his films. We’re not supposed to learn anything from it; we’re not supposed to laugh uneasily at it. We’re supposed to think it’s cool.”

Read the full review


David Elliott’s review from the Union-Tribune


And on April 7, 2005, Matt of MacHall wrote:

“Caught Sin City the other day. I'd seen a review from one of the big papers that said something like “This is incredible artistry in the service of a poisonous view of humanity," which is as good a description of Frank Miller as I've ever heard.”

Date:	2005-09-07 00:31
Subject:	I can't sleep...
Security:	Public
Mood:	awake

Favorite link:

http://catsinsinks.com/

Perfection in simplicity (and cuteness). *sigh*

Today I ended my Harvest Moon hiatus, and ... I did it. My character got married. Things didn't really change, though. I wish her husband helped out on the farm instead of watching her, following her around, and taking strolls. For goodness sake, help me nuzzle the chickens!

( The Random Question Meme! )

Lately I've been interested in the older, original versions of fairy tales. I read the Brothers Grimm's version of "Cinderella." Yikes! Way more violent than I expected, but interesting nevertheless. The original version of "The Little Mermaid" was beautiful. I think it has a happier, more interesting ending than the Disney version. It's definitely one of my favorites.

So what are your favorite fairy tales?

Date:	2005-08-26 20:36
Subject:	*sniff*
Security:	Public
Mood:	disappointed

I got a "Game Over" in Harvest Moon... The guy who proposed to me was the jerk. Mandatory marriage is unfair. I was forced to leave my home and all of the animals, and go away. *sniff*

On her livejournal, mayamaia wrote:

1. Reply with your name and I'll respond with something random about you.
2. I'll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
3. I'll pick a flavor of jello to wrestle with you in.
4. I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me.
5. I'll tell you my first memory of you.
6. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7. I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.
8. If I do this for you, you must post this on your journal. You MUST. It is written. (Okay, I'll let up, you do not have to, if only for the sake of keeping my friend's page clean.)

She responded to me with:

1. You have the funniest look of shock, and Barrett elicits it often.
2. Almost any Miyuzaki film.
3. Raspberry-lime.
4. *laughs* *laughs some more* *can't stop laughing, and that's funny, too*
5. Barrett brought you to RPG group. You looked like you weren't entirely sure about it, but you were game to try. I think your hair was in a ponytail, and you were wearing a purple sweatshirt.
6. A chinchilla, because you're cute and relaxed, but you can be very playful, too. And cause I like chinchillas, and I like you!
7. ...Why did you decide to keep roleplaying? You never struck me as the type who would be interested enough on your own to come back every week and learn all the rules.