Jacquie's Journal

WTF and OMG

These are my reactions to watching the American Idol and Lost finales last night respectively.  Last night we had to record both programmes because we went to Edward's annual end of year Scout barbecue where traditionally we all assume it is going to be warm and end up freezing (it is still only May after all) while we eat and go through all the awards won by the cubs and scouts troops.

We watched Lost first because Edward was desperate to see it but also had school this morning.  Well it was OMG material - won't give anything away in case you haven't seen it but lots revealed, lots happening, some good, some shocking, and lots of new secrets.

Then we sat through most of 2 hours of filler on American Idol (must admit we ff'ed through some of it as it was getting late) and they were just about to announce the winner when we had the WTF moment - the recording stopped and we didn't have the results.  Apparently they ran over by 8 minutes so everyone who was hoping to see it later was disappointed unless they had the forethought to record the news as well.

Luckily the one I wanted to win won but I had to find out on the internet afterwards and it wasn't the same as seeing their face when they heard the news.  And if I had known I wouldn't have bothered watching any of the rest of it - entertaining though most of it was - I could have gone straight online and found out. 

Fox

I don't know if you have noticed but a few Fox programs have someone or something named Fox in them:

1. X Files - Fox Mulder
2. Prison Break - Fox River State Penitentiary
3. Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader - host Jeff Foxworthy

I thought I would email Fox and ask them if this was deliberate - I know, I should get out more!
They replied within 2 hours to say that it was just a coincidence.  Oh well!

I made another ambigram today.  It was for a competition set by Nagfa and to be judged by John Langdon who designed the Angel and Demons ambigram for Dan Brown's book.  I am not sure if I got my entry in in time - he said 22nd March but he is in Singapore and they are a good few hours ahead of us.  Anyway the word we had to do was "Singularity"  I have interpreted this to mean The Singularity - the point in time when super artificial intelligence takes over from humans at controlling the world - here is a reference Wikipedia Singularity  There are other interpretations, so I hope this one is acceptable.

Here is the ambigram:
I have tried to show neurons (yellow) connecting to logic gates (the red bits) and circuits (gold thread).   It has taken ages to get the design so it has the motifs and the ambigramminess and be readable.  I cheated a bit with the applique and attached iron-on interlining to the back of the  letters .  The only thing keeping them in place is the gold stitching.

A Week of Dishcloths

This week I intend to do a small bit for the environment and knit one dishcloth each day for the next week.  It will reduce my reliance on paper towels and keep me busy while I work out what my next big project will be.  Here is the first one:

The pattern is originally from the Peaches N Creme ball band, but I got it from Mason-Dixon Knitting.  It is actually made from Sugar n Creme worsted weight cotton.  All my dishcloths will be made from this yarn as I happen to have quite a bit of it.  Being cotton and not stretchy it isn't the easiest stuff to knit, but never mind.  I haven't decided whether they will all be the same pattern, you will have to wait and see, but that is just the sort of suspense that will keep you all coming back isn't it.

We have had quite a fun weekend.  It was our friends' annual Oktoberfest party last night where much bier and Riesling was drunk and wurst of various kinds were eaten.  It was fun to catch up with people we generally only see at this event.

Today we went out to play.  Lucy and Gary went roller skating and Edward and I played Laser Tag.  We had two games.  In the first we were the only two playing and we spent most of the time trying to find each other.  It was also good for orientation as we had never played at this particular place before.  Edward won.  There was another family of about six playing in the second game so it was more fun.  I was second, but Edward would have done better if his pack had registered his shots.  He got a free game for next time.

With the cold weather we have been having I bought ingredients for a nice beef stew earlier in the week.  Of course today has been lovely and sunny again, but I have had to cook the meat anyway.  I can smell it cooking right now and I am getting hungry.  I don't often cook stews as I don't often plan ahead that many hours.  It would be better if I did, then I could make them earlier and have them be ready when we are instead of rushing about getting something at the last minute.

The new season of Desperate Housewives begins tonight.  I hope it perks up again, it was getting a bit dull last series.  Greys Anatomy sterted last Thursday and everyone (who cares!) is wondering who she will choose - McDreamy or McVet.  I don't know who she should pick but I do know I am looking forward to Lost starting again soon.

Do You Do Duvets?

Gary had to take our poor duvet to the dry cleaners yesterday and had to ask this very question made famous in the 80's and 90's by the Saturday morning British TV comedy duo - Trevor and Simon.

