Knitting Friday

Coming right after Thanksgiving in the U.S., I don’t have much for Knitting Friday.

Not that I haven’t been knitting. Right now, I'm finishing an unscoured, undyed, natural oil-filled garter stitch shawl with a make-as-you-go picot edging (beg. of each row: CO 2, BO 2.)

There’s a story behind this shawl. It started life as a tightly knitted flat pattern stitch shawl until I looked at it and said: “Wait a minute, there are darker spots in the shawl.” That’s when I read the yarn label.

I should have known better. You either dye undyed yarn or you cut out the offending blotches (which I have done; no fun is that.)

That’s when I decided a garter stitch would be more forgiving, and it is. I don’t want to spend a lot of time on this shawl since I only have 2 full skeins but the feel of the yarn is so soft that I don’t want to ban it to the frog pond.

I guess the above is all about knitting even coming after Thanksgiving. Why, you may ask does Thanksgiving have anything to do with Knitting Friday? Only because while it’s a good idea for a holiday (appreciating what you have) it exemplifies the sanitized history we have created for it (breaking bread with the Native Americans.)

We committed genocide on the Native Americans. That is the holocaust which should be taught in American schools. But Thanksgiving is our ultimate happy Hollywood ending.

On other knitting note: the leftover yarn shawl pattern from a few Fridays ago (which is still a work in progress) should be done on smaller-sized needles (US 8 to US 10.5.) This minimizes the stretch on the bias end. You can almost eliminate that stretch with a crab stitch border. Also, make sure you read the K1, M1 row this way at width: Kfb, *K1, M1* K2tog,making sure you M1 before the K2tog.

And, on a final knitting note: I was asked by the 10-year old whom I taught to crochet a blanket for her dinosaur yesterday to be sure and mention this in my blog. We were all very proud of her and, at last, the dinosaur will be warm.

The debate is now: to shop or not to shop. There is a camadarie in being with so many people but also an absolute stupidity in buying more stuff. My husband, disciplined man that he is, suggests looking at the stores as museums: you look, you admire, you go home. What willpower!

If you are not at work, enjoy your day. No, wherever you are, enjoy.

Website Wednesday

http://www.gomestic.com/

Their mission statement: to provide the “highest quality domestic oriented content.”

There are a blend of articles on topics you might find in Good Housekeeping, Popular Mechanics, Apartment Living, Martha Stewart, the Red Cross Manual - you can see the pattern.

Some the articles are: In Homemaking, Space Creating Tips for Small Spaces; in Moving, Which Moving Company; in Cooking, Weird Food Art; in Do-It-Yourself, How to Sheet Rock.

I don't like their article on raising well-behaved children where they use the word "scorn" as a tool. They talk about punishment for a 5-year old who uses a "bad" word. I don't like that. Especially in light of the latest study which showed that until the age of 12, positive re-enforcement and not punishment is the best discipline. Apparently, until 12 the child's brain does not connect punishment as a deterrent for bad behavior. Younger, they want to please (positive re-enforcement) but punishment is associated with "I hate my parent." not "I should do better."

However, their apartment hunting checklist looks first-rate. Their five tips for living in small spaces is right on. They give important tips for winter driving. Having said that: I would not use their short article on how to build a foundation as my manual (and I don’t think they want you to) nor, as a parent, would I find some of the reasons listed for living on campus reassuring.

Most of the articles are very short and most are written in paragraph style. The ones which list the hints numerically are easier to read and, probably, to remember.

The contributor is hyperlinked with his/her article. Click there and you get to see all of the contributor's articles.

Two items of note: this site is filled with ad videos and most of their articles seem to be targeting a young adult audience.

Movie Monday: Twilight

Why vampires? And so many of them. My zillions of movies, cable movie package seems to be filled with vampires who live in your home town, or you find along the road or you meet when you decide to go spelunking with or without supplies.

Movies seem to be fixated with vampires and not the Nosferatu-type which you would run from in a heartbeat but the cool dude, the Lothario-type, the sexually desirable hunk. Wait a minute. Could sex be involved in this vampire fixation?

