Obviously, there are ***spoilers*** here. And if you don't watch the show 1.) you should, and 2.) you won't understand any of this, I'm sure.
Onward... (I made this as brief as I could.)
* Bela's not funny. Dean and I are not amused. "... nothing about me." *sighs* I'm sorry, but this is getting old. Boys, darlings, seriously, send Ruby to get her and get the Colt back. Simple as pie. Simpler even. In any case, I'm disliking Bela more and more with every episode that she's in and I don't care what Kripke has up his sleeve concerning her. It can't be that good.
* Henricksen's such a badass. *giggles* If he didn't back it all up as well as he does, clueless as he is about what's really going on, I'd have to say "all icing, no cake." But he's got cake. And he is so all about the condescension when he has things to do. Also, he is like the calm eye in the middle of hurricane in the scene where the police are figuring out just how surrounded and cut off they all are. Check him out. You know, if he had lived through this, I could totally have seen him becoming a hunter... He could have been like the Anti-Gordon, you know. And that would have been really cool! Damn it, Kripke! Why so quick to kill off when you get bored?!?! See, Henricksen is a pretty steady guy. Not many could get possessed and be that... if not okay, at least maintaining afterward. And he learns really fast! Why, Kripke, why?!?!?!
* Nancy is so sweet. What is she doing working in a police station? Then again, it's a little town, so they probably don't have big time criminals to deal with often... if ever... But still, sweet girl... and obviously skilled in First Aid.
* Sam spoke Latin like it was his second language! That is so hot! ... So we're ending exorcisms on "audi nos" in this ep, huh? That's a new one... In fact, this is a new arrangement of the exorcism ritual... And they're ending on different "audi nos"s in each... and not the previously used ending, which was with an invocation of "the Father." Hmm... (You know I'm going to analyze these eventually, right?) Although, in the tape-recorded exorcism there, Jared was so just reading that off a page and had no idea what he was saying... I'm going to assume that there's a reason why they're ending the ritual with "audi nos" here and not with the prescribed invocation because I don't want them to have done that just for time, thinking no one would ever notice. Because there's no way I could have missed that if I'd tried. (Latin geek? Me?)
* You know, this episode is really good with the suspense... I'm on the edge of my seat at every commercial break, going, "No!! Come back here and tell me what happens next!!!"
* "Yay!" for anti-possession charms! Obviously, they've gotten more from Bobby. Also, I love the tattoos! Very nice! I also adore that Nancy is all concerned about them and asks, therefore making it necessary that they show us the tats to begin with. But really, I hearts the tattoos! If I were the type, I'd probably be going to get inked tomorrow, but am not... so will just pet the boys' tats from here...
As to the positioning of the tattoos, I've paused my DVR for closer inspection... Sam's looks crooked. Maybe inverted? Maybe. Because he's standing at the same angle as Dean to the camera, and his is definitely closer to being inverted than pointing upward. Now, the question is was that on purpose or did the make-up ladies make a mistake putting his on? Only time and another glimpse at the boys' flesh will tell...
* "Honestly, I think the world's gonna end bloody. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't fight. We do have choices, and I choose to go down swinging." How very Viking of you, Dean. (Did I mention that I love the Vikings?... um... the Medieval Scandinavian people, not the football team...) Just when I think I can't love you any more than I already do, you say something Viking-ish and I "Guh!" just a little bit more inside.
* Hmmm... Virgin sacrifice. Did not see that one coming... Aww!! Nancy!! Look at her! She's so sweet! She's totally all Iphigenia at Aulus right now! And that would totally make Dean Achilles. The bestest of the bestest of all Greek heroes. Yay!!! *cheers*
* I have to say, Sam's willingness to go with Ruby's plan and not even try any other way without some serious prodding from Dean is rather... worrisome... 'Cause no matter how it turned out in the end, I'm with Dean on this one...
* Oh, Ruby, so pessimistic. "I'm disappointed. Because I tried. I really did. But clearly, I bet on the wrong horse." Oooohhh!! Is she going to want to switch sides now? Has she been all along and she's been like a double-agent? Has she done anything but play them for fools since she showed up? How come none of the demons outside go after her when she leaves? I'm full of questions about Ruby.
* I can't think of a better new Big Bad at the moment. And of course Lilith has got to be in the form of a little girl. Sam and Dean would be expecting a full-grown, probably smokin' hot woman. A little girl would be more likely to pass under their radar until it's too late... Now, we know it won't come to that... 'cause they're The Boys, and they'll eventually figure it out. But I think it's a very interesting way to start this part of the arc.
* You know, I'm really glad that they flip-flopped these episodes. I think it's a really good thing for story flow that "Dream a Little Dream of Me" (where Dean finds out what would happen to him if he dies in fulfillment of the Deal) and "Mystery Spot" (where Sam finds out what would happen to him if Dean dies) are now right next to each other, and then this episode happens where they find out who the new Big Bad is. If this one had been between "Dream a Little Dream" and "Mystery Spot" I think some of the momentum would have been lost.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Evolution is in Florida Public Schools! Thank God!
Hallelujah!
This article is copied in its entirety from the original source... because you know links to articles break or the articles are taken off the site, so. If it still works, click and go there, if not, it's here to read, from Wired Blog Network: Wired Science:
Evolution Wins as Creationists (Accidentally) Switch Sides in Florida
By Brandon Keim February 20, 2008 | 12:59:46 PM
Categories: Education, Evolution
The Florida Board of Education officially upheld evolution yesterday.
The board didn't quite mean to do that, of course. In a 4-3 vote, the Board accepted a proposed curriculum that replaced all references to evolution with the phrase "the scientific theory of evolution." In so doing, the board inadvertently made evolution central to public school science education, and also, almost incidentally, mandated education on just what constitutes a "scientific theory."
Until now, Florida's schools weren't required to teach evolution. The old curriculum guidelines didn't even mention it by name.
That state education officials would approve the new standards was not a foregone conclusion. Since last November, 12 county school boards passed resolutions calling for classroom evolution to be balanced by "alternatives" -- a polite euphemism for religiously orthodox explanations of life. The resolutions were non-binding, but raised fears that that the Board of Education would try to duck controversy by diluting the new standards.
Apart from being illegal, teaching creationism as science is a very bad idea. Students may not be permanently scarred by failing to learn about evolution at an early age -- though the National Academy of Science would surely disagree -- but, they're bound to be stunted if told that evolution and creationism are even remotely equivalent in any scientific sense.
Yesterday's decision is thus great news for Florida -- and perhaps for the nation. Had Florida backed down, Texas -- where a pro-evolution science education official was fired last year, and a curriculum revision is scheduled later this year -- might have followed suit. Together they exert enough purchasing power to drag the nation's textbook manufacturers with them, science be damned.
The 4-3 vote was obtained by including a last-minute amendment to the standards. Suggested last Friday by religious conservatives and dubbed the "academic freedom proposal," the amendment required that the curriculum's references to "evolution" be replaced by the "scientific theory of evolution."
The amendment's supporters called the language change a victory -- and it is, though not in the way they imagine.
Not only will Florida's students learn about evolution; they'll also learn that the scientific definition of a theory is different from the everyday definition, referring not to wild-eyed speculation but to a vast body of observation and testing that confirms a hypothesis so strongly that it might as well be considered fact.
A big thank-you, then, to religious critics of evolution education. The language change will better help Florida's children understand not only evolution, but science itself. (If only this USA Today headline writer had the same education.)
Isn't democracy grand?
Note: People interested in how religious and scientific beliefs need not conflict should check out my Q&A with evangelical theologist Michael Dowd.
Decision: Florida schools must teach evolution [Palm Beach Post]
Evolution joins curriculum [St. Petersburg Times]
This article is copied in its entirety from the original source... because you know links to articles break or the articles are taken off the site, so. If it still works, click and go there, if not, it's here to read, from Wired Blog Network: Wired Science:
Evolution Wins as Creationists (Accidentally) Switch Sides in Florida
By Brandon Keim February 20, 2008 | 12:59:46 PM
Categories: Education, Evolution
The Florida Board of Education officially upheld evolution yesterday.
The board didn't quite mean to do that, of course. In a 4-3 vote, the Board accepted a proposed curriculum that replaced all references to evolution with the phrase "the scientific theory of evolution." In so doing, the board inadvertently made evolution central to public school science education, and also, almost incidentally, mandated education on just what constitutes a "scientific theory."
Until now, Florida's schools weren't required to teach evolution. The old curriculum guidelines didn't even mention it by name.
That state education officials would approve the new standards was not a foregone conclusion. Since last November, 12 county school boards passed resolutions calling for classroom evolution to be balanced by "alternatives" -- a polite euphemism for religiously orthodox explanations of life. The resolutions were non-binding, but raised fears that that the Board of Education would try to duck controversy by diluting the new standards.
Apart from being illegal, teaching creationism as science is a very bad idea. Students may not be permanently scarred by failing to learn about evolution at an early age -- though the National Academy of Science would surely disagree -- but, they're bound to be stunted if told that evolution and creationism are even remotely equivalent in any scientific sense.
Yesterday's decision is thus great news for Florida -- and perhaps for the nation. Had Florida backed down, Texas -- where a pro-evolution science education official was fired last year, and a curriculum revision is scheduled later this year -- might have followed suit. Together they exert enough purchasing power to drag the nation's textbook manufacturers with them, science be damned.
The 4-3 vote was obtained by including a last-minute amendment to the standards. Suggested last Friday by religious conservatives and dubbed the "academic freedom proposal," the amendment required that the curriculum's references to "evolution" be replaced by the "scientific theory of evolution."
The amendment's supporters called the language change a victory -- and it is, though not in the way they imagine.
Not only will Florida's students learn about evolution; they'll also learn that the scientific definition of a theory is different from the everyday definition, referring not to wild-eyed speculation but to a vast body of observation and testing that confirms a hypothesis so strongly that it might as well be considered fact.
A big thank-you, then, to religious critics of evolution education. The language change will better help Florida's children understand not only evolution, but science itself. (If only this USA Today headline writer had the same education.)
Isn't democracy grand?
Note: People interested in how religious and scientific beliefs need not conflict should check out my Q&A with evangelical theologist Michael Dowd.
Decision: Florida schools must teach evolution [Palm Beach Post]
Evolution joins curriculum [St. Petersburg Times]
Knitting and more knitting...
I'm taking stock of what I've got going and will have going soon here...
So I've got several knitting projects planned... I've got several that are more or less half-finished and will stay that way for a good long while yet... And then, I have two that are almost finished, but aren't.
One is Wisp... which only needs the buttons added and to have the woven-in ends trimmed off, so I really should get to that.
The other is a pair of Dashing mitts for my dear friend Zinzi. Zinzi, poor darling, is in New Haven, Connecticut at Yale... getting her MS degree in Epidemiology and Microbial Disease... She is already an RN, but she wants to be a researcher, so... Yale for grad school. Zinzi is a freakin' genius and I love her to death. I was supposed to have them done for her before she left last August, but that didn't happen... then school got in the way and I was supposed to have them done by the end of January, but that didn't happen either. So I say "poor darling" because not only does she have to endure the awful New Haven winter, but she has to do it with crappy dorm heating and no mitts to keep her hands warm while she's typing out brilliant papers. I would have them done by now, but I have to rip one of them out and redo it because it's the wrong size. And the one that is the right size still needs it's thumb. *sighs* I really need to get to that in the next week or so...
What else do I have on my plate? Well, I've got the yarn for Ice Queen (the blue one there), but I need the beads... and I have the yarn for Twinkle Toes, but I can't make them for myself because I've found that while the yarn might be stretchy, but it's not going to stretch enough that this pattern will fit my feet, so they'll have to go to someone with smaller feet. Ah well, once those are done, that will be a perfect Holiday present for someone...
Stuff that won't get done anytime soon... would be socks for my mom because I can't seem to find them. And Starsky because it's something else that needs to be ripped out, I fear...
And I really want a pair of Pedicure Socks, but I need a substitute yarn because I'm allergic to Patons Classic Merino Wool... something that they use in the fiber processing or their dyes, I think... But anyway, I need a pair of these... Really, I think I dreamed I had a pair last night. If that's not a sign, I don't know what is...
What will get done as soon as I get the supplies because it needs to be finished asap: Hats for the Boys. They won't be done by the time I go to EyeCon, this much I know, because EyeCon is the first weekend in April and I haven't even gotten the roving yet. But I want to do simple knit hats... kinda like this one (except not Abercrombie & Fitch):
or this one (except without all the orange or the... are those moose?):
(Those would be "the Boys" btw.)
I'll probably end up finishing them over the summer and send them to them on the set... That's where they'll need them anyway. It's cold up there in Vancouver, yo.
So I've got several knitting projects planned... I've got several that are more or less half-finished and will stay that way for a good long while yet... And then, I have two that are almost finished, but aren't.
One is Wisp... which only needs the buttons added and to have the woven-in ends trimmed off, so I really should get to that.
The other is a pair of Dashing mitts for my dear friend Zinzi. Zinzi, poor darling, is in New Haven, Connecticut at Yale... getting her MS degree in Epidemiology and Microbial Disease... She is already an RN, but she wants to be a researcher, so... Yale for grad school. Zinzi is a freakin' genius and I love her to death. I was supposed to have them done for her before she left last August, but that didn't happen... then school got in the way and I was supposed to have them done by the end of January, but that didn't happen either. So I say "poor darling" because not only does she have to endure the awful New Haven winter, but she has to do it with crappy dorm heating and no mitts to keep her hands warm while she's typing out brilliant papers. I would have them done by now, but I have to rip one of them out and redo it because it's the wrong size. And the one that is the right size still needs it's thumb. *sighs* I really need to get to that in the next week or so...
