bold the states you’ve been to, underline the states you’ve lived in and italicize the state you’re in now…

edited 3/8: Mom reminded me that I’ve been to Virginia

Alabama / Alaska / Arizona / Arkansas / California / Colorado / Connecticut / Delaware / Florida / Georgia / Hawaii / Idaho / Illinois / Indiana / Iowa / Kansas / Kentucky / Louisiana / Maine / Maryland / Massachusetts / Michigan / Minnesota / Mississippi / Missouri / Montana / Nebraska / Nevada / New Hampshire / New Jersey / New Mexico / New York / North Carolina / North Dakota / Ohio / Oklahoma / Oregon / Pennsylvania / Rhode Island / South Carolina / South Dakota / Tennessee / Texas / Utah / Vermont / Virginia / Washington / West Virginia / Wisconsin / Wyoming / Washington D.C /

Go HERE to have a form generate the HTML for you.

Snagged this from Cheeky Prof. Again.

Porn for Tea Lovers

nifty little camera

strange but cute

new free online game is beta testing nice improvements on the original

I found some cute needle holders. I’ll knit but I won’t sew.

Fiddler on the Roof is on. I love this movie. It’s a part of my childhood. My parents had the broadway album and we had all kinds of big skirts and gypsy-looking clothes (a lot of it was old square dancing costumes from Nana I think) and I used to dress up and spin around in them. And I remember a stage production of it at the JCC in 76 or 78. Was my sister in it or just one of her friends?

We used to have a membership there and used the pool almost all summer. Their snowcones were like a berry gelato.

It’s very hard to describe the strong Jewish influences we grew up with in Birmingham. It’s not a community that people would associate with Alabama. But the neighborhood we lived in particularly had a very active community. Matzos in the cafeteria during passover. Learning the Dreidel song right along with The Twelve Days of Christmas. I came *this close* to converting at one point. But that was because of a boyfriend and I just don’t think religion should be based on whom you’re fucking. Just one of my crazy little ideas. It did start me on the idea that Christianity is not exactly for me which inspired a lot of reading and study about world religions and religious histories. Which I usually examine in a more sociological way than actually believing in any of it.

But as cynical as I am about a lot of organized religions, I keep a pretty healthy amount of respect for Judaism.

Anyway, I was just thinking about how the fiddler might represent God. Or Tevye’s imagination of God. Probably not a new concept but I hadn’t thought about it before.

That rayon boucle is evil for n00b knitters. I was getting extremely frustrated so today I started a cream colored stockingette scarf with hearts done in a seed stitch. It won’t be as cutesy country kitchen as it sounds but probably traditional enough to give to my mother-in-law for her belated birthday present.

Finished the “Ribbed for her Pleasure” scarf from Stitch n Bitch. I only had one skein of the Fiesta yarn I wanted to use so I made it half as wide so I could keep the length.

This was using their Watermark blend in the Caribbean color scheme. With the 60% mohair it’s a bit scratchy to wear directly around a sensitive neck but it would look nice with a coat I guess. I was mostly doing this to get my ribbed stitch practice. But doesn’t Winter look cute modeling it for me?

I have to say knitting with a natural fiber is a noticeable change from the acrylic stuff that came in my learn to knit kits. When I first felt the acrylic it just felt like, well, yarn. But after working with it for a while I could feel it get sort of scratchy on my hands. While the mohair is a little scratchier to wear around the neck it was a lot less scratchy on my hands. And I have to keep washing my sweaty little hands more often with the natural blend because I could feel the mohair tighten up with the wet heat.

I know it’s gross but it’s just a physical factor I have to consider. My name is Noelle. I have perpetually sweaty hands and I always have. My main theory is I spent so much of my youth with my hands in clay, paint, and other goop from creating what my elementary school teacher called mudpies but I considered art. I lived through incredible humiliation during ballroom dancing lessons in junior high because gloves were no longer required but I rarely have to rewet my hands when working on a pottery wheel. It’s just a physical part of being me and, well, that’s who you come to this site to read about right?

I have some beautiful Fiesta Rayon Boucle in Tequila Sunrise colors for the loopy decorative scarf I want to make for Jocelyn and I on some giganto size 17 needles but have been having a bit of an adventure with untangling the rat’s nest I made with my first balling yarn by hand experience. I’ve been working on de-tangling and making a decent ball on and off since Saturday. This stuff feels nice and will look wonderful but it’s very good at sticking to itself - except in a ball. It’s very tedious and annoying and I definitely need to stick to the simpler yarns until I get a swift. But I wanna knit that shit so I’m gonna make it into a decent ball if I have to take what’s left of my sanity with it.

