28 December 2005
Ignore the girl sobbing in the corner
This morning I was listening to Lauchcast internet radio over at Yahoo! using the personalized station function. After three years I have it pretty well honed, but I don't have any control over the order in which the songs are played. The playlist was very upbeat for most of the morning, then "Cat in the Cradle" came up. This song has always made me a little sad, but now that I have kids it makes me weep. Every time I hear it, I think of my son DJ and all the times I've said, "Not now -- we'll play later." It makes me worry that I have scarred my kids for life. So I was on the brink of tears when the next song came up -- "Century Plant" from the movie Camp. The chorus of this song is Hey! Do you want to come out and play the game? It's never too late. The speed with which I moved from bad-mommy guilt to redemption turned me into a blubbering mess. Mind you, I am at work sobbing like a baby. When I say that I am profoundly affected by music, I truly mean it.
26 December 2005
Macho yarn shopping
Now that ABM is knitting, he can't buy yarn like a normal person. He seeks out those huge balls of cheap stuff. He likes to buy yarn by the pound. Can you tell that he normally shops at Home Depot?
25 December 2005
Pulled it off again; Madonna
Yes, this is a good Christmas. The kids all enjoyed their presents and ABM seemed to enjoy his. My pile was small but meaningful; I can't complain because I have heat in my house and another gift-getting opportunity in two weeks (^_~). The best part, however, is that I got out of the visiting ritual yet again. ABM haven't discussed this deal at great length (frankly I'm scared to jinx it), but it is understood that he doesn't have to buy me much if I get to stay home and avoid the house-to-house holiday torture. In return, I usually do him a solid by cleaning or performing a computer task. The best Christmas exchange ever!
Am I the only one who thinks that the '70s look doesn't suit Madonna? That Farrah hair (we used to call it "flybacks") and blue eyeshadow only highlights the wrinkles on her face. Her body looks great for a 20-year-old, never mind a 40-something mom of two. Still, I can't help longing for the looks she sported in Evita or Dick Tracy to soften up her face.
Am I the only one who thinks that the '70s look doesn't suit Madonna? That Farrah hair (we used to call it "flybacks") and blue eyeshadow only highlights the wrinkles on her face. Her body looks great for a 20-year-old, never mind a 40-something mom of two. Still, I can't help longing for the looks she sported in Evita or Dick Tracy to soften up her face.
24 December 2005
Despite all of our planning efforts, we are still part of the last-minute Christmas rush. I am sitting here, knitting furiously while watching sappy Lifetime movies. ABM is out trying to pick up the basketball goal that C2 requested. I still have to set up the new computer and the PDA for M. Let us not forget that this is also our wedding anniversary, so we also want to squeeze in Chinese takeout and a movie before midnight. So much for a relaxed Christmas Eve.
While ABM was at Wal-Mart, he ran into a relative. She was looking for a set of Knifty Knitter looms. ABM went into panic mode because he had just come from the craft store where he had purchased a set for her Christmas gift. What are the odds? We barely talk to this relative during the year but we knew that she took up crocheting recently (we bought her a copy of "Hip to Crochet" last Christmas). My poor husband called me in a tizzy, wondering what to do. He ended up pretending that he didn't know what she was talking about. She said that she was just going to head on home since she had a long day. ABM thought he was out of the woods until a friendly clerk told our relative that the set could be found at the craft store next door. It is almost guaranteed that she went over and bought it, so we will be giving a duplicate gift. I said don't sweat it; she can always regift :-).
While ABM was at Wal-Mart, he ran into a relative. She was looking for a set of Knifty Knitter looms. ABM went into panic mode because he had just come from the craft store where he had purchased a set for her Christmas gift. What are the odds? We barely talk to this relative during the year but we knew that she took up crocheting recently (we bought her a copy of "Hip to Crochet" last Christmas). My poor husband called me in a tizzy, wondering what to do. He ended up pretending that he didn't know what she was talking about. She said that she was just going to head on home since she had a long day. ABM thought he was out of the woods until a friendly clerk told our relative that the set could be found at the craft store next door. It is almost guaranteed that she went over and bought it, so we will be giving a duplicate gift. I said don't sweat it; she can always regift :-).
23 December 2005
Health Update
Yes, I know it is Friday and I usually post my update on Saturday. I just want to post a quick note about my intentions for the New Year. "Resolution" is a dirty word around here; I tend to get caught up in making grand plans so I am trying to be realistic. "Intention" sounds much more manageable. Anyway, I am not going to post my weight for the next couple weeks. I haven't been doing anything about losing weight for a couple months, so posting my weight gain serves no purpose. Hopefully, I will be able to find my motivation again after the holidays.
22 December 2005
Project Runway "Team Lingerie"
As a general rule, I avoid the second season of a reality show because the producers tend to ruin what I liked about the first season by trying to produce more drama. I broke my own rule by returning to Project Runway because I thought that there was no way it could happen to this show. Talent will win out, right? Well, apparently not.
On the latest installment, the designers were put into teams of three to create a lingerie collection. Santino was one of the team leaders and he had a complete meltdown just when his team need his direction the most. In the end, his lingerie was ugly and impractical yet he was kept and Daniel F was cut. I believe that Daniel F got cut for almost the same reason as Raymundo the previous week -- he was trying to be modest rather than all-out sexy with his collection. The judges also criticized his pieces for not being young enough. Excuse me, but old broads like me want to wear lingerie, too. I'm not denying that Santino is talented but I think he was kept because his propensity to clash with the other contestants makes for more interesting viewing, at least for some.
