Monday, 03 May 2010

Friday, 30 April 2010

  • Currently
    Mad Men: Season Three
    By Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, January Jones, Christina Hendricks
    see related

    St. Pius X

    Friends, this transferring over of my blog archives thing has been really kicking my butt.  It’s not that it’s that difficult or tedious (though I imagine the tedium will come), but, man, it’s been emotional.  How was I supposed to know when I started blogging in 2005 that my whole life was about to change?  That things were going to be set in motion that would affect me for years to come?  2005 was the beginning of so many things for me.  I started back to school, began several new relationships that were going to have a major impact on my life, and started a new job.  2005 was the year we started making movies.  2005 was the year I learned how to swing dance.

    It’s been a little intense going back through all those blog posts, remembering all these things that had started to fade from my memory, not just the stuff I blogged about, but all the things I didn’t blog: all the drama and the heartbreak.  2005 was a beautiful year in a lot of ways, but it was also the year I broke my heart twice over one guy, started a relationship with another that was going to break my heart many more times in the years to come, and that was just the beginning of the drama.  I didn’t blog directly about a lot of that – 2005 was also the year that I learned that it wasn’t a good idea to blog too frankly about your emotions, particularly if you blog about starting to fall in love with a particular guy who then doesn’t treat you like a princess in front of your protective male friends, who then start threatening to lay in wait for him out in the parking lot, etc.  Which means that you, who are hurt by how the guy’s treating you (although you know that it’s more because of his own nerves and social ineptness than because he doesn’t value you), have to now deal not only with your own feelings and handle a delicate situation with the guy you’re interested in, but also soothe the outraged sensibilities of these other males so that they don’t make a bad situation worse.  And it’s kinda hell.  (I’d managed to forget about most of that.  Sigh.)  That was the only blog post I’ve ever deleted, and I’ve been a lot more careful since then.  But even reading the public posts reminds me of what was happening behind the scenes.  And like I said, 2005 was a big year.

    The other thing about going back through these old blog posts is remembering who I was back then.  I was so young, and so eager for life.  I rushed into everything – school, relationships, projects.  I wanted to live life to the full, and I did.  It was a lot of fun.  I was so ready to believe in happy ever afters and fairy tale endings.  I just knew that all my dreams really would come true if I just worked hard and believed with all my heart.  I was ready to love, and sure that other people really would be the best version of themselves if they had the chance.  I miss that part of myself, but I also grieve for that girl, for all the heartache and pain that was going to come as dreams didn’t come true, people (including herself) didn’t live up to what she’d hoped they’d be, and all the fairy tale endings faded away.

    To be honest, though, I don’t know if I would have done anything differently.  I did the best I could at the time, knowing what I knew then, trying to love God and the people around me with all my heart.  I wish that I’d made some different decisions.   There are too many times when I panicked and ran when I wish I’d stayed, or stayed in situations when I should have run as fast as I could.  But I did my best with what I had, and that’s all you can expect.

    There’s some things I’d like to reclaim of who I used to be.  I don’t miss the drama and the recklessness, but I miss the fun.  I miss how much I used to enjoy whatever I was doing.  I don’t have any idea how I’ll do it, but I’d like to add a little of that back into my life.  Yes, life has thrown me some serious curve balls in the past few years, some of which I’ve fielded better than others, but I’ve been sad long enough.  It’s time to be happy again.

    Also: Three days til this blog moves permanently to Wordpress!  Adjust your RSS feeds accordingly!

Wednesday, 28 April 2010

  • Currently
    Murder Must Advertise (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries)
    By Dorothy L. Sayers
    see related

    St. Louis de Montfort

    Not-So-Wordless Wednesday: Birthday Wish List
    My birthday is fast approaching, but when Aunt S asked me last weekend what I wanted for my present, I had no idea what to tell her. Now I know that I’m going to ask for help fixing my sewing machine (more on that Friday), but I was thinking that if I could jettison all practical considerations (like the impulse that led me to ask my parents for an iron), and leaving aside, say, trips to Vienna or being set up on a blind date with Michael Bublé (did I tell you about the killer dream I had about him?), this is what I would want for my birthday:


    Protagonist Necklace from Lioness Den Jewelry

    Because sometimes I need a reminder that, yes, I am the hero of my own life, not just a walk-on in someone else’s.


