Rainbow Chills

River

I couldn't help but think of River Phoenix when I heard about Heath Ledger yesterday.

Natalie Merchant expresses the thoughts of many in her beautiful song, River:

Young & strong Hollywood son
In the early morning light
This star fell down
On Sunset Boulevard

Young & strong beautiful one
That we embraced so close
Is gone
Was torn away

Let the youth of America mourn
Include him in their prayers
Let his image linger on
Repeat it everywhere

With candles with flowers
He was one of ours
One of ours

Why don't you let him be?
He's gone
We know
Give his mother and his father peace
Your vulture's candor
Your casual slander
You murder his memory
He's gone
We know
It's nothing but a tragedy

Lay to rest your soul and body
Lay beside your name
Lay to rest your rage
Your hunger and amazing grace

With candles, with flowers
You were one of ours
One of ours

I saw cameras expose your life
I heard rumors explode with lies
I saw children in tears
Cry and crowd around the sight
Of where you had collapsed that day
Where your last breath & word
Had been sighed
Where your heart had burst
And where you had died
Where you had died

I saw how they were lost in grieving
All half-believing you were gone
The loss and pain of it
Crime and the shame of it
You were gone
It was such a nightmare raving,
"how can we save him
From himself?"

Magnificent

I am currently enjoying one of my favorite life experiences. I'm having a snack after leaving the beach. I'm in a tiny cottage in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, listening to the Hairspray soundtrack.

Michelle and I started our vacation yesterday. After arriving, unpacking, and having a late lunch, we went to see Hairspray. We smiled through the whole thing (except for the part with Queen Latifa singing during the protest march- we cried at that part).

We hit the beach early today, took a few dips in the ocean (much warmer than when I went to the Jersey shore in July), and read the day away. I finished a really entertaining novel, Whistling in the Dark. I love a spunky, young narrator. I don't particularly enjoy crying on the beach but I did just that today while finishing this book.

We'll be heading out soon for dinner and shopping the little boutiques and shops.

I have lots of knitting updates including pictures of the Mystery Stole which I finished last Tuesday. It rained in Philly all week and I just couldn't get a decent picture. Updates when we get back next week.

See you in September.

Pop Culture update

I heard the song Beautiful Girls by Sean Kingston in the Psychiatrist's office yesterday (coming from the gym next door).

You're way too beautiful girl
That's why it'll never work
You'll have me suicidal, suicidal
When you say it's over
Damn all these beautiful girls
They only wanna do your dirt
They'll have you suicidal, suicidal
When they say it's over

It was slightly uncomfortable. 

I was at McDonalds for lunch yesterday. A man shuffled to the counter with a cup asking for more soda. The cashier said, "No free refills. God is good." Seriously? Is God going to give that thirsty man a Hi-C?

I went to see Ratatouille on Monday. I was afraid of the rats. I wish I was kidding. I had to keep looking away from the screen. Alot. The animation was very good and rats are disgusting. I'm a mess.

Michelle and I did finish reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on Sunday night around 10:30. So as not to spoil any readers who have not finished, my thoughts are in the comments section of this post.

Tuesday Randoms

• I have dubbed Tuesday as "Danish Day." For the past three weeks, I've gone to Bonte' on Tuesday morning for a cup of coffee and a cherry danish. I love cherry danish and I picked Tuesday because it's the day when new episodes of Gilmore Girls air. In an episode of the Gilmore Girls from season 2, Rory said to Luke:

Okay, this is insane. So you guys had a fight, big deal. You know you're gonna make up anyway, and what better day to make up than Danish Day, the happiest of all days. The day when we all say, 'hey, let's forgive and forget over a nice Danish and a cup coffee.