If you don't know what I am on about then I will try to explain but it just probably won't seem funny.

In the 80's and 90's there was a Saturday morning childrens' show called "Going Live" and later "Live and Kicking" that featured sketches by a couple of guys called Trevor and Simon.  They had several recurring scenarios for their sketches each week including one where one of them would walk into a dry cleaners and ask "Do you do duvets?"  The answer was always "No, we don't do duvets" and then some further banter on the subject.  Aaahhh!!! Those were the days!

Anyway when Gary asked they said "Well, we do comforters!"  so that was good enough for us.  It's going to take a whole week, so it's lucky we have the comforter from the spare bed to use in the mean time.

Today will be Edward's first visit to the orthodontist.  He has a missing incisor that should be between his front tooth and canine tooth on one side.   He shares this inherited trait with Ricky Gervais (The Office, Extras) in case anyone is interested in knowing that.  He will need to have braces to move the other teeth round so they can eventually give him an implant to fill the gap.

I am not sure how he will get on with braces.  I remember when I had mine, how painful it was for the first few days - like having a mouthful of barbed wire - but then I didn't even notice they were there at all after a while. 

In my day, of course, braces were quite primitive, so when Lucy had hers a while ago I was quite surprised to find a) they actually  glue them onto your teeth nowadays, and b) that you can choose different colours so they almost look like jewellery on your teeth. 

Haven't Posted for Two Whole Days

It doesn't seem like that long ago since I last posted but it seems it is.  Charlie has posted more than I have.

The most important thing that has happened is that Lucy got her student visa ok - a huge relief I can tell you.  She went to the American Embassy in London fully expecting to spend the best part of the day there (like we did last time we went two years ago)  armed with a packed lunch and a good amount of reading materials, and amazingly she was all done and dusted and out on the street again within an hour and a half.  And not only that her passport was returned to her within 24 hours.

Now she is fully documented she and my sister and niece and nephew have planned a trip to our apartment in Menorca.  It's been a while since any of us have been there, so it will be lovely for them to catch up with things there.

I have been knitting my Lotus Blossom Tank and have reached the third lace repeat.  Some people on the knitalong have done an extra repeat of the lace.  I will have to try mine on when I have done the proscribed four and see if i too need to do a fifth.

We have been watching the series "30 Days" with Morgan Spurlock, the guy who ate nothing but McDonalds for 30 days.  The subject matter has been quite close to home for the last couple of episodes (immigration and  outsourcing programming jobs to India) and tonights will be interesting too when an atheist goes to experience life with a religious family.

I have made some more stitch markers.  I am getting better at making loops and wrapping the wire round but one recurring mistake is when I go to use my chain nosed pliers to press the very end of the wire in I end up crunching the top little bead, which of course ruins the whole thing right at the very final stage and I end up having to start again.

I have joined the Ewe-Tah Knits Web ring, so if you are visiting from there - Welcome to my blog!

I am sure I had more stuff to say but I can't think what at the moment.  I guess this will have to do for now!

Summer TV

Nothing much been happening lately, so I will tell you what I will be watching on the telly for the next few weeks while we wait for all the good stuff (Lost, Desperate Housewives, House, Prison Break, Big Love, Grey's Anatomy etc) to come back

On BBC America there is a new (to US) series of Footballers' Wives (series three in which Tanya has a baby).  We somehow managed to miss the first episode when the babies were born, so we will have to catch that on the second go round. 

On Network TV we are well into the new series of "So You Think You can Dance"  This year there seems to be a good group - no obvious sympathy vote guy or girl. 

"Hell's Kitchen" started this week with Gordon Ramsey at his whiny, yelling, cussing best.  We get a double dose of Ramsey on BBC America with "Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares".

"Windfall" begins tonight about a group of friends who win the lottery.  And another BBC America offering starting tonight is "Waterloo Road", another school drama.  I hope these two will be worth watching.

I know I should be outside enjoying the summer, but generally it is too hot to be out too long and there are all those pesky insects and the threat of West Nile Disease, and besides my hands get too sweaty to knit out there.  We do hope to get over the road to the Racquet Club pool as often as possible.  We will be losing it soon so we should make the most of it while we still can.

PS I have just seen that "Meerkat Manor" starts tomorrow on Animal Planet.  Meerkats are one of my very favouritest animals so I will definitelybe watching that.

Have co-indicted?