What else do I have on my plate? Well, I've got the yarn for Ice Queen (the blue one there), but I need the beads... and I have the yarn for Twinkle Toes, but I can't make them for myself because I've found that while the yarn might be stretchy, but it's not going to stretch enough that this pattern will fit my feet, so they'll have to go to someone with smaller feet. Ah well, once those are done, that will be a perfect Holiday present for someone...
Stuff that won't get done anytime soon... would be socks for my mom because I can't seem to find them. And Starsky because it's something else that needs to be ripped out, I fear...
And I really want a pair of Pedicure Socks, but I need a substitute yarn because I'm allergic to Patons Classic Merino Wool... something that they use in the fiber processing or their dyes, I think... But anyway, I need a pair of these... Really, I think I dreamed I had a pair last night. If that's not a sign, I don't know what is...
What will get done as soon as I get the supplies because it needs to be finished asap: Hats for the Boys. They won't be done by the time I go to EyeCon, this much I know, because EyeCon is the first weekend in April and I haven't even gotten the roving yet. But I want to do simple knit hats... kinda like this one (except not Abercrombie & Fitch):
or this one (except without all the orange or the... are those moose?):
(Those would be "the Boys" btw.)
I'll probably end up finishing them over the summer and send them to them on the set... That's where they'll need them anyway. It's cold up there in Vancouver, yo.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Mmmm... endorphins...
So I've decided that it's time for me to get out there and exercise again. It's been well over a year since I've done anything significant because school had been kicking my butt. My weight got kinda ridiculous around November or so... but most of that stress-eating-induced increase has gone away by itself, as it tends to do with me. Still, horribly out of shape...
And there's no excuse now that I've graduated, so yesterday, I got on my bike and rode about a mile or so... just to see how that would go. It was nothing... So today, I got a little bit ambitious. I rode my old 3-mile route. Oy! When I got off the bike a minute ago, it felt the same as when I got off my friend Maria's horse last year after not riding one of those in 5 years... although at least this time, my legs held me up and I didn't fall all the way to the ground on spaghetti legs, giggling madly from the endorphin high (Sky [her horse] was so good not to step on me). Still, a bit dizzy and endorphin rush and that last half mile, woah! kicked. my. butt. let me tell you!
Still, it's a good little 3-mile route. Better than I remembered it being. I'm going to have to start going out a little earlier than this though because toward the end mosquitoes come out. And when I get a basket for my bike, I'll be able to stop my the Bearss Groves market sometimes for produce half way through. (YAY!) I already have a nice little shady park-like place to stop and do stretches at the half way point. And let me tell you, that helps so much in preventing sore muscles the next day.
But the biggest reason of all that I'm doing this right now is because I want to look better than I do now for my pictures with Jared Padalecki and other Supernatural stars at EyeCon in April. Fangirl? Me? Why, yes! Thank you for noticing!
Now, the big question will be if I can stand to not only ride my bike 3-miles at least three times a week for the next 6 weeks, but if I can also bring myself to do the 90-minute NYC Ballet workout DVD routine I've got at least twice a week... (I used to do it 4 times a week, but then I didn't have a bike.) There will also be regular gardening chores, beginning this Saturday because it is Spring planting time.
Oh, my. That's a lot. :D This is gonna be a good challenge...
Wish me luck!
... Okay, now I feel like I could ride another 3-miles... but I can't... stupid mosquitoes... oh, endorphins...
And there's no excuse now that I've graduated, so yesterday, I got on my bike and rode about a mile or so... just to see how that would go. It was nothing... So today, I got a little bit ambitious. I rode my old 3-mile route. Oy! When I got off the bike a minute ago, it felt the same as when I got off my friend Maria's horse last year after not riding one of those in 5 years... although at least this time, my legs held me up and I didn't fall all the way to the ground on spaghetti legs, giggling madly from the endorphin high (Sky [her horse] was so good not to step on me). Still, a bit dizzy and endorphin rush and that last half mile, woah! kicked. my. butt. let me tell you!
Still, it's a good little 3-mile route. Better than I remembered it being. I'm going to have to start going out a little earlier than this though because toward the end mosquitoes come out. And when I get a basket for my bike, I'll be able to stop my the Bearss Groves market sometimes for produce half way through. (YAY!) I already have a nice little shady park-like place to stop and do stretches at the half way point. And let me tell you, that helps so much in preventing sore muscles the next day.
But the biggest reason of all that I'm doing this right now is because I want to look better than I do now for my pictures with Jared Padalecki and other Supernatural stars at EyeCon in April. Fangirl? Me? Why, yes! Thank you for noticing!
Now, the big question will be if I can stand to not only ride my bike 3-miles at least three times a week for the next 6 weeks, but if I can also bring myself to do the 90-minute NYC Ballet workout DVD routine I've got at least twice a week... (I used to do it 4 times a week, but then I didn't have a bike.) There will also be regular gardening chores, beginning this Saturday because it is Spring planting time.
Oh, my. That's a lot. :D This is gonna be a good challenge...
Wish me luck!
... Okay, now I feel like I could ride another 3-miles... but I can't... stupid mosquitoes... oh, endorphins...
Saturday, February 16, 2008
In other news... My new HitchHiker!
My HitchHiker arrived! YAY!! *does a dance of joy*
It looks super cool! Everything I could need is attached... The extra different-sized whorls, the orifice hook, the bobbins on the lazy kate, even a little bottle of oil to keep everything lubed up. It's got rubber feet on the bottom so that it won't slip around on the floor (which has always been a problem for me with my full sized Saxony). And I'm really surprised by how light it is and yet how sturdy. It seems to be designed so well! Everything is simply put together, but seems to work seamlessly. There's no extra parts... no fluff or clutter. Everything is compact, has its place and its purpose and is efficient. And yet it's so cute! (How many modern-styled wheels can that be said about? I was so turned off by the look of a lot of the more modern-type wheels because... I don't know. They looked industrial or something.)
So, so cool! I can't wait to try it out!
Now, I just need to find me some roving... *off to do that*
In other news: How cool is this?!?!
I've never seen this sort of thing before... a kick-spindle... Wow!
Addendum: Problems with the HitchHiker... Yeah, is it obvious that my Saxony is a double-drive? This scotch tension thing is complicated. Also, there's a bit of a problem with the flyer hitting the handle. I've sent out the word for help on forums for such things and am waiting for replies... Will keep you posted...
It looks super cool! Everything I could need is attached... The extra different-sized whorls, the orifice hook, the bobbins on the lazy kate, even a little bottle of oil to keep everything lubed up. It's got rubber feet on the bottom so that it won't slip around on the floor (which has always been a problem for me with my full sized Saxony). And I'm really surprised by how light it is and yet how sturdy. It seems to be designed so well! Everything is simply put together, but seems to work seamlessly. There's no extra parts... no fluff or clutter. Everything is compact, has its place and its purpose and is efficient. And yet it's so cute! (How many modern-styled wheels can that be said about? I was so turned off by the look of a lot of the more modern-type wheels because... I don't know. They looked industrial or something.)
So, so cool! I can't wait to try it out!
Now, I just need to find me some roving... *off to do that*
In other news: How cool is this?!?!
I've never seen this sort of thing before... a kick-spindle... Wow!
Addendum: Problems with the HitchHiker... Yeah, is it obvious that my Saxony is a double-drive? This scotch tension thing is complicated. Also, there's a bit of a problem with the flyer hitting the handle. I've sent out the word for help on forums for such things and am waiting for replies... Will keep you posted...
Supernatural next week...
It's that second episode with a Latin title that I was talking about a few weeks ago, Jus In Bello... The "First Look" spoiler clips have just been posted to YouTube for everyone to see, and I'm like this: O.O
So it goes without saying that the rest of this post is full of spoilers, and so are the clips themselves... (So stop reading this now if you don't want to know before it airs.)
There's two clips. The first kinda sets up the second a little bit, but the second one actually has Latin in it. Oh, YUM!
One thing you should probably know about it beforehand though is that Sam and Dean are being held by the FBI at some jail somewhere on a bunch of charges including many, many counts of murder, fraud, breaking and entering, arson, grave desecration, and the list goes on and on... The main agent after them (you'll see him in the first clip) has been trying to catch them since half-way through last season, and he thinks they are extremely dangerous psychopaths... Well, he's half-right. :D
Enjoy! :D
So it goes without saying that the rest of this post is full of spoilers, and so are the clips themselves... (So stop reading this now if you don't want to know before it airs.)
There's two clips. The first kinda sets up the second a little bit, but the second one actually has Latin in it. Oh, YUM!
One thing you should probably know about it beforehand though is that Sam and Dean are being held by the FBI at some jail somewhere on a bunch of charges including many, many counts of murder, fraud, breaking and entering, arson, grave desecration, and the list goes on and on... The main agent after them (you'll see him in the first clip) has been trying to catch them since half-way through last season, and he thinks they are extremely dangerous psychopaths... Well, he's half-right. :D
Enjoy! :D
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Jensen's in Austrailia... *squee*
Jensen Ackles, who plays Dean Winchester on my favorite tv show, Supernatural, is in Austrialia doing press for the show while it's still on hiatus due to the WGA strike.
The strike, thankfully, ended this week, and production should be starting again soon. We'll get another 5 or 6 episodes for season 3 before the summer hiatus, which will total 17 or 18 for the season. The last two new pre-strike episodes will air Thursday February 14, and Thursday, February 21 on the CW at 9pm ET. Episodes can also be viewed here at the CW website for free (only the last several that have aired), downloaded (at 1.99 per episode) at iTunes and Amazon.com, and the first two seasons can be bought on DVD just about anywhere that's well stocked, as well as online (if one shops around, one can usually find them for $30 each or less).
Unfortunately - *sighs* - the closest areas to you, Ilana, that have CW stations are Clarksburg, WV, Harrisonburg, VA, Washington, DC, Baltimore, MD, and Lancaster, PA... In other words, you're surrounded, but I doubt any of them reach where you are. What a bummer! At least... I'm bummed about it...
Monday, February 11, 2008
Project Laundry List and National Hanging Out Day
Project Laundry List is trying to get just 1 million people in the US to sign a pledge to hang out laundry 80% of the time by April 19, 2008 (National Haning Out Day). You can go here to print out a copy of the pledge form and send it in.
Friday, February 08, 2008
Angie in Baghdad
I know that a lot of people don't like Angelina Jolie for whatever reason they might have for that. But I think she's wonderful and amazing. She's in Baghdad right now trying to get a picture of the refugee crisis in Iraq for UNHCR (which at this time is not officially allowed in the country). There's video and an interview at CNN.com. Check out how poised she is in the midst of all those camera flashes and how much that interview is not about her. She blows me away...
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
OMG! O.O
I have to share this... I was just getting ready to finish up my Latin homework for tomorrow and checked my e-mail one last time. Sitting there waiting for me was a comment for my own blog, pertaining to this post.
In that post, I figured out the Latin exorcism rituals that they use a lot of the time in Supernatural and I attempted to translate them after completing Latin 2 last Spring. Now, I know some of the translation is wrong, but I'm pretty sure the Latin transcription I constructed is correct. Anyway, so I got this comment:
I don't know if this guy is serious or totally bs-ing me (you never know on the internet these days), but if he is serious... I'm just... totally blown away. *squeals*
In that post, I figured out the Latin exorcism rituals that they use a lot of the time in Supernatural and I attempted to translate them after completing Latin 2 last Spring. Now, I know some of the translation is wrong, but I'm pretty sure the Latin transcription I constructed is correct. Anyway, so I got this comment:
"Hi there! I'm Keith R.A. DeCandido, author of the Supernatural novel Nevermore, and I just wanted you to know that this post was IMMENSELY helpful in the writing of a particular scene in my upcoming second Supernatural novel Bone Key. Your name and blog URL are in the acknowledgments and everything.
Thanks much!"
I don't know if this guy is serious or totally bs-ing me (you never know on the internet these days), but if he is serious... I'm just... totally blown away. *squeals*
Monday, January 28, 2008
Blue Like Painted Gauls...
(I've been translating Caesar's "De Bello Gallico" for the last week...) :D
So the indigo adventures continue...
I took the pot out when I got home from class and the coppery film on the surface is less than it was, but the liquid beneath the surface is still yellowish-green, so it's still working. I'm not sure exactly what the coppery film is supposed to indicate other than it is initially ready to dye, and I have no clue if it's normal for it to go away with use.
I re-dipped the cotton that I did yesterday, to see if it would get darker. It didn't really, being pretty dark to begin with...
See, this is what it looked like dry after one dipping:
Then I did the wool pokeberry errors. One skein I had tried to overdye last week with food coloring, and another that was just messed up pokeberry. The one that I tried to overdye with food coloring turned a dark teal, and the one that was just pokeberry turned a dark, forest-like green. I was expecting maybe purple, but perhaps because the red/pink of the pokeberry is not permenent and actually washes out to a yellow-orange-brown kind of color that would explain the greens I got... I dunno. But they are a marked improvement on the nasty, uneven colors they were before.
The skein on the left is the one that was just pokeberry. The one on the right was pokeberry overdyed with food coloring...
No matter what I did with the wool, no matter how saturated it was with water before it went in and no matter how many times I tried to push it down into the dye bath, it would always come back to the top and it seemed it was quite happy to just sit there...
Then I tried one skein of white wool. And I got a pretty middle kind of blue.
