Rainbow Chills

Look at me. I'm dancing crazy!

On this, Sarah Michelle Gellar's 31st birthday, I thought I'd tell you a little about my new love of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Last August, when we were on vacation, we bought a used copy of Season 1 on DVD. Between then and last week, we watched all seven seasons. For years, friends and coworkers have been telling me that I'd love Buffy. They were right.

Here are 10 reasons why:

1. Once More, With Feeling. The musical episode is awesome. I love it. Seriously. I bought the CD the day after we watched the episode. It's the only thing I've listened to on my iPod since it arrived in the mail over a week ago. From Anya and Xander's song (source of the title of this post), to the less than 5 lines Willow sings in the whole episode, it is the most clever, fun, silly, and addictive episode of tv that I've ever seen.
2. Willow. I love Willow. I usually can't stand Tara (and her damned stuttering) and I really hate Kennedy (SHUT UP, KENNEDY!) but I love Willow. From her nerdy, research days to her random declarations of her gayness, I love the way that Willow handles herself.
3. Bad Angel. I have moments of enjoying the Buffy/ Angel love dynamic. But I love every minute of evil Angel.
4. Anya. Anya is awesome. She says just what is on her mind and people really don't get that. I do though. Probably because I do the same thing.
5. Giles and the constant cleaning of the glasses.
6. The Bronze. Slutty Faith dances. Endless fights with vamps. Cordelia and Xander flirting. It all happens at the Bronze.
7. Andrew. He's awesome. I hate Warren. I love Andrew.
8. The Library. I love that for the first few seasons, the Library is home base.
9. Leather pants and coats. You've never seen so much leather in California!
10. Buffy. I love Buffy.

Trick or Treat

Some of my favorite Halloween specials:

Garfield's Halloween Adventure:

My favorite part begins at about 7:30.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

The Worst Witch

Tim Curry is awesome!

Happy Halloween!

Random Tuesday

• The Bruce Springsteen concert on Saturday was awesome. Set list here. It's the first time I hung out with my mom, just the two of us, in a few years. Do the Courtney Cox dance from Dancing In the Dark and try not to have fun. It's impossible.
• The Phils got swept and baseball is over for me. Less than 4 months until pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training, a date my mom always knows. It will be interesting to see how contract talks go over the coming week. I have my fingers crossed that we'll keep Aaron Rowand but I think it's unlikely.
• My friend D said to me in an email today, "You must be on the really good drugs" when I suggested we go out dancing this weekend. She makes me laugh.
• I bought Rosie's new book today and will be reading it tonight (probably the whole thing) while Michelle tutors my sister Angie in Chemistry. I'm glad I don't ever have to know Chemistry again.
• Michelle has finally succumbed to my multiple requests that she watch every episode of Friday Night Lights and watch the new season with me. We've been watching it for the past few nights. I LOVE THAT SHOW!
• 8 days until the Rhinebeck celebrating begins. Yep, I'm going up on Thursday.

The last Danish Day

Tonight is the finale of Gilmore Girls which has been my favorite show for years.

The year that Michelle and I moved into together, she had a weekly RA (that's resident assistant, not Rheumatoid Arthritis) meeting. Each week, I'd sit down with my journal and watch the Gilmore Girls while Michelle as at her meeting. I'd dance around the apartment to the theme song, put on pjs, and curl up on the couch, laughing at Lorelai and Rory, while I wrote about whatever was going on in my life at the time.

A few years ago, ABC Family started airing repeats every weekday and Gilmore became our dinner entertainment. Michelle and I watched every episode, laughed at every pop culture reference, and enjoyed each and every wacky townie moment.

From Kirk's dog walking business to the wake for Cinnamon (Babette and Morey's cat), from Miss Patty's dance lessons to every festival (firelight, end of summer, dance marathon, and basket bidding), we have laughed and cried with it all.

The food: danish day, chinese food, pizza, pop tarts, donuts, tater tots, and the Rory Yale Special (sausage, wrapped in a pancake, tied with bacon).