Well, we did go and see The Da Vinci Code today.  I don't know about it.  Gary hasn't read the book and didn't get what was going on some of the time.  I have read the book and not all of it matched up.  I realise things have to be condensed a little to fit into a reasonable length of time for a movie, and that things have to be exagerated for dramatic effect, but even so!  I think Edward found it a bit boring because of the subject matter.

The plot involved a lot of thinking through problems which are hard to show well in a movie, and could easily come across as boring to those who might have expected it to be more of an action movie. 

Anyway, glad I have seen it.

We had a nice time with our friends on Friday night.  We went to the Indian restaurant and then to an icecream parlour.  Even though we took half of our Indian home we still felt stuffed to the gills afterwards.  I even felt guilty enough to go to step and power bar on Saturday morning.

On Saturday afternoon we went to look at another gym.  It was bigger than ours and probably has more money spent on equipment and stuff, but i have a feeling that their equivalent of Power Bar is a trademarked class that follows exactly the same sequence of exercises every time.  I would be bored rigid after the second class!  Variety is definitely the spice of my life.

I wish who ever bought our club would let us all know his intentions.  It would seem silly to have us all leave because we don't what is happening if he wants to keep the membership up.  There is a rumour that he wants to build a batting cage.  If so, then I can imagine it being a more male oriented place (I know girls can play baseball too!).  The classes are mainly attended by women and I can imagine them deciding to cancel them  - an added benefit being that they wouldn't have to pay the instructors.  They would keep the cardio and weight machines.

I guess we will find out in the fullness of time.

I have made some progress with secret quilting project number three that can be revealed next Saturday when a certain person becomes a teenager.

My Vogue top is also coming along nicely.  I decided to leave the front shaping as I had already done it - it looked fine.

I need to put some serious thought into what to send my One Skein Secret Pal this week - especially if I need to order anything online.  I have some ideas.  I may have to order two of whatever it is as I am sure I will want one for myself too.

Lost 'Lost'

Last night was very frustrating.  First of all my favourite 'Idol' got voted off (I didn't vote myself so I can't really complain, but really, America, what were you thinking?)  I won't say who it is because the UK don't see it til Friday night, but it is quite upsetting.  Then the DVR screwed up recording 'Bones' (minor tragedy) and 'Lost' (MAJOR tragedy).  Luckily Sam was watching Lost so he didn't miss it.  Now we will have to either buy it from iTunes or watch it on abc.com.

On Tuesday I went to Agility class again with Lucy and Charlie.  Charlie was much better behaved this week - she knows where she is with Lucy - played with her toy and everything on cue.  She didn't like the chute much at first (that's a tunnel with a cloth part they have to burrow through) but she did it eventually with lots of treats.  She has two weeks left and I will have to take her by myself the last week.

On the knitting front, I  have just about finished the back of my Vogue top.  I must make a mental note to remember put a loop of yarn around a stitch in the centre of the first row of the armhole shaping in future.   The pattern usually says to "work until piece measures x inches from beginning of armhole shaping" and it's so difficult to measure without a marker.  This time I will have to go and square it up on my quilting cutting board and measure it that way, or work out where that row is and mark it belatedly.

The more I see the Lotus Blossom Tank on the front of the latest Interweave Knits mag, the more I like it.  It will definitely be my next project.  I don't know what colour yet though, or what yarn.

Yesterday, I found out who my One Skein Secret Pal is, and I have to send her a questionnaire to find out more about her.  She has a blog too so will be reading that.  I also received the questionnaire from the person who has me as their Secret Pal - Hi there, who ever you are - hope you enjoy my blog.  I will complete and send the questionnaire back just as soon as I can - some of those questions aren't easy like "Which yarn is most like your personality?"  - that will need some thought!.

Today I have to take Sam to the Department of Motor Vehicles to surrender his Driver's License.  No, no, it's OK he hasn't done anything wrong.  it's just another case of us being lumped in with illegal immigrants.  Utah recently changed the law so that if you don't have a Social Security number then obviously you are here illegally and shouldn't be entitled to a proper driver's license that counts as official id.   We are here legally but temporarily so the kids don't have social security numbers because they aren't entitled to work.  Both Lucy and Sam had to surrender their Driver's Licenses on their first birthdays after they brought this law in and be issued with "Driver's Privilege Cards" which allow them to drive but don't count as Id.  I would be in the same boat but when I got my Driver's License the law was you had to have a social security number and once I had passed my test here they issued me with one specially.  They changed that because they found a lot of illegals were driving without insurance because they didn't want to draw attention to themselves by applying for the SS number, and you could get a license with just a tax id number.