These are the rest of the photos I got of the yarn I dyed today. From left to right in each photo, they are the pokeberry, the pokeberry overdyed with food coloring, the kitchen cotton, and the plain white wool:
Oh! I should note a few things about what I've learned from dyeing with indigo in the last couple of days.
1.) You have to wet the fibers first to get a more even color saturation and also to reduce the amount of oxygen that is put into the dyepot.
2.) No matter how wet the fibers are though, you're going to get some air in there.
3.) Even though pre-reduced indigo seems to ferment very quickly, if you're dyeing a lot in one day, it's still better to pull fibers out at an angle and let the dye drip out of the pot. There's a lot of waste when dyeing with indigo - at least it seems so to me - and there's not much to be done about it.
4.) For the above reason, it's better to use this dye method over grass rather than concrete, if you don't want your driveway stained until the indigo eventually washes away.
5.) Dyeing with indigo is a lot easier than a lot of the things written about it would have most people believe. You don't have to keep the pot hot. If you use the Yeast-Ammonia Fermentation Method, you don't have to use anything stronger than regular household ammonia. It's not an exact science... since I messed up calculations royally, and it still seemed to work just fine. It doesn't smell unless you stick your nose in it after the first day or so (at least my dyepot doesn't stink of yeast and ammonia anymore unless I'm sitting right next to it with my face near it). And you get such pretty colors!
I'm really happy with how it's turned out so far... But tomorrow, there will be rinsing... Stay tuned...
So the indigo adventures continue...
I took the pot out when I got home from class and the coppery film on the surface is less than it was, but the liquid beneath the surface is still yellowish-green, so it's still working. I'm not sure exactly what the coppery film is supposed to indicate other than it is initially ready to dye, and I have no clue if it's normal for it to go away with use.
I re-dipped the cotton that I did yesterday, to see if it would get darker. It didn't really, being pretty dark to begin with...
See, this is what it looked like dry after one dipping:
Then I did the wool pokeberry errors. One skein I had tried to overdye last week with food coloring, and another that was just messed up pokeberry. The one that I tried to overdye with food coloring turned a dark teal, and the one that was just pokeberry turned a dark, forest-like green. I was expecting maybe purple, but perhaps because the red/pink of the pokeberry is not permenent and actually washes out to a yellow-orange-brown kind of color that would explain the greens I got... I dunno. But they are a marked improvement on the nasty, uneven colors they were before.
The skein on the left is the one that was just pokeberry. The one on the right was pokeberry overdyed with food coloring...No matter what I did with the wool, no matter how saturated it was with water before it went in and no matter how many times I tried to push it down into the dye bath, it would always come back to the top and it seemed it was quite happy to just sit there...
Then I tried one skein of white wool. And I got a pretty middle kind of blue.
These are the rest of the photos I got of the yarn I dyed today. From left to right in each photo, they are the pokeberry, the pokeberry overdyed with food coloring, the kitchen cotton, and the plain white wool:
Oh! I should note a few things about what I've learned from dyeing with indigo in the last couple of days.
1.) You have to wet the fibers first to get a more even color saturation and also to reduce the amount of oxygen that is put into the dyepot.
2.) No matter how wet the fibers are though, you're going to get some air in there.
3.) Even though pre-reduced indigo seems to ferment very quickly, if you're dyeing a lot in one day, it's still better to pull fibers out at an angle and let the dye drip out of the pot. There's a lot of waste when dyeing with indigo - at least it seems so to me - and there's not much to be done about it.
4.) For the above reason, it's better to use this dye method over grass rather than concrete, if you don't want your driveway stained until the indigo eventually washes away.
5.) Dyeing with indigo is a lot easier than a lot of the things written about it would have most people believe. You don't have to keep the pot hot. If you use the Yeast-Ammonia Fermentation Method, you don't have to use anything stronger than regular household ammonia. It's not an exact science... since I messed up calculations royally, and it still seemed to work just fine. It doesn't smell unless you stick your nose in it after the first day or so (at least my dyepot doesn't stink of yeast and ammonia anymore unless I'm sitting right next to it with my face near it). And you get such pretty colors!
I'm really happy with how it's turned out so far... But tomorrow, there will be rinsing... Stay tuned...
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Yet more about the indigo...
Well, it did referment very quickly after being transfered to one of the larger stock-pots and the extra ingredients and water were added. About an hour and the copper film was thick again. This was around 4:30pm today. I took my dye spoon and gently brushed aside some of the foam and I could see that the liquid was a mostly yellow/greenish color.
So yay! I took the pot outside and carefully removed as much of the copper film as I could and introduced the cotton yarn that I wanted to try dyeing.
The instructions said to let it sit for about 20 - 30 minutes, which I did, but I think it can probably be left for a shorter time than that. By the time it was done, it was starting to get dark (blast shorter days in winter!), so the one picture that I got removing the yarn from the dyebath is too dark to really see the color, but I can tell you, it came out a kind of dark green and very quickly started turning dark blue.
I squeezed out the excess carefully with rubber-gloved hands and set the yarn aside on the grass (I didn't have anywhere to hang it). I put the copper foam back onto the top of the indigo, stirred carefully and recovered the pot with the lid. When I came back outside after taking the pot back into my craft room, the yarn was totally blue. I have it hanging to dry in the extra bathroom shower now. It's a very dark, even-looking, navy blue.
Tomorrow afternoon, I'm going to dye some wool. I'll try to do it earlier in the day if possible so the pictures will be a little better...
Okay... so here's what I did for this dyebath, in case anyone might want to try this out themselves:
4 tbsp pre-reduced indigo (you can, and probably should, use less than that... like maybe 2 tbsp to start with, but that's how much I used), mixed with 2 cups of *non-sudsing* clear ammonia. (I used a large mason jar, but you can probably do this in a dyepot if you like... you're going to need a large dyepot of at least 4-gallons.)
2 packages of yeast with roughly 2 tbsp of sugar stirred into about 1 - 2 cups of warm water (about 100 degrees). This is to activate the yeast and get it working.
After 1 or 2 hours of letting all that sit, mix the yeast with the indigo/ammonia in the dyepot and fill the pot with approximately 3.5 gallons of water, or until there is only about 1.5-2 inches of headspace at the top of the pot.
Stir gently to combine all this stuff and a copper film will probably rise to the top pretty quickly. Let it sit for a little while. Some instructions said as little as 10 minutes are needed, others said overnight. I waited a little more than an hour and it was fine.
After dyeing, if the liquid looks more blue than yellow-green, it needs to sit a while to get the oxygen out again.
So yay! I took the pot outside and carefully removed as much of the copper film as I could and introduced the cotton yarn that I wanted to try dyeing.
The instructions said to let it sit for about 20 - 30 minutes, which I did, but I think it can probably be left for a shorter time than that. By the time it was done, it was starting to get dark (blast shorter days in winter!), so the one picture that I got removing the yarn from the dyebath is too dark to really see the color, but I can tell you, it came out a kind of dark green and very quickly started turning dark blue.
I squeezed out the excess carefully with rubber-gloved hands and set the yarn aside on the grass (I didn't have anywhere to hang it). I put the copper foam back onto the top of the indigo, stirred carefully and recovered the pot with the lid. When I came back outside after taking the pot back into my craft room, the yarn was totally blue. I have it hanging to dry in the extra bathroom shower now. It's a very dark, even-looking, navy blue.
Tomorrow afternoon, I'm going to dye some wool. I'll try to do it earlier in the day if possible so the pictures will be a little better...
Okay... so here's what I did for this dyebath, in case anyone might want to try this out themselves:
4 tbsp pre-reduced indigo (you can, and probably should, use less than that... like maybe 2 tbsp to start with, but that's how much I used), mixed with 2 cups of *non-sudsing* clear ammonia. (I used a large mason jar, but you can probably do this in a dyepot if you like... you're going to need a large dyepot of at least 4-gallons.)
2 packages of yeast with roughly 2 tbsp of sugar stirred into about 1 - 2 cups of warm water (about 100 degrees). This is to activate the yeast and get it working.
After 1 or 2 hours of letting all that sit, mix the yeast with the indigo/ammonia in the dyepot and fill the pot with approximately 3.5 gallons of water, or until there is only about 1.5-2 inches of headspace at the top of the pot.
Stir gently to combine all this stuff and a copper film will probably rise to the top pretty quickly. Let it sit for a little while. Some instructions said as little as 10 minutes are needed, others said overnight. I waited a little more than an hour and it was fine.
After dyeing, if the liquid looks more blue than yellow-green, it needs to sit a while to get the oxygen out again.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Indigo update...
Well, I checked the vat about an hour ago. There's copper colored, bubbly film on the surface. I thought this very strange because that's listed as one of the signs that the vat is ready to dye things. I stuck a string of cotton in, left it for a minute and pulled it out. And indeed, it appears to have dyed it. It was green and then very quickly turned blue. I rinsed it and the cotton is now a dark blue and the color won't wash out. Very strange.
So I did some research. It seems I got "Pre-Reduced Indigo" from EarthGuild (apparently, some people also call it "Instant Indigo" and soon you'll see why). The lady on the phone had told me it's the exact same thing as natural indigo, but it isn't. It works much faster and less indigo must be used, kinda like using "Ultra Concentrated Detergent" to wash your clothes. The same size bottle will often wash twice as many full loads of laundry... So I have a problem and a blessing. Blessing first: the indigo will only take about 10 minutes from mixing the chemicals to fermentation when normally it takes a week with natural, unreduced indigo. The problem, however, is that there is far too much indigo in my vat. It will stick and cake on fibers and rub off quickly. One set of instructions for working with pre-reduced indigo says to use 1 tablespoon of indigo per 5 - 6 gallons of water, but others say as little as 1 tablespoon of pre-reduced indigo to 1.5 gallons of water. yet others say 1 1/2 tablespoons to 3 - 5 Liters of water. Obviously, it not an exact science. Still, I have 4 tablespoons in my one gallon container. You can see how this is a problem.
Lucky for me, I have two 4-gallon dye pots. Not sure if the 8 gallons, plus one gallon glass crock will be enough, but I'm going to do the calculations and try.
So obviously, I need to transfer it to the larger pots, add more sugar, yeast, ammonia and water. And then see if it ferments properly again so that the indigo isn't so great in proportion to the other ingredients. It is, according to the sources, better to have a weak solution than a strong one, because items can be dipped more than once, but once a thing is dipped, nothing but time will remove the excess indigo. So. Tomorrow, I'll do some calculations and figure out how much ammonia, yeast and sugar needs to be added, and transfer what I've got mixed up into my large dyepots and fill up the excess room in the pots with warm water. Then I'll dye my scrap cotton that I turned a nasty brown/beige by boiling it in pokeberries two years ago, see how that does and take it from there.
None of the pre-reduced indigo instructions say anything about using the Yeast-Sugar-Ammonia fermentation method, but since apparently, the only difference between this stuff and natural indigo is its concentration and how fast it reacts, I don't see why it won't work. I'm just going to have a lot of this stuff that I need to exhaust. So if anybody I know out there has anything they'd like me to attempt to dye with indigo, fully aware that it might get completely screwed up in the process and results at this point are utterly unknown, now is the time to send it my way!
So I did some research. It seems I got "Pre-Reduced Indigo" from EarthGuild (apparently, some people also call it "Instant Indigo" and soon you'll see why). The lady on the phone had told me it's the exact same thing as natural indigo, but it isn't. It works much faster and less indigo must be used, kinda like using "Ultra Concentrated Detergent" to wash your clothes. The same size bottle will often wash twice as many full loads of laundry... So I have a problem and a blessing. Blessing first: the indigo will only take about 10 minutes from mixing the chemicals to fermentation when normally it takes a week with natural, unreduced indigo. The problem, however, is that there is far too much indigo in my vat. It will stick and cake on fibers and rub off quickly. One set of instructions for working with pre-reduced indigo says to use 1 tablespoon of indigo per 5 - 6 gallons of water, but others say as little as 1 tablespoon of pre-reduced indigo to 1.5 gallons of water. yet others say 1 1/2 tablespoons to 3 - 5 Liters of water. Obviously, it not an exact science. Still, I have 4 tablespoons in my one gallon container. You can see how this is a problem.
Lucky for me, I have two 4-gallon dye pots. Not sure if the 8 gallons, plus one gallon glass crock will be enough, but I'm going to do the calculations and try.
So obviously, I need to transfer it to the larger pots, add more sugar, yeast, ammonia and water. And then see if it ferments properly again so that the indigo isn't so great in proportion to the other ingredients. It is, according to the sources, better to have a weak solution than a strong one, because items can be dipped more than once, but once a thing is dipped, nothing but time will remove the excess indigo. So. Tomorrow, I'll do some calculations and figure out how much ammonia, yeast and sugar needs to be added, and transfer what I've got mixed up into my large dyepots and fill up the excess room in the pots with warm water. Then I'll dye my scrap cotton that I turned a nasty brown/beige by boiling it in pokeberries two years ago, see how that does and take it from there.
None of the pre-reduced indigo instructions say anything about using the Yeast-Sugar-Ammonia fermentation method, but since apparently, the only difference between this stuff and natural indigo is its concentration and how fast it reacts, I don't see why it won't work. I'm just going to have a lot of this stuff that I need to exhaust. So if anybody I know out there has anything they'd like me to attempt to dye with indigo, fully aware that it might get completely screwed up in the process and results at this point are utterly unknown, now is the time to send it my way!