About the Project Runway results: Jay’s clothes were beautiful. I enjoyed the handcrafted quilting and knit elements. I’m glad he won. Even though Cody and I nicknamed him the freakshow while watching him in his Ringling Brothers kerchief and giant colored sunglasses. Have to admit this was not a person I would look at and think “Gee, I think I’ll let him tell me what to wear.” But to be fair I usually think most contemporary fashion design is a monumental joke on unsuspecting women with more money than sense or self-worth perpetuated mostly by men who don’t particularly like women anyway. And I don’t mean men that don’t want to have sex with women - I mean men with a serious dislike bordering on complete disdain for women who rely and capitalize on their insecurities. Such a cynic.

Actually I’m not. I just resent like hell being told what to wear by people who dress like I did when I was playing dressup at six years old and don’t have any idea what most American women (hell, women all over the world) have to deal with on a daily basis. If I tried to dress in something they came up with and wore that outside I would be laughed at, propositioned, and/or arrested. And acting like what they’re doing is innovative. What a joke! I actually saw an interstitial during the show tonight saying that the cardigan is hot and can be worn without the twin shell now! When these same people were saying it was all about that fucking twin set a few years ago. Such innovation and creativity! More like manipulation and marketing.

Want to be innovative and creative? Come up with something that’s attractive, affordable, eco-friendly, non-exploitive to women and factory workers, and comfortable for people of all body types. Then I’ll be impressed with your fashion ideas.

And I must admit Jay’s collection came closest to that. So I really am glad he won. I just wish he’d take that stupid shit off his head and stop hiding behind those huge ugly glasses. He actually is a nice looking guy underneath all that crap if you like the stocky Scottish bear thing but he sure is hell-bent on making himself a novelty.

Well, my cynical ass is going back to de-knotting pretty pink and yellow rayon (locally made and hand dyed tyvm) yarn now.

Best way I ever celebrated President’s Day was in 2001 when I got off work early then stopped by Office Max on the way home to buy a shredder. It was the most appropriate President’s Day purchase ever.

In keeping with the office supplies tradition we bought a laser printer at Staples for 89 bucks (with a ten dollar mail-in rebate so actually 79). I’m sick of this ink jet cartridge drying out crap. We really only print stuff once every three months and almost always have to go buy new ink cartridges to make it work. We won’t need to do that with a laser printer.

I’m quickly losing my moral high ground about reality television. I’ve been watching Project Runway while I knit a half-size “ribbed for his pleasure” (it’s for my friend Justin) scarf. This ribbing stitch thing is fun! And it looks like I actually know what I’m doing!

A few Project Runway comments because I just can’t help myself at this point

- Austin is the one that wrote on the photo of Wendy’s little girl. Watch his face whenever this comes up and listen to him try to justify and discount it at the same time in the last episode. He totally did it.

- It’s very clear to me that production is at least partially responsible for making Wendy out to be the bad guy. They noticed the gay men weren’t being nearly catty enough and decided that she was the fall guy for the drama. And they have manipulated the editing to make each and every clip make her look as bad as they possibly can. Also, check out which photo of her they chose to put on the rotating banner on the official site and compare that with the photos of the others. This is quite obviously staged. I hate manipulative crap like that. Notice the disclaimer in the credits that says “Judges took the suggestions of production into consideration when making their final decisions”. Hmm.

- While I disagree with her hair color choice I actually think Wendy’s the only one who (at least tries to make) designs for real people - not simply conceptual bullshit for skinny human clothing hangers. And that social guerilla warfare stuff she’s pulling is very old school southern. Nothing new there. I admit she could’ve been much more subtle about it though.

I am so ashamed that I even care enough about this stupid show to post about it but there it is.

Recognize the quote in the title? The rest of it goes “I am the chief so you better watch your step, you bastards.” I love that movie.

snagged from Cheeky Prof.

I’m putting this in the extended entry. Don’t read it if you don’t wanna find out some things I have done…seriously.

I’ve never done the things in bold.
(more…)

I finally used up all the ugly acrylic yarn. Purple and teal speckly yarn. Striped. I got a lot better with the stripes as I went along. And I can now say that I knit a complete project. Which is a great point of pride for me. Even if it is quite purple.

In person it doesn’t look that bad really. But you can definitely tell which end I started on and watch as the stitches get more even and as I get better with changing colors. Maybe I’ll send it to Donny Osmond. Thanks to my seventies’ childhood I forever associate Donny with the color purple. And pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance when Marie started talking about something stupid. Is it just me? They really weren’t either country or rock n roll.

I think I’ve got the regular garter stitch well in hand now. Binding off was pretty simple to do. After I got over my initial fear of imaginary knitting grandmothers of the world coming to get me if I didn’t knit exactly the way I was supposed to I found myself a lot more willing to experiment and just try it. Makes just giving stripes a try a whole lot more fun. This is pulling out all that artistic creativity that’s been dormant since roughly 1997. And with the Women’s Studies Judy Chicago background I can even justify this pasttime to the snottiest of art snobs. If I felt like it.