Saying all this, let’s get to my trailer review of the number one box office hit: Twilight. Who said vampires were bad for business.

Twilight: movie review from trailer

Ok, here’s the premise. vampires have lived peacefully among us for centuries. That I didn’t know.

A young boy vampire is in love with a human girl. We know they are in love because she, clad in bikini undies, is kissing him. And, she knows he’s a vampire because the opening dialogue in the trailer is:
She: Your skin’s pale white and ice cold.
He: Say it.
She: Vampire.
He: Are you afraid?
She: No.

She likes him. I guess, for her at least, if you’re good looking and have a pulse, you’re date material.

But all is not happy in this teen vampire paradise. There are bad vampires out there. Voiceover: Some still hunger for blood. (What? Only the bad vampires hunger for blood? Do the good ones all live next to the abattoir?)

We see a bad boy vampire meeting the good boy vampire and his date and the bad boy says: You brought a snack.

(Now, to step aside from my role as movie critic and to speak of screen writing today: Does anybody vet this stuff before the final print? You brought a snack! He’s eying a full grown girl. She’s carrying enough blood calories for a few days. But for the sake of pithiness some screenwriter decided the line had more punch as written.)

Moving along in the trailer, the bad boy vampire has the good boy vampire pinned to a broken mirror. We can see the reflection of both of them in it. Wait another minute! I distinctly remember that Bela Lugosi did not appear in a mirror nor did the vampire in Fright Night. Has vampire lore been turned on its head? What are we to believe?

What I expect from the movie based on the trailer:

Well, the voiceover tells us. The good vampire must battle the bad vampire for “what he desires most”, which is most probably the human girl.

So, I’m expecting a teen love story of human and vampire beings with probably a good amount of action and spooks since this didn't get to be number one as only a love story.

I don’t know if there will be a happy ending. Do vampires have happy endings? I think that the ones who do survive just go on and on and on. Bummer.

Although the topic really isn’t that appealing to me, (I don’t think I had a crush on a vampire as a teen - you never can tell though) if it appeared in the lineup for my big screen TV, I would probably watch it.

Oh, and it’s based on a book.

Knitting Friday

I thought I would reprint the reviews of two knitting books I wrote for Amazon. I try to write pretty detailed reviews for Amazon because I know its reputation of having gushy ("You must buy this book." or "I have never written such a clear, concise book on ----") positive reviews written by FOAs (Friends/Fans of the Author.)

In fact, I got involved in a controversy over one such review once as a free speech issue. It seems that among all the positive reviews (and the author did admit to me that these were written by friends/fans) listed for a book, there was one scathing review. At least the author's friends thought it was and started a campaign of protesting to Amazon. They got the bad review removed.

To Amazon's credit, they responded immediately to my e-mail complaining about the censorship asking me for all the particulars. I never did find out if they would have re-examined the negative review and re-posted it because I didn't follow through.

By then, I was in e-mail communication with the author (a very nice person) of the book and once she and I had discussed the free speech issue of the situation, I didn't think it merited carrying it to the "official" level with Amazon.

That said, here are my two reviews:

Big Book of Knitting Stitch Patterns - no author or editor listed
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Sterling (August 1, 2005)

First, a word of warning: the patterns have no selvage (border) stitches. You jump right into the pattern.

I gave this book five stars because:
1) It has a Contents and Index page.
2) It has written instructions for each pattern with include any out-of -the-ordinary instructions (ex. 4-st left cross.)
3) It has chart instructions for each pattern. This is an excellent way for someone new to charts to get started.
4) All the patterns list the stitch multiples needed for different sizes. This is so much better than "CO 52 sts."
5)Every pattern is accompanied by a clear colored picture.
6) There is a large variety of patterns.

This is an excellent buy for the beginner knitter or the experienced one who may be looking for a special stitch for a garment.

Shawls Two On the go! - no author or editor listed
(Note: Vogue is mentioned prominently in the title on Amazon. An editor is also listed. However, the copy they sent me has neither Vogue nor an editor listed.)
Hardcover: 96 pages
Publisher: Sixth&Spring Books (September 2, 2008)

I really enjoy this little book. Its size makes it portable and it contains a diversity of patterns to interest the new to experienced knitter. You have lace, short rows, cable, drop-stitch, garter patterns, etc. from shawlettes to shawls in triangular and rectangular shapes. It is definitely not a book of the same pattern only in different colors and yarns.

