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| Thursday, January 7th, 2010 |
seweccentric
|
1:20p |
Blue Gloves (WIP)
 Blue Gloves (WIP)
Originally uploaded by seweccentricDudley wanted some gloves, and turns out there are not a lot of mens gloves patterns. This one was supposedly a military pattern, but as you can see - there's no way that would fit my husband's hands. So these will probably be a gift to my mother.
If anyone ever gives you a pair of hand knit gloves you should kiss their feet! They really are complicated little buggers. So the thumb stitches are resting right now (to be picked up and finished later). Then 32 stitches were left on the needles while I used the other 13 + 2 cast on stitches to create the index finger. There are 5 needles in this photo, plus a 6th working needle.
What I like about this pattern is that the cuff can be worn up or down - I think it looks really cute folded down.
BTW, this is the color of the wall we painted in the computer/embroidery room. It's also the color of paint on the dog's rear and ear now (guess who walked too close to the wall?) |
kradical
|
11:05a |
Stupid History 6 January 2010
The letter D in D-Day has given rise to many assumptions of its meaning: Dooms-Day, Death-Day, Deliverance-Day, etc. But the truth is the D stands for "Day" in teh same manner the H in H-Hour stands for "Hour." Current Mood:  amusedCurrent Music: "Time Has Come Today" by the Chambers Brothers |
kradical
|
10:27a |
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kradical
|
10:09a |
my contribution to the Yankees Annual
The article that I did this week will be appearing in early March in the Maple Street Press Yankees Annual, which will start showing up in stores and on newsstands in early March. My article is tentatively called "The Team(s) of the Decade," and it ranks the ten Yankee teams of 2000-2009 from worst to best, and the #1 slot won't go to who you think it'll go to. Current Mood: pleasedCurrent Music: "Funky Cold Medina" by Tone-Loc |
infinitydog
|
12:01a |
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| Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 |
daytonward
|
11:55p |
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kradical
|
9:13p |
good meeting
Had a good meeting with someone who will pay me to do something. More when it becomes really official, but it's something that a) I've never done before but b) I'm very qualified to do. It's not a lot of money, but it beats a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.... Current Mood: chipperCurrent Music: "Forty Days" by Buddy Guy |
tiggerallyn
|
8:52p |
On Silly Songs For a Wednesday
In lieu of any meaningful content today, because meaningful content eludes even the best of us sometimes, here’s George Harrison’s “The Pirate Song” from Rutland Weekend Television:
And, just for the hell of it, some Lord of the Rings humor:
Peace! 
Originally posted at allyngibson.net. Cross-posted to LiveJournal. |
stitchtowhere
|
5:16p |
worse than smoking
cbc is running a story about how obesity is an OMG bigger health threat than smoking! i would write about how i can park my entire imaginary batmobile collection in the holes in their sources, but i am too busy being fat and smoking (hot). THAT'S RIGHT, PEOPLE: AS A SMOKING FATTY, I AM THE NUMBER ONE THREAT TO YOUR HEALTH. it's only a matter of time before i get banned from restaurants and bars, in addition to new zealand. |
madfishmonger
|
5:40p |
Start the New Year with Science
Today's class is about your immune system and the myth of "boosting" 1. Your Immune SystemWhat it is: a system of biological structures and processes within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumour cells.2.How it works: Given the example of a viral or bacterial infection, the job of your immune system is to protect your body from these infections. The immune system protects you in three different ways: 1. It creates a barrier that prevents bacteria and viruses from entering your body. 2. If a bacteria or virus does get into the body, the immune system tries to detect and eliminate it before it can make itself at home and reproduce. 3. If the virus or bacteria is able to reproduce and start causing problems, your immune system is in charge of eliminating it. 3. The myth of "boosting" Your immune system has a baseline at which it operates at its optimal rate. When you are healthy, eating well and caring for yourself, your immune system functions at its best. When you are unwell, there are things you can do (vitamins, etc) to return it to its optimal state, but you can't make it work better than it already does. For an article written by a science guy on this subject, read this. To put it nerdly simply, say your system has a max rating of 10. You get a cold, and it's down to 6. You drink a cup of herbal tea, eat three oranges and get a good night's sleep. You're back up to 10. Then you take some vitamins. You're still at 10. You run a marathon, kill some orcs, get injected with pure vitamin C and drink a healing potion. Still 10. Your immune system is also composed of many, er, components. When something claims to be able to boost your system, it never says specifically what it's boosting. Interesting stuff, when you walk down the health food aisle.  Current Mood:  surprisedCurrent Music: OEM Radio |
kradical
|
10:43a |
stuffs