On the latest installment, the designers were put into teams of three to create a lingerie collection. Santino was one of the team leaders and he had a complete meltdown just when his team need his direction the most. In the end, his lingerie was ugly and impractical yet he was kept and Daniel F was cut. I believe that Daniel F got cut for almost the same reason as Raymundo the previous week -- he was trying to be modest rather than all-out sexy with his collection. The judges also criticized his pieces for not being young enough. Excuse me, but old broads like me want to wear lingerie, too. I'm not denying that Santino is talented but I think he was kept because his propensity to clash with the other contestants makes for more interesting viewing, at least for some.
21 December 2005
The things I do for my children
You can't see it in the picture, but the hearts light up. I felt my cool factor go down to -20 when I put this thing on.
I thought I could avoid it
The comment spammers have finally discovered my little spot in the blogosphere. I've heard of comment spam but never really saw it until this week. I've gotten four already in the last three days. The nonsensical messages are almost amusing, so I am not going to do anything other than delete them right now. If it gets too bad, though, I'll have to enable that code-word thing that all the other blog kids are using.
20 December 2005
Soon I can relax
The sooner I can get past all the preparations and obligations, the sooner I can enjoy the holiday. M's winter band concert is already behind me; it wasn't too stressful because I am familiar now with the setting and the procedure. Tomorrow, however, is the Christmas pageant. This pageant is not at our home church so I am not familiar with the building or any of the people. This is exactly the sort of thing that makes me a bit anxious. I would skip it, but the kids are participating in it. It would make me more comfortable to have ABM with me, but he has to work.
Speaking of work, poor ABM is getting cheated out of an actual holiday. Since Christmas falls on the weekend and he is normally off on the weekend, he doesn't get any extra days for the holiday like normal office workers do because his call center is open 24 hours. He does get extra holiday pay, but I feel bad that I get a four-day weekend and he doesn't.
Somehow, we ended up with Christmas lists that require more work than money this year. For instance, we picked up a new desktop computer at a Black Friday sale so we are giving our current one to the twins. (Don't make that outraged face. You know that if you were in my shoes you would keep the new computer for yourself rather than give it to a set of eight-year-olds. Besides, they've gone through two holiday seasons where they watched everyone else in the house get a computer; they'll be glad for anything they get.) This means that I need to spend some time removing all the programs from this computer that they don't need, like BitTorrent. Other gifts that require time:
--M wants to learn how to cook something other than Rice-a-Roni.
--M also wants us to have a spa day together. This is something she picked up from one of those "love your body" books that I bought her last year.
--ABM wants me to burn some CDs for him. This doesn't sound like much of a gift because he could do it himself. What he is really asking for is my time, though, because his requests have been along the lines of "Can you find me a mystery novel by a black author on audio?" or "Can you get the CD of the guy who did the music for that movie we saw?"
--ABM upgraded to a Palm Zire 72 so he is giving his Zire 71 to M, which means I get to load it up with stuff she needs. Yes, it's another cast-off Christmas gift but she will be glad to get it. Her current PDA is a Handspring Visor with a monochrome screen.
On top of all this, I am helping ABM knit scarves for his friends. We are using the Knifty Knitter looms. I know, I know -- I talked junk about these things last Christmas. I still think that the marketing is disparaging of those who knit with sticks, but I have to admit that the purple rectangular one is kinda fun. I can already see myself making afghan strips with it. Also, as a needlecrafter I have to embrace any device that makes my husband come home with THREE bags of yarn :-).
Anyway, I'm helping ABM knit these scarves to keep him from lying. He likes making hats and scarves, but he doesn't want anyone to know he is doing it. He says he is going to let his friends think that I made them. I figured I should make it at least partially true by knitting one.
Speaking of work, poor ABM is getting cheated out of an actual holiday. Since Christmas falls on the weekend and he is normally off on the weekend, he doesn't get any extra days for the holiday like normal office workers do because his call center is open 24 hours. He does get extra holiday pay, but I feel bad that I get a four-day weekend and he doesn't.
Somehow, we ended up with Christmas lists that require more work than money this year. For instance, we picked up a new desktop computer at a Black Friday sale so we are giving our current one to the twins. (Don't make that outraged face. You know that if you were in my shoes you would keep the new computer for yourself rather than give it to a set of eight-year-olds. Besides, they've gone through two holiday seasons where they watched everyone else in the house get a computer; they'll be glad for anything they get.) This means that I need to spend some time removing all the programs from this computer that they don't need, like BitTorrent. Other gifts that require time:
--M wants to learn how to cook something other than Rice-a-Roni.
--M also wants us to have a spa day together. This is something she picked up from one of those "love your body" books that I bought her last year.
--ABM wants me to burn some CDs for him. This doesn't sound like much of a gift because he could do it himself. What he is really asking for is my time, though, because his requests have been along the lines of "Can you find me a mystery novel by a black author on audio?" or "Can you get the CD of the guy who did the music for that movie we saw?"
--ABM upgraded to a Palm Zire 72 so he is giving his Zire 71 to M, which means I get to load it up with stuff she needs. Yes, it's another cast-off Christmas gift but she will be glad to get it. Her current PDA is a Handspring Visor with a monochrome screen.
