The Bog of Lost Scholars

30 June 2005

Redecoration!

Filed under: Dejunking and Organizing — Castiron @ 18:33

The last time I spent more than six hours at home with my son absent, April 2003, I repainted the bathroom and my bedroom.

Yesterday afternoon. I put my son and his dad on the plane to Belgium for two weeks. Yesterday evening I started ripping wallpaper.

I sense a tradition developing.

Anyway, the big redecoration has started. I’m taking down the living room wallpaper and replacing it with paint (very sadly, because I liked that wallpaper, but my son has ripped it in too many places to salvage), and I’m finally taking out the ratty living room and hallway carpet that needed replacing back when we moved in here and replacing them with tile. And I have to get this all done by the 9th because I’m having a party that night. Yes, I’m crazy.

21 June 2005

Happiness Is….

Filed under: Food — Castiron @ 14:54

…suddenly remembering, on the day you go back on sugar temporarily, that there are four chocolates in your drawer that you’ve been saving just for this occasion.

(Really, I’d completely forgotten until I opened the drawer and saw them. My sugar compulsion is not totally out of control, at least!)

18 June 2005

Mittens

Filed under: Crafts — Castiron @ 20:02

This is definitely a travel record — I essentially brought one project with me on this trip. (I say essentially one because I planned to bring the bookmark as well — and I did, but I left the floss at home!)

But it turned out fine, because I was able to knit almost all of the Celtic Mittens en route, and I finished the second one the evening that I got home. Now all that’s left of the set is the scarf.

Meanwhile, the sleeves on the Starlight sweater are coming along; they’re about halfway up my forearm. No other craft progress.

(I was also naughty and bought two yards of knit fabric in bright greenish-blue; I’m planning a shirt like my purple one. It’ll sew up quickly once I actually cut out the fabric….)

14 June 2005

Austen Roundup

Filed under: Film and Media — Castiron @ 00:45

I’ve now watched all of the BBC Austen collection. The verdict:

  • Northanger Abbey: A nice movie. As an adaptation, the tone’s wrong; the book is generally light and slightly sarcastic, but the movie feels much more sinister. The background music seems the biggest culprit, very grim and unnerving. I’m not convinced that Northanger Abbey looks like their depiction either. And Henry’s remonstrations against Catherine in his mother’s room rings false — in the world of this movie, I could very well see the General as getting away with a heinous crime. (And what was the deal with his French emigree friend? It might well be period, but her outfit and makeup was grotesque, adding further to the unAusten tone.)
  • Persuasion: Once I got used to Anne’s hairstyle, I liked this adaptation very much. Although it would’ve helped if Henrietta and Louisa hadn’t looked so much alike — I sometimes found it hard to tell who was who. Frederick Wentworth — I’m not sure I can see him controlling a shipful of British sailors, but otherwise he worked very well.
  • Emma: very good as well. I completely bought Emma, Harriet Smith, and Mrs. Taylor. Miss Bates was good; Jane Fairfax was not quite the Jane of the book — I can’t see book-Jane remonstrating against her aunt in public, and I don’t find her declarations of friendship toward Emma at the end of the book sarcastic.
  • Pride and Prejudice, second viewing: Works much better for me this time around — this time, I can see Rintoul’s Darcy’s subtle reactions to Elizabeth, and it works much better. I still prefer Benjamin Whitrow’s Mr. Bennet to Moray Watson’s — Watson’s interpretation is a valid one; I just like the more philosophical Mr. Benet better.
  • Sense and Sensibility, second viewing: Overall a good rendition; the third sister Margaret was written out, but she could just as well be missing from the book too for all she does….

12 June 2005

Craft Update

Filed under: Crafts — Castiron @ 12:00

I’m officially scrapping the granny square sampler afghan. I’m not enjoying the process as I’d hoped, I’ve got a gazillion afghans already, this won’t result in an afghan that I’d feel good about giving away, and I’ve got other projects I’m more interested in.

The Starlight sweater is progressing well. I’ve finished the lower half of the body, and the sleeve cuffs are done.

The Celtic hat is done; it came out a little large, even on smaller needles, but in the worst case scenario I’ll make ties for it or put a scarf over it. Next on my list is the mittens, but since I’m progressing well on the sweater, I’ll wait on starting them. (Might make a good travel project for my upcoming business trip.)

Haven’t worked on the crochet shirt lately; it’s probably not getting done in time for this summer’s wearing, but we’ll see. That’s another candidate for the travel craft, especially since I bought one of those Clover thread cutters.

No major counted work progress. Eventually I’ll sit back down with the blue jay and finish it within a week, but right now lively six-year-old and silk finepoint aren’t mixing. When my son and my ex go away on vacation, I’ll probably spend a good chunk of time on the Flanders map. I’ve done a few more stitches on the bookmark.

Two more weeks until I have to finish the shirts! My nephew’s shirt is done except for the buttons and the collar. (To reiterate: I’m NEVER making Butterick 3475 again.) My bro-in-law’s shirt just needs the buttons. No progress on the cat quilt.

What’s next when I finish some of these? Once I’m done with the sweater and the mittens & scarf, I’d like to knit a big lacy shawl. Eventually I’d like to make a new bobbin lace project. When I’ve wrapped up a few of these counted-work projects, I want to do the Dragon Dreams Christmyth ornament collection — those’ll be quick projects. I still have the materials for my summer suit that I’d like to make up, and I’d like to make my son some more shorts.

10 June 2005

Invasion of the Organic Vegetables

Filed under: Food — Castiron @ 12:06

The veggies have taken over my fridge. First there was chard, potatoes, onions, and garlic; now squash and tomatoes have started. I’m overrun.

Lasagna turns out to be a good way to use a lot of these veggies. I grate carrots, slice up zucchini, cook some onion and garlic, and layer that with the noodles and sauce and cheese. If I don’t feel like shelling out for lasagna noodles, I can just go the simple route and do pasta with zucchini.

The zukes and summer squash can also be grated and frozen for later use in zucchini bread. And the patty pan squash, as well as the potatoes, cook well in the microwave; usually I stuff them with sausage, top them with cheese, and nuke them for a couple minutes.

Slicing tomatoes — sandwiches, mainly. I’ll chop some up and mix them with mayo and shredded bread to make Teresa Nielsen Hayden’s tomato dish.

As for the cherry tomatoes, my veggie boxes tell me that tomato and lettuce salads are unnatural, at least in this part of the country — the tomatoes start just as the lettuce bolts. But I may still buy some lettuce for salads. Otherwise, I snack on them, and I freeze what I can’t use in a week — frozen cherry tomatoes go well dumped into soup.

Now I just need to start inviting several friends a week over for supper….

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