    Felted Slippers from Bure

    Because we need a little gratuitous beauty in our everyday lives.  Also, did I mention that my house gets cold?


    When Was The Last Time You Thanked Your Heart For Beating print from Farouche.

    Since my brother’s death from a heart attack at age 30, I’ve been hyper-conscious of my own heart, and how grateful I am that it continues to work for one more day.  This print sums up that gratitude for me.


    Purple Tower for Curtain from Intres Handmade.

    It’s not PC, but since I was little I’ve had a small daydream about being a princess in a tower.  Though frankly anything from this shop would be very welcome – I love her felt bonsai trees too!


    Blushing In Pink dress by Ouma.

    Every woman’s wardrobe should include one completely unnecessary, utterly gorgeous dress that makes her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.


    Swirling Embrace print by Amy Erickson

    Sometimes, when you’re really lucky, when the stars align, and your guardian angel decides you’ve been extra special good, this is what a dance feels like.


    Merino/Angora/Cashmere laceweight yarn (1250 meters) from The Gossamer Web.

    Do I need more yarn?  Heavens, no!  I could knit for years without ever having to buy another skein.  But… but… it’s so pretty.  And soft.  And that color!  And, well, I want it.

    Also: Five days til this blog moves permanently to Wordpress!  Adjust your RSS feeds accordingly!

Monday, 26 April 2010

  • Currently
    Pavarotti Forever
    By Luciano Pavarotti
    see related

    Pope St. Cletus

    Once upon a time, back when I read romance novels (like, a lot) there was one period romance author I particularly liked for her interesting plot lines, and fascinating, psychologically complex heroes.  And by psychologically complex I don’t mean the typical Byronically sulky romance hero, but men who were struggling with actual clinical problems.  In one her hero has a major stroke, the side effects of which convince his family that he has gone mad.  The Quaker heroine discovers him in an insane asylum where she learns that he isn’t crazy, he’s just lost the ability to speak.  This leads to his reinstatement in his former privileged life (he is, of course, a Duke), him falling in love with her, and lots of fun romantic drama plus some fairly hot sex.

    A few years back I stopped reading romance novels for various reasons (available upon request, but too lengthy to go into here), but every once in a while I can’t resist picking up one of my old favorites.  The other day I saw a copy of an early novel by this author, first published in 1989, and I had to check it out.  This time the hero was a reluctant war hero, suffering from PTSD which has left him devastated, and the heroine is the incredibly naive princess-in-exile of a small European monarchy (think Luxembourg) on the verge of revolution.  Unfortunately, things got infinitely more complicated from there.  There’s various villainous relatives on both sides, schemes so Byzantinely convoluted that after a while you’re not sure which way is up (and not in a good way), the British navy circumnavigating the globe, Arabian sheiks, and international politics.  There is so much wildly improbable stuff going on that when our heroes are stranded on an island for months, and then get kidnapped by Arabian slave traders you don’t even blink.  It’s enough to give you a headache, and remind me of part of the reason why I don’t read this stuff anymore!

    In other news (yes, I know I use that phrase too much), on Saturday Ani and I had our first ever ‘Stache Bash (aka The Mustache Party).  We had the Eating With Mustache competition (competitors had to eat soup, ice cream and peanut butter crackers – Johnsy won), awarded a prize for the Best ‘Stache (Rosie took the honors for that one), and had everyone create original works of art dedicated to The Honor And Glory Of The Mustache, which they then presented to the entire group.  We had an original limerick rhyming “mustache” and “panache”, a sculpture using grapes, toothpicks, and a strategic smear of mustard, a magazine collage presented with an interpretive dance, and many other memorable presentations.  In the end the Grand Prize went to the magazine collage.  It was a good time.

