Only for Jen...
... because she often tolerates my long "getting to know you" questionaires...
1. Total number of music files on your computer:
I refuse to answer myself on the grounds that it might incriminate me. Besides, it doesn't count, because I'm in radio, so it's my job. Let's just say take the numbers you've seen from everyone else's answers, add them altogether here, and then max out your computer so that you have to do weekly backups onto CD. For personal use, basically none.
2. The last cd you bought:
Hmmm... I RARELY buy CDs. I got them free for ages at various stations (being music director doesn't mean more money but it does mean pick of the disks.) so it was a matter of pride that I didn't buy anything... it's been a while... but I think Gary Allen... the vast majority of my CDs are musical soundtracks or classic jazz...
3. The last song you listened to before reading this message:
Do the words "Hold me Batboy, Love me Batboy" mean anything to you? Me either, but they were the lyrics of a musical I saw yesterday. I do audiobooks in the car, so unless you count Beyonce-fest (aka Oscars) last night, that would be it.
4. Name 5 songs you listen to often or that mean something to you:
Ahhh... now this is tough, because music really does mean so much to me... just five? Alright, in no particular order: (if you click on the title, you can listen to a section of the song on Amazon, if you want...)
1. Suddenly Seymore (from Little Shop of Horrors) - it's sort of a signature duet my brother and Laura sang a lot in college, and it always makes me cry ...
2. Love of My Life (Sammy Kershaw)... early in our relationship, when our committment to each other was still very much unspoken and in denial, the first thing GB and I ever danced to was this song, alone in my living room, with no music playing, just him singing in my ear (he's a dreadful singer, but it's one of my favorite sounds) "You are the love of my life/ You are the reason I'm alive/ And baby baby baby/ When I think of how you saved me/ I go crazy"
3. Friends (Michael W. Smith). It was a special song for my youth group in high school but what makes it most special was my brother asking me to sing it with him at his final college recital... it was the first time he told me he loved me, and the first time he acknowledged me as his friend.
4. Hymn (Adiemus) Absolutely one of the most haunting songs in existence. I had my bridesmaids walk down the aisle to it at the wedding. To me, it is about finding love, and the adventure and mysticism involved in that, about how in losing oneself completely in the love of another, one finds oneself instead. I say "to me" because the lyrics are actually part of an invented language - more on that here. Listening to this song never fails to bring me to peace and comfort.
5. Walking on Sunshine (Katrina & the Waves) This song always makes me feel bouncy and happy. When GB and I were planning the wedding (okay, when I was planning the wedding and he was saying "yes, dear") I asked what he thought about us going down the aisle to that instead of the traditional Ode to Joy... it was the first thing that he said "OH! I LOVE that idea!!!" to... it's fun, and joyful, and about realizing you're in love after not being sure you were ready to take the plunge - perfect for our relationship!
X. Anything my brother has ever written makes me cry enough that people ask if I'm okay. He's learned to stash boxes of kleenex under my chair when he performs.
Y. Each of my animals has a song that makes me think of them... They're kinda private, though I used to sneak them on during request hours ("going out to Trevor in Milford") but they are highly attitude based.
~~~~~
Someone called the store this weekend while I was there teaching to ask a question. She had a mitten that she knit twenty years ago, and the match to it which she'd knit halfway (just past the thumb) and she couldn't remember what to do. This was of dire importance to her and she simply had to find the solution this very instance, could she come and interrupt my class so I could look at it? (sure, it waited twenty years, but can't wait another hour!!!) So she did that, drove it, interrupted my class and showed me ratty, stained yarn, with stitches taken off the needles and split and broken, and said "how much will you charge to finish this mitten?" I looked at the mess, thought about how much else I have to do, and calmly said "$25"
"Well, I could buy a new set of mittens for that!"
"Yes, you could."
"That's not worth it" and off she huffed.