Malleus Maleficarum
So... We all know that my favorite show is Supernatural on the CW, as I have oft posted of it before, right?... It's been on a cruel and drawn out hiatus since the beginning of December due to the Writers' Strike. But this next Thursday, January 31st, it's back! 9pm. CW. Set your DVRs. (LOL! I know you won't, but I still think you should at least think about it.) This week's episode is called "Malleus Maleficarum." So indeed, the Powers That Be of Supernatural love me; they made the episode title Latin.
I was just sent an e-mail with a link to a video clip from the episode. I'm too excited not to post it everywhere I can, just because. So if you'll indulge my obsessions a moment:
If you watched it, but you don't watch the show, you might not have understood what was going on there. That's okay. I just couldn't stop myself.
**dancing around my living room for joy of Supernatural**
That is all. Good night. :D
I was just sent an e-mail with a link to a video clip from the episode. I'm too excited not to post it everywhere I can, just because. So if you'll indulge my obsessions a moment:
If you watched it, but you don't watch the show, you might not have understood what was going on there. That's okay. I just couldn't stop myself.
**dancing around my living room for joy of Supernatural**
That is all. Good night. :D
Friday, January 25, 2008
Indigo update and silliness...
Well, the vat is all set up... now it just has to sit for a few days at least... It all seemed to be doing what it was supposed to do... The indigo was weird though. I know it's not water soluble, but... knowing that and seeing what it does because it's not water soluble are two different things...
Anyhoo...
And it only took me taking it three times to get that too... LOL! First time, I got Peter Petrelli, which would be fine, except Peter was so annoyingly clueless this season... and then I got someone from The Office and I don't even watch The Office, so I had to take it again... :D
Anyhoo...
And it only took me taking it three times to get that too... LOL! First time, I got Peter Petrelli, which would be fine, except Peter was so annoyingly clueless this season... and then I got someone from The Office and I don't even watch The Office, so I had to take it again... :D
Thursday, January 24, 2008
My Indigo Vat...
I'm finally starting an indigo vat... Yay!!
I'm using the Indigo-Yeast-Ammonia Fermentation Method from EarthGuild (#3 at the bottom), which is where I got the indigo...
It gives instructions for fermenting a small amount of indigo (only one gallon of solution), which I thought was good to start with. I'm using a glass Anchor crock from Walmart (Anchor is one of my favorite glass companies - made in the USA and based in St. Pete, just across the bay from me; the company was a corporate sponsor of the school my dad worked at for 35+ years). They make a high quality, heavy glassware. I like it...
So far, I've got the yeast doing its thing in one Mason jar and the indigo and ammonia in another, both now sacrificed to the gods of dyeing. As soon as that stage is done in about an hour and a half, it's into the crock they go, where more water will be added and then it will all be left to sit and ferment...
Will keep posting about the progress...
I'm using the Indigo-Yeast-Ammonia Fermentation Method from EarthGuild (#3 at the bottom), which is where I got the indigo...
It gives instructions for fermenting a small amount of indigo (only one gallon of solution), which I thought was good to start with. I'm using a glass Anchor crock from Walmart (Anchor is one of my favorite glass companies - made in the USA and based in St. Pete, just across the bay from me; the company was a corporate sponsor of the school my dad worked at for 35+ years). They make a high quality, heavy glassware. I like it...
So far, I've got the yeast doing its thing in one Mason jar and the indigo and ammonia in another, both now sacrificed to the gods of dyeing. As soon as that stage is done in about an hour and a half, it's into the crock they go, where more water will be added and then it will all be left to sit and ferment...
Will keep posting about the progress...
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
More fiberous stuff...
Yeah, you can tell what's been on my mind lately...
I got a copy of VogueKnitting's Winter '07/'08 issue today... It has hideous sweaters on the cover. But... on the inside they have a lovely set of patterns for shawls and shawl-like things. Also, an article about how to make a Pi-shawl. It is a lovely looking thing... and I think it between the set of patterns (which have a beach theme to them) and the Pi-shawl (which has a very interesting, almost cloak-like shape to it), they have continued to help this pattern I've been thinking of in my head take shape...
I want to do a beach-y shawl... Something that is at least mostly matt, with maybe a little subtle shimmer to it here and there... maybe a linen or linen blended with silk, or... I don't know, I haven't really fallen in love with a yarn for this yet, except to say that I want to use natural fibers. I haven't decided on colors. Do I want to go with the colors of the sea and sky? Or with sand and shell? I'm leaning toward sand and shell I think... so tones of taupe, sand, off-white, light pink, and apricot maybe? Hmm... I don't know...
And there will be fringes, but I'm not sure that they'll all be at the edge, maybe some tied randomly to the body of the shawl. And I want to put sea-glass beads and shells into it somehow. See I want something deliciously beachy, that is cozy and moves in the wind and sparkles in the sunlight... Mmmm, yum!
*******
In other news, I have to say I'm completely shocked and horrified over the news of Heath Ledger's death. He was one of my favorite actors and someone I deeply admired. I'm devastated for his daughter and the rest of his family. My prayers and deepest sympathies are with them.
I got a copy of VogueKnitting's Winter '07/'08 issue today... It has hideous sweaters on the cover. But... on the inside they have a lovely set of patterns for shawls and shawl-like things. Also, an article about how to make a Pi-shawl. It is a lovely looking thing... and I think it between the set of patterns (which have a beach theme to them) and the Pi-shawl (which has a very interesting, almost cloak-like shape to it), they have continued to help this pattern I've been thinking of in my head take shape...
I want to do a beach-y shawl... Something that is at least mostly matt, with maybe a little subtle shimmer to it here and there... maybe a linen or linen blended with silk, or... I don't know, I haven't really fallen in love with a yarn for this yet, except to say that I want to use natural fibers. I haven't decided on colors. Do I want to go with the colors of the sea and sky? Or with sand and shell? I'm leaning toward sand and shell I think... so tones of taupe, sand, off-white, light pink, and apricot maybe? Hmm... I don't know...
And there will be fringes, but I'm not sure that they'll all be at the edge, maybe some tied randomly to the body of the shawl. And I want to put sea-glass beads and shells into it somehow. See I want something deliciously beachy, that is cozy and moves in the wind and sparkles in the sunlight... Mmmm, yum!
*******
In other news, I have to say I'm completely shocked and horrified over the news of Heath Ledger's death. He was one of my favorite actors and someone I deeply admired. I'm devastated for his daughter and the rest of his family. My prayers and deepest sympathies are with them.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Results of wooliness...
Well, I only really dyed a little sample green the other day. But I over-dyed some of the pokeberry dyed yarn that turned out blotchy. I used the recipe on the back of the food color box for "raspberry." Here's what I got:
It's actually more pink than this, but you get the idea. 4 ounces of a nice saturated mauve. Raspberry. I like it. I think it needs to be a beret actually... even though I really don't like Prince and think his music kinda sucks.
There's a bit of one skein where the color is a little too light. You can actually see it in the photo, so I'm dyeing that skein a little more to see if that will fix it. That skein overall is a little lighter than the other one anyway... I hope to at least get those little places dyed dark enough so that they blend in with everything else... We'll see... Now, I would love pattern suggestions if anyone happens to know of somewhere to find a pattern for a nice monotone beret...
In the meantime, I'm getting things together to *finally* set up an indigo vat. I need something to put the stuff in. Any suggestions for a good, stable fermenting container?
*********
Addendum: The re-dyeing fixed the uneven problem with that one skein, so yay!!
It's actually more pink than this, but you get the idea. 4 ounces of a nice saturated mauve. Raspberry. I like it. I think it needs to be a beret actually... even though I really don't like Prince and think his music kinda sucks.
There's a bit of one skein where the color is a little too light. You can actually see it in the photo, so I'm dyeing that skein a little more to see if that will fix it. That skein overall is a little lighter than the other one anyway... I hope to at least get those little places dyed dark enough so that they blend in with everything else... We'll see... Now, I would love pattern suggestions if anyone happens to know of somewhere to find a pattern for a nice monotone beret...
In the meantime, I'm getting things together to *finally* set up an indigo vat. I need something to put the stuff in. Any suggestions for a good, stable fermenting container?
*********
Addendum: The re-dyeing fixed the uneven problem with that one skein, so yay!!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Wooly things...
Been up to all sorts of little wooly things this week...
As I think I mentioned before, I want to make hats for a couple of pretty boys... Specifically, the ones on the CW's Supernatural - Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles... Who? Here are some icons that aren't mine to illustrate:
Jared as "Sam"
Jared as Jared
Jensen as "Dean"
Oddly, I have no icons of just Jensen as Jensen, so here's one more of Dean... just 'cuz...
So I spun up the samples of roving I got from Yarns Etc. There are several I think are possibilities, but I was really hoping for some more interesting blues and greens than what I got... So I'm thinking of getting something more plain and dying it with food coloring per knitty.com instructions.
I was going to use Kool Aid, but I got bit by the bug to dye something NOW this evening and couldn't go out searching for the sugar free stuff... But apparently, the food coloring is the same kind of chemical dyes that are also in Kool Aid, but in greater concentrations, cheaper and (alas) without the fruity smells to hide the vinegar. (It's okay... when I'm all done, I'll wash it with lavendar wool wash to keep away the moths and then it will smell yummy and not like vinegar.)
But I've just dyed a sample bit of my handspun green... a nice clear, bright green at that, neither yellowish nor blue-ish... in only about 20 minutes. I've taken pictures, but I can't seem to get the color to show up just right. I have a feeling that I can get the color a bit darker too, if I were more patient and let the wool soak longer, but I'm not patient... especially not for samples... it's bad of me... I know... But I think that's what I'll do for Jared's hat at least... A friend said that she thinks Jared would get a kick out of wearing a hat dyed with Kool Aid... She just thinks he's that kind of guy... And I kinda agree... But... It's still Kool-Aid though kinda... maybe?... He doesn't need to know that it isn't technically, does he? Since it's the exact same chemicals, right?... (Yeah, I'm ridiculous...)
I'm also thinking maybe of dyeing something for Jensen too now, maybe in a dark blue, or perhaps, for those who might know or care, do y'all think that the light blue-gray that I've been considering would suit him better? (see below)
I'd like honest opinions on that because my zeal for trying out new craft techniques obsessively will take over if I'm not careful and my entire stash of hand-spun will be dyed before the end of the weekend if I don't watch myself. To get the right kind of dark-blue for Jensen though, I think I'll need to start with gray roving... (see the Kool-Aid dyed wool color chart - everything on the right side started as natural gray wool; see what a difference it makes?)
Even if I do dye something for Jensen as well, I'd still like to get some roving from Yarns Etc... As I said, I need something gray... I'm out of all the gray that I had, except for some that was dyed gray with God knows what and it's kinda coarse. I'll have to e-mail the lady at the store and ask if they've got any gray of which she didn't send a sample. After all, it's possible because I know I've gotten gray roving there before.
In other news: I want to make myself some of these Pedicure socks for myself. But I shall have to find another yarn of the same gauge because I'm allergic to some sort of chemical Patons uses with their wool yarn and that's the yarn the pattern calls for... It makes my hands itch, turn red and swell when I try to knit with it. Darn it... I'm thinking Rowan Pure Wool DK, which comes in some lovely colors... Hmmmm...
As I think I mentioned before, I want to make hats for a couple of pretty boys... Specifically, the ones on the CW's Supernatural - Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles... Who? Here are some icons that aren't mine to illustrate:
Jared as "Sam"
Jared as Jared
Jensen as "Dean"
Oddly, I have no icons of just Jensen as Jensen, so here's one more of Dean... just 'cuz...
So I spun up the samples of roving I got from Yarns Etc. There are several I think are possibilities, but I was really hoping for some more interesting blues and greens than what I got... So I'm thinking of getting something more plain and dying it with food coloring per knitty.com instructions.
I was going to use Kool Aid, but I got bit by the bug to dye something NOW this evening and couldn't go out searching for the sugar free stuff... But apparently, the food coloring is the same kind of chemical dyes that are also in Kool Aid, but in greater concentrations, cheaper and (alas) without the fruity smells to hide the vinegar. (It's okay... when I'm all done, I'll wash it with lavendar wool wash to keep away the moths and then it will smell yummy and not like vinegar.)
But I've just dyed a sample bit of my handspun green... a nice clear, bright green at that, neither yellowish nor blue-ish... in only about 20 minutes. I've taken pictures, but I can't seem to get the color to show up just right. I have a feeling that I can get the color a bit darker too, if I were more patient and let the wool soak longer, but I'm not patient... especially not for samples... it's bad of me... I know... But I think that's what I'll do for Jared's hat at least... A friend said that she thinks Jared would get a kick out of wearing a hat dyed with Kool Aid... She just thinks he's that kind of guy... And I kinda agree... But... It's still Kool-Aid though kinda... maybe?... He doesn't need to know that it isn't technically, does he? Since it's the exact same chemicals, right?... (Yeah, I'm ridiculous...)
I'm also thinking maybe of dyeing something for Jensen too now, maybe in a dark blue, or perhaps, for those who might know or care, do y'all think that the light blue-gray that I've been considering would suit him better? (see below)
I'd like honest opinions on that because my zeal for trying out new craft techniques obsessively will take over if I'm not careful and my entire stash of hand-spun will be dyed before the end of the weekend if I don't watch myself. To get the right kind of dark-blue for Jensen though, I think I'll need to start with gray roving... (see the Kool-Aid dyed wool color chart - everything on the right side started as natural gray wool; see what a difference it makes?)Even if I do dye something for Jensen as well, I'd still like to get some roving from Yarns Etc... As I said, I need something gray... I'm out of all the gray that I had, except for some that was dyed gray with God knows what and it's kinda coarse. I'll have to e-mail the lady at the store and ask if they've got any gray of which she didn't send a sample. After all, it's possible because I know I've gotten gray roving there before.
