Detroit Diva

Back at The Office

I think I need to clarify some things regarding The Office - the British comedy I talked about in Dark & Stormy. The show is funny but can be politically incorrect, offensive, disturbing and uncomfortable. I don't find those moments funny. Just wanted to make that clear so that if you do decide to watch it you don't have to say to yourself "What the hell is that girl thinking". Having said that - there are some throw your head back, laugh out loud moments. So if you can work through the dicomfort - watch it.

Works for me

Courtesy of Moby’s journal entry today comes this: “today on cnn the jack cafferty question of the day was 'what would you like to see Bush say in his address to the nation tonight?' the #1 answer from viewers was 'i resign', and out of 600 responses only 12 were favorable to Bush. apparently jack cafferty was very freaked out by just how much dislike there is for the job that Bush is doing.” Yes, I read Moby's journal on a daily basis. I like how the guy thinks - just like me. :-)

Look out Kermit

Ok, I liked Shrek as much as anyone but I was getting really tired of seeing the big green guy and the donkey on everything and I mean, everything. That is until I stopped by Chicknits and Bonne Marie brought this to my attention. I am now feeling the need to go to Target and load up. The soap comes out Shrek’s hand and it smells like apple (mmm, I wonder if this is why Gwenyth Paltrow named her baby girl Apple). Last week I bought hand soap at the store that comes out like foam. Plus it smells like coconut. Like Bonne Marie, I have been washing my hands repeatedly - for no reason other than I get foam and coconutty smell. But, soap that comes out of Shrek’s hand and smells like apples. I’m telling you if it foams we are in trouble here. If I spend all next winter sick with things like monkey pox , not to mention peeling super dry hands, it will be the fault of those anti-bacterial soap makers who give you cool dispensers. I should probably load up on Shrek vitamins and hand lotion (ooo, I hope it comes out green) while I’m Targeting.

Dark and Stormy

I don't know what is up with this weather. Still raining for about the 3rd week in a row and we're talking thunderstorm kind of rainy. Today I went to the grocery store and about half way home it started to storm - so hard that I had the wipers on as fast as they could go and I still could barely see out the windshield. When I got home there was so much lightening that I was afraid I'd get hit going from the car to the door. I generally love thunderstorms but enough already! I'm beginning to wonder if I should start on the ark. Anyway, it made for a good movie watching weekend. Friday night Paige's hubby was out of town so we got chinese take out and rented The Way We Were. Robert Redford is a total cad but, god, is he gorgeous. Neither Paige or I had seen this movie since we were teens and it's weird what you notice as an adult - like Robert Redford being jerky. Still a great movie though. Saturday I watched Les Triplettes de Belleville - a French animated movie with virtually no dialogue. I loved this movie - it's absolutely adorable! Next was Big Fish. I loved this movie as well. Make sure you have tissue for the end - I blubbered. Finally, to round out the weekend - Episodes from the first season of the British comedy The Office. It's done in a documentary style and the boss is one of those people who always says and does things that embarrass the people around him but he thinks he's fitting in. I can't wait to finish watching this, it's very funny. If you like dry, subtle humor, The Office is for you. Hope you all are dry and safe.

When it's raining, go to the theatre

Rain or not to Rain. That is the question. Here in Southeastern Michigan it has been raining for about 2 weeks. What really sucks is that it’s been super humid as well and the Library I work in can’t seem to figure out how to a. turn the heat off or b. turn the air on. We go through this every spring and fall and it’s ridiculous. The past couple of days have been so bad that I've actually felt nauseous and yesterday, the heat made one of my co-workers so sick that she stayed home today. Thankfully it’s supposed to cool off this weekend.
Tonight Cathy, her husband Jason, and I are going to see Pirates of Penzance at the Detroit Opera House. Cathy and I have season tickets to the opera this year and this is our second to last opera. I know you’re all impressed by the opera season tickets but let me just say – they were very cheap and our seats are, literally, in the very last row. It’s still been enjoyable though.
To add to the culture – Paige and I are going to the Stratford Festival tomorrow to see Guys and Dolls and we are very excited since our favorite Stratford actor, Geordie Johnson is in it. Geordie is, quite simply, gorgeous! Stratford is, for those of you who don’t know, a quaint little town in Ontario, Canada that is home to the world-class Stratford Festival, and great shopping and food. They do 10-12 plays each season ranging from Shakespeare to contemporary Canadian playwrights. Excellent!. Well, except for that misguided attempt at Dracula, the chamber musical. I kid you not. It was horrible. I give you this image – A Dracula, with a Spanish accent, who, when calling out to the character Lucy, sounded just like Ricky Ricardo calling Lucy on I love Lucy. I am not making this up and I still get the giggles when I think about it. My Mom, sister, future brother-in-law, niece, and I went to see the King and I last year and it was stunning.

