Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings

This and That

Wow, it's been more than a week since I've posted. Why do I feel the guilt? Especially when I click on blogs I like and they haven't posted in months? Oh, well.

I don't know how disciplined I've going to be this summer. The kids are home and I have some serious "classwork" to cover before next fall. The girl wants help with writing and public speaking. The boy's multiplication knowledge has more holes than Swiss cheese.

I've been wracking all my teaching knowledge to figure out a way to explain multiplication to him. We've tried everything. Memorization. Flash cards. Rote practice. Even the Russian peasant method. Did you ever hear about that? The explanation on Google is wrong (at least the one I read) but the method does work if you do it the right way. It only works for the 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 times tables and only starting at 6 x 6 and higher so it is limited. But, it is a start. I'll write this out and post it since I bet I'm not the only one working on multiplication tables.

This is also my newsletter prep week. I got it done early but then I had little items to squeeze it and in almost 100 degree heat (outside, not inside) my brain was pretty slow.

Here's a summer top I didn't post on Knitting Friday (because I didn't have the picture until Do Nothing Sunday):

Whoops! Hubby took the picture but didn't upload it to the computer yet! OK, here's a picture of a groundhog. He/she looks as confused as I am.

I did get to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince this weekend. HBO had a free promotional. I had thought that I had seen this movie but I only read the book. Liked the book. Really liked the movie. Now I understand what a Horcrux is; which is important to know since Harry spends the last book hunting these items down.

My other problem with the HP series as the kids got older is that there is absolutely no sexual chemistry among any of them. Harry and Ginny? Ron and Hermione? No way. And really, it's not that important to the story; the adventure works without it. With it, it's like they're dragging large rocks; distracting and boring to watch.

There's an absurd, childish rivalry between Twilight and HP fans. Jesus H. Christ! They're only movies. You're either going to pay the exorbitant movie ticket price to see them or not.

The one question I did have watching this HP and knowing the body count which will occur in Deathly Hallows - how do they get rid of the bodies? It's obvious that wizards intermingle with muggles (ordinary people.) Doesn't Scotland Yard sort of get interested when all these bodies start piling up? Just wondering.

Got to go. I'll be back. Which may be more than what's happening at FireDogLake and TBogg. Where did he go? I miss his snark.

Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings

Movie Monday

This will be a fast post since I spent the morning accompanying a friend to physical therapy, the kids will be home in a half hour and I have my needlework group tonight. No stress, at all.

I haven't posted Miss M in a while. Notice her brand new collar. She slipped out of the old one. She's just about to turn 5 months and is now on only breakfast and dinner meals and is still growing like a weed. She has calmed down considerably from the puppy stage. She seems to like New Moon however, especially the Volturi part which really spooks me.

On the right is Miss M on arrival day in March. What a big change! But still a lovely dog. There will not be a dry eye in the place when she leaves us for Service Dog training.

I don't have a movie to review this Monday since I haven't had the time to look at War Inc.

But I do have some good movie news. I will not be the chaperone at the advanced screening of Eclipse. (I was told it's not a preview.) Other arrangements have been made and I'm happy for two reasons: you have to get to the theater 2 and 1/2 hours before showtime. And, I have been re-reading Eclipse and that book is drek. I think there's a story there. I think there might even be a good story there; but Meyers isn't telling it. I will be amazed if they can get anything out of this book except horror shots. Do any people in this series ever talk like in real world phrases?

Got to go. I do have more to say, but no time.

Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings

Website Wednesday

Apparently, my web server now allows you to custom design your web page. Before I start dabbling with all their options (yeah, about all four of them!) I think I'll play around with my banner. I'd like to be real creative like some other bloggers and make the banner into changeable quotes but I see myself sifting through public domain quotes all week if I start that.

My website pick this Wednesday didn't start out as my first choice. I came to it through Ravelry which cited it for a knitting reference. It's got a wild title:

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/

Stuff White People Like - now there's an intriguing title. One you don't see every day.