On top of all this, I am helping ABM knit scarves for his friends. We are using the Knifty Knitter looms. I know, I know -- I talked junk about these things last Christmas. I still think that the marketing is disparaging of those who knit with sticks, but I have to admit that the purple rectangular one is kinda fun. I can already see myself making afghan strips with it. Also, as a needlecrafter I have to embrace any device that makes my husband come home with THREE bags of yarn :-).
Anyway, I'm helping ABM knit these scarves to keep him from lying. He likes making hats and scarves, but he doesn't want anyone to know he is doing it. He says he is going to let his friends think that I made them. I figured I should make it at least partially true by knitting one.
18 December 2005
Project Runway "All Dolled Up"
The latest episode of Project Runway was pretty good. The challenge was to dress My Scene Barbie. The designers had to make a full-sized version of the outfit for their model as well as a doll-sized one. Half of the contestants seemed to misunderstand what they were doing. They were using Barbie as mere inspiration for a real woman's dress instead of making a dress that would actually work on a Barbie. Some of the dresses were too couture for this Barbie, who is supposed to be a 16-year-old hipster. On the other hand, Kara's dress looked so much like a Barbie outfit that the model appeared to be wearing a costume. The winning designer, Nick, had the right balance of doll and woman in mind. He said he was designing something that he could see his niece picking out for her Barbie, and I think he was right on the money. His outfit looked great on the doll and the model without looking cheap on either one.
There was a minimum of drama on this episode, which made me happy.
--Kara, the self-professed Barbie fan, went nuts when she lost her Barbie's hat and wasted most of her design time looking for it. Somehow, I don't think she would have come up with anything better even if she had used the full time.
--Andrae went from crying on the runway last week to attacking the judges this week. All they asked him was why he didn't have his model wear the Barbie wig that was provided. Tim Gunn warned him earlier not to cry, but he went too far in the other direction. I'm beginning to agree with others that he is being kept on the show for a little spice because his outbursts are more memorable than his clothes.
--Marla, the oldest contestant at 51, seems to have extensive experience in the fashion industry. According to her bio, she started out sewing pieces that she sold on the street. Why, then, doesn't she know how to piece her outfit together or use a sewing machine?
Raymundo was the designer eliminated this time around. In a time when Bratz dolls are super popular, I totally understood his desire to create an outfit that didn't make Barbie look like a hoochie. However, his execution was poor. The outfit looked like something that I would have come up with when I was making Barbie clothes out of fabric scraps.
Since this was a doll competition, I thought I would get the opinion of my resident fashion doll fan. C1, my eight-year-old, picked Daniel F's design as her favorite. She had a lukewarm reaction to Nick's winning design, but she thought Raymundo's dress was ugly.
There was a minimum of drama on this episode, which made me happy.
--Kara, the self-professed Barbie fan, went nuts when she lost her Barbie's hat and wasted most of her design time looking for it. Somehow, I don't think she would have come up with anything better even if she had used the full time.
--Andrae went from crying on the runway last week to attacking the judges this week. All they asked him was why he didn't have his model wear the Barbie wig that was provided. Tim Gunn warned him earlier not to cry, but he went too far in the other direction. I'm beginning to agree with others that he is being kept on the show for a little spice because his outbursts are more memorable than his clothes.
--Marla, the oldest contestant at 51, seems to have extensive experience in the fashion industry. According to her bio, she started out sewing pieces that she sold on the street. Why, then, doesn't she know how to piece her outfit together or use a sewing machine?
Raymundo was the designer eliminated this time around. In a time when Bratz dolls are super popular, I totally understood his desire to create an outfit that didn't make Barbie look like a hoochie. However, his execution was poor. The outfit looked like something that I would have come up with when I was making Barbie clothes out of fabric scraps.
Since this was a doll competition, I thought I would get the opinion of my resident fashion doll fan. C1, my eight-year-old, picked Daniel F's design as her favorite. She had a lukewarm reaction to Nick's winning design, but she thought Raymundo's dress was ugly.
| Your Christmas Song Is |
 Happy Xmas (War Is Over) And so this is xmas For weak and for strong For rich and the poor ones The world is so wrong You would gladly give up all of your material Christmas gifts... If it meant peace for a few more people |
16 December 2005
| You Are an Orange Martini |
 Everyone's favorite drunk, you're fun, flirty, and charming. Unfortunately, you often spark jealousy - and unintentionally start bar fights. You should never: Drink and dial. You'll just end up with multiple booty calls at your door! Your ideal party: Is huge and lively. You love to work a crowd. Your drinking soulmates: those with a Blueberry Martini personality Your drinking rivals: those with a Dirty Martini personality |
What I'm Doing
What I'm Reading: "Every Grain of Rice: A Taste of Our Chinese Childhood in America" by Ellen Blonder and Annabel Low. Actually I just finished reading it tonight. It is a cookbook written by a woman and her aunt, who happen to be almost the same age. Interspersed with the recipes are stories of their childhood and how food played a large part in it. What I like about this book is that the recipes, even when they aren't simple, are written in a way that makes me think I can recreate them.
What I'm Hearing (Music): Still The Lascivious Biddies. I'm trying to keep myself from playing the CDs too much because I know that once I get sick of them, I won't play them again for years.
What I'm Hearing (Podcasts): Comedy podcasts aren't always the best thing to listen to at work. The Ricky Gervais Show had me laughing so hard that I was crying.
