Tomorrow I'm finally having my pesky hand surgery with my hottie surgeon guy so typing, thus blogging and knitting will be on hiatus. I'm sure I can get by with some one-handed typing but knitting is definitively out for a week or two.

Maybe I'll organize the stash, patterns and needles.
Maybe I won't and instead just sit around, watch movies and eat bon bons.

Actually, I can't even think about chocolate right now. Tonight, I went to my folks for Palm Sunday dinner and my Mom made all of my favorite things. I'm uncomfortably, Thanksgiving-style stuffed but remarkably content!

I'll leave you with something that can't help but make you smile even in my absence. If someone can find out where this was filmed and why, I'd be most grateful! Consider it a get well gift!

No April Fool's Joke

"Prop 8 - The Musical" starring Jack Black, John C. Reilly, and many more... from Jack Black

I might be the only person on the planet who hasn't seen this but it's a fight that's not nearly over and worth mentioning at every opportunity. If you're having trouble seeing the full video screen, click on the link just below the video and you'll automatically be directed to the original site.

Rant-ish

I follow about 30 blogs and occasionally post a comment when something strikes me. They're usually generic comments like, "Wow, that's some accomplishment. Congrats." or "I love the new project, the details are incredible." Benign stuff but everyone likes to know they're being read, right? That is of course, until we get to know each other and then all bets are off and the real fun ensues.

Anyway, I recently (in the past few months), posted two separate comments to one of said blogs. Today, when visiting again, I realized my comment didn't show up. In fact, that previous comment didn't show up either. Hmmm ... pause. The first time I just figured I was an idiot but when yesterday's comment didn't show up and several others did, I had the big lightbulb moment -- moderated comments and I'm not being approved. I immediately decided to send off an email. Here are the options I came up with....

#1 (insert blogger name here), I think there may be a problem with your blog as my comments aren't showing up. Another blogger.com glitch, eh? Just thought you'd like to know. Be well, Joe (knitguyla)

#2: (insert blogger name here), I apologize if my comments to your blog were an intrusion. Duh, it finally dawned on me that I'm not posting them incorrectly but apparently, you're not approving them. I'm not sure why but I assure you it won't happen again. Be well, Joe (knitguyla)

#3: (insert blogger name here), fuck you and the horse you road in on!

So let's vote, will it be #1, #2 or #3! I'm too lazy pissed to figure out how to add a poll here so just use the comments and I'll decide if they're good enough to publish. Aren't you feeling the kumbaya among knitters? I know I am. All done now.

On the knitting front: The swatching is done. Tomorrow we knit the afghan square and it will be 15 inches....I hope. J.

He's 24, I looked it up....

If you haven't been watching the World Figure Skating Championships this weekend, you're missing out. This is Brian Joubert from France. He came in 3rd, sad. I think he looks cold, should we knit him something?

On my next birthday .... I'll be 39,40,41 ...older! Yes, I've officially entered my dirty old man stage. I'm so glad to share it with you! ;-)

Swatch knitting for the afghan project is progressing but slowly -- following a pattern and watching figure skating do not mix well! The pattern is still a secret but I think it's really interesting and should hold its own next to the others! More of that on Monday. Gotta run now, the Jonas Brothers are on SNL.
Did I say that out loud?

bad blogger, twitter failure and butterfly dreamer.

I got your emails, text messages, tweets and a phone call. Thanks for the concern but I'm fine. It's just too beautiful this time of year to not enjoy the sunshine. I mentioned my new bike a few posts back and haven't lost interest yet. It takes me all over town and now that daylight savings time has brought us evening light, I'm out even more. Honestly, I tend to not post when my knitting mojo is on the fritz. I'm still having gauge problems but continue trying new pattern swatches. I'm enjoying the process and have fallen in love with Barbara Walker's pattern books! During this process, I've tested some amazing patterns and techniques that have been of great interest to me but I still don't have a square for the community afghan. To distract myself or blatently ignore the project (you decide), I've been spending time with my folks who are in town as many "snowbirds" are in this part of Florida ... this time of year. We spent the day at the Butterfly Estates in Ft. Myers last weekend and it was a blast. There's something about butterflies that speaks to me. It's a meditative, zen, massage therapist thing. In my mind's eye, I can see a huge backlit shadow box, the size of the entire wall in my fantasy treatment room that's completely filled with butterflies. Can you see it? How cool would that be? This new complex located in the River District of Ft. Myers has a butterfly conservatory, cafe, gift shop and ice cream/fudge shop. It's beautifully constructed and landscaped to attract every local, native butterfly. I loved it. I plopped my money down for an annual membership and expect to spend lots of time there. It is so serene. I could have spent the entire day there just sitting, reading or meditating but alas, not knitting. The butterflies need to be warm and any wool in that environment would soon felt in your hands. Perhaps I could swatch in cotton? I wish I could have captured them in better detail. Everytime I'd point the camera in one direction, every butterfly in the joint would fly in another. My video skills are a work in progress (you'll see) but if you're patient and don't get motion sickness, there's a few seconds here and there where the magic is definitely present. Enjoy and meet me at the Flutterby Cafe anytime!

Sorry, Blogger doesn't like my video. I'll try to figure it out tomorrow or Mel will send me an email explaining how stupid I am and how easy it is to post a video. I think it's too big but I have no idea how to check such things. Gotta love smart lesbians!

Good night world.

That's a Fucking Acceptance Speech!

Dustin Lance Black won the Academy Award tonight for Original Screenplay for "Milk". Below is the text of his acceptance speech (trust me, video will follow). Whether it's possible or not is something we can debate at another time. For about 2 minutes, all I could think about were gay teens all across this country and how different the world is that they will come of age in compared to mine. It's truly overhwhelming and was very moving for me. To think I almost didn't tune in.