• I've also identified Monday as the day I buy a 20 oz Diet Coke before I teach class and Friday as the day I buy my lunch. Monday diet coke has been happening for a few months. This Friday lunch thing is new this week though. I'm hoping that I'll eat in all week and treat myself by buying lunch on Friday. I'm hoping this will help me spend less money.
• It's only a little over 2 months until Maryland Sheep and Wool. I need to do a bunch of stash knitting to feel like I can buy without guilt, otherwise, I'm going to be buying very little.
• I am obsessed with my iPod nano. I listen to it way too much and find that I create situations in which I can listen to it.
• I am a girl who doesn't just like things. I LOVE THEM! This is not news to anyone who has been reading for awhile but the newest example is Grey's Anatomy. I have watched Grey's since the first episode but my appreciation for it has escalated to an obsession in the past few months. Now, I watch the episode and the next day, read the Writers' Blog, listen to the Podcast, and download the music from the episode on iTunes. I am not a well person.
• Recently someone bragged to me that she knew every word to every song from the Sound of Music. It took everything in me not to laugh at her. Come back to me when you also know every word to every song in the Wizard of Oz, Mary Martin's Peter Pan, Oliver!, South Pacific, Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell, Les Mis, Phantom of the Opera, RENT, Chicago, My Fair Lady, A Chorus Line, Mary Poppins, Annie, Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, White Christmas, Grease, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and West Side Story. And that doesn't include other musicals that I know some of the words but all of them like West Side Story, Guys and Dolls, Anything Goes...I could go on and on.

I have no knitting news to share. Still working on blanket #1 for the twins. God save me from never-ending garter stitch.

Imagine Me & You

Michelle and I went on a date last night to Pagoda Noodle House and to see a screening of Imagine Me & You. It was a very cute romantic comedy. Nothing too heavy. Just the right sappiness level for a date movie, if you actually are dating and not two women who have been in a relationship for seven years and are well past dating. (Michelle and I had some wonderful movie dates back in our early days- You've Got Mail- loved it. Shakespeare in Love- after which we shared our first kiss in public. Stepmom- at which we both cried so much that we didn't speak on the cab ride home- okay maybe that one wasn't a great date movie.)

When we left the movie last night, Michelle murmured under her breath, "Better than Brokeback Mountain." I agree that it was a more enjoyable movie experience than Brokeback which I found to be a very well made movie that is not nearly as award worthy as many people claim it to be, although it is not a better movie. Here's my Brokeback philosophy:

• I understand the reviews of the movie that I am reading that are written by gay men who never thought they would see a movie like this made in their lifetime. It is poignant and wonderful to see yourself portrayed in the mainstream media as something more than a stereotype. I totally understand the tears and the overwhelmed feeling that these men have had and have expressed.
• I agree with many reviewers that the movie is beautifully filmed, has a wonderfully moving soundtrack, and features some notable acting performances, particularly that of Michelle Williams.
• Despite these things, I don't think it is a satisfying movie experience. I think the movie lacked something, a quality, that made me want more. That made me want to know more. That made me want to keep watching. Some of the story was clunky. Ennis' children seemed to be only featured to show the passing of time and to demonstrate that he lived a regular life. When I left the theater, I felt let down and this was before the Golden Globes, SAG, and Oscar hype. I saw the movie weeks ago.
• The main thing that has bothered me is that the hype surrounding this movie seems to be fed by many, many heterosexual people patting themselves on the back for watching two straight men play it gay and finding it believable (and for not barfing or wanting to gay bash anyone). The press surrounding the film has been absurd. I am so tired of hearing people ask the actors if they were nervous when they had to kiss each other. If they were afraid to take these roles. What year is this? I liken the acting nominations for Jake Gyllenhall and Heath Ledger to that received by Sean Penn for I am Sam. "I really believed you liked that dude" rather than "I really believed you had the mental capacity of a 6 year old." They are actors. We are supposed to believe it. That's why they pay them the big bucks! Do I think that the acting performances were subtle and nuanced...sometimes, yes. And for that, give them some props but not becaused we believed they didn't want to puke when they kissed each other.

No Day But Today

First the Culicue, then RENT.

Before blocking:

After blocking:

It's a smidge wrinkly because I had it folded in half.

Flat shot:

I wish I had better pictures to show you but (a.) our camera is decent but not great, (b.) it's grey and rainy out, (c.) our apartment doesn't get great natural light anyway.