What I'm Playing: I know that PDAs are supposed to be business tools, but ABM and I just admitted to ourselves yesterday that we bought ours as toys. We treat them more like Gameboys or iPods that happen to hold a few phone numbers rather than Palms that happen to play games. ABM is more of a puzzle guy so he sticks to Bejeweled and Tetris clones. I just finished playing Village Sim and now I am working on Warfare Inc. I've also taken a swipe at Sulite, but the whole sudoku craze really hasn't grabbed me yet.
What I'm Watching: Heaven help me, I'm watching Ghost Whisperer. It is fluff, and not even uplifting fluff like Touched By An Angel. Still, I'm drawn to it. It fills my Friday night viewing slot and Jennifer Love Hewitt is just so darn pretty! She's like a walking piece of art and I can't take my eyes off of her.
What I'm Hearing (Music): Still The Lascivious Biddies. I'm trying to keep myself from playing the CDs too much because I know that once I get sick of them, I won't play them again for years.
What I'm Hearing (Podcasts): Comedy podcasts aren't always the best thing to listen to at work. The Ricky Gervais Show had me laughing so hard that I was crying.
What I'm Playing: I know that PDAs are supposed to be business tools, but ABM and I just admitted to ourselves yesterday that we bought ours as toys. We treat them more like Gameboys or iPods that happen to hold a few phone numbers rather than Palms that happen to play games. ABM is more of a puzzle guy so he sticks to Bejeweled and Tetris clones. I just finished playing Village Sim and now I am working on Warfare Inc. I've also taken a swipe at Sulite, but the whole sudoku craze really hasn't grabbed me yet.
What I'm Watching: Heaven help me, I'm watching Ghost Whisperer. It is fluff, and not even uplifting fluff like Touched By An Angel. Still, I'm drawn to it. It fills my Friday night viewing slot and Jennifer Love Hewitt is just so darn pretty! She's like a walking piece of art and I can't take my eyes off of her.
15 December 2005
My prayers were answered!
No school today! I didn't exactly get the lie-in that I wanted, what with everyone calling to tell me there was no school. Also, the kids got up on their own because they thought their flighty mom forgot to wake them up. Even when I told them that there was no school, they thought I had the days confused! Still, it is nice to have the day at home. I was beginning to go a little batty. Now I just have to use my time wisely. The plans for today:
--Finish the MIL's scarf (only four rows left).
--Do a quick pick-up around the house.
--Look over the kids' Christmas lists and make a realistic plan for what we can buy.
See? I'm not being too ambitious. Now I just have to do get away from the computer and DO this stuff. See ya!
--Finish the MIL's scarf (only four rows left).
--Do a quick pick-up around the house.
--Look over the kids' Christmas lists and make a realistic plan for what we can buy.
See? I'm not being too ambitious. Now I just have to do get away from the computer and DO this stuff. See ya!
14 December 2005
Praying for ice, Praying for ice, PRAYING FOR ICE!
We are supposed to get some bad weather tomorrow morning and I can't wait! I don't want anyone to be hurt; I just want school to be called off. If the schools are closed, then the MIL will say that the weather is too bad for her to drive over here to watch the kids. Then I can call in to work without a quiver in my voice and say that I have no one to watch the kids. I need a bad-weather day in the worst way.
If I had to pick my top word for 2005, it would be "overwhelmed". Everything just feels a little too-too for me right now. Despite my occasional upbeat days, I am really a hermit by nature. Unfortunately, being a wife and working mom doesn't allow me to indulge my loner tendencies. It's been a long time since I had a good three-day wallow in my room. I knew I needed some solitary time when I started hoping that this vague sore throat I have would turn into strep so that the rest of the family would stay away.
If I had to pick my top word for 2005, it would be "overwhelmed". Everything just feels a little too-too for me right now. Despite my occasional upbeat days, I am really a hermit by nature. Unfortunately, being a wife and working mom doesn't allow me to indulge my loner tendencies. It's been a long time since I had a good three-day wallow in my room. I knew I needed some solitary time when I started hoping that this vague sore throat I have would turn into strep so that the rest of the family would stay away.
12 December 2005
You thought I was kidding when I said I had a strong masculine side
Warning: This post, while short, may be considered a trip into TMI Land for some. If you have delicate sensibilities, stop now.
This is proof that my testosterone levels must be a little higher than the rest of you gals. Yesterday I woke up with an achy head, a scratchy throat, and I was breathing like someone had stuffed cotton in my windpipe. Want to know the thoughts that ran through my head?
"Oh, no. I'm getting sick. I haven't had sex yet this weekend. If I don't have sex today I will have to wait another week. Please God, just give me enough strength to have sex."
I think some boy traits fell into the girl box when God was assembling me :-).
This is proof that my testosterone levels must be a little higher than the rest of you gals. Yesterday I woke up with an achy head, a scratchy throat, and I was breathing like someone had stuffed cotton in my windpipe. Want to know the thoughts that ran through my head?
"Oh, no. I'm getting sick. I haven't had sex yet this weekend. If I don't have sex today I will have to wait another week. Please God, just give me enough strength to have sex."
I think some boy traits fell into the girl box when God was assembling me :-).
11 December 2005
Project Runway is back!
There are two kinds of reality shows. There are those whose primary focus is the drama that unfolds when you put dissimiliar people in difficult situations. Then there are the other shows that feature the same drama but it is only a backdrop to the tasks that the participants must complete. I prefer the latter, and Project Runway definitely belongs in this category. Unlike Survivor, a contestant will not get ahead on Project Runway by cheating or backstabbing others. It is one of my favorite reality shows and I am glad to see that it is back.