I turned back to my class, who all looked a little nervous, and after I was sure she was well out of hearing, said "Once people find out you knit, they'll come to you with projects. If you don't want to do them, give them an outrageous price." They sort of chuckled, and one of them said "my roommate knits and charges $75 a scarf" to which I replied "well, in that instance, the mitten was in horrible condition, and it would have taken me about two hours. I have plenty of other things to do, and I don't think $25 for two hours is really extravagent" and they all agreed. What a lovely class.
To top that off, my super slow student FINISHED her hat. It was a roll brim, all stockinette, and is large on her, and I had to finish the decreases when it got to DPNs, but we don't care. It goes over her head, and it took her two months to figure out the knit stitch, and even at the end she was still throwing in yarn overs and getting confused. She was so proud she gave me a huge hug, and I almost cried. This means next week we have to start purling again.
I rewarded myself with goodies from Spirit Trail.
... goodies which were immediately searched for my protection by my bomb-cat Trevor.
He's double checking here, but you can see two skeins of silk/wool in a gardeny pink and green, and a matching green mohair, which Aslan hasn't found yet. The top is a dark red sock yarn, because everyone needs scarlet socks, and the next below it is bright green sock yarn, which I think will be used for the Saxony sock pattern that I also got, and make fun St. Patrick-y socks. And there's a little bag of 2 oz of GORGEOUS red silk roving, which will become a very special gift for a very special friend who reads this blog, so while you will see the progress as it is made (I think it'll be the next thing I spin) no more will be said about it's recipient, and it will henceforth be known as the "mystery silk".
~~~~~
I got to see my brother in a performance this weekend (see #3 above) in which he played the title character. He sings a lot in church, and did theatre growing up, but hasn't done too much acting outside the church since college, so it's been a long time since I've sat in an audience listening to the comments of people around me, while they discussed my brother. It was fun. I'm so proud of him, for everything, and I was so pleased during the curtain call to hear that the cheers were very clearly loudest for him - he deserved it. But here were some of the conversations I overheard before the show started, as I sat knitting on Aslan-the-sock:
(from a man about four rows back)
"Those are the tiniest damn needles I've ever seen! She's not even F$%^$ing looking!"
(from a man directly behind me, about my brother)
"Hey - he went to Dickinson! Hey, he was Billy in Anything Goes! Hey, he's a minister! Hey, he's celebrating his tenth anniversary with..... hey, do you think that means he's gay?"
~~~~~
I got home from my brothers in time to catch the Oscars, during which I finished spinning this
218 yards of light worsted-weight princess blue, and could have kicked myself when I didn't notice a funky tangle in the center pull ball, which meant the plying did NOT go easily, took nearly the entire Oscar show, was a big pain in my patootie, and didn't go as well as I would have liked. I ended up breaking off this
and joining in the ends, which I'll doctor up a little bit before shipping the yarn off to Jenni. It's hanging in my shower now, drying from setting the twist, and I'll do the doctoring tonight.
While I was doing that, Aslan found the Oscars more entertaining if he watched upside down.
The show over all reminded me of a discussion on Knitters Review right now, which has gotten a bit nastier than needed, but it's about the book Stitch 'n Bitch. (yes, David, just one apostrophe, filling in for the "u"
) That discussion is about how it seems our society feels like things need to be "young" and "sexy" to be valid. I felt like the show tried a little too hard to be edgy. Not that it was tasteless or crude or anything, it just felt strained over all to me. And I'm still not sure who Beyonce was sleeping with to do all those performances. She's a beautiful woman with a lovely voice, but what does she have to do with the Oscars in any way, shape, or form???
Oh, well. I leave you today with a photograph which I've entitled "Kitty Vertigo"
1. Total number of music files on your computer:
I refuse to answer myself on the grounds that it might incriminate me. Besides, it doesn't count, because I'm in radio, so it's my job. Let's just say take the numbers you've seen from everyone else's answers, add them altogether here, and then max out your computer so that you have to do weekly backups onto CD. For personal use, basically none.
2. The last cd you bought:
Hmmm... I RARELY buy CDs. I got them free for ages at various stations (being music director doesn't mean more money but it does mean pick of the disks.) so it was a matter of pride that I didn't buy anything... it's been a while... but I think Gary Allen... the vast majority of my CDs are musical soundtracks or classic jazz...