The boys: Dean, Tristan, Jess, Marty, and Logan for Rory; Max, Jason, Luke and Christopher for Lorelai

The friends: Sookie, Lane, Paris

The music references: the Bangles concert, the Go-Go's CD signed by Belinda, Lane's endless love of rock music, Hep Alien, the Man that Got Away, the Pippi theme song, and even the karaoke a few weeks ago

There has been so much to love (and at times to hate). I can't believe it's ending. I feel like I'm losing a dear friend. I'll be able to visit with them but there won't be new memories.

Farewell, Gilmore Girls. I'll miss you.

f

The Big Day

I have had the date on my calendar. I've been counting down. It's been months of wishing and waiting. The day is nearly here.

Tomorrow, Thursday, July 6th* is the day that Emmy Nominations will be announced. God willing, Lauren Graham will get her long overdue nomination.

See last year's hopes and disappointment here.

Let's go Lauren!

**Crap. Typo. Thanks for pointing it out, D!

Geek

I am nerdy. I know that. Most times, I embrace it.

I was recently told "I would expect that (subject not important here) from a smarty like you." Really, who says that?

I was also told "I told her that you have a freakish knowledge of grad programs." It's not freakish since most of my job for three years was grad school admissions but okay.

I have been lauded for my memory. People are sometimes shocked at my memory for names and details. I am accustomed to all of this.

Last night though, Michelle and I were watching an episode of the Gilmore Girls on tivo. This face appeared on the screen:

And I said "I love this kid." Michelle's reply: "You love her because she's you, right?"

And then I couldn't stop laughing. Literally, hysterical giggling as I told Michelle "sometimes, at night, when we're just hanging out, I'll see myself in the mirror with my glasses on and my hair falling out of it's ponytail...and I see that face." I could not stop laughing as I likened myself to Luke's long lost daughter, a character so stereotypical of tv that it is no surprise that she has frizzy hair, loves science and has a slight lisp.

I am a freak.

Oh, and just to add to my geekiness, I have been reading fanfiction. My love of this show just gets more and more bizarre.

Nominations

I'm in mourning for my girl Lauren Graham today. It's terrible!

The Emmy nominations that made me smile:

• Zach Braff for Best Actor, Comedy
• Sandra Oh for Best Supporting Actress, Drama
• Scrubs, Best Comedy

All of those nominations for Will and Grace are just ridiculous. That show is so not funny anymore. Ugh!

Today:

Half day for me. I'm going to the shop to prep for my sock class on Saturday. Hopefully that will cheer me up!

Lauren Graham

Tomorrow morning, Emmy nominations will be announced. With all the buzz Lost and Desperate Housewives got this year, it's expected that they will get many nominations.

The nomination I am hoping for: Lauren Graham, Best Actress in a Comedy

We'll see. Every critic I read is calling for it and saying that it's her year but you never know how the voters will go.

OPP*

In this case, Other People's Projects

I spent some time doing finishing on Saturday. You must be wondering, "What could she be finishing? This girl has been working on that damn Santos sweater forever but I know she's not ready for finishing!"

You would be right!

The finishing I did was for Michelle. A few weeks ago, she decided she wanted to work on a substantive project. She had knitted a number of pairs of socks for Christmas but hadn't worked on any other projects in over a year (or at least none that I can remember). She selected some yarn that Kate had sent me last year as a RAOK and started sorting through the magazines and books in our knitting corner. She selected Jenna Wilson's Little Black Top from Stitch 'n Bitch.

She finished the knitting last week and said to me sleepily on Friday night in bed that she would need some help with the finishing. She couldn't make sense of the mattress stitch directions in the book. On Saturday, while we were deciding between watching a marathon of Tivo'd episodes of Ed and watching Finding Neverland on DVD, I said, "Mich, do you want me to teach you how to mattress stitch?"

Her reply: "Aren't you going to do it for me?"