Yesterday, I wrote an article for a book that will actually be out fairly soon. More details once the contracts are signed, but the editor liked the piece, which is the important part. Today, I have a meeting that may lead to a nice little gig. Tonight, I'm having dinner with the Forebearance. ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) terri_osborne is making good progress on the move, with occasional help from me. I've been talking to prospective roommates, who should be able to look at the place next week. I'm not going to Arisia this year, but I will be in the Boston area that weekend: I'm going to ALA Midwinter on BOOM!'s dime to help promote their comics to the library world. Farscape #7 was approved by Henson, which means I need to write #8. But first, I finish chapter two of the urban fantasy. Cha cha cha. Current Mood:  busyCurrent Music: "Midnight Rambler" by the Rolling Stones |
kradical
|
10:12a |
Stupid History 5 January 2010
As a member of Parliament, Sir Isaac Newton spoke only once. He asked for an open window. Current Mood: amusedCurrent Music: "Someday the Sun Won't Shine for You" by Jethro Tull |
kradical
|
10:11a |
an amusing "Best Trek Author?" comment
A user with the name of "captcalhoun" responded to a thread on the Trek BBS's TrekLit forum called "Best Trek Author?" like so: Best for Action, Death and Destruction Whilst Retaining Interesting Characters: David Mack
Best for Science Whilst Retaining an Interesting Plot and Not Coming Off Like a Text Book: Christopher L Bennett
Best for Politics and Stuff Whilst Being Interesting: Keith DeCandido
Best for LOL Humour and Retaining the Spirit of TOS: Peter David
Best for Capturing the Essence of TOS With New Characters: Dayton Ward/Kevin Dilmore
Best For Making Voyager Better Than the Show: Kirsten Beyer I'll take it... Current Mood: pleasedCurrent Music: "Single-Handed Sailor" by Dire Straits |
daytonward
|
12:20a |
Secret Lives of Great Authors & Artists, Jan 5.
 Bastard sons play critical roles in several of Shakespeare's plays, so it's no surprise he may have sired one. The playwright spent most of his time in London, leaving wife Anne Hathaway in Stratford to raise their children. When journeying home for visits, he passed through the town of Oxford, where he often stayed at a tavern owned by John Davenant, a wealthy vintner. Davenant had a comely wife of his own, Jane, and, well rumor has it she and Billy Shakes made the beast with two backs. Her son, named -- ahem -- William Davenant, was born in 1606. Shakespeare was godfather to the child. As the boy grew, he developed several striking similarities to his putative progenitor. Will Davenant became a respected playwright, theater manager, and poet who was named England's poet laureate in 1637. Current Music: The West Wing: "Election Night" on DVD |
infinitydog
|
12:01a |
|
| Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 |
daytonward
|
11:55p |
|
| Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 |
tamago23
|
12:10a |
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| Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 |
madfishmonger
|
9:46p |
The Real Miracle.
When Bankei was preaching at Ryumon temple, a Shinshu priest, who believed in salvation through the repitition of the name of the Buddha of Love, was jealous of his large audience and wanted to debate with him. Bankei was in the midst of a talk when the priest appeared, but the fellow made such a disturbance that bankei stopped his discourse and asked about the noise. "The founder of our sect," boasted the priest, "had such miraculous powers that he held a brush in his hand on one bank of the river, his attendant held up a paper on the other bank, and the teacher wrote the holy name of Amida through the air. Can you do such a wonderful thing?" Bankei replied lightly: "Perhaps your fox can perform that trick, but that is not the manner of Zen. My miracle is that when I feel hungry I eat, and when I feel thirsty I drink." More here. Current Mood:  calm |
christymarx
|
5:49p |
I was amused watching a crow this morning. He/she was perched on the birdbath. We have a couple of volcanic rocks in the birdbath as decoration. The smaller red rock is rounded and the crow was using his beak to roll the rock around and around the bird bath. Once in a while, we find small rocks added to the birdbath and we were pretty sure it was the crows. Another crow brought his peanut over to the birdbath and gave it a washing before he ate it. Now we know how the peanut shells sometimes get into the water. The other day, the crows ganged up on a raven that was trying to invade the territory. One crow led the raven on a merry chase in tight circles around a pine tree until the raven gave up. The crows are more agile than the larger ravens, who are better suited to soaring. We've finally had some goldfinches show up at the birdfeeder. I'd seen them in our tree out front, but never in the back. We added some thistle seed to the mix, so that's probably what finally lured them around. Beautiful little birds they are. I like seeing the red finches, goldfinches and bluejays together, spattering the yard with color. I spotted an unusual finch or maybe even a couple of them. They look exactly like the red finches (technically Purple Finches, though actually rose red in color), but are a variant of golden-orange rather than red. Lovely birds! |
tiggerallyn
|
8:39p |
On a Malarkey of Luggage
She was surrounded by luggage.
