New issue of Haypenny today. It's a satire of this according to my cousin (one of the editors). posted by kristar 2:50 PM
This morning the firing of Peter Arnett had me upset so I sent this note to MSNBC and National Geographic:
I was saddened this morning to hear that Peter Arnett would no longer have a job based upon some comments he made in an interview with a reporter working for Iraqi State Television. While his comments may have been opinion, shouldn't he be allowed to express them without fear of losing his job? Isn't that the freedom the U.S. is supposedly defending and hoping to create in Iraq? It seems to me the news agencies for whom Mr. Arnett worked should have made announcements stating that the comments Mr. Arnett made were only his opinions and not those of the agencies for which he worked. Firing him from his job was unnecessary.
What has terrorism done to us? All of this fighting doesn't seem to be protecting our freedoms.
And I never thought I would want personalized plates, but I just had to get this one:
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I bought the car on eBay. posted by kristar 7:54 PM
Wednesday, March 19, 2003
As for that sock in the pic I posted last Thursday...I tried to do an "afterthought" heel by making a tube sock and then snipping the yarn where the heel should be and then picking up stitches to create the heel. Apparently, I was a little overzealous and I ripped out too many sticthes. It looked awful! So, I ripped out the entire sock and started over again. This time when I had knitted to the point at which I wanted my heel I used a piece of waste yarn to mark the spot (and the stitches) to be picked up once the toe was complete. You can see this in the photos below (click on each of the three pics to see a larger view).
And here is the finished sock (out of focus, but you get the picture). Kinda funky. I'm not sure it was faster (for me) than the traditional way of knitting socks, but it was different and fun. I am currently working on its mate.
Yesterday I went to the knitting guild meeting. Always fun to be surrounded by so many excellent knitters. Lynn was gracious enough to pick me up and her polymer clay demo was great. She managed to cover a lot in a short amount of time.
Last night I may have gotten 2 or 3 hours of sleep. My sister's dog is staying with me this week while my sister and her husband are in Las Vegas. Champ was having doggie panic attacks all night. He has them whenever he smells smoke, so it kind of freaked me out. But, there wasn't any smoke to be found, so I have to attribute it to the fact that he really misses his family. I just hope he sleeps better tonight because I want to sleep better tonight. Here we are...
Big news: my new driver license arrived in the mail today!!!
More knitting news to come... posted by kristar 10:27 AM
Thursday, March 13, 2003
i {heart} austin
I had a blast in Austin this past weekend. We spent part of Friday down on South Congress which meant I absolutely HAD to go into Hill Country Weavers (my favourite yarn store in Austin). I couldn't help myself and so I ended up leaving with some yarn AND some needles to make socks on the return flight.
I also saw a few SXSW movies and some bands playing at a 6th Street venue. I even spotted a celeb - Robert Duvall was in town for his movie premiere.
The trip was topped off by great weather (sunny and in the 80s), delicious food and a kite festival at Zilker Park. I must move back.
Who knew getting a driver license would be so tough. Several weeks ago I attempted to get one with my temporary Illinois license and my passport, but the woman at the Secretary of State office (in Grand Rapids) said I needed another piece of ID, like a birth certificate. So, I tried to locate my birth certificate to no avail. I eventually had to break down and request one from the state. I received it a week or so ago, but hadn't had a chance to get to the Secretary of State office again. Today I finally found the time (had to leave during work, though) and made my way to the office in East Lansing. When my number was finally called the woman took my identification and showed it to her manager who said that my temporary Illinois license wouldn't count as a form of ID. ARGH!!!! I wanted to scream. I couldn't believe it! I told her I didn't have another form of ID. She asked, "Do you have a marriage certificate?"
"No."
"A military ID?"
"No."
"A work ID?"
"No."
"A student ID?"
"No."
"A car title or registration?"
"No."
"Hmmm."
Blank stare from me.
"How about school records?"
"Um, I guess I could get my university transcript. But, this temporary license expires on Tuesday and I will be out of town until then."
"You'll have to come in on Tuesday."
"Well, why did the other Secretary of State office say this would work as a form of ID?"
"I don't know, but I have to go by what my manager says."
Argh!
Well, I wasn't sure how I was going to get my transcript between now and Tuesday since I was planning to be in Texas during that time, but I read through the list and discovered I could bring in a school yearbook. Geez! You'd think my passport would count for more. I needed all sorts of ID to get it - shouldn't it count as two? Oh well. I found my yearbook, but I am kind of worried because my last name is misspelled in it. Hmph. posted by kristar 6:07 PM
Wednesday, March 05, 2003
A snowstorm hit my area last night. It was a very slippery commute this morning. And, needless to say, there are only four of us in the office. It's kind of nice, though. I get to goof off a little because there isn't much to do.
While I'm working I like to listen to the Rock Home of Stockholm - Rocket Radio 95.3FM. The show I'm listening to now started off with Mr. Rogers singing his theme song. The station plays a nice mix of music - some old, some new. Yesterday I heard two Cure songs. Oldies, but goodies. Right now I am listening to new stuff from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Rock on, Sweden!
At work I also use the Java version of AIM(beta). It's a good way to avoid installing more crap on my machine.
I've got another tape of Six Feet Under and it seems fine. A coworker taped the replay last night. I'm so happy! (And glad that there is a VCR at the office so I could check it out this morning) posted by kristar 8:56 AM
Tuesday, March 04, 2003
My blog is purple. I am in a purple mood since I've been finally buckling down on the Debbie Bliss Child's Guernsey from her How To Knit book. By the way, the sweater is purple.
I watched the videotape of Six Feet Under last night and I don't know if it was the tape, the satellite dish, or HBO, but something wasn't right in the beginning. During the opening titles it just froze on the director's name for close to 10 minutes (of which there were only a few minutes with sound). Hopefully my friend will re-record it during one of its replays this week. Or maybe I can just come over and watch it. posted by kristar 9:37 AM
My friend taped the Six Feet Under season premier for me. I am so excited to watch it! If you haven't checked out the site, it's pretty cool because you can see all of the music credits for each episode - for every song even if it's just a radio playing quietly in the background. This show has the best music selections. Every piece is very appropriate to its respective scene. So much goes into the details of this show. I LOVE it! If you haven't checked it out yet, maybe you should consider renting the DVDs for the first season. Not that any of us need to be hooked on another show, I know, but this is good quality television!
It's a four day week for me. I am heading to Austin this Friday for the SXSW Film and Music Festival. I'm so lucky to have a friend there with whom I can stay. I miss Austin so much! Of course, I wish it were going to be a little warmer, but anything's better than the frigid -5F I woke up to this morning. Brrrrr. posted by kristar 10:53 AM