I was surprised when the word "Sure" popped out of my mouth.

I like finishing. Hmmm, maybe not. But I do like matress stitching. I like that it looks so neat and that you can't really see the stitching when you finish. So there I sat, seaming away. I hope Michelle will post pictures this week of her adorable Little Blue (in this case) Top. She did a great job with the knitting!

As for me, I finished sock #1 of the Pretty Petals sock on Sunday and cast on for sock #2 while watching Grey's Anatomy last night. So far, I'm really enjoying both the socks and the show. I love Patrick Dempsey!

Wednesday randoms

Buster:

I got an email back from our local PBS station. They showed the Buster episode with the lesbian moms last week and are rerunning it in March. I knew they wouldn't let me down!

TV:

Check out Michelle's thoughts about the new season of The L Word. I echo her sentiments.

I am so wrapped up in the drama on Gilmore Girls. I can hardly stand it. This show just gets better and better. If you have not been watching, you should be! Lauren Graham has just been wonderful over the past three episodes- very expressive in words, body language and facial expressions. Really, the show has been good recently.

Netflix:

In the past week, we/I have watched all three Netflix which have been sitting on our tv for weeks. I think we'll manage both Tivo and Netflix. It is just taking some adjusting. Thanks to all of you who told me how you manage both or what you've given up.

Books:

I'm reading like a maniac. 12 books so far in 2005. 7 in February alone. It feels good. Thanks to Annie and to others who keep me in mind when they hear about a great book I might like. Sharing thoughts about books is tricky as everyone likes different things. I love recommendations though so send them along if you think there's something out there that I have not read and might like. Today, I'm starting Alva and Irva: The Twins Who Saved a City by Edward Carey. A woman in my office recommended this book over a year ago. I'm finally getting around to it. I may not read your recommendation right away but eventually, I'll get to it!

Knitting:

I finished the Mermaid socks. The second one looks just like the first so I'll spare you the picture. Eventually I'll add a picture of the finished pair to the photo album (yeah, that and the pair of Dublin Bay socks I finished in early January). The socks fit perfectly and I loved knitting them. The pattern continues on the sole of the sock which takes a little getting used to but I wore them on Monday and the feeling of the ridges on my feet didn't bother me. It just felt a little odd.

These are my favorite socks from the Cool Socks, Warm Feet book. I don't know if I'll knit any other patterns from the book but I do love that it has a number of different heels and toes. New heels and toes are always a treat for a sock knitter like me!

I've decided to keep knitting the Weekend Sweater. After I posted about it the other day, I picked up the sleeve that had been sitting for weeks. I got right back into the rhythm of knitting the cables and zoomed right through the rest of the sleeve yesterday while I sat on my couch waging a war against my uterus (sometimes the first day of my period really kicks my ass and yesterday was one of those days). Here's the sleeve as of yesterday morning. I've since finished it and started on the back of the sweater.

There are three mistakes- yes I know about them and have convinced myself that they give the sweater character.

Sockapalooza:

I'm still trying to settle on a pattern for my pal. She asked that the sock not be lacy so I'm looking for a pattern that I have not used before but that will be fun and fairly simple. I'm thinking of something with a simple repeat like Fluted Bannister, Firefighters Socks, or Retro Rib. I've done all of those though and am hoping to make something new. Life's too short to knit the same pattern over and over. Although...I am considering making the Circle of Friendship socks. The pattern is really fun, incredibly well written, and intricate without being lacy. Oh, I don't know. Maybe I am a ponderer.

I'm going to Sophie's this weekend for a colorwork class (I've never really done any, you know) and I'll pick out some sock yarn and look for a pattern then. My pal has only made a few pairs of socks herself (as far as I can tell) so I don't think there's much danger of making her something she already has made. I'd like to make something special.

I can make a pair of socks in about two weeks though I should be okay on the deadline as long as I settle on yarn and a pattern this weekend. Boy, I'm fickle.