    It was mostly Ani’s friends at the party.  Usually when I throw a party my standard procedure is to invite the world, half or a third of the world shows up, and we’re good.  However, Ani wasn’t quite comfortable with that, so we both agreed to invite only a limited number of friends.  The problem was that I just… didn’t know what to do with that.  How do I invite some of my friends and not others?  Do I decide based on who I feel closer to?  Who I think would enjoy the party more?  And then what do I do about my family?  If I invite one or two of my sisters I really ought to invite them all, and then that’s my entire guest list.  In the end I figured out a few people to invite, but I felt so conflicted about the whole thing that I didn’t promote the party much, and in the end only Rose and her friend Cinder showed up for my side.  That worked out pretty well in the end – I think Ani’s friends felt much more able to be silly with less strangers there, but next time I’d like to have a few more of my own friends present.  I’ll just have to figure out how to invite them…

    Also: One week til this blog moves permanently to Wordpress!  Adjust your RSS feeds accordingly!

Friday, 23 April 2010

  • Currently
    The Tudors: The Complete Third Season
    By Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Henry Cavill, James Frain
    see related

    St. George

    First off, I have an important announcement: we're moving.  No, not physically moving - I already did that once this year, and have no intention of doing it again.  I mean the blog is moving.  I've been thinking about this for a while.  When I first started this blog way back in February of 2005 I really didn't have any intention of blogging.  Mostly I wanted to keep in touch with people from the youth group I was helping out with.  Only once I had a blog, I started using it.  Flash forward five years, almost all of those people I joined xanga to stay in contact with have long since abandoned their xanga accounts, but I'm still blogging.  And I think it's time for a change.  Xanga has been good to me, but you have to admit, it's a little... teenybopper.  I need something a little more grownup. 

    Consequently, starting next month, this blog will be moving to Wordpress.  The address is: http://thatsadancerslegmargaret.wordpress.com.

    I've been working hard to transfer all of my xanga blog over.  Unfortunately there's no easy way to do it, so I'm doing a lot of Copy and Paste.  So far I have the last couple months of this year moved, and the first couple months I ever wrote.  It's been fun going back through the old archives, revisiting myself five years ago.  So much has changed since then, but so much has stayed the same.  I think the very first blog post I ever wrote is as true today as when I wrote it so long ago.

    In other news, yesterday afternoon I ended up giving Rosie a ride out to Wright State.  While I was out there it occurred to me that I was somewhat near Fairborn during normal business hours, something that almost never happens, and I could visit the yarn store.  Not that I need any yarn right now, but sometimes it's nice to see the yarns somewhere besides my computer monitor, and maybe I could ask the proprietor if there's another way to start the Queen Anne's Lace Shawl that won't make me want to throw things.  So I headed over there and had a lovely time fondling yarns and chatting with the shop owner about all things knitting.  As I was checking out (you try to walk into a yarn store and walk out again without buying something.  Go ahead.  Try it.  I dare you.) I told the story of having to rip out my incipient lace shawl and turning to sock knitting to soothe my frazzled nerves.  Another customer expressed astonishment that I found sock knitting soothing, which led to me mentioning that usually I do two at a time using one long circular, and the yarn store owner asking me if I would be interested in teaching a class.  I was rather taken aback at this.  I mean, I haven't been knitting all that long, plus I knit oddly (somehow I taught myself to knit left handed even though I'm not), and ... seriously?  Me teach a knitting class?  But she seemed entirely serious.  So I left her one of my Etsy business cards, and said that another day I would bring my things and show her, and if she was still interested, I would be open to teaching.  So... we'll see.