Of course, it's satire but satire is very tricky and very difficult to keep up continually without it turning dry, bitter, and unfunny.

The blog's About from 2008 tells us: This is a scientific approach to highlight and explain stuff white people like. They are pretty predictable.

OK, but before you yawn, you have to read this from an interview with the blogger, Christian Lander, in A.V. Club.com in 2008:

In January, Christian Lander was just another wage slave at a California interactive ad agency. Then his blog, "Stuff White People Like," a tongue-in-cheek comprehensive list of everything left-wing, upper-middle-class Caucasians enjoy (from The Wire and McSweeney's to eating outside and self-importance) grew exponentially in popularity to the point that it amassed 20 million hits by the end of March and caught the eye of Random House.

20 million hits in 2008! 67 million hits currently! Isn't that all the white people in the world? I'm lucky if I can get my husband to read my blog!

I love reading good satire; probably due to my immersion in 16th -18th century essay writing during college. (Oh, to be young and carefree and reading Fielding and Swift!)

Obviously, this blog doesn't need my plug but for those of us living under a rock and discovering "White People" for the first time, go take a look. And remember folks, this is satire.

Enjoy.

"Capitalism is the Predatory Stage of Human Evolution"

Movie Monday

Cripes! Maybe I should get more sleep! I just edited a posting from 2 years ago after I discovered a misspelled word I never caught and a "with" instead of a "will." And, I do proof my work - not that well obviously.

This was going to be a post on War, Inc. but my Verizon recording of that movie and I are separated by about 50 miles right now so that review will have to wait until next week.

However, I did get some unexpected movie news on Saturday - I will be attending a preview of Eclipse! With about 1000 young, screaming girls I'm sure.

How did I get so lucky? Apparently, Nordstrom's has a line of Twilight clothes - that I knew and never could understand since that store and that movie series do not seem to be a perfect match. But, hey, neither were Edward and Bella at the beginning.

If you buy a certain dollar amount of clothes in their teen clothing department, you get a free pass to the preview. If you double that amount, you get two tickets; therefore, the girl and I will be attending the Eclipse preview. Oh, happy day! Oh, happy birthday present for her!

I'm really not looking forward to this movie. Although I did like the film Twilight (see previous posts) Meyers is not a good writer. Very successful, of course, but she really doesn't string interesting sentences together nor seem to believe in character development. This can be a tremendous problem for a screenwriter especially with such a "hot" series.

Let's do a comparison of two movie series to show this. Rather than compare Twilight to HP (which is commonly done) I'd like to compare it with LOTR. OK, you can get up from the floor from laughing.

Last night, I watched The Two Towers, theatrical version, for the first time in quite a while. Boy, does that movie hold up! I think, and have always thought, that's because the acting is first-rate, the human stories holds your interest, and Tolkien gives the actors lines which are just not exposition. ("There is always hope.", "How did it come to this?")

I realized after viewing TTT, that Twilight and LOTR do share the same type of love story - in reverse. Bella wants to give up her mortal life for vampire immortality and Edward is strongly opposed. Arwen wants to give up elf immortality for human mortality and Aragon (at least in the movies) is strongly opposed.

Which leads to a second comparison: the changes from books to movies. From reading Twilight forum postings, the trailer for Eclipse where Bella gets on Jacob's bike and leaves Edward standing there has gotten tons of negative comments. Basically they all say: Bella would never walk away from Edward.

Of course, I understand that the Twilight series is going to be 5 movies and adding sexual tension (which never appeared in the books though Bella does have a wacky relationship with Jacob) keeps interest. But I just doesn't work. Possibly because unlike LOTR, the linchpin of Twilight is Edward's and Bella's passion. Everything else is back story so if you change the dynamics of that passion/love/lust/whatever and you skew the story awkwardly. (Possibly they wouldn't have had this dilemma if the story had not been stretched so thinly into four books.)