The first 30 minutes of the two-hour season premiere was the usual fare: some footage of the auditions in various major cites with extra focus on those who would end up being the 16 semi-finalists. Four contestants from the first season were brought back to help as judges. Also returning to compete again was Daniel Franco, the first designer cut from season one.
After the judges found 16 designers, Tim Gunn (from Parsons School for Design) gave all of them a challenge to complete before returning to New York. They were each given six yards of muslin and $20 for notions to create a garment that best represented their fashion sensibility. This competition would result is two people being eliminated.
Comments on the first runway show:
--John from LA looked like he was out of his league. I thought his dress was cute but too simple. Looking at his portfolio on the show's website, I could see that he has talent. He just didn't step up his game.
--Poor Diana from FL and all that business with the magnets. Why didn't she just tack the skirt up when she saw that the magnets weren't going to work?
--The judges gave Heidi from Atlanta a bit of a hard time in my opinion by calling her dress "all trim". A lot of the stuff I see in the stores would be nothing without the trim. Maybe I just didn't want to see them pick on the southern girl :-).
Santino was announced as the winner of the first runway challenge. Daniel F. was chastised because the bodice of his dress didn't fit (the same problem he had in season one) but he was allowed to stay. John was eliminated because he didn't spend enough time on his design. Heidi was also cut because they felt she didn't have enough vision.
After having models assigned to them for the preliminary challenge, the designers got a chance to pick their own models at the top of the second hour. Even though this is also a competition for the models, the show doesn't focus on them enough for you to care who wins. I think the show's creators realized this because this season they had the designers choose one model to use for the whole run rather than picking a different one for every challenge. Of course, the designers weren't told this beforehand so those who chose someone other than their favorite just to try something new looked a little shocked.
The second challenge was for each designer to take the clothes they wore to the party the night before and create a new outfit from them. Each person had dressed to impress so some of them were a little upset at the thought of deconstructing their favorite clothing items. They were given nine hours to complete their garments, but many of them were still sewing as they fitted the models the next day.
Comments on second runway show:
--Santino and Guadalupe's dresses both reminded me of the bag-lady fashion that we all wore in the '80s. I know that couture can be a little "out there", but on my personal score card I give high marks for wearability. Both of those outfits had too many fiddly bits.
--I didn't like Emmett's jacket made from pants, but his dress was great. The jacket looked like it was choking the model.
--Raymundo and Daniel F. created outfits that looked totally different than their original pieces without bringing Frankenstein to mind.
--Daniel V.'s skirt buttoned up the front and it was gaping open right at the model's crotch. A big no-no!
--Diana, the little tech girl, was wearing an ugly outfit to the party and she actually turned it into something better. Thank goodness she cut that original coat up so she couldn't wear it again!
--Zulema created a dress out of a short cardigan. Why on earth didn't she use the jeans she was wearing, too? The poor model's butt cheeks were hanging out in the back. When questioned, Zulema blamed it on the model's body instead of her design. That's just wrong.
Chloe was the ultimate winner of the challenge. I didn't like her dress; it was reminiscent of the jersey dresses I wore in the early '90s. Still, it was impressive that she could be creative with so little. Kirsten, the attorney, was eliminated because her trashy t-shirt just didn't cut it. She didn't have the skill to use her family heirloom scarf without cutting it.
Other thoughts:
People who ramble on these shows drive me nuts. When Andrae was asked about his inspiration for his garment, he went on and on. The only thing worse is when the contestants cry. If you shed a couple tears when you win the whole shebang, that's fine. There are some people, though, who cry on every episode (like Suzy and Matt on The Biggest Loser). Thank goodness for the mute and fast-forward buttons.
As much as I dislike contestants crying, however, I didn't think it showed good sportsmanship for Santino to stand on stage and laugh at Andrae. Every time the camera cut to him, he had this look on his face that said, "This guy is digging a hole for himself and making it easier for me to win!" He derived too much enjoyment from Andrae's self-destruction.
What is it with the lawyers who want to be fashion designers? They had a lawyer from Charlotte on the first season, and now they have a lawyer/swimsuit designer this season. Law and fashion design seem to be on opposite ends of the spectrum.
I can tell from the previews that there is going to be more rambling, more crying, and more outrageous designs. I can't wait!
The first 30 minutes of the two-hour season premiere was the usual fare: some footage of the auditions in various major cites with extra focus on those who would end up being the 16 semi-finalists. Four contestants from the first season were brought back to help as judges. Also returning to compete again was Daniel Franco, the first designer cut from season one.
After the judges found 16 designers, Tim Gunn (from Parsons School for Design) gave all of them a challenge to complete before returning to New York. They were each given six yards of muslin and $20 for notions to create a garment that best represented their fashion sensibility. This competition would result is two people being eliminated.
Comments on the first runway show:
--John from LA looked like he was out of his league. I thought his dress was cute but too simple. Looking at his portfolio on the show's website, I could see that he has talent. He just didn't step up his game.
--Poor Diana from FL and all that business with the magnets. Why didn't she just tack the skirt up when she saw that the magnets weren't going to work?
--The judges gave Heidi from Atlanta a bit of a hard time in my opinion by calling her dress "all trim". A lot of the stuff I see in the stores would be nothing without the trim. Maybe I just didn't want to see them pick on the southern girl :-).