Thursday, 22 April 2010

Monday, 19 April 2010

  • Currently
    Death at a Funeral
    By Matthew Macfadyen, Peter Dinklage, Ewen Bremner, Keeley Hawes, Andy Nyman
    see related

    St. Alphege

    Besides organized Family Meals (since we are, you know, related), I don't eat many meals with my roommates.  Our schedules don't synch up that often, and it's easier for each person to fix their own food when they're hungry than try to find a time when we can all eat together.  However, this Sunday was a little different.  Rosie and I went to Mass together, and when we were done, we were hungry.  We tossed around the idea of going out for brunch somewhere, but neither one of us wanted to spend the money to eat out. 

    Then I mentioned that we happened to have a pound of KJB Farms breakfast sausage in the freezer, and I had a new Japanese mandoline I was dieing to try out which would make excellent hash browns.  Rosie seemed to think this sounded pretty good, so we headed home and started cooking.  Rosie started a pot of French press coffee while I got the sausage defrosted and in the pan, and then I scrubbed the potatoes and set to work with the mandoline.  Before I knew it I had a bowl full of matchstick sliced potatoes ready to go.  Rosie had chopped some mushrooms and added them to the sausage, and when it was done I turned it out into a serving bowl, and started cooking the hash browns.  Rosie decided we needed at least one healthy thing in the meal, so she got out some of the broccoli that's been languishing in the bottom of the fridge and got it ready to steam.  Then I remembered the strawberries I'd just picked up from the Farmers' Market that needed to be eaten right away, and Rosie said she thought strawberries and cream sounded like an excellent way to end the meal.  While I set the table Rosie called Indy and invited her over, and I went upstairs to see if Johnnycakes wanted to join us.  He didn't respond when I called for him, so I let him sleep (more for us!).  It turned out that Indy had already eaten, but she came a little later in time to drink some coffee with us.  It was a great meal.

    While we were finishing up, Rosie and Indy discussed what movie they were going to see (watching and analyzing a movie together is their weekly tradition).  They decided on Date Night, and invited me along.  I'm glad they did - I loved that movie.  Steve Carrell and Tina Fey are pure magic together.  It was one belly laugh after another.  I laughed until I cried, and then I laughed some more.  So wonderful.

    The rest of the day was a lot quieter.  I had a serious knitting setback on Saturday night and needed to get my knitting mojo back.  I had been working on the Queen Anne's Lace shawl for Mom, with much frustration and swearing at trying to start a circle shawl with incredibly thin yarn (thread, really) on big and (relatively) heavy needles.  I knew that once I got the shawl big enough it would get a lot easier, but I would have to sweat through this part first.  I was up to Row 21 with over 100 stitches on the needles, and things were just starting to get better.  Then, as I had my knitting in my lap, I made a sudden movement to grab for something on the table nearby and yanked my knitting needle out of several stitches, which instantly dropped down to an irreparable level.  I had to just stare at it for several moments, but finally I acknowledged the truth.  I was going to have to unravel all my work and start over from scratch.  This so sapped my will to knit that I couldn't bring myself to start over just yet.  I needed a little time, and a simpler project to soothe my frazzled knitting nerves. 

    That was when I remembered the socks I promised to knit for Aunt S.  I've been wanting to do something for a while to thank her for all the ways she's been good to me, and at one point we decided that I should knit her a pair of crazy socks in her favorite pinks and purples.  Aunt S has spina bifida, and has been wearing ankle braces for many, many years.  This has caused her right and left feet and ankles to be completely different sizes.  The difference isn't so much that commercial socks won't fit, but it's definitely noticeable.  This means using two completely different sets of measurements for each sock, which makes for just enough of a challenge to make the miles of plain stockinette (any cables or fancy patterning I might put in would only be an irritation under the braces) interesting.  Yesterday evening I used my new yarn swift to wind up the yarn, knit my gauge swatch, and got started.  So far I'm loving the yarn I'm using, and I can't wait to show it to Aunt S!