In other news: I want to make myself some of these Pedicure socks for myself. But I shall have to find another yarn of the same gauge because I'm allergic to some sort of chemical Patons uses with their wool yarn and that's the yarn the pattern calls for... It makes my hands itch, turn red and swell when I try to knit with it. Darn it... I'm thinking Rowan Pure Wool DK, which comes in some lovely colors... Hmmmm...
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
What I did last night...
Went to see Maya Angelou last night at the Sundome here on campus with my friend Mia. I almost didn't go because I had homework and it was ridiculously cold outside and I had no jacket, but I'm so glad I did. And I got my homework done sitting in the warm Sundome before her lecture started so it was all good. She was awesome and amazing and made me cry and laugh at the same time. Such an amazing person and phenomenal woman (I don't mean to pun her poem, she really is... there's just no other word that comes even close to covering just how glorious she is in the English language). *loves her* There will be pictures eventually. I have to get them from Mia.
She spoke some poems, some she has written and some written by others, including one of Shakespeare's sonnets. and she spoke about her love of written words and how important they are. And she said over and over and over until we laughed that she kept saying it that we all needed to go to our library to talk to our librarians because that's what they're there for and to read some poetry. Any poetry. Because she said it belongs to us and was written for us, so we should at least see what it is. And she told us about some inspiring people she's known in her life, like her grandmother and her Uncle Willy. She said we all need to appreciate and realize the rainbows in the clouds of our life and realize that we are also rainbows in the lives of other people, each and everyone of us. And I think that's so true. Amazing, amazing, amazing... If you ever get the chance to hear her speak, go! Do it!
There were so many people there that it took an *hour and twenty minutes* to get off campus and we were only parked about 1/2 mile from the edge of campus, or not even that far. So much traffic and not a campus cop in sight to direct it and people were being asshats. Very sad that. But still, there was music and talk of Maya and also our favorite tv shows and roving because I got samples yesterday from my favorite supplier, Yarns Etc. in Greensboro, and I had the samples in the car to discuss and pet, so it was all good. I'm going to be making hats in the next month or so for the actors on our favorite tv show 'cause I can and I think Vancouver is cold enough to warrent hand-spun, hand-knit hats...
She spoke some poems, some she has written and some written by others, including one of Shakespeare's sonnets. and she spoke about her love of written words and how important they are. And she said over and over and over until we laughed that she kept saying it that we all needed to go to our library to talk to our librarians because that's what they're there for and to read some poetry. Any poetry. Because she said it belongs to us and was written for us, so we should at least see what it is. And she told us about some inspiring people she's known in her life, like her grandmother and her Uncle Willy. She said we all need to appreciate and realize the rainbows in the clouds of our life and realize that we are also rainbows in the lives of other people, each and everyone of us. And I think that's so true. Amazing, amazing, amazing... If you ever get the chance to hear her speak, go! Do it!
There were so many people there that it took an *hour and twenty minutes* to get off campus and we were only parked about 1/2 mile from the edge of campus, or not even that far. So much traffic and not a campus cop in sight to direct it and people were being asshats. Very sad that. But still, there was music and talk of Maya and also our favorite tv shows and roving because I got samples yesterday from my favorite supplier, Yarns Etc. in Greensboro, and I had the samples in the car to discuss and pet, so it was all good. I'm going to be making hats in the next month or so for the actors on our favorite tv show 'cause I can and I think Vancouver is cold enough to warrent hand-spun, hand-knit hats...
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Just a quickie post...
K... I'm writing this quick and then going off to bed... I get free stuff from astrology.com every year on my birthday. Things like Tarot card readings and free astrological forecast samples and stuff... Well, I just did the free astrological sample that they have available and this is what it said for me:
The Sun In The Solar Return Chart
Sun Aspects Uranus
- Uranus aspecting the Sun suggests that the individual desires to make changes, possibly in rapid succession. Generally, any solar return year that has a major Uranus-Sun aspect also has a corresponding significant life change or development such as a pregnancy or birth, career or job transfer, relocation, illness, etc. Changes tend to be more disruptive and less controllable when they involve a conjunction, square or opposition aspect, but all aspects can ultimately indicate beneficial changes. Issues involving boredom versus originality, or creativity and freedom versus restriction, are common.
Can't remember what aspect of the Sun and Uranus is in my chart. Will have to look it up on my other computer later... but as you can see, it's not far off the mark for what I'll be doing this year now that I've graduated...
Later, after sleep and my doctor's appointment later today, I will be in a better frame of mind to do the tarot reading. Right now, am far too pensive...
The Sun In The Solar Return Chart
Sun Aspects Uranus
- Uranus aspecting the Sun suggests that the individual desires to make changes, possibly in rapid succession. Generally, any solar return year that has a major Uranus-Sun aspect also has a corresponding significant life change or development such as a pregnancy or birth, career or job transfer, relocation, illness, etc. Changes tend to be more disruptive and less controllable when they involve a conjunction, square or opposition aspect, but all aspects can ultimately indicate beneficial changes. Issues involving boredom versus originality, or creativity and freedom versus restriction, are common.
Can't remember what aspect of the Sun and Uranus is in my chart. Will have to look it up on my other computer later... but as you can see, it's not far off the mark for what I'll be doing this year now that I've graduated...
Later, after sleep and my doctor's appointment later today, I will be in a better frame of mind to do the tarot reading. Right now, am far too pensive...
Saturday, January 05, 2008
am home...
am home... feeling really, really awful... not sure if I'm sick or it's the travel or something worse... have had a very sensitive stomach, like as in chronic heartburn/sour stomach feelings, the last several weeks and off and on for several months... could be stress... will have to go to the doctor soon and find out for sure... oh, goodie... I hate doctors...
will update with real what fun I had for the holidays type post soon... but first - tv and sleep...
will update with real what fun I had for the holidays type post soon... but first - tv and sleep...
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Wow...
I can't believe that the semester is over... I probably have to take the Latin final on Wednesday, but I'm pretty much done. I really can't believe it. It just hasn't hit me yet.
I've been able to work on a few things. I've spun some with my drop spindles and knit a few gifts... I sewed one or two others very quickly... Haven't had much time for shopping or sending cards... I've barely remembered to light the menorah all week, naughty me...
So busy...
There will be pictures as soon as I can take them and transfer them to my computer.
Happy holidays, everyone! ::hugs::
I've been able to work on a few things. I've spun some with my drop spindles and knit a few gifts... I sewed one or two others very quickly... Haven't had much time for shopping or sending cards... I've barely remembered to light the menorah all week, naughty me...
So busy...
There will be pictures as soon as I can take them and transfer them to my computer.
Happy holidays, everyone! ::hugs::
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Woot!!
Ding-dong, my paper's done!
Which old paper?
My very last paper!
Ding-dong, my very last paper's done!
LOL! Okay... enough with the trip to Oz... I finished my Theory paper about 30 minutes ago and just finished getting dressed, a full hour and half before I have to leave for class - go me! I usually procrastinate much worse than this. I'm only waiting for my mom to get home so she can read it over for readability, etc. because I've been staring at it so long, I can't say anymore. Just wanted to share the news! Wish me luck with the grading now, as it is the "where did you copy this from?" Nazi who will be doing the grading...
Which old paper?
My very last paper!
Ding-dong, my very last paper's done!
LOL! Okay... enough with the trip to Oz... I finished my Theory paper about 30 minutes ago and just finished getting dressed, a full hour and half before I have to leave for class - go me! I usually procrastinate much worse than this. I'm only waiting for my mom to get home so she can read it over for readability, etc. because I've been staring at it so long, I can't say anymore. Just wanted to share the news! Wish me luck with the grading now, as it is the "where did you copy this from?" Nazi who will be doing the grading...
Friday, November 16, 2007
The Conclusion to the "WTF!?!?!" Saga...
Well, got word from my prof. He says that he doesn't approve of the way I used that source he wanted to check... and despite the fact that he said we only needed to use 4 or 5 sources, and I used 4, he says I have too few sources... but he goes on to say, "Nevertheless, you show that you understand the point of the paper and the nature of historiography, so your grade for the paper is 'C.'" Well, that's nice... I got a "C" and I'm not an asshole, so I've got something on him, don't I?... And even so, all I need to get on all my work in this class is a "C" or better in order to pass, so ultimately I'm fine with it.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
An update on the "WTF?!?!?!" situation...
Got a note back from my prof as to what the issue is... This is what he has to say:
"Since you rely on this book to present briefly the views of several historians, such as Elizabeth Brown and Martin Aurell, who do not actually have essays in the book, I want to see what the book has to say about them."
That's all he said...
My annoyed face continues... For this, he can't grade my paper? Something is stinky with this situation, ladies and gentlemen.
I have gone over my paper with the above statement from my prof in mind, and this is what I've found:
These historians he named that I named (and also one other)... while they did not write articles that were presented in this book, Elanor of Aquitaine: Lord and Lady (which is a collection of academic essays), I quoted them from quotes attributed to them in this book, either from the prologue or from the article I cited, noting in the text who it was who wrote each of these things, as well as citing them properly according to Chicago standards (the style we were required to use)... That seems perfectly resonable usage to me... What's wrong with it? ... I got nothin'... ::eye rolls:: Really, now... What is this man thinking? I don't understand why that prevents him from giving my paper a grade...
"Since you rely on this book to present briefly the views of several historians, such as Elizabeth Brown and Martin Aurell, who do not actually have essays in the book, I want to see what the book has to say about them."
That's all he said...
My annoyed face continues... For this, he can't grade my paper? Something is stinky with this situation, ladies and gentlemen.
I have gone over my paper with the above statement from my prof in mind, and this is what I've found:
These historians he named that I named (and also one other)... while they did not write articles that were presented in this book, Elanor of Aquitaine: Lord and Lady (which is a collection of academic essays), I quoted them from quotes attributed to them in this book, either from the prologue or from the article I cited, noting in the text who it was who wrote each of these things, as well as citing them properly according to Chicago standards (the style we were required to use)... That seems perfectly resonable usage to me... What's wrong with it? ... I got nothin'... ::eye rolls:: Really, now... What is this man thinking? I don't understand why that prevents him from giving my paper a grade...
Friday, November 09, 2007
WTF?!?!
No, seriously, WTF!?!?!
My Theory prof e-mailed me today... an e-mail I just got about 30 minutes ago because I was so exhausted after this week that I literally slept for almost 20 hours... Going to sleep when it's dark and waking up when it's dark again is extremely disorienting and disconcerting to me. ::sighs:: That aside...
My prof e-mails me to tell me that there's a problem with my histiography paper, which is a 5 page paper on a topic having to do with the movie that we have to watch for our big term paper, due a week from Tuesday, about which historians disagree. He didn't name the problem with my paper, just made it clear that there is one, on a *Friday* when no one will be in the office until *Monday*, and asks me to bring in one of my sources for the paper on Monday and have the secretary put it in his mailbox because he'd like to take a look at it. He didn't tell me what the problem was and he didn't say he'd like to talk to me in person. He wants to see the book. As my friend Mia likes to say, this is my annoyed face. ::points to face:: I'm especially freaking out because he's already accused me of plagiarizing once this semester already and I think he's looking for it. I think he wants to make me out to be his one plagiarizer this semester because he says he always finds one... The hell he will because I sure didn't do it! And he can't prove something I didn't do.
I don't know how many times I'm going to have to say this. I did not plagiarize on any paper. I never have. The very idea is utterly abhorrent.
WTF?!?!
I do not need this shit while I'm trying to write other papers and pass my damn class. I really don't need it causing me health problems and ruining what had promised to be a relaxing weekend.
My Theory prof e-mailed me today... an e-mail I just got about 30 minutes ago because I was so exhausted after this week that I literally slept for almost 20 hours... Going to sleep when it's dark and waking up when it's dark again is extremely disorienting and disconcerting to me. ::sighs:: That aside...
My prof e-mails me to tell me that there's a problem with my histiography paper, which is a 5 page paper on a topic having to do with the movie that we have to watch for our big term paper, due a week from Tuesday, about which historians disagree. He didn't name the problem with my paper, just made it clear that there is one, on a *Friday* when no one will be in the office until *Monday*, and asks me to bring in one of my sources for the paper on Monday and have the secretary put it in his mailbox because he'd like to take a look at it. He didn't tell me what the problem was and he didn't say he'd like to talk to me in person. He wants to see the book. As my friend Mia likes to say, this is my annoyed face. ::points to face:: I'm especially freaking out because he's already accused me of plagiarizing once this semester already and I think he's looking for it. I think he wants to make me out to be his one plagiarizer this semester because he says he always finds one... The hell he will because I sure didn't do it! And he can't prove something I didn't do.
I don't know how many times I'm going to have to say this. I did not plagiarize on any paper. I never have. The very idea is utterly abhorrent.
WTF?!?!
I do not need this shit while I'm trying to write other papers and pass my damn class. I really don't need it causing me health problems and ruining what had promised to be a relaxing weekend.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
I'm supporting the WGA
So the Writers' Guild of America is on strike... as I'm sure everyone has heard by now... I support them in their efforts and hope that the studios submit to their demands quickly so that everyone can get on with entertaining America and the world... and so that the support staff who don't get paid outrageous saleries, the grips and techs and make-up people and assistants, don't start loosing their homes and cars, etc because if they aren't making tv and movies because the writers are on strike, all these poor people aren't getting paid either... from their jobs or their unions... so... I do hope it ends quickly...