Santino was announced as the winner of the first runway challenge. Daniel F. was chastised because the bodice of his dress didn't fit (the same problem he had in season one) but he was allowed to stay. John was eliminated because he didn't spend enough time on his design. Heidi was also cut because they felt she didn't have enough vision.
After having models assigned to them for the preliminary challenge, the designers got a chance to pick their own models at the top of the second hour. Even though this is also a competition for the models, the show doesn't focus on them enough for you to care who wins. I think the show's creators realized this because this season they had the designers choose one model to use for the whole run rather than picking a different one for every challenge. Of course, the designers weren't told this beforehand so those who chose someone other than their favorite just to try something new looked a little shocked.
The second challenge was for each designer to take the clothes they wore to the party the night before and create a new outfit from them. Each person had dressed to impress so some of them were a little upset at the thought of deconstructing their favorite clothing items. They were given nine hours to complete their garments, but many of them were still sewing as they fitted the models the next day.
Comments on second runway show:
--Santino and Guadalupe's dresses both reminded me of the bag-lady fashion that we all wore in the '80s. I know that couture can be a little "out there", but on my personal score card I give high marks for wearability. Both of those outfits had too many fiddly bits.
--I didn't like Emmett's jacket made from pants, but his dress was great. The jacket looked like it was choking the model.
--Raymundo and Daniel F. created outfits that looked totally different than their original pieces without bringing Frankenstein to mind.
--Daniel V.'s skirt buttoned up the front and it was gaping open right at the model's crotch. A big no-no!
--Diana, the little tech girl, was wearing an ugly outfit to the party and she actually turned it into something better. Thank goodness she cut that original coat up so she couldn't wear it again!
--Zulema created a dress out of a short cardigan. Why on earth didn't she use the jeans she was wearing, too? The poor model's butt cheeks were hanging out in the back. When questioned, Zulema blamed it on the model's body instead of her design. That's just wrong.
Chloe was the ultimate winner of the challenge. I didn't like her dress; it was reminiscent of the jersey dresses I wore in the early '90s. Still, it was impressive that she could be creative with so little. Kirsten, the attorney, was eliminated because her trashy t-shirt just didn't cut it. She didn't have the skill to use her family heirloom scarf without cutting it.
Other thoughts:
People who ramble on these shows drive me nuts. When Andrae was asked about his inspiration for his garment, he went on and on. The only thing worse is when the contestants cry. If you shed a couple tears when you win the whole shebang, that's fine. There are some people, though, who cry on every episode (like Suzy and Matt on The Biggest Loser). Thank goodness for the mute and fast-forward buttons.
As much as I dislike contestants crying, however, I didn't think it showed good sportsmanship for Santino to stand on stage and laugh at Andrae. Every time the camera cut to him, he had this look on his face that said, "This guy is digging a hole for himself and making it easier for me to win!" He derived too much enjoyment from Andrae's self-destruction.
What is it with the lawyers who want to be fashion designers? They had a lawyer from Charlotte on the first season, and now they have a lawyer/swimsuit designer this season. Law and fashion design seem to be on opposite ends of the spectrum.
I can tell from the previews that there is going to be more rambling, more crying, and more outrageous designs. I can't wait!
10 December 2005
Health Update
The exact weight is 256.5 pounds. I haven't exercised or counted points this week. I probably won't go back to WW unless NotMissy gets serious about it again; otherwise it is a little more difficult for me to get to the meetings. ABM mentioned this week that he wants to go back to Lean Cuisines and salads (basically, the eDiets convenience model). I lost over 20 pounds that way, so I'm on board. We quit before because he said it cost too much. This week he actually sat down, crunched the numbers, and figured out that we are spending almost the same amount buying lunch at work. Lately the lunches at our work cafeteria haven't been terribly impressive, so I hope we can start after our next payday.
09 December 2005
| Your 2005 Song Is |
 Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani "This shit is bananas B-A-N-A-N-A-S)" For you, 2005 was the Best Year Ever. |
07 December 2005
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays -- get over it!
When Amy put up a little post about people assuming that everyone is a Christian at this time of year, I just read it and moved on without comment. However, when I saw three different shows comment on the White House holiday card tonight I thought I would throw my two cents in.
In case anybody missed it, I am a Christian who works at the headquarters of an international ministry. Knowing this, you may assume that I would be upset about "Happy Holidays" replacing "Merry Christmas" as the greeting in many places like retail stores and government agencies. If so, you'd be wrong. I agree with fundamentalist Christians that Christmas stopped being about Christ a long time ago. Where we part ways is that they are trying to take the holiday back by force, whereas I don't care. Personally, I think that non-Christians are doing us a favor by not referring to this time of year as Christmas. As long as it is called Christmas, then all the crazy things that go on (like people getting trampled at Black Friday sales) will be associated with our holiday. When was the last time you heard people say that someone went into debt buying gifts for Hanukkah or Kwanzaa? Christmas is always the holiday blamed for making people stressed out because they can't keep up with their neighbors' decorating or rituals. These are all very un-Christian behaviors so why should we as Christians be in a rush to put our name on all that mess?
In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with the White House holiday card. Wishing customers or constituents "Happy Holidays" acknowledges the fact that December is really a state-sanctioned month to slack off at work and support the economy with a little extra spending. Here in the South people start putting up their lights and decorations in November, so saying "Happy Holidays" is also shorthand because we celebrate Thanksgiving/YourHolidayofChoice/New Year's Day in rapid succession. There is already a quote from the Old Testament on the card which makes it obvious what the Bush family will be celebrating in their own home. It is very welcoming of him to be inclusive with the rest of the card.