Friday, 16 April 2010

  • Currently
    The Thread That Binds the Bones (A Chapel Hollow Novel)
    By Nina Kiriki Hoffman
    see related

    St. Bernadette

    I never knew home renovations could be so much fun!  When several panes of glass broke out of one of my bedroom windows, I was dismayed, and intimidated by the process or replacing them.  My response to people who said things like, "Oh, that's easy to fix!" was one of deep cynicism paired with a wish that someone would just make the problem go away.  Or, you know, fix it themselves so I didn't have to learn about things like glazing putty and glaziers points and whatnot.  Alas, knights in shining armor who happen to fix windows don't come along that often, so after about a week of procrastinating, I finally bit the bullet.  Rosie showed me the basics (chisel out old putty, use masking tape to safely retrieve old glass, insert new glass, insert points, add putty, make it pretty, and you're done) and I started in.  To my surprise, it was ... fun.  Satisfying.  Chiseling out the old putty was the most annoying part, but then you get to put in the new, pretty glass, apply putty, and use a putty knife to make the putty smooth and tidy looking.  I started to get smug about my putty knife wielding.  I started to say things to myself like, "Take that, previous inept window replacer!" and "That Bernadette, she's pure magic with a putty knife!"  Thankfully I only had a few panes to replace, so I was able to stop before my head got so big it burst.  Still, I felt self-satisfied and triumphant the whole rest of the day.

    The other big news this week has been the acquisition of my new little baby netbook, which I have named Belle.  I've been wanting one of these for a while, since I discovered exactly how heavy my big-screen laptop was to carry around, and saw the extreme cuteness and littleness of AnniPott's machine.  My laptop is aging (rather gracefully, I might add), but just couldn't muster up the necessary wireless reception (Mariah and The Duchess have a very strong wireless signal they're willing to share with their neighbors) to get internet access at my new place.  I had been thinking of buying a wireless modem and signing up for my own service, but Sweetness pointed out that it would be cheaper in the long run to buy a computer that could pick up the signal than having another bill to pay every month.  This seemed like wisdom to me, so I set aside some of my tax refund and started researching netbooks.  I've had it less than a week, but so far I love it.  Yes, the screen is tiny too, and it will never be my preferred tool for reading things online, but having internet access at home again is so utterly lovely.  Sigh.  Such a joy.

    While we're talking about happy things, I thought I'd mention how much I'm actually enjoying Theology On Tap this time around.  This is because I am no longer in charge.  I had been on the planning team (and leading the planning team) for six years, and I thought it was time to step down.  My clue was when I kept missing meetings because deep down I just really, really didn't want to go.  I didn't want to do it anymore, not on any level, and was finally willing to say that I didn't care if it collapsed without me, I wanted out.  And, well, I'm not completely out yet.  Somehow I'm still doing the nametags and maintaining the database.  However, I have high hopes that either I'll find someone to take my place, or if not I'll leave it up to the planning team to replace me.  I'm not the MC anymore, and it's not my job to make sure everything's going smoothly, starting and stopping on time, or any of the million other little things I used to have to take care of.  Instead I can sit in the back with my friends and my knitting, and whisper snarky comments to The Thinker or One.  For the first time in six years I'm going home from Theology On Tap feeling happy and relaxed, not stressed and drained.  It's a very good thing.

Wednesday, 14 April 2010

  • Currently
    Dragonhaven
    By Robin McKinley
    see related

    St. Ardalion

    Wordless Wednesday: Succulent Love


    I love succulents, and I recently ordered a bunch from Succulents Galore on Etsy.


    They were so gorgeous when they arrived that I potted them up right away.


    A pretty little aloe


    Haworthia Retusa


    Jellybean Plant


    The pots are all things I found cheap at the thrift store.


    String of buttons.


    String of pearls - a nice big one!


    By the knitting chair


    Bits that fell off the String of Pearls when I was unpacking it - hopefully it will soon be its own plant!


    In the front is Babies Toes (I love these names!).


    Woolly Rose - my favorite!


    The leaves are so soft!

Monday, 12 April 2010

  • Currently
    Hairspray (Soundtrack to the Motion Picture)
    see related

    St. Sabas the Goth

    I really need to get internet at home.  Seriously, dudes.  This borrowing Rosie's computer, or having to treck over to the 'rents to use their internet (Mom is already making jokes about how I only visit them when I need to use their computer or printer which is, um, sortof true), or waiting until I get to work is starting to really get old.  Sigh.  It's a hard life, isn't it.