In an effort to support the strike, I've decided to join the Reality TV boycott. The studios hope to maintain their ratings shares and advertising revenues by showing new Reality TV shows when the new episodes of their scripted shows run out... probably around late-January to February for most shows... So I'm boycotting... If they don't maintain their numbers and start loosing advertisers, they will be more likely to deal fairly with the writers.
For more information...
In an effort to support the strike, I've decided to join the Reality TV boycott. The studios hope to maintain their ratings shares and advertising revenues by showing new Reality TV shows when the new episodes of their scripted shows run out... probably around late-January to February for most shows... So I'm boycotting... If they don't maintain their numbers and start loosing advertisers, they will be more likely to deal fairly with the writers.
For more information...
Two Movies Everyone Should See...
Walker... It details the story of William Walker, who in the 1850s led a group of Americans into Nicaragua in order to "bring democracy and civilization" to Nicaraguans... they were financed by Vanderbuilt who wanted the trade routes through Nicaragua to be stabilized at all costs. The things that occur so closely resemble things that have continued to occur in the course of American history. The movie was made shortly after the Iran-Contra business in the mid-1980s, but the same exact rhetoric that was used in the 1850s and 1980s is being used today by President Bush and his cronies in support of the war in Iran. The movie is delightfully blatent in it's connection between the past and the present... look out for automobiles, automatic assault rifles and Newsweek magazines... Seriously, everyone should see this movie... and keep it in mind when writing your elected officials and voting.
Iron Jawed Angels... I don't think any other movie in the history of cinema can make people appreciate the right to vote more than this one... or indeed all other rights and protections that we enjoy every day. Iron Jawed Angels is the story of the courageous women who stood up to President Wilson and demanded all women be given the right to vote. They were imprisioned under false pretenses for it because WWI made protests against the government extremely unpopular. They were denied their constitutional rights and gravely mistreated in the prison. These events are portrayed very well in this movie, which was produced by HBO. If you find any of the actual photographs of the protests (such as the one to the left), you can see just how close to life the film comes. It's impressive.
Iron Jawed Angels... I don't think any other movie in the history of cinema can make people appreciate the right to vote more than this one... or indeed all other rights and protections that we enjoy every day. Iron Jawed Angels is the story of the courageous women who stood up to President Wilson and demanded all women be given the right to vote. They were imprisioned under false pretenses for it because WWI made protests against the government extremely unpopular. They were denied their constitutional rights and gravely mistreated in the prison. These events are portrayed very well in this movie, which was produced by HBO. If you find any of the actual photographs of the protests (such as the one to the left), you can see just how close to life the film comes. It's impressive.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
This is scary...
I've never seen Annie Hall, though I've heard of it... And I've been told before that when I write, I'm funny like Woody Allen... but I don't like Woody Allen... He married his step-daughter and that's freakin' weird, man!
And since I am one...
But I think I'm more of a Capricorn than just 73%... I just don't believe traditional status symbols are the best kind of status symbols, so I don't want an Italian sports car or $400 shoes... Also, I've seen it debated that Capricorns are actually very superstitious, they just don't usually admit to it...
And to bring it all together, I took this one:
Damn... why am I not surprised?
| Your Love Life is Like Annie Hall |
 "A relationship, I think, is like a shark. You know? It has to constantly move forward or it dies." You believe that love (if you even believe in love!) is a very complicated thing. Maybe love is pain. Or maybe it's all a big therapy session. You're still figuring it out. Your love style: Brainy and a bit neurotic Your Hollywood Ending Will Be: Realistic and reflective |
And since I am one...
| You are 73% Capricorn |
 |
But I think I'm more of a Capricorn than just 73%... I just don't believe traditional status symbols are the best kind of status symbols, so I don't want an Italian sports car or $400 shoes... Also, I've seen it debated that Capricorns are actually very superstitious, they just don't usually admit to it...
And to bring it all together, I took this one:
| You Should Be With a Water Sign! |
 Your best match is a Cancer, Scorpio, or Pisces Why? You crave intimacy and connection in your relationship And while most guys can't open up enough for you, a Water Sign can Not that you're whole relationship will be soul gazing A Water Sign matches your goofy sense of humor - and desire to help others. |
Damn... why am I not surprised?
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Random stuff
I think I might have figured out the origin of "May Day" as an expression of distress in vernacular English... I haven't looked it up cause I haven't the time just now (right in the middle of critical school work), but I have to write it down or it will drive me crazy...
I think "May Day" is a corruption of the French "m'aidez," which means "help me!" in French.
Anybody reading this know for sure? I'm really curious...
(Told you it was random.)
I think "May Day" is a corruption of the French "m'aidez," which means "help me!" in French.
Anybody reading this know for sure? I'm really curious...
(Told you it was random.)
Sunday, October 28, 2007
What to watch during November Sweeps...
(or at least, what I'll be watching...)
So... Sweeps start on November 1st... Which means that I have to take at least ten minutes here to pimp my favorite shows for those of you out there who might not watch them (yet!).
My very favorite show in the whole universe right now is Supernatural. It is amazing and completely fantastic television... It's like a movie that has another (good!) sequel every week... I LOVEit! And God forbid I ever accidentally miss it! It airs Thursdays on the CW at 9pm EST. November 1st, episode 3.05 "Bedtime Stories" will air. Here's the trailer:
The promo scene (aka "The Director's Cut") can be seen at the CW website here. I wish I could embed it, but I can't 'cause it's not up at YouTube yet...
You can also watch the first three episodes (and very soon the fourth should be added) there on the CW website... so you can get all caught up... :D
I also give big thumbs up to the following, which I never miss (unless my DVR malfunctions and then I'm sad):
Prison Break - FOX - Mondays at 8pm - although it's getting a bit ridiculous lately
Heroes - NBC - Mondays at 9pm
Bones - FOX - Tuesdays at 8pm
Ghost Hunters - Sci-Fi Channel - the time varies, but usually somewhere between 8 and 11 pm. (oh, and this Halloween, they are broadcasting *live* from the Waverly Hills Sanitarium for *6* hours! If you've got nothing to do, I recommend watching. Their live investigations are kinda awesome...)
Smallville - CW - Thursdays at 8pm - despite the fact that it's been sucking since at least the beginning of last season... I can't seem to let it go...
My Name Is Earl - NBC - Thursdays at 9pm
Supernatural - CW - Thursdays at 9pm - so much better than anything else in this timeslot that it is sad other things get higher ratings... ::sighs:: Seriously, give it a try... and then you too will be saying:
ER - NBC - Thursdays at 10 pm - got hooked on this only at the end of the 2004/2005 season... Wow, that's late! But it's surprisingly good for a show that's been on as long as it has.
Ghost Whisperer - CBS - Fridays at 9pm - 'cause what else is on on Friday nights, and I like Jennifer Love Hewitt... she's so classic... like Audrey Hepburn...
So... Sweeps start on November 1st... Which means that I have to take at least ten minutes here to pimp my favorite shows for those of you out there who might not watch them (yet!).
My very favorite show in the whole universe right now is Supernatural. It is amazing and completely fantastic television... It's like a movie that has another (good!) sequel every week... I LOVEit! And God forbid I ever accidentally miss it! It airs Thursdays on the CW at 9pm EST. November 1st, episode 3.05 "Bedtime Stories" will air. Here's the trailer:
The promo scene (aka "The Director's Cut") can be seen at the CW website here. I wish I could embed it, but I can't 'cause it's not up at YouTube yet...
You can also watch the first three episodes (and very soon the fourth should be added) there on the CW website... so you can get all caught up... :D
I also give big thumbs up to the following, which I never miss (unless my DVR malfunctions and then I'm sad):
Prison Break - FOX - Mondays at 8pm - although it's getting a bit ridiculous lately
Heroes - NBC - Mondays at 9pm
Bones - FOX - Tuesdays at 8pm
Ghost Hunters - Sci-Fi Channel - the time varies, but usually somewhere between 8 and 11 pm. (oh, and this Halloween, they are broadcasting *live* from the Waverly Hills Sanitarium for *6* hours! If you've got nothing to do, I recommend watching. Their live investigations are kinda awesome...)
Smallville - CW - Thursdays at 8pm - despite the fact that it's been sucking since at least the beginning of last season... I can't seem to let it go...
My Name Is Earl - NBC - Thursdays at 9pm
Supernatural - CW - Thursdays at 9pm - so much better than anything else in this timeslot that it is sad other things get higher ratings... ::sighs:: Seriously, give it a try... and then you too will be saying:
ER - NBC - Thursdays at 10 pm - got hooked on this only at the end of the 2004/2005 season... Wow, that's late! But it's surprisingly good for a show that's been on as long as it has.
Ghost Whisperer - CBS - Fridays at 9pm - 'cause what else is on on Friday nights, and I like Jennifer Love Hewitt... she's so classic... like Audrey Hepburn...
quizzes and such... just 'cause I can...
Wheee!!
Don't laugh, I like sheep!
A little Tarot, to once again remind me that I need to get an LOTR deck(!):
And a little Classics, just because:
 | My Harry Potter Spoiler of Doom is: Ginny Weasley discovers Jesus and becomes a Bishop thanks to a hidden supply of flapjacks Get your Harry Potter Spoiler of Doom |
Don't laugh, I like sheep!
 | My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Duchess Rachael the Ovine of Bismorton Shropcake Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title |
A little Tarot, to once again remind me that I need to get an LOTR deck(!):
You are The High Priestess
Science, Wisdom, Knowledge, Education.
The High Priestess is the card of knowledge, instinctual, supernatural, secret knowledge. She holds scrolls of arcane information that she might, or might not reveal to you. The moon crown on her head as well as the crescent by her foot indicates her willingness to illuminate what you otherwise might not see, reveal the secrets you need to know. The High Priestess is also associated with the moon however and can also indicate change or fluctuation, particularly when it comes to your moods.
What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.
And a little Classics, just because:
 I took the "The Nine Muses" quiz on gURL.com | |||
 |  | My muse is... Clio Clio is the patron goddess of history. Her name means "The Proclaimer" and her symbols are a scroll and a pile of books. Read more... Who is your muse? | |
Friday, October 26, 2007
::sighs::
Finally got my make-up assignment done for Theory... my paper on Natalie Zemon Davis. She's pretty cool, ya know? Thank God it's done. It was only 5 pages so it didn't take too long to write but it took me forever to get it ready to send and it's technically late because of that. Although, he might not notice the timestamp or care to count it late, since either way he won't get it until tomorrow morning. I told my prof that I was having a hard time converting it to the format he needed it in to be able to open it on his computer as an explaination of why it was sent at like 12:40... instead of before midnight. I'm really not good at navigating the new Microsoft Word, which is hella un-user-friendly. I wish I could just use the old version of it... the 1997-2003 version it's now called... but I don't have it since they don't issue new computers with it anymore and even the computers at school all have the new version (this is a change since last school year when they all still had the older version). :-( If it worked for 7 years in that old format, why did it need to be updated to this convoluted version? Really, it was truly infuriating.
Before that, my internet was on and off because of a Trojan virus that got past my Norton... It was screwing with the function of my browser as well as with my Norton (wouldn't let it send messages to Norton's security center or turn the auto-protect on. So that took from Wednesday morning til this morning to find the time between studying and research to find the right fixes in Norton to update so it could be ferreted out, but Norton eventually managed it and I got all my programs back up and running virus-free. Watch out, everybody, keep your anti-virus stuff up to date and run scans regularly. For serious.
Oy! No wonder I'm a luddite, really...
In other news, I've been dealing with either stress or a slight stomach bug for most of the week. Ick! Feel crappy most of the time... Although, it's been getting a little better since yesterday... at least I'm not getting heart-burn every time I eat now... Mia thinks it's stress, since it hasn't actually been bad enough to cause either a fever or actual revulsion toward eating and tends to be worst when I have a lot to study. I think I'm inclined to agree with her, but if it is stress, it's a new reaction and I almost wish that my arms were going numb again cause an upset stomach is way worse...
Before that, my internet was on and off because of a Trojan virus that got past my Norton... It was screwing with the function of my browser as well as with my Norton (wouldn't let it send messages to Norton's security center or turn the auto-protect on. So that took from Wednesday morning til this morning to find the time between studying and research to find the right fixes in Norton to update so it could be ferreted out, but Norton eventually managed it and I got all my programs back up and running virus-free. Watch out, everybody, keep your anti-virus stuff up to date and run scans regularly. For serious.
Oy! No wonder I'm a luddite, really...
In other news, I've been dealing with either stress or a slight stomach bug for most of the week. Ick! Feel crappy most of the time... Although, it's been getting a little better since yesterday... at least I'm not getting heart-burn every time I eat now... Mia thinks it's stress, since it hasn't actually been bad enough to cause either a fever or actual revulsion toward eating and tends to be worst when I have a lot to study. I think I'm inclined to agree with her, but if it is stress, it's a new reaction and I almost wish that my arms were going numb again cause an upset stomach is way worse...
Monday, October 22, 2007
Sad news...
My cat, Dixie, had to be put to sleep this morning. I'm doing better now... and I know she is. She was 17 and 7 months old.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
A ludite can be excited about a new phone, right?
Especially if the old phone was almost 4 years old and was no longer functioning due to circuits burning out?