Turning the page back to LOTR and you will see the same quandary: the Aragon of the books is a Roland - a true hero and boring. Although Tolkien had seriously toyed with an Aragon/Eowyn romance in drafts, the books had him always true to Arwen, sure that he would finally achieve her and his throne with no obstacles - except of course Sauron and Arwen's daddy insistence that Aragon regain his kingdom before any marriage.

Since there were three LOTR movies, such constancy would not have been good for business so Jackson introduced a semi "love triangle" and Aragon was played angst-filled. This was definitely not true to Tolkien's vision but it worked on both the practical and mythical levels.

For so many reasons, such changes do not work in Twilight. Twilight is a teen movie series coming out of books which are an average fantasy teen series. All the actors are competent but not exceptional (except for some secondary roles such as Aro.) They are reading rather hokey lines and all their energies have to be absorbed in conveying them without causing convulsive laughter from the audience. (Example: the hoot of a scene with Edward and Bella prancing in the meadow as Aro "sees" Alice's prediction in NM. That was so corny and is so easily fixable by having both of them just lying in their sunlit meadow with sparkling diamonds coming from Bella's skin.)

So while LOTR faced the same problem of keeping audience interest over three movies and conquered it, Twilight has a span of five movies with so many fewer workable options. (One of them being different directors on each movie except BD - also a problem with the HP series.)

I guess this is a very long way of saying that I have few hopes for Eclipse. I'm waiting to be pleasantly surprised although I doubt my preview screening will allow me much access to dialogue with all the screaming girls. Perhaps, I could ask the manager for subtitles....

To be continued.

"Capitalism is the Predatory Stage of Human Evolution"

Knitting Friday - on Saturday

Yesterday was a traveling day plus I really had nothing knit-wise to share - not that today is much better.

A couple of little things to report:
1- I blocked the finished shawl pictured on Saturday, 5/29 (another Knitting Friday on Saturday.) I had worn it the night before unblocked because I was cold and it matched my multi-blue sweater. What a difference in the look the next day after I blocked it! (It only took a few hours because it is so airy.) It went from nice to beautiful. Unfortunately, I discovered at blocking a dropped stitch. However, this was not a fatality because it was only 1 stitch of a K2tog so I was able to work the very loose stitch into the pattern. Only if I enter this into a Master Knitters' competition will anyone notice this flaw.
2 - But the really big news of the week is that my Equinox Top:

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/equinox-top

which was only about 5 inches from completion now sleeps with the fish in the frog pond. I really like the pattern but I was using US 9 needles because I was "yarn amount unsure." With such large needles, I was getting a very loosey-goosey feel to the fabric and very large holes with the YOs. Although, I still don't like the fact that this is knitted inside out (probably because P3tog is easier than K3tog) I'm going to tackle this top again; this time on smaller needles and with enough yarn.

So while the Equinox top has been a disappointment, I've cast on for this top:

http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/60433.html?r=1

I'm hoping this is a winner. How can I mess up 4 stitch ribbing?

And, talking about winners, after all the patterns I've seen at Lion Brand, this on really looks worth the effort:

http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/80928AD.html?noImages=

I think it has a look worthy of Vogue though I do think I'd make the neckline lower.

Well, that's it for today.

Happy Knitting.

"Capitalism is the Predatory Stage of Human Evolution"

Website Wednesday

Today is late and short. I'm thinking about going on summer hours, whatever they are, but they sound like posting at random to me - like when I get the time. We'll see.

But for today, I have a J. D. Salinger site:

http://www.twentytwo.tinymenagerie.com/

which contains 22 of his short stories.

Now Salinger is iconic probably because of Holden Caulfield. I won't assume everyone knows his book, The Catcher In The Rye but it probably was the first "teen" lit with a existential naturalistic flavor.

Of course, there has been teen lit for a long time: Booth Tarkington for sure. Probably even Twain's Tom Sawyer (Huck Finn is read much more deeply.) Then, of course, you had Nancy Drew, that teen detective and her lesbian friend, George.