"Oh my God. This was, um, this was not an easy film to make. First off, I have to thank Cleve Jones and Anne Kronenberg and all the real-life people who shared their stories with me. And, um, Gus Van Sant, Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, James Franco and our entire cast, my producers Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, everyone at Groundswell and Focus for taking on the challenge of telling this life-saving story.

When I was 13 years old, my beautiful mother and my father moved me from a conservative Mormon home in San Antonio, Texas to California, and I heard the story of Harvey Milk. And it gave me hope. It gave me the hope to live my life. It gave me the hope one day I could live my life openly as who I am and then maybe even I could even fall in love and one day get married.

I wanna thank my mom, who has always loved me for who I am even when there was pressure not to. But most of all, if Harvey had not been taken from us 30 years ago, I think he'd want me to say to all of the gay and lesbian kids out there tonight who have been told that they are less than by their churches, by the government or by their families, that you are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value and that no matter what anyone tells you, God does love you and that very soon, I promise you, you will have equal rights federally, across this great nation of ours.

Thank you. Thank you. And thank you, God, for giving us Harvey Milk".

And this just in, I love Sean Penn. I'll let you find what he had to say on your own. This last part is me again, I didn't want to confuse anyone. ;-)

Crazy Gauge and a Bike Ride

Not much to report except that I'm still struggling to get the right gauge on the afghan square project. As you can see, these are the two latest tests and neither is hitting the 4 stitches per inch that I need. I've decided to just move forward and start knitting in pattern. It's going to be very close and I'm hoping the complexities of the pattern vs. stockinette will win in he end. Who knows, maybe I can block it to 15" if necessary. I'll keep you posted.


I know that much of the country is buried in snow but here in Florida the weather has been amazing the past few weeks. I took to the road on my new bike and had an amazing ride today. I had no idea there were such desolate and beautiful locales just a few miles from my front door. I rode about 10 miles and followed the train tracks just for some fun. It seemed appropriate since I just saw Stand by Me last night. No dead bodies, I'm happy to report. Keep the faith on the gauge.

It's the Right Thing to Do

So right I'll say it again...It's the Right Thing to Do! Hit this link, scroll down and sign the letter today. Thank you.

Sixes Straight Up!

I've been challenged by Riohnna over at My Tangled Threads to post the 6th picture in the 6th folder from my Flickr or Photobucket account. Since I don't really use either, I've posted the 6th picture from the 6th folder on my computer. You missed out Riohnna, if you had said 7th picture you might have gotten a scandalous shot of me at the beach but instead you get the view on the way to my favorite stretch of beach on Captiva Island. It's a beautiful road; lush, alive and a great biking locale.

Speaking of biking (nice transition, huh?), I brought my new bike home today and it still smells like the horrid little man who put it together at the bike shop. A bath wouldn't have killed him since he reeked of BO, BM & cigar smoke. The whole thing was revolting so I took the bike, through it into the trunk and tied the entire mess with a supermarket bag.

He must have been really gross or my OCD must be healing because if you've ever been with me when transporting anything that didn't fit completely in the vehicle it would need to be tied down to resist a nuclear attack. Here the handlebars and half the wheel are completely out of the trunk and all I secured it with was a strip of platic -- spectacular! I'm very pleased with myself and my new bike is pretty nifty. We tooled around for several hours, got the smell off and now he's resting comfortably in the garage. What shall we name him? I named my BB Fabio so I'd like to stay with something Italian, for continuity sake. Submissions are being accepted in the comments.

Does anyone know what that "hairy rock" in the foreground is? I looked up hairy rock but surprisingly didn't find much info.

Gauge Sucks...

I don't get it. I understand the theoretical need for gauge. I get that by calculating the number of stitches per inch you can determine the size of the knitted garment. I understand the colassal importance of this step but what I don't get is why every book and website explains it in stockinette stitch when patterns all around the world tell you to check your gauge in pattern. I can't count those stitches or decipher the exact gauge count in pattern -- stockinette I get, in pattern, not so much.

Case in point, I'm knitting the Red Herring scarf and I like the pattern. It's fun, it has some interesting movement and I can watch TV and not get lost in the pattern. It has gauge requirements but I'll be damned it I can get a good count. What I can tell you is when I hold it up to the light, it's poked with holes and not the good kind like with lace. I'm leaning toward a smaller needle but I can't be sure -- and that's frustrating. Gauge is math, it's not supposed to be subjective.

Further, I volunteered to knit a 15" square for a community afghan project. Now I have to figure out the gauge (in pattern of course) and get an exact 15" square. Oiy.

In Other News:

I'm a twit(terer). I have no idea how it even works but I'm easing my way into it and figuring it out. Join in the fun and feel free to leave instructions in the comments!

I'm in love with Hulu and Fringe. This website is cool but be careful, I haven't figured it out but there are definitely hidden charges coming. Fringe is an amazing show that I found on Hulu although you can watch it at Fox TV as well. I don't know how I missed this show all season long. Actually I do. It's on against the Biggest Loser but now that I've seen one episode, I am hooked. It's got a Law & Order goes supernatural spin that's really interesting and that cute guy from Dawson's Creek. Head over to Hulu and watch almost every episode from season one.

It's full fledge Winter in these parts. It's going down into the 30's tonight and frost is expected. How cool is that? I may have to grab a blanket and a hot chocolate and head out onto the lanai. You should see all the Floridians in their parkas, they're, so stupid, so cute!