I'm an experienced knitter so I was happy to count over 15 shawls listed in the Intermediate to Experienced Skills range. This is probably a book for new knitters to grow into though Midas Touch, Multi-Yarn Wrap, and Textured Shawl would be easy for them. Additionally, there are 9 pages of instructions ranging from needle and yarn weight charts to illustrations for stitches and procedures to help the new knitter.

Lace charts have always spooked me since some seem to go on forever. However, these charts are short, clear and easy to read with the stitch key explained in the pattern text. I didn't work any of the charts but, to the eye, they look error-free.

I've tried a lot of the pattern stitches for the shawls and they're interesting and error-free. However, when I started the Drop-Stitch Shawl,I did discover some confusion on Rows 13 & 15 which may bother a new knitter. The publisher does have an active Corrections page so I sent them an e-mail.

A worth-while buy.

Website Wednesday

I enjoy watching public domain movies on the Internet from the 1930's. Not for their artistic merit but for their freeze-frame of life back then. They cannot be a revisionist’s portrait of the past.

That’s what makes this website so important:

http://www.old-picture.com/

which is, as it says, a collection of old pictures.

(Note: This web site is picture intensive so I don’t think it will work well on a dial-up connection.)

Click around and you'll find pictures such as: An ambulance cart from 1862 with wounded and possibly dead men lying on the ground, “speaking” to you from two centuries ago; a 1856 portrait of Alfred Francis Russell who moved to Liberia and became its President in 1883; Bedouin shepherds of Syria in a picture taken before 1900; a native American child standing before a tepee from 1910; and a scenic color picture of Sarajevo with the caption “This color photochrome print was taken between 1890 and 1900 in Bosnia, Austro-Hungary.”

Take a look at Dogs Motoring from 1910. The dog looks modern, but check out the driver’s attire.

Each picture has a caption and most pictures are dated.

Dig further, and you'll find: http://old-photos.blogspot.com/ which is the blog of the man who owns the above website. On his blog, he posts the picture of the day with interesting comments. The blog has an archive of daily pictures going back through 2007.

So go and take a trip into history. You won’t be disappointed.

Movie Monday

I don’t like James Bond movies. Nothing unusual there. I don’t like the uber-hero, the sexy broads, the fancy-dancy weaponry; the bon-mots coming from Bond. Although, I’m sure, to keep an audience today, the makers of these movies have added some PC touches: sexy broads with brains; angst on the part of James; a female M (was that his boss’ alphabet name?); a theme with strum und drang.

Whatever. We all have just so many heartbeats, just so many sunsets; should I waste mine on a James Bond movie.

Saying that: let me review Quantum of Solace based on its trailer.

A car is driving in the desert. Voice over: He’s a pretty cold bastard if he didn’t want revenge for someone he loves. This time, it may be personal with Bond. (Note: Could this be referring to Bond's wife who got killed in a much, much earlier George Lazenby movie?)

We learn that Bond and M are up against a big, secret organization which is trying to control the world’s most precious resource (you decide which one) and I think Bond’s unfinished business with a man (at whom he is pointing a gun) might have something to do with this organization and Bond’s desire for revenge.

And then we learn about a Dominic Greene who is of interest to Bond and M and has already began destabilizing the government. But apparently though Greene may be evil “You know who Greene is....” the good guys still need him “....and you want to put us in bed with him?” Oh, the lack of defined good and evil in our existential world.

Finally, the beautiful woman appears. “Careful with this one, Mr. Bond. She won’t go to bed with you unless you give her something she really wants.” I told you the “broads” had brains.

We learn that both she and Bond are damaged goods. She asks him if he has caught up with the person who took something from him. (See above.) Bond: Not yet. She: Tell me when you do, I’d like to know how it feels.” (Note: I think this dialogue should have ended before the woman’s line. This final zinger closes the arc and it should be left hanging.)