Wikipedia has teen lit (or the politically correct YA) going back to Swiss Family Robinson in 1812. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young-adult_fiction

But I think Salinger pushed and opened the envelope in teen lit. TCINR was gritty and also annoying. It opened up a whole new world to teens and YA has never looked back.

Take a long at Salinger at this website for another view of the author. These stories range 25 years from the 1940s to the 1960s. With Go See Eddie, I think I'm looking a pretty conventional short story writer. I think I may be able to take Salinger better in small doses.

See what you think.

"Capitalism is the Predatory Stage of Human Evolution"

Movie Monday

Not a full review of a movie this week. That will have to wait until next Monday because I only got to see War, Inc. once and you know I like to look at movies at least two times before I review them.

War, Inc. has been on a few times in my movie packet but it's next viewing is not until 2 am Tuesday. I have my trusty Verizon recorder all set up since 2 am can be dozing time for me and I don't want to miss any of this.

My first viewing of the movie was also in the middle of the night and I was sure that my ADD would kick in and I would just turn it off and pull up Movie Spoilers for the plot. Didn't happen. I was mesmerized. I watched the entire movie thinking that this was the best anti-war movie since The Americanization of Emily (which really was a cop-out since it ended happy Hollywood style.)

Even before I get to watch this a second time, I have to say: Don't miss this movie. It's a comedy with a bite or it's a tragedy with some smiles. And, it says stuff you should be hearing.

This week I'm going to touch on Twilight (No, don't scream and run away!) again because the MTV awards were last night and there is a lot of buzz on the net today about the Twilight cast being there.

First, after way, way too many viewings of Twilight (New Moon viewings are getting there but only by skipping the whole Jacob Black middle), I still think this first movie is a well constructed and well acted venture. It moves; it tells the story and I get it; and its actors mouth some pretty hokey lines without me rolling on the floor in laughter.

Juxtaposition Twilight to Mulholland Drive which I just watched last night in the middle of the night. Oh, the agony! It was clueless to plot points and entertained like paint drying very, deadly slowly. And that one had Naomi Watts.

Last night, the MTV awards showed trailers from Eclipse and HP and the Deathly Hallows. I saw both this morning and I really don't understand all the raves about the HP & DH clip. It was a rapid-fire 20 seconds long and probably cutting edge CGI. However, if I didn't know anything about the plot of the novel, I would be lost. John Hurt is shown in a nano-second and I think Harry then speaks to him off screen for a nano-second. As I remember, his character plays a vital part in DH but he hasn't been in the series since the first movie. Who remembers him in his split second in the trailer?

The Eclipse trailer was much slower and started with an objectionable scene (and I mean objectionable to fans as I read forum postings) with Bella leaving Edward standing in the parking lot as she gets on Jacob's motorcycle and rides off with him. WTF? Then it went into previously shown trailer parts with the newborns and Victoria and Edward.

I have to say I don't understand the Twilight vs Harry Potter movie and now trailer feud. The two trailers were completely different: I didn't like the Eclipse one and I thought HP & DH was just an exercise in REM.

I guess I should say that I'm really not that impressed with the HP movies. I feel absolutely no empathy with the characters (though Daniel Radcliffe was sooo cute when he was younger) and, granting that Rowlings is a so much better writer than Meyers, her plots are still all fantasy - just a different type of fantasy and written so much better. (OK, the supporting actors in HP are better known but the kids - Harry, Ron and Hermione - are played by pretty average actors.)

Movies like War, Inc. have an obligation to be well-done. Movies like HP and Twilight would be nice if they were well-done but there is a millions plus fan base for both of them which may grouse aplenty but will always be an enormous core audience. When you're the meme, for your time, you're top of the world.

That's it for today though I do want to touch on the Twilight series' abusive male/female relationship and the abuses of our capitalism in an upcoming post. OK, don't roll your eyes. I was amazed when I mentioned this analogy to my husband and he agreed that I could be right. I was stunned! I thought I was going to be dismissed with: Oh boy, another hair-brain analogy.