The specs:

Pattern: Curlicue Coverlet for Baby by Oat Couture

Pattern Source: Loop Yarn

Yarn: Knit Picks Shine in cream, I bought 15 balls. I think I may have used about 10. Let me know if you plan on using this yarn to make this blanket and I'll look it up for you so you know how much to buy. It's advertised as sport weight but I think it's a bit thinner than sport.

Needles: size 5 Clover circular, I think

Dates: October 25, 2005-November 19, 2005

Notes: If I were to knit this again (and I expect I will) I would do a provisional cast on and graft or three needle bind-off sections 1 and 15. I'm not thrilled with the seam although it looks fine. I would also knit the wrapped stitches differently. The wrapped stitches on the center sections are a tiny bit looser than I'd like. I should have knitted them through the back loop, I think. Perhaps this is why I have not had as big of an issue with puckering as other folks.

Overall, the pattern was clearly written and easy to follow. By the third repeat of the edge sections, I didn't have to read every line of the pattern. By the 10th repeat of the edge sections, I felt confident although not bored. This project may seem intimidating but it really is not difficult. It's just complicated.

RENT:

I estimate that there were between 30 and 40 people in front of us when we arrived at the theater at 5:30. By the time they let us in the theater, the line was incredibly long and I was glad we arrived early. I don't think everyone got in. We got great seats on the end of a row, which was more comfortable for Michelle than the center seats we had for Harry Potter last week.

When the movie started with the actors lining up on a stage singing Seasons of Love, just as the second act of the play begins, I was simultaneously excited and worried. I was thrilled to finally be seeing this great musical on the big screen. But when the music started, I was keenly aware that I didn't have the thrill that I have gotten when the live music started all four times that I have seen the show. Would I like it? Would I be able to experience the movie as a seperate piece from the show?

I was won over fairly quickly. Some of the dialogue is spoken rather than sung but they didn't take out all of the rhyming and rhythm so it still feels somewhat musical. The six original cast members are fabulous, although they certainly look worse for the wear. Jesse L. Martin (Collins) looks like the 35 year old man that he is. Adam Pascal (Roger) looks like an aging rocker with bad hair but as soon as he started singing, I was happy. It is easy to notice that most of these folks are ten years older than Rosario Dawson (Mimi) who is 8 years older than the character she is playing. Wilson Jermaine Heredia is so fantastic as Angel that I wouldn't have cared if he shaved his head bald and pierced his eyelids. He is lovely to look at and full of energy. Idina Menzel (Maureen) is captivating though clearly not a movie actress. Her body looks much more like a regular person's than the other actresses we see on the big screen these days. There is little muscle tone in her arms. I couldn't take my eyes off of her though. Taye Diggs (Benny) and Anthony Rapp (Mark) give performances that are close enough to the original to be familiar but new enough to be fresh.

They have changed the timing slightly. Maureen's protest takes place two days after Christmas so what was the first act of the stage show now spans most of the week between Christmas and New Year's. The timing feels right on the big screen. On stage, you are so caught up in the magic of the performance that it seems okay that Collins and Angel fall in love and Angel becomes an integral part of the gang all in one night. On the big screen, it feels better for it to happen over a few days- more believable.

I liked Rosario Dawson as Mimi much more than I expected to like her. She doesn't have a strong singing voice but it is pleasant. Her face is weird to me but she is convincing as a junkie with those enormous eyes. The casting of Wayne Wilcox as Gordon at the Life Support meeting made me cry. I loved him so much as Marty on the Gilmore Girls. He does a great job in conveying vulverability.

Michelle and I cried, but not as much as the adolescent girl I saw sobbing in the lobby. Poor kid. I was surprised by the number of quite young people there. The folks next to us were high school students and I laughed to think that they were in 3rd grade or so when the musical debuted. RENT was such a big part of my college experience that it seems funny to me that people who are 10 years younger than me are fans.

Overall, two thumbs up. I anticipate Michelle and I seeing this in the movies again and I know we're both looking forward to it's DVD release. Enjoy!