My early exposure to the Christian faith was through media from the '60s and '70s such as The Cross and the Switchblade, so I have always considered myself a bit of a hippie Christian. When I thought of Christians at the holidays, visions of people serving in soup kitchens and handing out warm coats to the needy used to spring to mind. Now all I see are pushy, self-righteous people who are more concerned with what the holiday display at City Hall looks like than with emulating Jesus whose birthday they are supposed to be celebrating.
In case anybody missed it, I am a Christian who works at the headquarters of an international ministry. Knowing this, you may assume that I would be upset about "Happy Holidays" replacing "Merry Christmas" as the greeting in many places like retail stores and government agencies. If so, you'd be wrong. I agree with fundamentalist Christians that Christmas stopped being about Christ a long time ago. Where we part ways is that they are trying to take the holiday back by force, whereas I don't care. Personally, I think that non-Christians are doing us a favor by not referring to this time of year as Christmas. As long as it is called Christmas, then all the crazy things that go on (like people getting trampled at Black Friday sales) will be associated with our holiday. When was the last time you heard people say that someone went into debt buying gifts for Hanukkah or Kwanzaa? Christmas is always the holiday blamed for making people stressed out because they can't keep up with their neighbors' decorating or rituals. These are all very un-Christian behaviors so why should we as Christians be in a rush to put our name on all that mess?
In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with the White House holiday card. Wishing customers or constituents "Happy Holidays" acknowledges the fact that December is really a state-sanctioned month to slack off at work and support the economy with a little extra spending. Here in the South people start putting up their lights and decorations in November, so saying "Happy Holidays" is also shorthand because we celebrate Thanksgiving/YourHolidayofChoice/New Year's Day in rapid succession. There is already a quote from the Old Testament on the card which makes it obvious what the Bush family will be celebrating in their own home. It is very welcoming of him to be inclusive with the rest of the card.
My early exposure to the Christian faith was through media from the '60s and '70s such as The Cross and the Switchblade, so I have always considered myself a bit of a hippie Christian. When I thought of Christians at the holidays, visions of people serving in soup kitchens and handing out warm coats to the needy used to spring to mind. Now all I see are pushy, self-righteous people who are more concerned with what the holiday display at City Hall looks like than with emulating Jesus whose birthday they are supposed to be celebrating.
06 December 2005
One hand clapping
How wired are your friends? I don't mean your online friends; I'm talking about the people you see day to day. E-mail, push e-mail, web chat, text messaging, instant messaging, file sharing, mp3s -- wherever you turn in the media, you get the impression that everyone is latching on to new technology. My neck of the woods, however, seems to be full of tech neophytes. My preferred method of communication is e-mail, but nobody uses it. Over 50% of our friends and acquaintances have computers that are underpowered, and all most all of them have dial-up internet access. No one I know owns a PDA, and only one friend has a laptop. None of them have mp3 players; they still buy physical CDs. In the gaming arena, no one has XBoxes around here. My kids only know two classmates who own a Nintendo DS, and a PSP is considered a device for people with more money than sense.
Why I am thinking about all of this? I guess I'm a bit lonely out here. "No one to e-mail, all by myself . . ." I imagine this must be how the person who got the first telephone in their village felt. It is cool to be first, but it is even more fun to have someone to play with. The funny thing is that I have been a square peg for years. I'm used to not having anyone share my interests; why is it bothering me now?
Why I am thinking about all of this? I guess I'm a bit lonely out here. "No one to e-mail, all by myself . . ." I imagine this must be how the person who got the first telephone in their village felt. It is cool to be first, but it is even more fun to have someone to play with. The funny thing is that I have been a square peg for years. I'm used to not having anyone share my interests; why is it bothering me now?
05 December 2005
Too many thoughts for a single title
--I have gadgets galore but none of them are the perfect solution to my blogging dilemma. All my best ideas seem to come to me while I am at work or on the road. I've tried jotting down notes on paper, I've made furtive posts from work, and I've tried typing the post on my Palm and uploading it when I get home. The Palm thing works the best, but it is not a model with a thumb keyboard and typing a long post with a stylus is a pain. If I had a PDA with a thumb keyboard and internet service that didn't cost me an arm and a leg, that would be perfect.
--In my circle I am the computer guru, but now I need a guru. I wish I had someone (in person, not online) who could walk me through the setting for my BitTorrent that would give me the optimal performance. I am able to download stuff but I don't think I am getting the speed that I hear people mention on tech shows. There is a wiki out there on the subject, but I've read it four times and I don't understand what to do.
--God will smote me for my selfishness, I'm sure. One of my coworkers asked me to teach her how to knit socks. She showed up with the right needles but the wrong yarn (she is knitting the Blueberry Waffle Socks). I dug into my stashette and pulled out the only two balls of Cleckheaton Tapestry that I had. Some time ago, I heard that Australian knitters think of Cleckheaton the way American knitters think of Red Heart but I knit my best socks ever with this yarn. I was loathe to part with it, and so I think I did a bad thing. As I was giving it to my coworker, I made a joking comment: "This is my favorite yarn, so I expect to see some socks come out of this." That was last Thursday. This morning she brought it back to me, saying that she was knotting it up terribly and all she could hear in her head was me saying this was my favorite yarn. Scaring the new knitter -- what unknitterly behavior! The good news is that she took the original yarn and used it to practice the technique. She was really struggling with purling, so it was a pleasant surprise to see that she knit four inches of the leg over the weekend.