I boarded the Light Rail train at Cultural Center, after running hard for half a block in sub-freezing cold, just to be sure that I would not have to wait fifteen minutes for the next Hunt Valley train. As I surmounted the stairs into the railcar I saw a woman on the handicapped seat right at the door, with luggage to both sides, at her feet, and on the seat beside her. All told, eight pieces — large duffles, small duffles, backpacks, tote bags.
The car was curiously crowded this morning, and I found a seat midway back.
I glanced at the woman as I settled in. I judged her to be about thirty. She had dirty blond hair, curly, a little more than shoulder length. She wore black; her top, beneath her brown jacket, had some kind of shimmering quality to it. The old writer’s trick of forming a story about the details presented by a stranger came to mind. Why all the luggage? She’s traveling, obviously. But from where to where? I noticed an airport baggage tag on one of the bags. Perhaps she’d been overseas for Christmas and was just returning home. No, I noticed books in one of the open totes. A grad student in history, then, just returned from a semester in Europe.
The train rolled through North Avenue and Woodberry. She had an awful lot of luggage. I could not stop thinking about the luggage.
Is there an adjective to describe a quantity of luggage? A flock of geese, a murder of crows. But luggage? A malarkey of luggage? I like that. I could not stop thinking of her malarkey of luggage.
She looked at me. Perhaps I’d been studying her luggage and she was curious why. Or perhaps she just was taking a look around the car. Either way, we made eye contact, and I pointed at her. “Are you going to need a hand offloading?” I asked.
She smiled. “You must have read my mind.”
I smiled back. “What’s your stop?”
“Mount Washington,” she said.
That was still a little ways up.
I moved a seat closer, and we talked for a few moments. A grad student she was not. She was from California. She was a missionary en route to Nigeria for a year. She was taking a library with her; one of her duffels was packed.
She asked what I did, and I told her, and thus began a brief conversation about writing.
We arrived at Mount Washington, and I picked up the duffels, nearly tripping my way out the door, as I wasn’t used to their weight and I was unbalanced in trying to get down the stairs. She brought a couple more bags out, and then I helped her move another heavy duffel. She was then to wait for a friend.
I wished her well on her missionary work, reboarded the train, and on my way to work I went.
It was a morning for observing strangers on the train and the subway. I saw a woman on the subway — silver hair, perhaps in her late-fifties — shuffling tarot cards. Tarot cards!
And then there was snowfall from a clear blue sky; I thought it a strange portent and an ill-omen, though in reality today turned out fine.
Such was my morning.