::squee:: I got a Treo!! It's not the same one that Sam had in Season 2 of Supernatural; it's the next model up, but still - a Treo! A Treo wx700 to be exact... With a camera and Windows and a calendar and unlimited wireless internet and texting... I just have to figure out how to use the punctuation and we're all set. It's so cool! It's like a laptop, but smaller and a bit cheaper with a built in phone and camera... And the stylus is a really nice metal one, not a plastic one. Some of the ones they had at the store had a plastic stylus and I thought, you know, I bet those will break.
And now there won't be a minute of the day that I can't check my e-mail and favorite websites...
This might be dangerous...
::squee:: I got a Treo!! It's not the same one that Sam had in Season 2 of Supernatural; it's the next model up, but still - a Treo! A Treo wx700 to be exact... With a camera and Windows and a calendar and unlimited wireless internet and texting... I just have to figure out how to use the punctuation and we're all set. It's so cool! It's like a laptop, but smaller and a bit cheaper with a built in phone and camera... And the stylus is a really nice metal one, not a plastic one. Some of the ones they had at the store had a plastic stylus and I thought, you know, I bet those will break.
And now there won't be a minute of the day that I can't check my e-mail and favorite websites...
This might be dangerous...
Thursday, October 11, 2007
okay... so things are looking better...
I wrote to my prof a little while ago and he got back to me really quickly. He says that it's not a problem and that I can write a 4 - 5 page paper on my oral report topic instead. So score! 'Cause, as we all know, I can write papers in my sleep. He did warn me to footnote carefully though... ::rolls eyes:: Duh!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
yeah, well, this sucks out loud...
Cause I'm gonna be emo about it for a minute...
Tears, idle tears
I know not what they mean,
Tears from the depth of some divine despair,
rise in the heart and gather in the eyes,
in looking on the happy autumn fields,
and thinking of the days that are no more.
- Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Yeah, totally emo... I've been having panic attacks for the last few weeks. They haven't been bad, but still panic attacks. I've been trying to avoid things that trigger them, but that's difficult when that something is a class... a class I have to take and pass with a C or better in order to graduate... For the last 48 hours or so, the panic attacks have been getting worse. Really bad, in fact. I wasn't able to go to my Latin classes yesterday because I was panicking all day. I didn't realize that I was panicking but that's what I was doing. It came to a head in the middle of my Theory class last night. I thought I was getting sick. I felt light-headed and very dizzy and like I might throw up. I was shaking and my breath was shallow.
I told my professor at the 7:30 break that I thought I was sick and that I needed to leave. He said that I should and that I should take care of myself, but before I left he took me to his office and gave me my paper from last week back, saying he had checked to see if I plagiarized... I did not. I have never been accused of such a thing in my life. I would rather not turn something in at all than plagiarize it. I told him that. Still, while I was standing there in his office, growing sicker by the minute, swaying on my feet, praying I wouldn't have to lean on the wall to stay upright, he quizzed me on the meanings of different words, things like "betrothed" and "Vexin" and asked where I had gotten phrases like "dysfunctional family" (the paper was a reaction and detailed list of "historical issues" in the movie "The Lion In Winter") to see if I really knew them or if I had copied and pasted from somewhere he hadn't been able to find on the internet. (WTF?!?!) *And* he gave me a B on it, despite the fact that other than suspecting I plagiarized it, he had no other problems with it. No, seriously, wtf?!?!
Well, after I left, I nearly threw up in the parking lot. I don't know how I got home (other than, obviously, I drove myself home, but I was flipping out, so I don't know how I was able to make it). It was when I got home and sat down next to my mother in the den that I realized it was a panic attack. Probably the worst one I've ever had.
It hasn't gotten any better today. My feet and hands have been numb for most of the day and when I sit down, I can't really feel what I'm sitting on because my back and butt muscles are so tense. (TMI? Sorry...) I wasn't able to sit in my classes today (Latin 1 that I TA for and Latin 3 that I am currently taking). I had a panic attack on the way to class and went straight to Prof. M's office. She took me to the TA office, that I could have to myself for the day and told me she'd be back after Latin 3 and not to worry about anything. She couldn't stay to talk just then obviously, she had two classes to teach. So I sat there, in that small closet of a room with one entire wall of window looking out on one of the courtyard/park areas. I sat on the broke down couch and stared at the clouds. Watched them change over time. I watched birds. And I watched people walking around down below. I studied the map of the ancient Mediterranean on one of the walls. Traced the trade routes from the Pillars of Heracles to the Black Sea and back. Found all the cities I know stories about. It took almost an hour for the tears and shaking to stop enough that I could work. And when it did, I did my Latin homework that I wasn't able to do yesterday. At least Latin still makes sense...
At 3 o'clock, Prof. M came back and talked to me. She doesn't know how to help me get over or around this thing, but she's willing to help however she can, for which I am so grateful there are no words. Even now, I can't think about it without getting faklempt. She said not to worry about anything as far as Latin goes, that no matter what, we'll get through it. So that is a *huge* load off my mind.
After, I left to go see if I could find Stacey or Mia or Katie or Chelsea... knowing that Laura and Lauren were no longer on campus. But Katie was already gone, Stacey I couldn't find and Mia and Chelsea were in class. So I sat out in the quad under a tree between Cooper and the CIS building and tried to breath and figure out wtf I'm doing. Didn't come up with too much in the way of answers but the time passed and then Mia called at 4 and said she was just getting out of class in the BSN building and I went over there. Mia and Chelsea along with Stacey are going to a punk rock concert of some sort in St. Pete tonight, so they were waiting for Stacey to come get them. The person who was going to give them a ride got into a car accident today, so couldn't. (I'm assured that she's fine, but I don't know her, so...) So they had to wait for Stacey to get there. I told them about everything. Mia's conclusion was that this is not the end of the world, that the professor was obviously "being a bitch" about my paper and wtf?! about that, and that I should for all the world be allowed to not do this oral presentation next week (which is the root of all that ails me) and skip it, take a zero, whatever, as long as I can still get a C or better in the class.
So what I have to do now is finish the work that I still have to turn in from Tuesday night's class and when I e-mail him about that, I have to e-mail him that I'm having issues, that I will not be doing the oral presentation (because I'm an adult, damnit, and if I want a zero instead of doing it, I'm getting that damn zero!), and that I need him to let me know right away if I will still be able to get a C or better in the class, assuming I do well on the papers we have left to do. Because if not, I need to know so I can withdraw from the class and try to take it again next semester... at which time I will have to explain to the prof at the outset (and it will probably just be him again) that I can't do any oral presentation. Just can't. Absolutely not gonna happen. Because this has been fucking me up all semester long now. I know it's already effected my grade because I really have been having a hard time thinking of anything else. The worst thing is that if that's the case, if I will not get a C is that I won't graduate this semester and have to enroll again next semester... That's the worst thing... and that's not really tragic... is it?
Tears, idle tears
I know not what they mean,
Tears from the depth of some divine despair,
rise in the heart and gather in the eyes,
in looking on the happy autumn fields,
and thinking of the days that are no more.
- Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Yeah, totally emo... I've been having panic attacks for the last few weeks. They haven't been bad, but still panic attacks. I've been trying to avoid things that trigger them, but that's difficult when that something is a class... a class I have to take and pass with a C or better in order to graduate... For the last 48 hours or so, the panic attacks have been getting worse. Really bad, in fact. I wasn't able to go to my Latin classes yesterday because I was panicking all day. I didn't realize that I was panicking but that's what I was doing. It came to a head in the middle of my Theory class last night. I thought I was getting sick. I felt light-headed and very dizzy and like I might throw up. I was shaking and my breath was shallow.
I told my professor at the 7:30 break that I thought I was sick and that I needed to leave. He said that I should and that I should take care of myself, but before I left he took me to his office and gave me my paper from last week back, saying he had checked to see if I plagiarized... I did not. I have never been accused of such a thing in my life. I would rather not turn something in at all than plagiarize it. I told him that. Still, while I was standing there in his office, growing sicker by the minute, swaying on my feet, praying I wouldn't have to lean on the wall to stay upright, he quizzed me on the meanings of different words, things like "betrothed" and "Vexin" and asked where I had gotten phrases like "dysfunctional family" (the paper was a reaction and detailed list of "historical issues" in the movie "The Lion In Winter") to see if I really knew them or if I had copied and pasted from somewhere he hadn't been able to find on the internet. (WTF?!?!) *And* he gave me a B on it, despite the fact that other than suspecting I plagiarized it, he had no other problems with it. No, seriously, wtf?!?!
Well, after I left, I nearly threw up in the parking lot. I don't know how I got home (other than, obviously, I drove myself home, but I was flipping out, so I don't know how I was able to make it). It was when I got home and sat down next to my mother in the den that I realized it was a panic attack. Probably the worst one I've ever had.
It hasn't gotten any better today. My feet and hands have been numb for most of the day and when I sit down, I can't really feel what I'm sitting on because my back and butt muscles are so tense. (TMI? Sorry...) I wasn't able to sit in my classes today (Latin 1 that I TA for and Latin 3 that I am currently taking). I had a panic attack on the way to class and went straight to Prof. M's office. She took me to the TA office, that I could have to myself for the day and told me she'd be back after Latin 3 and not to worry about anything. She couldn't stay to talk just then obviously, she had two classes to teach. So I sat there, in that small closet of a room with one entire wall of window looking out on one of the courtyard/park areas. I sat on the broke down couch and stared at the clouds. Watched them change over time. I watched birds. And I watched people walking around down below. I studied the map of the ancient Mediterranean on one of the walls. Traced the trade routes from the Pillars of Heracles to the Black Sea and back. Found all the cities I know stories about. It took almost an hour for the tears and shaking to stop enough that I could work. And when it did, I did my Latin homework that I wasn't able to do yesterday. At least Latin still makes sense...
At 3 o'clock, Prof. M came back and talked to me. She doesn't know how to help me get over or around this thing, but she's willing to help however she can, for which I am so grateful there are no words. Even now, I can't think about it without getting faklempt. She said not to worry about anything as far as Latin goes, that no matter what, we'll get through it. So that is a *huge* load off my mind.
After, I left to go see if I could find Stacey or Mia or Katie or Chelsea... knowing that Laura and Lauren were no longer on campus. But Katie was already gone, Stacey I couldn't find and Mia and Chelsea were in class. So I sat out in the quad under a tree between Cooper and the CIS building and tried to breath and figure out wtf I'm doing. Didn't come up with too much in the way of answers but the time passed and then Mia called at 4 and said she was just getting out of class in the BSN building and I went over there. Mia and Chelsea along with Stacey are going to a punk rock concert of some sort in St. Pete tonight, so they were waiting for Stacey to come get them. The person who was going to give them a ride got into a car accident today, so couldn't. (I'm assured that she's fine, but I don't know her, so...) So they had to wait for Stacey to get there. I told them about everything. Mia's conclusion was that this is not the end of the world, that the professor was obviously "being a bitch" about my paper and wtf?! about that, and that I should for all the world be allowed to not do this oral presentation next week (which is the root of all that ails me) and skip it, take a zero, whatever, as long as I can still get a C or better in the class.
So what I have to do now is finish the work that I still have to turn in from Tuesday night's class and when I e-mail him about that, I have to e-mail him that I'm having issues, that I will not be doing the oral presentation (because I'm an adult, damnit, and if I want a zero instead of doing it, I'm getting that damn zero!), and that I need him to let me know right away if I will still be able to get a C or better in the class, assuming I do well on the papers we have left to do. Because if not, I need to know so I can withdraw from the class and try to take it again next semester... at which time I will have to explain to the prof at the outset (and it will probably just be him again) that I can't do any oral presentation. Just can't. Absolutely not gonna happen. Because this has been fucking me up all semester long now. I know it's already effected my grade because I really have been having a hard time thinking of anything else. The worst thing is that if that's the case, if I will not get a C is that I won't graduate this semester and have to enroll again next semester... That's the worst thing... and that's not really tragic... is it?
Monday, October 08, 2007
I really can't say it surprises me...
You appear to be a Knitting Guru. You love knitting and do it all the time. While finishing a piece is the plan, you still love the process, and can't imagine a day going by without giving some time to your yarn. Packing for vacation involves leaving ample space for the stash and supplies. It can be hard to tell where the yarn ends and you begin.http://marniemaclean.com
Sour Grapes for FSU!
Now, I'm no great fan of football, even of my home team, the Bucs, and my school's team, the Bulls... I really don't care all that much about it... I have better things to be doing. Like studying! Football is just not important to me.
But I must say this article (sent to me by my friend, Maria) is rather shocking... I can't believe it was even printed...
Just how sour *are* those grapes, Frank? 'Cause you sure are suckin' 'em hard!
*****************
USF still no FSU
By: Frank Longobardo
Posted: 10/4/07
© Copyright 2007 FSView & Florida Flambeau
If a college football fan from the state of Florida was in a coma for ten years and suddenly woke up today to see that the University of South Florida was ranked in the top ten, they would be quite perplexed.
That person would have only known South Florida as a Division 1-AA independent team in 1997 and then look at the current top 25 rankings and be confused that Florida was the only one of the big three schools that was ranked.
Though I haven't been trapped in a coma for ten years, I still look at what is going on today in college football in the state of Florida and I am also quite perplexed.
While what South Florida has done in their short existence of ten years in playing football is nothing short of amazing, I am already tired of seeing the entire state and now the entire country jump on to the USF bandwagon.
Congratulations USF, you've made it. But don't start comparing yourself just yet to FSU, UF or Miami, three schools with incredible football tradition.
Yes, they have had a great season so far and have upset two big-name programs in Auburn and West Virginia, but look at those wins a little bit closer and they are not that impressive.