Thought for the Day

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind" Gandhi

Slacker On Board

Wow! I’ve really been slacking on the blog thing. I’m going to blame it on the weather. For the past week it’s been rainy. It’s strange because it’s actually been warm and sunny most days. We had one period late last week where it was 80 one day and 50 the next. Yeah, that’s good for the sinuses. We also had several severe thunderstorms and, according to weather.com, are going to have 5 more days of them between now and Monday. Temps in the 70’s but rain and more rain. Oh well, it’s a good excuse to stay inside and knit and read.
I’m almost done with baby sweater number one. I’ve got half a sleeve to go. It’s been really quick and easy. Although I really like the process of knitting, I am somewhat results oriented and baby sweaters give you results in a hurry. I haven’t ordered the yarn for Paige’s baby’s sweater yet. I’m trying to decide if I want to wait until they get the ultrasound and see for sure whether it’s a boy or girl or just order neutral colors. It’s not like I don’t have other things to work on in the next couple of weeks but I have yarn itch and really want to order the yarn.
Cathy and I had our first knitting circle or get-together or whatever you want to call it last Thursday. We had one person show up. Her name is Maureen and the three of us had a great time. Maureen was working on and finished one of the chenille flower face clothes from Interweave Knits (not sure what issue, but last year some time) and it was so cute. I bought a skein of chenille to make one several months ago and it’s been on the back burner but now I’m thinking they’d make great Christmas gifts. Ok, I’ve got way too much knitting to do and I’ve got to quit coming up with more projects. I think I’ve got enough to cover at least 2 years now. When is the next stash exchange? Actually, my friend Jane’s 13 (!!) year old daughter Grace is a knitter so I’m going to ship her a box of yarn one of these days. My 11 year old niece is kind of interested in knitting but I think she only does it when I come to visit. She’s making a scarf for her Mom. I think it’s so cool how hot knitting has become and that it appeals to girls and women of all ages.

Occasionally a little knitting

I really want to rant about Disney and Michael Moore and the shameful behavior of a few terribly misguided and disturbed U.S. servicemen and women. But, I've decided to keep it light today and talk about knitting. I've been working on a somewhat secret project for Cathy's baby (due in July). I say somewhat secret because she knows it's a sweater but doesn't know more than that. Reading that, I'm asking myself - what more is there to know? Ok, style, color, etc. Whatever - you all have to wait to see what it looks like. Let me just say with the front, back, and one sleeve done, I'm pleased with the way it's turning out. I've picked out a pattern for Paige's baby (due in October). It's Phildar, has a little bit of cabling (oooh) and I'm trying to decide on colors. Cathy doesn't want to find out the baby's sex until she gives birth and Paige is hoping to find out in the next couple of weeks. Not knowing boy or girl really makes the color thing difficult. Even without including pink and blue, some colors look more boy and some more girl. Oh vell, lime green works either way, right?

Tomorrow Cathy and I are starting our knitting circle at the Coffee Beanery Cafe on Woodward Ave, just south of 12 Mile, in Berkley. It'll meet the first Thursday of every month from 6:45-8:45 pm. So, if you're in the neighborhood, come join us.

I've also heard that there is a new yarn shop in Berkley and I think it's called ...And have you any wool? Don't much more than that since I haven't been to check it out but Cathy, and a lady on the Michigan Knits group on Yahoo, have met the owner and say she's very nice.