Originally posted at allyngibson.net. Cross-posted to LiveJournal. |
lampbane
|
6:53p |
End-of-Year Reviews, Part the Second
So a few days late, whatever. Welcome to the new year! Bat-Manga! The Secret History of Batman in Japanby Chip Kidd I've praised the damn thing before based on its graphic design, but how does the thing actually read? Not very well, I'm afraid. The book collects a forgotten manga series from the 1960's that was not well-preserved, so that presents the first problem: very few of the stories in the collection are actually complete. You can't fault Kidd and company for that, but it does make the book more of an artistic piece than a narrative piece. The introduction is mildly infuriating in that Kidd admits they've collected enough material for a second book. I would hope that these are pieces of new stories, and not the missing pieces from this volume, otherwise it seems silly to go ahead with publication of the first volume as-is. Judging the actual stories, they're not bad. There's a few good tales in there (I think I enjoyed the Weather Wizard one, though incomplete) but also a few clunkers. It's funny to note that in the interview with Jiro Kuwata, he mentions how unrealistic some of the American stories are and how the Japanese prefer realism. This is a comic where Batman has a likeness of himself carved into the side of Mt. Gotham, for god's sake. The art is decent for its time, and the reproductions of each page are photographed well enough that the lines are crisp and clear. The pages sometimes had to be shot from bound volumes, but despite that setback each page looks great. They chose to keep the textures of the paper and the bleed-through, which increases the feel of the book as an art piece rather than reading material. In addition, the translated text on the panels is printed a soft purple to match the ink, which lets it blend in better. However, Kidd chose to use a straight sans-serif font instead of hand-written, citing time as the reason he couldn't hand letter it and calling computer fonts that imitate handwriting as the "equivalent of a bad toupee." Despite his personal feelings, choosing to go with an obviously artificial font misses the point of the hand lettering: it matches and blends in better with the artwork, which is done by hand. In a comic the art and text are meant to work together, and when both are handmade (or the appearance thereof) the flow of reading is more organic. The translated notes that run along the side are presented perpendicular to the rest of the page, such that one has to turn the book to read them (or learn to ignore them). In a book with such a large trim size, this is a drawback. It's still a nice book, and I did enjoy reading it, but I have to say I now agree with those who complained with the lack of a proper credit for Jiro Kuwata. The cover mentions Chip Kidd, the spine mentions Kidd, Geoff Spear, and Saul Ferris, and the title page mentions those three plus the translator Anne Ishii and Batman creator Bob Kane. I understand and can forgive the omission on the cover, but the title page? You couldn't squeeze one more name onto a two page spread? The man is credited at the start of every chapter, and there's an interview with him near the front (though the page is kind of buried between shots of Batman toys and adverts) but those aren't as prominent as putting his name on the title page, where people are most likely to look and where it should be. |
seweccentric
|
4:03p |
Hypothetically Speaking....
If I were to make a new year's resolution, it should probably be to quit buying more yarn and fabric and get busy with the projects I planned for with the stockpile I have. Shhh, don't tell my husband ;) |
seweccentric
|
1:45p |
St. Magnus Cathedral
  Kirkwall_0329
Originally uploaded by seweccentricThese were taken at St. Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall on the Orkney Islands of Scotland when we were there on June 24, 2009. Construction began in 1137 but continued for 300 years. There is a cemetery that surrounds the cathedral with beautiful ancient headstones. Historically Catholic, but later under the Church of Scotland (after the reformation in 1560)
The acoustics were amazing - and there were some classical musicians rehearsing when we there. |
daytonward
|
1:25p |
Still chuggin' along....
So, I was at a local bookstore today, looking for a title that they ended up not having in stock, even though the website and the store's little "Look Up A Title!" kiosks both said were there. Taking a spin through the F/SF section (during which I grabbed a copy of Carrie Vaughn's latest novel, Kitty's House of Horrors), I noticed a copy of The Last World War I didn't remember seeing the last time I was there. Curious, I picked it up and flipped to the copyright page. Sure enough: the book has quietly gone back for an eighth printing. With the new book coming in just a few months, this is a nice extra bit of sweetness. Thanks, Mom, for continuing to buy all those copies!  Current Mood:  pleased |
daytonward
|
11:20a |
365 Stupidest Things Ever Said, Jan 1-5.
Okay. You asked for it.  January 1: On Answers, Thought-provoking"I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, um, some people out there in our nation don't have maps and, uh, I believe that our, uh, education like such as, uh, South Africa and, uh, the Iraq and everywhere like such as, and I believe that they should, uh, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., uh, should help South Africa and should help Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future." Miss South Carolina Teen Lauren Caitlin Upton, after being asked why a fifth of Americans can't locate the U.S. on a world map.January 2: Great Moments in Courtroom TestimonyAttorney: Where do you do for a living? Witness: I help my brother. Attorney: What does your brother do? Witness: Nothing. actual courtoom testimonyJanuary 3: On For Some Reason, They Now Have Problem Getting DatesJAPANESE SCIENTISTS GROW FROG EYES AND EARS actual newspaper headlineJanuary 4: On Books, Useful
- Beyond Leaf Raking
- Guide to Eskimo Rolling
- Hand-Grenade Throwing As A College Sport
actual book titlesJanuary 5: On Employees, DreamReason for leaving last job:
- The responsibility made me nervous.
- They insisted that all employees get to work by 8:45 every morning. Couldn't work under those conditions.
- Maturity leave.
from actual job applications |
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