Winning at Jordan-Hare Stadium is huge for any team outside of the SEC, but this is not a typical Auburn team. Yes, they did beat Florida at the Swamp, but Auburn lost to Mississippi State at home and struggled with New Mexico State at home for the first half.
As for their victory over West Virginia, while South Florida's defense has been solid all season; but my guess is that if Pat White was healthy and played the entire game, the outcome would have been different.
USF may have forced six turnovers against the Mountaineers, but their offense committed four of their own.
That leads me to Matt Grothe, who everybody said was the next big thing at quarterback. I, on the other hand, have not been so impressed. He had two interceptions against West Virginia and is only ahead of one other starter in the Big East in passer ratings.
All of this leads me to my biggest gripe, which is the University of South Florida overall.
First off, their fans, a.k.a. students, aren't the brightest crayons in the box considering all it takes to get into USF is an online application and $30 - no essays needed.
They don't even have their own stadium. I know that they are only a program that is a decade old and Raymond James Stadium is right there, but how can you consider yourself a big-time program when you don't even have your own stadium?
Speaking of UCF, the only way South Florida could get a non-conference rival was to get a contract with the Knights, which is not even being renewed after this season. In fact, up until a few years ago, USF refused to even play UCF.
Not to mention the fact that the only time USF can sell out a game is when they are playing West Virginia in prime-time on a Friday night. I would like to see them sell-out on a consistent basis.
Does USF even have a fight song? If they do, I would like to hear one of their students recite it; they probably couldn't.
Their little Bulls hand gesture happens to look a lot like Texas' Hook 'em Horns hand gesture. That's probably because its the same thing and they ripped the Longhorns off.
Their coach Jim Leavitt, who helped start that program from scratch, will definitely jump at a big offer that he gets from a national powerhouse program.
I would like to see South Florida's fans travel like Florida State's or Florida's fans do.
I mean the 'Noles played a neutral site game against Alabama, who was only ranked 22nd and FSU was unranked, and Jacksonville Municipal Stadium had 85,000 people in it; more than were at the Super Bowl about three years ago. Could USF do that?
UF does that on a yearly basis, better than Florida State does, with their annual game against Georgia in the River City.
Finally, I know that Florida State still has two open slots for non-conference games for the 2008 season. My suggestion to Dave Hart and the rest of the administration in the athletics department, schedule South Florida for next season.
Make the game either neutral site for a one-time deal or a home and home series and let's see if USF can hang with the big boys of college football in the state of Florida.
*************************
We at USF, unlike at some other Florida schools, aren't on a high horse. We know that we're a new program. We know that this winning streak might not last. We know that there are other teams out there that have longer, most fabulous traditions than we do. We aren't being pretentious. We're just enjoying things while they last and for what they are... Chill the fuck out, Frank. And keep your opinions about USF limited to the football program. FSU ain't exactly the Harvard of Florida either, ya know? Not having to write an essay to get into a school, doesn't mean that we don't have standards. We all have to pass the same high school standards in Florida. We all have to earn the same minimum GPA and exceed the same minimum SAT and ACT scores. We all have to pass the same CLAST exams, writing requirements, and general education standards to earn a BA. Come on! A single stupid 500 word essay admissions requirement is not what makes or breaks a university's academic standard!
But I must say this article (sent to me by my friend, Maria) is rather shocking... I can't believe it was even printed...
Just how sour *are* those grapes, Frank? 'Cause you sure are suckin' 'em hard!
*****************
USF still no FSU
By: Frank Longobardo
Posted: 10/4/07
© Copyright 2007 FSView & Florida Flambeau
If a college football fan from the state of Florida was in a coma for ten years and suddenly woke up today to see that the University of South Florida was ranked in the top ten, they would be quite perplexed.
That person would have only known South Florida as a Division 1-AA independent team in 1997 and then look at the current top 25 rankings and be confused that Florida was the only one of the big three schools that was ranked.
Though I haven't been trapped in a coma for ten years, I still look at what is going on today in college football in the state of Florida and I am also quite perplexed.
While what South Florida has done in their short existence of ten years in playing football is nothing short of amazing, I am already tired of seeing the entire state and now the entire country jump on to the USF bandwagon.
Congratulations USF, you've made it. But don't start comparing yourself just yet to FSU, UF or Miami, three schools with incredible football tradition.
Yes, they have had a great season so far and have upset two big-name programs in Auburn and West Virginia, but look at those wins a little bit closer and they are not that impressive.
Winning at Jordan-Hare Stadium is huge for any team outside of the SEC, but this is not a typical Auburn team. Yes, they did beat Florida at the Swamp, but Auburn lost to Mississippi State at home and struggled with New Mexico State at home for the first half.
As for their victory over West Virginia, while South Florida's defense has been solid all season; but my guess is that if Pat White was healthy and played the entire game, the outcome would have been different.
USF may have forced six turnovers against the Mountaineers, but their offense committed four of their own.
That leads me to Matt Grothe, who everybody said was the next big thing at quarterback. I, on the other hand, have not been so impressed. He had two interceptions against West Virginia and is only ahead of one other starter in the Big East in passer ratings.
All of this leads me to my biggest gripe, which is the University of South Florida overall.
First off, their fans, a.k.a. students, aren't the brightest crayons in the box considering all it takes to get into USF is an online application and $30 - no essays needed.
They don't even have their own stadium. I know that they are only a program that is a decade old and Raymond James Stadium is right there, but how can you consider yourself a big-time program when you don't even have your own stadium?
Speaking of UCF, the only way South Florida could get a non-conference rival was to get a contract with the Knights, which is not even being renewed after this season. In fact, up until a few years ago, USF refused to even play UCF.
Not to mention the fact that the only time USF can sell out a game is when they are playing West Virginia in prime-time on a Friday night. I would like to see them sell-out on a consistent basis.
Does USF even have a fight song? If they do, I would like to hear one of their students recite it; they probably couldn't.
Their little Bulls hand gesture happens to look a lot like Texas' Hook 'em Horns hand gesture. That's probably because its the same thing and they ripped the Longhorns off.
Their coach Jim Leavitt, who helped start that program from scratch, will definitely jump at a big offer that he gets from a national powerhouse program.
I would like to see South Florida's fans travel like Florida State's or Florida's fans do.
I mean the 'Noles played a neutral site game against Alabama, who was only ranked 22nd and FSU was unranked, and Jacksonville Municipal Stadium had 85,000 people in it; more than were at the Super Bowl about three years ago. Could USF do that?
UF does that on a yearly basis, better than Florida State does, with their annual game against Georgia in the River City.
Finally, I know that Florida State still has two open slots for non-conference games for the 2008 season. My suggestion to Dave Hart and the rest of the administration in the athletics department, schedule South Florida for next season.
Make the game either neutral site for a one-time deal or a home and home series and let's see if USF can hang with the big boys of college football in the state of Florida.
*************************
We at USF, unlike at some other Florida schools, aren't on a high horse. We know that we're a new program. We know that this winning streak might not last. We know that there are other teams out there that have longer, most fabulous traditions than we do. We aren't being pretentious. We're just enjoying things while they last and for what they are... Chill the fuck out, Frank. And keep your opinions about USF limited to the football program. FSU ain't exactly the Harvard of Florida either, ya know? Not having to write an essay to get into a school, doesn't mean that we don't have standards. We all have to pass the same high school standards in Florida. We all have to earn the same minimum GPA and exceed the same minimum SAT and ACT scores. We all have to pass the same CLAST exams, writing requirements, and general education standards to earn a BA. Come on! A single stupid 500 word essay admissions requirement is not what makes or breaks a university's academic standard!
Friday, October 05, 2007
Got it from Ilana...
Not fond of yellow, but I can see the rest of it...
Although, if I change the arbitrary question's answer from chocolate to spicy salsa ('cause really I could go for either right now) I get this one:
So... hmmmm...
| Your Power Element is Earth |
 Your power color: yellow Your energy: balancing Your season: changing of seasons Dedicated and responsible, you are a rock to your friends. You are skilled at working out even the most difficult problems. Low key and calm, you are happiest when you are around loved ones. Ambitious and goal oriented, you have long term plans to be successful. |
Although, if I change the arbitrary question's answer from chocolate to spicy salsa ('cause really I could go for either right now) I get this one:
| Your Power Element is Wood |
 Your power colors: green and brown Your energy: generative Your season: spring Like a tree, you are always growing and changing. And while your life is dynamic, you are firmly grounded. You have high morals and great confidence in yourself and others. You have a wide set of interests, and you make for intersting company. |
So... hmmmm...
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Supernatural Season 3 Premiere! - reaction!
I love, love, love this show! The angst is primo, grade A stuff! Dean is made of awesome! Sam is a puppy... a pouting, lovely puppy... I *heart* Supernatural. Can't process enough to get specific right now... I just totally loved it!
Supernatural Season 3 Premiere!
Starts in less than an hour! ::squee!:: Also, you can download the episode for free on ITunes for a limited time. If you've been wanting to see Supernatural but you haven't and you can't watch it tonight live at 9pm Eastern on your local CW, then you can download it for free... Or you can do both! It's free!
Wool...
You know what I really love about good 100% natural wool yarn? What my favorite thing is? The vegetable matter... Most people would probably say that's their least favorite thing about wool. But really, it's my favorite. Because it proves that this stuff is real, natural, grown-on-a-sheep-in-a-field-somewhere wool... It's not acrylic or nylon or polyester or any other synthetic crap modern science has come up with. It's not vegetable fibers created by some elaborate and/or labor intensive process. Nope, the vegetable matter gives me tangible proof that it's just plain, simple wool from a real, live sheep. And for some reason, I really love that...
I'm not dead!
Update on what's going on with me:
Busy, busy, busy with all kinds of school related things... Still, in that insanity, I've found time to start carding the alpaca Ilana was good enough to send me last December (I think it was last December - how pathetic it's taken me nearly a year?)... It's slow and dusty going with a cat brush and a dog brush... Perhaps would go better with combs or at least brushes of the same time... But the resulting fiber is clean and fluffy and pretty and *so* *soft* - and I am *so* looking forward to spinning it eventually!
Also have found time to make one dishcloth... It's very nice. I have to track down where I found the pattern again and post it along with a picture... My cellphone is seriously on the fritz and I have to get a new one this weekend. Until the new one is functional, I'm SOL on posting pictures. Also went to JoAnn's this afternoon because they are having a dollar off special on organic cotton yarn from Bernat, as well as Felting Wool also by Bernat (not sure if this is a local special or national in-store-only 'cause it's not online). I got Felting Wool to make a Christmas present... a felted bag (not saying for who - that would ruin the surprise)... It's working up really fast. It's over half done and I only started it this evening at around 8:30 and have been knitting on and off while reading. Totally mindless pattern in a good way... I highly recommend Felting Wool; it's lovely! Don't know how it will felt yet, but it looks good even unfelted in a lopi, unspun kind of way. Not sure what I'll be doing with the organic cotton yet... But it's very nice too.
Also, season 3 of Supernatural premieres tomorrow night (that's Thursday, October 4th at 9 pm eastern/8pm central) on the CW. It's going to be *awesome* and I'm so looking forward to it! Can't tell you how much. I'm just barely containing my glee. Will be wearing my Metallicar "I'll only date a guy if he drives a '67 Chevy Impala" t-shirt to school tomorrow. Am also having a little party at my house in honor of the occasion. I highly recommend checking it out. All you really need to know (although you won't be as emotionally invested as I will if you haven't seen everything up to this point) will be explained in the course of the episode, I'm sure...
Check out the official promo vid, recapping Season 2:
Busy, busy, busy with all kinds of school related things... Still, in that insanity, I've found time to start carding the alpaca Ilana was good enough to send me last December (I think it was last December - how pathetic it's taken me nearly a year?)... It's slow and dusty going with a cat brush and a dog brush... Perhaps would go better with combs or at least brushes of the same time... But the resulting fiber is clean and fluffy and pretty and *so* *soft* - and I am *so* looking forward to spinning it eventually!
Also have found time to make one dishcloth... It's very nice. I have to track down where I found the pattern again and post it along with a picture... My cellphone is seriously on the fritz and I have to get a new one this weekend. Until the new one is functional, I'm SOL on posting pictures. Also went to JoAnn's this afternoon because they are having a dollar off special on organic cotton yarn from Bernat, as well as Felting Wool also by Bernat (not sure if this is a local special or national in-store-only 'cause it's not online). I got Felting Wool to make a Christmas present... a felted bag (not saying for who - that would ruin the surprise)... It's working up really fast. It's over half done and I only started it this evening at around 8:30 and have been knitting on and off while reading. Totally mindless pattern in a good way... I highly recommend Felting Wool; it's lovely! Don't know how it will felt yet, but it looks good even unfelted in a lopi, unspun kind of way. Not sure what I'll be doing with the organic cotton yet... But it's very nice too.
Also, season 3 of Supernatural premieres tomorrow night (that's Thursday, October 4th at 9 pm eastern/8pm central) on the CW. It's going to be *awesome* and I'm so looking forward to it! Can't tell you how much. I'm just barely containing my glee. Will be wearing my Metallicar "I'll only date a guy if he drives a '67 Chevy Impala" t-shirt to school tomorrow. Am also having a little party at my house in honor of the occasion. I highly recommend checking it out. All you really need to know (although you won't be as emotionally invested as I will if you haven't seen everything up to this point) will be explained in the course of the episode, I'm sure...
Check out the official promo vid, recapping Season 2:
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