So we know there is some heavy psychological stuff brewing in this Bond. There are also car chases, lots of explosions, boats that fly into the air; men falling through glass ceilings. You know the drill.

What I expect from the trailer:
I expect the new Bond, darker and deeper, but never forgetting the faithful male, young audience out there which needs its feats of strength and daring.

While I dislike all the slickness (as with so many movies) and cringe at the brooding one-liners; it would pass the time. I see it in my future on cable TV.

Knitting Friday

The Nobel Prize Winning Knitting Tip

Well, this one is such to me though it might be as simple as “socks first, then shoes” to you.

I have always avoided this most simple lace pattern:
Row 1: K
Row 2: K, *yo, K2tog*, K
Row 3: K
Row 4: K, *ssk, yo*, K

Why, you ask? Because I can never tell if I'm on the Row 2 or Row 4 YO row. I mix them up all the time.

Those two rows are important because with only a Row 2, the Knit 1, YO lace effect would only occur on one side of the row. The other side would have a Knit 2 edge and would be thicker. Also, if you are knitting on the diagonal - as I often do - your bias would be so pronounced, that the garment might be unwearable, without these two rows.

Most of the time with this type of row (what I call the pattern row) you can tie a colored yarn to that side to differentiate it and use a counter. But in this pattern, all the colored yarn tells you is that the row is a YO row and you need more information than that. Also, while a counter would work, it's cumbersome for just four rows.

The epiphany came yesterday:
1: Cut a long, thin piece of yarn for a marker. Made a loop in the middle and make sure you have long tails.
2. At the beginning of Row 1 - two or three stitches in - put the marker with only the loop facing you. The long tails will be facing the Row 2 side.
3: Knit across for Row 1 and turn.
4. Looking at Row 2 (your *YO, K2tog* row), you’ll see the long tails at the end of the row. This tells you this is Row 2.
5. Work to the end of the row but when you come to the marker turn it so only the loop is facing you; the tails will now show on the Row 3 side. Move the marker to the right needle this way. Finish the row and turn.
6. Knit across for Row 3, moving the marker, as is, to the right needle. Turn.
7. Now, Row 4 is facing you. You'll see the marker at the end of the row and since you only see the loop on this side you know that this is Row 4, your *SSK, YO* row.
8. Work across Row 4 and when you come to the marker turn it so the tails now face you. Then move it this way to the right needle. Finish the row and turn.
8: Continue in pattern, moving the marker along as you go, turning it so the tails show on Row 2 and only the loop shows on Row 4.
9. Also, tie a colored yarn to the body of your work to show on the Row 2/Row 4 side and you’ll know every time you’re on a YO row.

It’s that simple. Just remember to keep moving the long tails or the loop to the correct side each time.

Why Won’t She Go Away?

That seems to be a common complaint about Sarah Palin. She lost and still she is getting so much media coverage.

We’re hearing the old saw: Well, if the public didn’t have an interest in her she wouldn’t be getting so much media coverage.

Good try, but the public does not control the media. To use one example, in spite of the plethora of channels on the TV, news shows are on channels controlled by large corporations. They are not mom and pop public access deals from someone’s basement.

Someone told me once that popular songs become hits because they are played so often. Pretty soon, they are the tunes you can’t get out your head; then the tunes you have to buy.

It’s the same in politics. Free publicity gets you attention. Attention gets you interest. And it goes from there. There are very few taboo crimes which damn politicians.

I don’t know where the Sarah Palin saga will end. I do disagree that she is a recruiting poster for Democratic votes. In a parliamentary system where she would have much less power, perhaps. But except for the very occasional third party candidate who garners an influential amount of votes, the 50-50 chance of her ilk capturing the presidency is a nightmare thought.

Website Wednesday

Being back at a computer which has a working sound system, it seems fitting that my website for this Wednesday is:

http://www.ted.com/

which is so sound intensive.

TED which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design started in 1984 as conferences to bring together people from those three disciplines for talks and discussions.

It still exists as real world conferences but by clicking on Themes A-Z on their web page you get a list of 38 categories of talks for you to listen to at your computer. Click on any category and you get an extensive list of top thinkers talking about their interests.