Tonight I tried out purls and after all that garter stich knitting I thought they were pretty simple to do. So right now I’m just playing around with a creamy cotton blend and a simple stockingette stitch just to see how it feels. I’m considering making a “ribbed for her pleasure” scarf from the snb book but I might make a loopy long and thin rayon scarf for Jocelyn first since she’s leaving fairly soon. But I want to play with purls a bit first.

I mailed out the four disks for this season’s Burn It yesterday. My printer hasn’t been recognizing my new color cartridge so I didn’t get that creative with the label and cover art this time. I’d printed them in black and white and planned on spiffing them up with markers but I’m just too lazy for that kind of nonsense. But I got them done and mailed out one day before the due date so I’m proud. I think it’s a pretty good blend of remixes with a few mashups for fun.

I already have two disks from the group! They’re great, of course. So thank you Buccho for your yummy Mashed Potatoes and Lisa for all the great industrial stuff! I hope ya’ll enjoy what I’ve put together. They should be there by midway next week.
This is the mix I went with this time:

A:Xus - Baghdad Cafe (Callin’ U)
ABC - Be Near Me (Munich Disco Mix)
Cropstar - Crazy Prado (Perez “Prez” Prado vs. Beyonce Knowles)
Alphaville - Forever Young (Remix - Extended Version)
Miss Jane - Its A Fine Day (ATB Remix)
White Zombie - I’m Your Boogie Man (Sex on the Rocks Mix)
Altered Images - I Could Be Happy (Martin Rushent Remix)
KMFDM - Juke Joint Jezebel (Giorgio Moroder Metropolis Mix)
Nicolette Larson - Lotta Love (The Lotta Nic Mix)
Erasure - Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me) - Manhattan Clique Extended Mix
Skeewiff - O Skeewiff where Art Thou?
Electronic - Prodigal Son (Touched By the Hand of Inch Remix)
Cropstar - The Only One in the Rain (Blue Pearl vs. The Charlatans)
DJ Riko - Whistler’s Delight

This isn’t quite as good as the geek love poem shirt but it captures the general recent mood of the site doesn’t it?

Seriously, my life hasn’t been that interesting at all. But I guess that’s what separates the good weblog writers from the sucky ones - the ability to take a mundane life and make it interesting to random ass online strangers.

The Westminster was fun to watch. Whatever the commenter says about ridgebacks usually throws the rr folk list into a fair tizzy for a few days which is always fun to read. I remember the first year we were thinking about getting one and the commentator guy said something implicating that these were intense, scary dogs to own - which was one of the deciding factors in us deciding to adopt our Catahoula mix breed, ASCII. Who was a wonderful girl but had probably some of the worst set of hip and knee bone joints in veterinary history - having to be put down at approximately three years old because we just couldn’t justify the extensive pain and expense for all the surgeries on our sweet girl. Which made us look into breeders who check genetic ailments which led us back to ridgebacks. I don’t begrudge the commentator for what he said - but I do listen very carefully to what they say about my favorite breed.

This year they walked a pretty good line between making them sound like good pets but certainly not for the slack dog parent - both completely true. But they just can’t help mentioning that lion baiting thing - which Winter finds quite handy when getting bullied by the sixteen year old princess kitty, Kurry.

It’s not like they killed the lions - they would get in a pack, annoying the crap out of a lion, dodging the claws, keeping the lion in one place until the hunter would show up with his gun. Brave? yes. Independent? absolutely. But the lion aspect has always been one part of what was mostly an excellent farm and family dog. And while Winter’s greatest foes are rainy nights when she needs to go potty, cold tummies, cranky princessy cats, and only getting a Greenie every other day - the characteristics that were important for those farm dogs do show themselves. I wasn’t familiar with the ridgie who had taken best of breed this year. I usually expect Woody (who won best of hounds group at Westminster in 2002 and a distant cousin of Winter) or Gatsby (who took second in the hounds at Westminster last year). But I’ve been a bit out of the loop in the conformation and lure coursing groups the last few years so I have no idea who the big names in ridgeback circles are right now.

We’ve found a new dog park that’s much much closer to our house - like five miles away as opposed to twenty-five. There’s gravel which winter doesn’t like much so she stays on the edges with natural sand landscaping. But the people and their dogs are nice. And the difference in distances and the roads to get there just don’t even compare.

I’m hell-bent on finishing what’s officially known as the ugliest scarf in the world but I keep getting distracted with real life crap.

And I’ve been slack with the photos. So this t shirt really applies doesn’t it?

It’s The Blog!

Produced by average people who seem to think their lives are interesting. Filmed in thrilling HTML-O-Scope with exciting new fonts!