Bleibe - Reste- Stay!

I know why this scared me as a kid, but now?  Ah, Joel Grey is perfection.  And the rest is all just very stylized.  (It also helps to know German and French.) Anyway, enjoy!







Currently crocheting a very tedious washcloth for the holiday gift pile.  I ought to make a list and figure out how many I will actually need...

How...?

I had completely forgotten about this. We briefly had HBO when I was a kid, and they played this movie a lot. Oh, Tim Curry...

They say anything can happen. I guess so...

Still working on this cross stitch, plus a hat for a gift. And I really need to finish Rosina's costume. Maybe tomorrow!

After a long absence

There are plenty of reasons for my ghosting, though I'd rather focus on my ability to return, personally!  In the meantime, this song has been stuck in my head for days, and this is a PHENOMENAL live performance.  Just fricking perfect.







Crafting of note:  I'm working on a cross stitch for our friends R and F's baby, who's being baptized in a few weeks.  She has a really long name, so that took a bit of finagling...

Exhibit W...

Yet another sign I am still not ready to follow politics again: crying when the song "Eve of Destruction" comes on the radio. Seriously, fifty-year-old Vietnam protest song?! Mmhmm, think I'm gonna stick to binge-watching cleaning and makeup videos on YouTube for now. But reading up on "Eve of Destruction" did bring the 2001 Clear Channel memo to my attention, though. I mean, I know people did some nutty stuff in the fall of 2001, but suggesting radio stations not play Rage Against the Machine is not helpful. Jeez.  They should've banned that horrific Lee Greenwood song, if they wanted to pacify the masses... But hey, this song was also on the list!

Anyone remember the show Cleopatra 2525? That was fun...

So we've had a bit of drama over here, the worst of which I think/hope is over, or at least addressed. At his point we are planning a quick New York vacation, which will involve fun family stuff and hopefully Der Rosenkavalier at the Met! In crafting, a very good friend is having a baby soon, so I am making a Guernsey-style blanket for her. I am taking a break from it at the moment to work on a Rikaart cowl (finally using my Miss Babs!).  I probably should have done this before the freak cold snap here, so it might actually be useful.

Bzzzzzzzz

New Lorde video! Where on earth did they find a pay phone?

The last few weeks have been hectic, particularly this one. It would help if I didn't have trouble sleeping--not from worry or stress or anything. I am tired...

Getting the Big Mo

I bounced back rather quickly from the cold, thankfully--and Mark is feeling better, finally--and have actually been accomplishing things. In the last week, I've applied to be a school volunteer (has to be done on-site, during school hours, so it's logistically harder than it sounds), scrubbed grout, washed carpets and a bunch of clothing, made a number of washcloths (stockpiling Christmas presents, if you can believe it!), went through Rosina's warm-weather clothing (may need shorts, has enough tops for three kids), went to a great Korean supermarket (our first HMart, I am in love) and a not-so-great international festival, trimmed Rosina's bangs, and finally mailed postcards about ACA to, as I refer to them, our dillweed senators.

And I heard this on the radio the other day. This will always be a good thing. How hot was he back then ?! Even with the cigarette!

Grumble grumble

I have a cold, and am miserable and pretty pissed about it.



This song is brought to you by my trial Sirius XM subscription.  My usual favorite station is Soul Town (OF COURSE), but The Joint is also a good one.  I don't know how weird it is that some suburban white mom is blasting reggae out of a station wagon.  Granted, reviewing the channel guide for Sirius XM is quite suggestive of their target demographics.  Not anyone under thirty, to be sure.

So the reason that I have a trial subscription is the same as the last time I had one:  we have a new (to us) car!  The TDI buyback scheme is tedious and involves a lot of back-and-forth with forms--but even with all the forms submitted, we still had to wait TWO MONTHS for an appointment.  In the meantime, a car became available, and we were able to swing it, so we jumped.  And it's probably the car we should've gotten in the first place:  a 2013 Prius v.  And it's blue!  Hooray!  Learning to drive a hybrid is a bit of an adventure, but you get the hang of it fairly quickly.  You definitely sacrifice responsiveness for fuel efficiency, which is annoying in a hilly area when you have to quickly accelerate to 45 mph out of a turn or traffic light, but I suppose one must drive safely, regardless of mpg.  Anyway, yes, Yuppie Car #2.  But I'm averaging 45mpg every day, so I'm satisfied.

Speaking of which, I must pick up the child soon, but I do have a crafting update.  Inspired by the pussyhats, I've decided to keep some charity items in the mix.  I am working on a mistake-rib scarf for the Knit Your Bit project (one of my usual recipients, when I feel like crafting for charity).  I finally finished a black lace scarf, and started another black scarf.  Typical.

Gratitude

Dear Obama family,

Thank you so much for your hard work, sacrifices, and class.  I hope you can take a few days off!  I would be honored to have you all over for dinner sometime. I suppose you could easily access my contact information if need be. Give the NSA something positive to do for three minutes!

I am actually serious about the invitation.

Lots of love,

Jennifer

(I did make Pussyhats. Six going to DC with a friend, and one for me out of some crazy scratchy wool. I did get recognized in the wild last weekend - at Cheesecake Factory, of all places. Here R. models one of the sparkly acrylic ones.)

And now I'mma be morose again for a few minutes. The George Michael binge continues...

Well, actually...

I have not really been in the best place lately, but I did feel like I needed to post. I don't know if it's just the Seasonal Affective Disorder--which has not really been that bad in the 17 years I've lived in the South, but still is an annual thing--or that the election has broken my heart, and my husband's heart as well, but yeah, just not feeling all that hot... Anyway one of the things perturbing my brain is, of course, George Michael dying, on Christmas even. (Not that I'm the biggest fan of the song "Last Christmas", not really my thing, but y'all know my love for George Michael. Even when it wasn't cool, I was into George Michael.) I have been listening a lot, just enjoying his voice, and developing new respect for some surprisingly complex pop songs.  This one, though, is just for fun, and because it cheers me up I've been listening to it a lot. This video, though. Top of the Pops, 1984. Lip-synched, Princess Diana hair, Miami Vice outfit in black... So many colors... (Please don't watch this if you are prone to motion sickness or seizures. Oh man.)

And if you are not smiling at least a little after that, well, I can't help you.