3. The last song you listened to before reading this message:
Do the words "Hold me Batboy, Love me Batboy" mean anything to you? Me either, but they were the lyrics of a musical I saw yesterday. I do audiobooks in the car, so unless you count Beyonce-fest (aka Oscars) last night, that would be it.
4. Name 5 songs you listen to often or that mean something to you:
Ahhh... now this is tough, because music really does mean so much to me... just five? Alright, in no particular order: (if you click on the title, you can listen to a section of the song on Amazon, if you want...)
1. Suddenly Seymore (from Little Shop of Horrors) - it's sort of a signature duet my brother and Laura sang a lot in college, and it always makes me cry ...
2. Love of My Life (Sammy Kershaw)... early in our relationship, when our committment to each other was still very much unspoken and in denial, the first thing GB and I ever danced to was this song, alone in my living room, with no music playing, just him singing in my ear (he's a dreadful singer, but it's one of my favorite sounds) "You are the love of my life/ You are the reason I'm alive/ And baby baby baby/ When I think of how you saved me/ I go crazy"
3. Friends (Michael W. Smith). It was a special song for my youth group in high school but what makes it most special was my brother asking me to sing it with him at his final college recital... it was the first time he told me he loved me, and the first time he acknowledged me as his friend.
4. Hymn (Adiemus) Absolutely one of the most haunting songs in existence. I had my bridesmaids walk down the aisle to it at the wedding. To me, it is about finding love, and the adventure and mysticism involved in that, about how in losing oneself completely in the love of another, one finds oneself instead. I say "to me" because the lyrics are actually part of an invented language - more on that here. Listening to this song never fails to bring me to peace and comfort.
5. Walking on Sunshine (Katrina & the Waves) This song always makes me feel bouncy and happy. When GB and I were planning the wedding (okay, when I was planning the wedding and he was saying "yes, dear") I asked what he thought about us going down the aisle to that instead of the traditional Ode to Joy... it was the first thing that he said "OH! I LOVE that idea!!!" to... it's fun, and joyful, and about realizing you're in love after not being sure you were ready to take the plunge - perfect for our relationship!
X. Anything my brother has ever written makes me cry enough that people ask if I'm okay. He's learned to stash boxes of kleenex under my chair when he performs.
Y. Each of my animals has a song that makes me think of them... They're kinda private, though I used to sneak them on during request hours ("going out to Trevor in Milford") but they are highly attitude based.
~~~~~
Someone called the store this weekend while I was there teaching to ask a question. She had a mitten that she knit twenty years ago, and the match to it which she'd knit halfway (just past the thumb) and she couldn't remember what to do. This was of dire importance to her and she simply had to find the solution this very instance, could she come and interrupt my class so I could look at it? (sure, it waited twenty years, but can't wait another hour!!!) So she did that, drove it, interrupted my class and showed me ratty, stained yarn, with stitches taken off the needles and split and broken, and said "how much will you charge to finish this mitten?" I looked at the mess, thought about how much else I have to do, and calmly said "$25"
"Well, I could buy a new set of mittens for that!"
"Yes, you could."
"That's not worth it" and off she huffed.
I turned back to my class, who all looked a little nervous, and after I was sure she was well out of hearing, said "Once people find out you knit, they'll come to you with projects. If you don't want to do them, give them an outrageous price." They sort of chuckled, and one of them said "my roommate knits and charges $75 a scarf" to which I replied "well, in that instance, the mitten was in horrible condition, and it would have taken me about two hours. I have plenty of other things to do, and I don't think $25 for two hours is really extravagent" and they all agreed. What a lovely class.
To top that off, my super slow student FINISHED her hat. It was a roll brim, all stockinette, and is large on her, and I had to finish the decreases when it got to DPNs, but we don't care. It goes over her head, and it took her two months to figure out the knit stitch, and even at the end she was still throwing in yarn overs and getting confused. She was so proud she gave me a huge hug, and I almost cried. This means next week we have to start purling again.