For example, click “How the Mind Works” for talks from Doris Kearns Goodwin, Stephen Hawkings, Dan Dennett and Al Gore to name only a few.

Talks seem to run 5 to 30 minutes and each speaker’s page has a short biography and links of interest.

This is a treasure trove of knowledge: important knowledge but not presented pedantically.

Enjoy.

Movie Monday

I had planned to do a trailer review of Changeling today but I'm sitting at a different computer and I have no idea how to turn on the speakers. Or rather, the speakers are turned on, the volume is up to the blasting setting, but the green "I"m On" light is off so all I'm seeing are pictures, no words.

So, I thought I would change the pace a little and discuss European vs. American films - on a very cursory level, of course, because I have only seen two foreign (French) films over the weekend.

One is the 1991 film, Tous Les Matins du Monde, about a master musician who doesn't share his works and his pupil who becomes famous but is without a musical soul. The other is the 2006 film, Avenue Montaigne, about a young country girl's adventures as a waitress in Paris and how she affects other people. (Thematically similar to Browning's Pippa Passes.) Both of which were big hits in Europe.

Watching them both, one in late afternoon, the other in the middle of the night, I kept thinking: No way could these movies be made by an American director and/or be popular outside of the American art-movie crowd. For these reasons alone: they were talky; they were slow.

People talked and looked or sat silent and looked. You, the audience, looked at things. People walked at normal speeds.

An ending was sweetly optimistic in one and accepting of a melancholy world in the other.

In both you used your brain and not REM. Pathetically, not the American way.

Which got me thinking about the news story that if the rest of the world could have voted in the 11/4 U.S. presidential election, it would have been 94% for Barack Obama and 6% for John McCain. Here, Obama won 52% to 48%.

We seem to be different than the rest of the world. Should we be examining if this is always a positive attribute?

Knitting Friday

I promised directions for a shawl made of left-over yarn last week. I'm going to give you the basic pattern which has not been tested completely (it's still on the needles) so I would appreciate any feedback if you try the pattern.

Leftover Yarn Shawl Pattern
First, prepare your yarn by making a good-sized ball either by Russian joins or splicing.

Materials: yarn, any size needles. I'm using US 17.
Abbreviations:
K - Knit
Kfb/ Pfb - Knit (or purl) in front and back of the stitch
M1 - make one stitch in the horizontal thread between the stitches
P2tog - Purl two stitches together
RS - Right side
Sts - Stitches
* * - repeat directions between asterisks to last stitch

Set Up: Co 2 Pfb (4 sts)
Row 1 RS: Kfb *M1, K1* Kfb (2 st increase made)
Row 2: K *P2tog* K
Repeat Rows 1 & 2.

At your desired width, Row 1 becomes:
Row 1: Kfb *M1, K1* K2tog

At your desired length, Row 1 becomes:
Row 1: K2tog *M1, K1* K2tog

Tricky Part: The K st on the Row 1 side (not the M1 st) will look like a diagonal braid st. To the right of this st is the M1 area. You will notice two horizontal threads here.
________
________(this is the front thread)

With your right needle pick up the front horizontal thread and place it on your left needle. Knit in the front of this stitch. This becomes your M1 stitch.

On the first and second stitch of Row 1, it's difficult to see both horizontal threads in the M1 area. Just pick up the one you see. For the other M1s, if you stretch your work horizontally you will easily see the two threads.

Second Tricky Part: If you have to frog, remember that Row 1 has a lot of M1 stitches. To get that row back to its original count after frogging, you have to drop the M1s (they will just go back to being horizontal threads) and then start the row again, re-making the M1s.

Helpful Note: When you get to your width, count your stitches. That number must stay the same until you get to your length.

That's it. On US 17 needles, I'm getting a stretchy shawl (as you do knitting on the bias.) I'd like to try this on smaller needles to see the effect.

What's really nice is the fact that the colors seamlessly blend in and the front is attractively textured. (A picture will follow soon.)

At this point, I haven't decided what to do to the edges. More on that later.

Enjoy your knitting.