--Christmas shopping is a little off-track right now. ABM went to the Black Friday sale and got a couple good deals on a laptop (for us) and a desktop (for the kids), but we still haven't really made a dent in their lists. Yes, a desktop is a big item but we were going to get that anyway so we still want to get them each three or four small items. As usual, we won't be shopping until the 15th which feels like the last minute for me.
Luckily, several of the items on M and ABM's lists are things I can get at home without worrying about whether Fed Ex will show up on my doorstep before the 25th. ABM has several CDs that he would like me to download. M wants me to set up her computer to play DVDs and find some more interactive fiction for her, both of which are free items. She also wants a digital camera and an MP3 player, which she may get if ABM upgrades his PDA before Christmas. His Zire 71 would meet both of those requirements and she has already been eyeing so I know she would be glad to have it even if it isn't new.
--In my circle I am the computer guru, but now I need a guru. I wish I had someone (in person, not online) who could walk me through the setting for my BitTorrent that would give me the optimal performance. I am able to download stuff but I don't think I am getting the speed that I hear people mention on tech shows. There is a wiki out there on the subject, but I've read it four times and I don't understand what to do.
--God will smote me for my selfishness, I'm sure. One of my coworkers asked me to teach her how to knit socks. She showed up with the right needles but the wrong yarn (she is knitting the Blueberry Waffle Socks). I dug into my stashette and pulled out the only two balls of Cleckheaton Tapestry that I had. Some time ago, I heard that Australian knitters think of Cleckheaton the way American knitters think of Red Heart but I knit my best socks ever with this yarn. I was loathe to part with it, and so I think I did a bad thing. As I was giving it to my coworker, I made a joking comment: "This is my favorite yarn, so I expect to see some socks come out of this." That was last Thursday. This morning she brought it back to me, saying that she was knotting it up terribly and all she could hear in her head was me saying this was my favorite yarn. Scaring the new knitter -- what unknitterly behavior! The good news is that she took the original yarn and used it to practice the technique. She was really struggling with purling, so it was a pleasant surprise to see that she knit four inches of the leg over the weekend.
--Christmas shopping is a little off-track right now. ABM went to the Black Friday sale and got a couple good deals on a laptop (for us) and a desktop (for the kids), but we still haven't really made a dent in their lists. Yes, a desktop is a big item but we were going to get that anyway so we still want to get them each three or four small items. As usual, we won't be shopping until the 15th which feels like the last minute for me.
Luckily, several of the items on M and ABM's lists are things I can get at home without worrying about whether Fed Ex will show up on my doorstep before the 25th. ABM has several CDs that he would like me to download. M wants me to set up her computer to play DVDs and find some more interactive fiction for her, both of which are free items. She also wants a digital camera and an MP3 player, which she may get if ABM upgrades his PDA before Christmas. His Zire 71 would meet both of those requirements and she has already been eyeing so I know she would be glad to have it even if it isn't new.
02 December 2005
Doing my part to spread the infection
The sudoku craze hasn't hit critical mass in my area yet; one of the big papers just started publishing the puzzles this past August. I learned about them around the same time from a passing mention in Entertainment Weekly but never tried one until this week. It has numbers so that immediately turned me off (remember, I was the inspiration for the "I Hate Math" Barbie), but I found a free sudoku program for my Palm so I thought I would give it a try. Although I haven't finished my first puzzle yet, I'm pretty sure that it isn't my cup of tea. That hasn't stopped me from being a carrier of sudoku fever, however. I printed one out for M, who passed copies on to her friends. DJ also wanted one, so I found him a very easy version to try. I like all kinds of pencil-and-paper puzzles; I had a subscription to Games magazine for quite a while. I would be thrilled if they got into that kind of thing.
01 December 2005
It's all about a cappella
After listening to Acappella U yesterday, I can't get enough of the stuff. All day I've been listening to any podcasts I could find that featured a cappella groups. I'm even tempted to buy some CDs, which you know is big because I've only bought three CDs in the past five years. I'm also trying to find out if there are any performances I can attend in my area. Unfortunately, I missed a performance on 12 Nov by The Bobs. I'm not too bummed, though, because I would really prefer to see a collegiate group. There is a competition in Winston-Salem on 25 Mar 06; I wonder if I can talk Rabbit into a field trip?
What is my attraction to this genre, you ask? It's the vibrancy. ABM and I watched Bette Midler on "The View" this week and we both commented on how lifeless she sounded singing to that backing track, especially in comparison to Reba McEntire who performed the next day with a live band. I feel the same way about the singers on "American Idol". I'm not saying that all recorded music is lifeless, but there is something about having live performers that seems to feed the vocalist extra energy. That concept comes through on a cappella recordings especially well.
What is my attraction to this genre, you ask? It's the vibrancy. ABM and I watched Bette Midler on "The View" this week and we both commented on how lifeless she sounded singing to that backing track, especially in comparison to Reba McEntire who performed the next day with a live band. I feel the same way about the singers on "American Idol". I'm not saying that all recorded music is lifeless, but there is something about having live performers that seems to feed the vocalist extra energy. That concept comes through on a cappella recordings especially well.
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