I rewarded myself with goodies from Spirit Trail.
... goodies which were immediately searched for my protection by my bomb-cat Trevor.
He's double checking here, but you can see two skeins of silk/wool in a gardeny pink and green, and a matching green mohair, which Aslan hasn't found yet. The top is a dark red sock yarn, because everyone needs scarlet socks, and the next below it is bright green sock yarn, which I think will be used for the Saxony sock pattern that I also got, and make fun St. Patrick-y socks. And there's a little bag of 2 oz of GORGEOUS red silk roving, which will become a very special gift for a very special friend who reads this blog, so while you will see the progress as it is made (I think it'll be the next thing I spin) no more will be said about it's recipient, and it will henceforth be known as the "mystery silk".
~~~~~
I got to see my brother in a performance this weekend (see #3 above) in which he played the title character. He sings a lot in church, and did theatre growing up, but hasn't done too much acting outside the church since college, so it's been a long time since I've sat in an audience listening to the comments of people around me, while they discussed my brother. It was fun. I'm so proud of him, for everything, and I was so pleased during the curtain call to hear that the cheers were very clearly loudest for him - he deserved it. But here were some of the conversations I overheard before the show started, as I sat knitting on Aslan-the-sock:
(from a man about four rows back)
"Those are the tiniest damn needles I've ever seen! She's not even F$%^$ing looking!"
(from a man directly behind me, about my brother)
"Hey - he went to Dickinson! Hey, he was Billy in Anything Goes! Hey, he's a minister! Hey, he's celebrating his tenth anniversary with..... hey, do you think that means he's gay?"
~~~~~
I got home from my brothers in time to catch the Oscars, during which I finished spinning this
218 yards of light worsted-weight princess blue, and could have kicked myself when I didn't notice a funky tangle in the center pull ball, which meant the plying did NOT go easily, took nearly the entire Oscar show, was a big pain in my patootie, and didn't go as well as I would have liked. I ended up breaking off this
and joining in the ends, which I'll doctor up a little bit before shipping the yarn off to Jenni. It's hanging in my shower now, drying from setting the twist, and I'll do the doctoring tonight.
While I was doing that, Aslan found the Oscars more entertaining if he watched upside down.
The show over all reminded me of a discussion on Knitters Review right now, which has gotten a bit nastier than needed, but it's about the book Stitch 'n Bitch. (yes, David, just one apostrophe, filling in for the "u"
) That discussion is about how it seems our society feels like things need to be "young" and "sexy" to be valid. I felt like the show tried a little too hard to be edgy. Not that it was tasteless or crude or anything, it just felt strained over all to me. And I'm still not sure who Beyonce was sleeping with to do all those performances. She's a beautiful woman with a lovely voice, but what does she have to do with the Oscars in any way, shape, or form???Oh, well. I leave you today with a photograph which I've entitled "Kitty Vertigo"
posted by Amie at
11:03 AM
4 Comments:
Well, you DO have a good class!
My preferred answer when people ask me to knit them things is, "No, but I'll be happy to teach you how." I've never yet had to give a lesson (which I really am willing to do) . . . well, unless you count a good friend of mine who IS now learning to knit who might, at one point, have asked me to knit her something . . . I'm really not sure anymore!
Amie...believe it or not I drove two hours and spent the night in a hotel to see "Batboy". My dh and his best friend are oddly fascinated by Batboy and when the musical was on in Portland we went up there for the weekend. Such a strange musical event, although I laughed so hard that I cried at the 'lion king' send up.
We watched the Oscars here too (it's kind of like our superbowl sunday) and felt the same way. It just seemed like everyone was trying too hard. And about Beyonce - I think they got a quantity discount - you know - three for one kind of deal. But hearing her try to sing in french was a hoot. You might better enjoy the Independent Spirit awards like we do - I also watched it Sunday and was much more impressed. Love the princess yarn - it is really a very lovely blue.
I love Aslan's pictures! Give him a snuggle for me :-)
Nancita
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