Website Wednesday

It's been a politically emotional roller coaster the last few months. So let's relax and just look at some of the extraordinary creativeness of the human mind today.

Where does reality end and art begin?

http://pictures.streakr.com/sidewalk.htm

Why an extensive library is so important.

http://www.offbeatearth.com/dont-like-reading-other-uses-for-books/

President-Elect

Barack Hussein Obama

"And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down - we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security - we support you. And to all those who have wondered if Americas beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

'For that is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

'This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

'She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

'And tonight, I think about all that She’s seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we cant, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

'At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

'When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

'When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

'She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that 'We Shall Overcome.' Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

'America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

'This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we cant, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

'Yes we Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.' "

Vote Obama

The United States will be facing so many challenges in the next few years and we need Barack Obama as our Chief Executive. He is the only candidate possessing the stature to lead this country.

Put aside any prejudice, any conservative economic ideology, any media-driven negative slant.

Vote for the future of your country and the world today.

For yourself and for all of us: Vote Obama.

Movie Monday

I don't like movie musicals. They are always so phony, whether it’s the solo performer alone in his room who breaks out into song only to be accompanied by a full orchestra or the man and woman walking down the street and suddenly bursting into song.

Phony. And phooey. I’ll accept the premise that Orcs exist before I accept that so many humans have perfect pitch.

Saying that, I must admit I loved the musical, Cabaret. The musical numbers appeared where they would appear in reality. All the other times, people talked - just like real life.

Which brings me to Movie Monday and High School Musical 3. I shudder to think I’m once more going to be subjected to perky, singing and dancing high school kids in a gee-whiz-like "real" high school setting. But it was this or Saw V, so here goes.

High School Musical 3 (review from trailers)

Let’s start, and I hope end, with Trailer #1. First scene, a row of lockers (what a polished hall floor!) It’s senior year and apparently everyone at this school is dancing through it.

We see two guys dancing in front of an old truck and then everyone starts dancing in some form or other. All the actors from the first two incarnations of this romp seem to be back, even the blond guy with his crazy hats. Were these screen writers all home schooled?

Wait a minute. We’re in the gym and it’s a basketball game. But this one is different. The heroine is in the bleachers, silhouetted, standing up and singing to the hero on the court. And, the hero is silhouetted on the court and singing back to her. It’s like the high school version of freezing time. (“I believe.” “That’s all I really need.”)

Oh, wait another minute. It’s like the high school version of freezing time and having the heroine give the hero the confidence he needs to go on.

Then we get everyone dancing - everywhere. Well, it is a musical. Everyone is so happy and perky. Though we do learn that our heroine and hero will be parting and she seems to be accepting it better than he is.

The screen flashes with: The Musical Experience of this Generation.

And you know, it probably is. Because with all my dislike of musicals and my mocking of this one, just like Andy Hardy, James Dean, John Travolta or Johnny Depp, this group of actors has caught the imagination of pre-teens and early teens. In many ways, these kids could do worse.

What I expect from the trailer: Singing, dancing, happy, happy, happy, some angst and watching this at least a few time with kids on DVD.

The Safety Of Your Car

It was an interesting day yesterday. It was the third time since I put an Obama '08 sticker on the rear bumper of my car that a driver behind me made his displeasure known.

All three times it's been male drivers. The first time, the day after Obama's convention speech someone pulled out from behind me, hit the horn and gave me "Thumbs Down."

The second time I was stopped at a light, windows up, when I noticed the guy pull up beside me and start screaming in my direction. It wasn't until he gave me the finger that I even realized him anger was directed at me.

Yesterday, again stopped at the light, a man behind me in a rather expensive-looking car, become apoplectic, shouting, pointing to my bumper, shouting, - you know the drill.

And, yes, I am a good driver and they were not commenting on my driving.

And so, you can have a Clinton sticker and a Kerry sticker without incident, but with an Obama bumper sticker you get three unpleasant reactions. Why is that I wonder?

However, being bullies, no one approaches me when I wear my Obama '08. I bet it bugs a lot of people and that's just fine with me.

I wear it formidably. I look like "don't hassle with me" when I walk. And I mean it. And they don't.

Bullies like the easy safety of their cars.