    I wish I had more progress to report on my room painting (which would also give me an excellent excuse for not having blogged much last week) but, alas, I am just about exactly as far along as I was last time I blogged.  See, all the life stuff I was shoving to the side to paint suddenly ganged up on me and insisted that I take care of them right now right now right now, and I was forced to put my paint brushes aside and deal with things like dishes, and laundry.  Also, I chose to forsake my paint cans this weekend in favor of having an actual social life.  (I know.  Wonders will never cease.)

    Actually, it was the kind of weekend that reminds me of what my life used to be like, back when I was a serious social butterfly.  It started off with movie night with Ani (she had never seen Hairspray.  I know.  The horror.) plus catching up.  We're starting to get excited about the Mustache party coming up.  On Saturday I hit the Farmer's Market (something I'm trying to make a habit of), finished weaving in the ends on Hot Josh's Christmas stocking, and then got ready to go see Faust at the Dayton Opera.  Mae had free tickets from her work, so there was a great group of us: Mae, Legnani, Peach, myself, the Duchess and Elphaba.  Although the show started out slow (the tenor playing Faust was a block), it took off in the second act when the focus started to shift to Marguerite.  The soprano playing Marguerite was marvelous, and particularly her scenes with the devil were wonderful!  There was a bonfire to celebrate the Feast of Divine Mercy out at Grace's new house (an old farmhouse near her grandfather's farm), and some of us were planning to go out there afterwards, but the opera went late, and we ended up just going home instead.  When I got home I found Indy, Rosie and Boy-O all on the couch watching a movie.  I hung out with them a while, and when the movie was over Boy-O decided to tickle me until I almost passed out from not breathing because I was laughing so hard.  I figure that was totally worth missing the bonfire for.

    Sunday was another busy day.  Mom had invited Pixie, Hot Josh, and Little Miss Stinker, plus Pooka, Sparkboy, and their baby boy over for a family brunch.  We had so much fun with two babies in the house.  My family loves kids, and having access to two at once was a high treat.  I don't get to see my friends nearly so much now that they're married, so it was good to see them too.  I delivered Hot Josh's Christmas stocking, and was so happy that they loved it.  Now I just need to knit the stocking for Little Miss Stinker!  After the brunch (our family brunches go until usually four or five o'clock) I grabbed a few things from home, and headed out to Grace's house for a dinner with my CL Leadership Team.  This was designated as a fun meeting, not a business meeting, though we did talk a little business while we were waiting for dinner to be done.  After dinner we played Apples to Apples, which was even better with the chocolate cake The Hat brought.  I won the second round (which surprised me - I've never won at Apples to Apples before), and then we all headed home.  It was so beautiful driving down 675 with the sunset blushing the sky with all these gradations of color.  It was the perfect end to a lovely day.

    Today is going to be a busy day.  I have a big order for my Etsy shop to get off, plus those broken panes of glass in my bedroom window really, really need to be fixed.  And then there's painting, and laundry, and the yarn Mom ordered for her Queen Anne's Lace shawl came, so my hands are itching to get that wound into a ball so I can cast on.  Normally winding 1400 yards of lace weight yarn into a ball for knitting would be a huge chore, but I got a yarn swift on super sale at KnitPicks, so I'm very excited to use it for the first time.  And then we've got swing club this evening, and maybe then to bed.  I love a full day.

curlygrrl

  • Visit curlygrrl's Xanga Site
    • Name: Bernadette
    • Location: Dayton, Ohio, United States
    • Member Since: 2/9/2005

About Me

  • I go to school, and I wear cute shoes, and I love my huge family. I have a thing for vintage rhinestones. Sometimes I think my life's normal, but then I start paying attention, and boy, it's not. But I love God and God loves me, so we're all ok here, really.

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