So That Happened

My Sunday Random Ten

Two weeks until London - YAY!

1. Beyond the Sea - Bobby Darin (A Life Less Ordinary)
2. Secret Garden - Bruce Springsteen (Greatest Hits)
3. Sunday Bloody Sunday (live version 1983) - U2 (Under A Blood Red Sky)
4. Sit Right On It - Johnny Temple (Ride Daddy Ride: Vintage Songs About Sex)
5. On Top - The Killers (Hot Fuss)
6. Shake You Down - Gregory Abbott (Shake You Down)
7. Rock This Town - Stray Cats (Totally 80's)
8. Whatcha Gon' Do - Missy Elliott (...So Addictive)
9. When The Day Is Done - The Legends (Wicker Park)
10. Can't Knock The Hustle - Jay-Z feat. Mary J. Blige (MTV Unplugged)

Life Is At Times Not Fair

Last night I participated in the AAJA Trivia Bowl with my co-workers and friends.

At each bowl there is a raffle, which at times includes really sweet prizes like round-trip tickets to wherever a certain airline flies.

Three such travel packages were awarded last night: one pair of round-trip tickets on Southwest Airlines, and two pairs of round-trip tickets to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

One - ONE - person not only won the Southwest tickets but also one pair of the Kuala Lumpur tickets.  That's right - the SAME PERSON won two sets of travel packages!

SO JEALOUS.

Tempting

Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to present to you my very first handknit sweater made just for me by me - yes, MEEEE!  (The photo below was taken at West Hollywood Stitch 'n Bitch last night.  I cropped my head out because my face looked a tad wonky in the original photo.  Seriously, it did.)

• Pattern: Tempting from Knitty
• Yarn: Eight balls of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in Ivory (the sweater in Medium requires  six balls, but I lengthened the sleeves from a cap sleeve to 3/4-length and the body another four inches)
• Ribbon: 1 1/2-inch wide black velvet ribbon from Jo-Ann
• Needles: I started with a Clover US #8 24-inch circular needle but switched to an Addi Turbo of the same size.  Sleeves were knit on Clover US #8 dpns.

Here's a photographic timeline:

July 30, 2006: I believe I cast on the day before.  The sweater is knit in the round and from the bottom up.  I worked on this while reading the New York Times Magazine below.  I'm not one of those people who can actually take their eyes off of their needles while knitting, but I do read a paragraph or so in between rounds.

July 30, 2006: Yes, this much progress was made in just one day!  The K2 P2 pattern is so easy, it doesn't take a lot of concentration, and once you get started on it it does sort of fly by.

August 4, 2006: Look how much of the torso has been completed!

August 11, 2006: Here's one of the sleeves in progress.  As you can tell, I was on a plane - I was on my way home after seeing my brand new niece.

Sadly, I did not take more pictures of the sweater in progress once I joined the sleeves.  And I actually finished it over a month ago - I just never got around to buying the ribbon and the right strapless bra for underneath until last week.  (Ladies, if there's a strapless bra that actually stays up, let me know which brand it is, because I shelled out a good amount of change for the one I'm wearing with the sweater and it migrates down to somewhere near my lower ribs every thirty minutes!  SO ANNOYING!)

Instead, please enjoy the following photos of Tempting out on the town.

This artsy photo of me enjoying my Stella was taken by poker player extraordinaire Carrie at trivia this past Monday. 

Gwen took this picture of me at SnB.  Can you spot the design flaw characteristic which gives the sweater its charm, or at least that's what I'm telling myself and others?  Also, I normally have excellent posture.  Why I don't in this picture remains a mystery.

Now that I've made this, I'd do a few things differently the next time around.  I am the mediumest person in the world, but I'd knit this in a Small if I made this again for myself.  The ribbing is so stretchy that a smaller size would look way more fitted and bombshell-esque.  Yes, it looks perfectly fine in my size, but I think it makes me look slightly larger than I am.  I'd also knit it again with the longer sleeves (they're seven inches long - I used a dpn as my ruler) and torso as I think they look more flattering.  Oh, and I'd make sure not to trim the ribbon before actually trying it on and tying the bow.  I think the ends of the ribbon are too short, but lucky for me that can be easily remedied.

Show of Hands

Who thinks Uli was robbed of the Project Runway win?  Because I DO.  Just..DAYUM. 

Uli's and Laura's collections were my favorites.  Uli's pieces were gorgeous - every single one!  I loved the dress/bikini set.  Laura's collection looked sumptuous: her final gown was an absolute knockout. 

Michael.  Oh, Michael, Michael, Michael.  I didn't love your collection at all, but I know you have innate talent and ambition, and you will go very far.  Now just dump Brandy and you'll be good to go.

Don't even get me started on Jeffrey winning.  GRRRRRR.  I for one didn't derive any cohesion from his collection, and his dresses were ill-fitting and unflattering.

Finally, please go away, Elisabeth Hasselbeck.  Far, FAR away.  And take Brandy with you.  Please?