Seasons of Love

With the upcoming release of RENT in the theaters, both Michelle and I have loaded the soundtrack onto our Shuffles. Every day on my walk to and from work, I listen to this music and am taken back to my sophomore year in college.

One of the RENT commercials calls it "the show that defined a generation" and I am proud to say that I am of that age. My friends and I listened to RENT everyday. The day we saw it in NY was one of my favorite days in college. We saw someone get proposed to at the rink in Rockefeller Center. We got lost in Manhattan about 10 times. It was so much fun.

Michelle will tell stories about friends coming in after a night at the bar (I was too young to go and didn't have a fake ID like everyone else) and play the same songs over and over. One Song Glory, anyone? Best song to bum you out when you are smashed?

The thing about RENT is that I was just coming out publicly when RENT got big. I had my first gay friends (other than that girl I had been BEING GAY WITH for all those years before). I was telling people about myself. I was calling myself a lesbian for the first time. And every day, when I felt scared or overwhelmed about telling my parents or worried that the residents on my floor might not like having a gay RA, I'd put on RENT. I'd sing along about celebrating life, no matter what it looks like and I'd feel validated.

I don't need that validation these days. Michelle and I will be celebrating our seven year anniversary next month. Negative reactions to me and my sexuality are rare (I'm talking about specific reactions to me not in the world at large about homos). Being gay isn't really a "thing" to me anymore. I rarely tell anyone that I'm a lesbian. It just sort of is a fact of my life. If you tell me what your husband does for a living, I'll tell you what Michelle does. If you ask if I have a pet, I'll tell you that my partner is allergic to cats. 

I don't need the pat on the back that I'm okay and that being gay is okay. But I'm so glad that RENT was there when I needed it. And I can't wait to see the movie.

The one with many topics

Flu shots:

If you are a young adult with a healthy immune system, please do not get a flu shot this year. If your doctor has the inhaler vaccine, knock yourself out. Have an inhaler party. Get a dozen! But there are reports of a shortage of flu shots and it is key that little babies, elderly people, and people with compromised immune systems (like my own sweetie and my work buddy) get these shots so that they do not get pneumonia (or worse).

End of PSA.

Secret Pal:

Promised pics of my PhillyKnitters secret pal package:

(My apologies to my secret pal. Typepad called up an old picture of a secret pal package when I inserted the new one today. Here's the pic of the new package.)

It is quite possible that a ball of the mini ringel snuck it's way into my work bag today. I anticipate finishing sock #1 of the awesome handspun socks today. I think sock #1 of the mini-ringels wants to be knit!

Mid-week date and knitting in the dark:

Last night, I was loading the dishwasher after dinner when Michelle said to me, "Is it Wednesday?" After I told her that it was indeed, she suggested that we go see a movie. The three little theaters in Old City have discounted tickets on Wednesday nights: $5.50. Much more affordable for girls like us with a strict financial plan! So I hopped online, found out that Garden State was playing at 7:35 and that settled it.

The walk to and from the theater was wonderful. Cool and breezy, great weather for walking, arms linked, and chatting away. We talked about how much we really love being city gals and discussed the possibility of buying a condo instead of a house when the budget permits.

The movie was wonderful. Natalie Portman was incredible and I'm sure my laughter made others around me laugh. I could not stop. And I don't mean giggles. Belly laughs. What a nice surprise date.

I knitted on the sock all through the movie. Knitting in the dark is something special to me. It makes me realize that knitting really has become second nature to me, a part of my hands and my brain. I can find the stitches without trouble, thought, or effort. My mind and hands were totally occupied during the movie and I had no time to think about anything else. About work, anxiety, politics, friends and family. I was captivated. My knees didn't bounce. My tummy didn't flutter. I didn't feel nervous or tired or distracted as I so often do. It was wonderful!

This sock seems to be knitting itself. When I realized how little yarn I had left, I started 2x2 ribbing without regard for the cable top I had planned on doing. This felt right and meant I could keep knitting through the end of the movie.

This sock will certainly be complete today. Tune in tomorrow for a completed picture and (I'm willing to bet) an in-progress pic of the mini-ringels!