And that is why it was important for Sam to have his new passport, which he will have to use as Id from now on.

Barenaked Ladies

Actually no barenaked ladies, but I thought I would carry on the theme of using band names for my post titles.

Yesterday Lucy woke up with toothache, poor thing, so we tried to get her an emergency appointment at the dentist, but the earliest we could get was today at 4.00pm.  Anyway, by 4.00pm yesterday she was in such agony that we called and they saw her straightaway - she was out with Charlie when the real pain hit so she took her with her and I met them there.  The dentist didn't mind Charlie being there - his dog runs around there all the time he said - and Charlie was very good.  Anyway the dentist took x-rays and tapped her teeth, but nothing definite showed up except a fuzzy dark space around the root of one tooth that may or may not be an infection and may or may not indicate the need for a root canal at some point.  We came away with prescriptions for antibiotics and Lortab (which she can't drive with).  She feels a bit better today.

Dentist's surgeries are different in the USA and the UK.  In the UK the dentist has his private office and he sees one patient at a time.  In the US, our dentist at least, has three chairs in a row and they all have patients in at the same time.  He has a technician (x-rays etc) and a hygenist who work on you first and then the dentist himself flits between the chairs.  The upshot is you are left there alone a lot of the time wondering if they have forgotten you.  And all your screaming and dribbling is on full view to everyone else. 

It is similar, but not so public, thankfully, at the Doctors.  In the UK again the Doctor has his private office and once you are called in you have the Dr's undivided attention.  In the US when you are called in from the public waiting room a technician takes you to a small examination room and takes your temperature, blood pressure etc and then leaves you to wait again.   The Dr has several examination rooms (haven't worked out how many) all with patients waiting in them, and like the dentist he flits between them all.  You have no idea how long you will have to wait and it is so annoying,  It might streamline things for the staff, but as a patient your time means nothing.

On a lighter note.  Have you ever noticed when anyone is carrying a suitcase on a TV programme or in a movie, they always look too light, like they have nothing inside them.  I am afraid it is something I have to point out every time I see it, and it happened on Mile High this week.  Gary's thing is squash and whenever anyone is shown playing squash in a TV programme or movie, he feels compelled to point out that they look like they have never played squash before in their lives.  I must say I also react the same way when I see TV and movie people knitting sometimes.  It must be even worse for medical people watching hospital dramas, law enforcement people watching crime shows, or any expert watching a show that features their particular profession.

Thank you very much, BaaBaa for identifying my mystery Mexican dessert - I will know what to ask for next time I go there now.  It was yummy and did indeed help to soothe my throat!

Knitting - I just have the lacy panels left to do now.  I did the yoke in one piece as I described I might the other day and it has turned out very successfully.  When I have finished all the knitting I will take a photo of all the pieces laid out so you can see the construction.  Hopefully I will get both done this evening if I can get the gauge sorted out early on.

Happy Valentine's Day

I have still been prevaricating over my Knitting Olympic challenge project, also my TKGA Master Handknitter Level II vest.  But I think finally I have a workable design.  There are just so many possibilities that it has been so hard to just pick one and run with it.  Usually having a deadline gets my creative juices flowing and concentrates my mind and this evening I think it finally started happening.  Keep your fingers crossed - unless it interferes with your knitting of course.

Utahns in the news.  First, DJ Boyd is still in the running for American Idol.  We will find out whether he gets into the final 24 tomorrow.  Congratulations to Ted Ligerty for winning Gold in the combined event.

Valentine's Day was a bit of a chocolate frenzy.  We melted some chocolate chips and dipped strawberries and graham crackers - didn't have the marshmallows to make 'smores though.  All very yummy.

I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that the laws of physics do not always apply to me.  The first thing that made me think this was that when I kick my legs as you do for swimming the crawl (oe freestyle) it makes me move backwards.  It does not matter what I do - I always go backwards.  Then today we bought one of those ball throwing devices for "girlie" throwers like me so Charlie would get a decent run to fetch the ball.  My first two goes ended up on the ground about five feet in front of me.  A bigger and more horizontal swing forward sent the ball a good distance, but sideways (luckily there was no one else in the park at the time).  This happened a few times and then we had to stop because giggling wasn't helping.

Starbucks sent me a form reply thanking me for my feedback and assuring me that my comments had been passed on to all concerned.  I noticed however that the drive thru' menu is still obstructing the window - I expect they will get on to it soon though ;-)