If Anyone Deserves A Blanket It's Her Fiance

I drove by the freeway blanket again yesterday - yes, it's still there - and all of a sudden it hit me.

This?

Is the male version of this (photo courtesy of the Washington Post):

Am I right?

Everyone Has An Off Night

Things can change so quickly in a week's time. 

Remember how our team was all kinds of awesome and won trivia last week?  Well, not so much this time around.  Last night we just could not pick up any speed.  Sigh.  However, let me say that it wasn't like we didn't know any of the answers - in fact, we knew some really obscure ones.  We just got stumped, is all.

'Sokay, though.  It's just trivia.  We still had fun, and we know we shall be victorious again, and not have to pay for our tab.

Damn You Paltrow

I finally - FINALLY! - watched Sliding Doors and Bridget Jones's Diary with Lauren last night.

Now, on any given day I have nothing but unmitigated hate for Gwyneth Paltrow, but I must admit that I liked her very much in Sliding Doors.  Damn, I hate to admit that, but it's true.  She was great in it!  And her stylish short hair?  It makes me want to cut my hair again, it's so cute.  But I won't, because I rather enjoy having long hair, but still - SO cute!  Finally, John Hanna is just perfect - PERFECT, I say! Sigh.

As for BJD, it was really good.  Renee Zellweger was great as Bridget, but really - the movie is all about Hugh Grant and Colin Firth for me.  YUM.  One, I'd marry Hugh Grant's hair alone, it's so delicious, and it goes without saying that he is beyond hot.  And, as I said to Lauren, I think I would die - like, I would actually stop breathing die - if someone (like Colin Firth!) looked at me the way Colin Firth (!) looked at Bridget.  I'm not kidding.  Swoon, drool.

Speaking of all things British, we're T-minus three weeks and counting until we leave for London!  EEEEEEEEEE!  SO EXCITED!

My Sunday Random Ten

Hello!  Here's some music for your day.

1. Rockit - Herbie Hancock (Future Shock)
2. All The Way - Frank Sinatra (Gold Frank Sinatra)
3. Stupid Girl - Garbage (Garbage)
4. Goldfinger - Shirley Bassey (Little Voice)
5. Little Drummer Boy - Whitney Houston (One Wish: The Holiday Album)
6. Good Lovin' - The Rascals (The Big Chill)
7. One Night - Elvis Presley (Elv1s 30 #1 Hits)
8. Backdrifts (Honeymoon Is Over) - Radiohead (Hail To The Thief)
9. Fever - Michael Buble (Michael Buble)
10. Let's Dance - David Bowie (Changesbowie)

Have a nice day!

Condon't

Remember how I made that offer?

After a week of offers and counter offers, and a day of more drama and phone calls and negotiations, I have decided to pull out of the deal.  It's a great place, but my instincts are telling me that something...just isn't right, and I do not want to make the biggest purchase of my life just because I can, only to regret it later.

Am I disappointed?  Sure.  Am I giving up the search?  Of course not.  I am sure I will find the right place for me - a place in which I can put up pictures of my nieces and my Buffy musical poster, paint the walls cobalt blue or sage if I feel so inclined, cook and bake to my heart's content, and knit up a storm.

DO. NOT. BRING. YOUR. CHILDREN. TO. THE. MOVIES. AND TURN OFF YOUR DAMN PHONE.

I made it to the penultimate show of 49 Up at the Nuart on Santa Monica last evening and, first of all, big ups to Landmark Theatres for the nice renovation!  I had not been to the Nuart since I saw A Hard Day's Night in 2000 (which was awesome because I was with wonderful company and it was great fun to see that movie in a proper setting) and was terribly impressed with what I saw.  There is SO much legroom that even the tallest fellow would have an incredible amount of space and not feel at all confined.  I could extend my legs straight out in front of me and still not reach the seats in front of me.  So much room!

But I digress.

The movie was really good (if maybe a shade too long - it's over two hours long) but what ruined the experience for me were the two young children who ran up and down the aisle for fifteen minutes about halfway through the show.  No, I am not kidding.  Their parents stood at the top of the aisle near the door and just let the kids run up and down and frolic in the aisle DURING THE MOVIE.  They were not screaming or shouting, but the running up and down the aisle was more than enough to distract, not to mention ANNOY.  GRRRR.

And because bratty, undisciplined children disrupting the movie-watching experience for an enitre group was not enough to tick me off, one person's phone went off not once but twice, and - wouldn't you know it - she happened to be sitting RIGHT. NEXT. TO. ME. 

Argh. Interruptions aside, I still enjoyed 49 Up.  (Don't worry, Queen, there will be no spoiling on my part here.  However, I will say that I quite fancy Nick, but that's not giving anything away.)  It is fascinating to see how these people have grown up before our eyes.  You can tell which participants clearly enjoy the interview process and who seem reticent.  Go see it if you can - you won't regret it.