And, I'm working on a Valkyrie post. You know, the movie with Tom Cruise. There's a lot there.

See you next week.

"Capitalism is the Predatory Stage of Human Evolution"

Knitting Friday

A pretty lame post today since my photographer is working and even if he weren't, my photo entry is pretty lame this week. It's just the finished picture of the shawl I posted last week. So, I'll just say a few knitting-like things and let you get on with your work.

First, my finished shawl was a bitch to knit but oh, so lovely when on the shoulders. I'm happy to say that one skein of Knit Picks lace (431 yards) makes a lovely rectangular shawl, knitted on the diagonal, with a crocheted ruffled border and a small ball of yarn leftover. This one is a winner.

Second, I was in Michael's last Saturday buying the equipment to make flowered flip-flops to hide my ugly toe nail and the clerk said to me: I really like your vest. Well, I was wearing a ruffled triangle lace shawl crocheted in thin cotton thread - not at all a vest. But I was wearing it with the ruffled edge folded over as a collar and lapel and tied in the front.

That got me thinking: What if I were to take the rectangular lace shawl I'm making (in cotton thread) and end it before shawl length? Then, I could ruffle the four sides and sew the narrow sides for sleeves and wear it as a shrug. Interesting idea and I only have one project I want to finish before I tackle it. Which brings me to my third item:

I have almost five skeins of Luxor cotton left (you remember the blue, very small looking, cardi I posted about 2 weeks ago?) and it's really not enough for a US 6 needle knitted summer top which was my original plan. So, what to do? After all, this yarn has absolutely no elasticity.

I'm making it into another cardi (not that I need one) on US 10, in the open lace of the shawl pictured last week but this time every row is knit, and knitted from the bottom up. I'm finishing up one skein and I have about 6" done so I should have enough yarn. I'll post a picture.

Lesson learned from this project (and other cotton projects): Don't buy cotton unless you really, really love the color. And, don't buy cheap cotton. It's never a bargain.

I'll leave you with a pattern:

http://www.universalyarn.com/pattern.php?pattern=409

This is a crocheted shawl and I'm seeing it in a thin yarn with a large hook.

Be sure to take a look at the other free patterns at Universal Yarns, they seem good.

Happy knitting.

"Capitalism is the Predatory Stage of Human Evolution"

Before Israel decided to spit in the eye of the US, and the rest of the world, by attacking the aid flotilla, I was listening to Hillary Clinton talking about our great ally, South Korea.

Oh, allies! Our praise is so fulsome; our hypocrisy so stunning!

Website Wednesday

If you noticed, there was no Movie Monday. I decided to take Memorial Day off and engage in that great American pastime: shop to commemorate a holiday. I didn't shop long though so I engaged in the another popular American pastime: going to the pool. OK, I just sat and knitted but, not once, did the siren call of my blog reach my ears. But, I'm ready for Website Wednesday:

http://www.dump.com/

The Dump is a picture-submitting site. I seem to gravitate to picture sites. This is another cute one. It's a current site. Take a look at the leaping cat picture which is up. Apparently, you vote for your fav pictures and the results are posted.

Now, I hope this next pick is not too "girly:"

http://www.desiretoinspire.net/

It says of itself: ....Whether highlighting interior designers and decorators, architects, stylists, photographers or their owner readers' homes, Desire to Inspire aims to do just that ... inspire. Sit back, pour a cup of tea and enjoy!

Confession time: I love to read floor plans and imagine the rooms slightly different or the entire design much different. One of my favorite series of books is: The Atrium Library of Interior Design. I've been known to visit model home and then come home and redecorate. And, at least twice a year, the siren call of moving furniture grabs me.

OK, back to this website. You do get inspiration. You get minimalist design; you get the French country look; you get interesting commentary; you get reader comments, some with good substance (always a delight.) And, you get Pets on Furniture! How could you not love it?

So take a look at these websites. Good summer reading. Good ideas.