Tour de Fleece: Day 2

Day 2 Progress - 2.5oz

Today was another pretty full day for me.  I went to go see Pixar's Brave with a couple of good friends after going to church in the morning.  Brave was absolutely awesome!  Pixar does such great work.  There were multiple times in the movie when in some of the wide shots, the animation was so good, the people and scenery looked real!  The storyline, voice acting and music were all top notch as well.  So, if you are itching to go to the movies make sure you check Brave out.  It is a good movie for all ages. 

The title does say Tour de Fleece, so I guess I should talk about spinning huh?  :-)  Unlike yesterday, I got to sit down at my wheel reasonably early in the day and was able to spin for about 3-4 hours altogether, which was really nice.  I got a nice rhythm going and was able to watch Mirror Mirror starring Julia Roberts as I happily treadled away throughout the evening. That was enjoyable movie number two for the day.  I was on a roll!

While I didn't completely catch up on my spinning goals for both yesterday and today, I did make a ton of progress, spinning about 2.5 ounces in total.  Tomorrow I'm hoping to finish up the little bit I have leftover from today's bump of fiber and then attack another one :-)

Below are the trailers for the two movies I saw today.  Mirror Mirror is now out on DVD and Brave just started in the theaters last week.

Snow Day!!!

So, as of last night at around 10:00 pm I knew that I had a snow day today.  We don't get them very often, so I was pretty excited to have a day to relax and truly do what I wanted.  I even got to take some photos which I haven't really been able to do in a while, so that made me happy.

I woke up around 7:30, which actually is sleeping late for me.  I rolled outside to capture the blizzard in full force.  It really looks like most people got to stay home today, which I think is a really good thing.  I didn't even think about going out until much later on in the day. 

After I retreated to the warmth of the apartment again and snuggled back into bed, Brian attempted to go to work rather unsuccessfully.  When he went to go out the door of the building he couldn't open the door enough to get out!  So, needless to say, he decided to try to work from home.  At that point I decided it was time for breakfast and whipped up a bunch of cinnamon french toast and bacon for us. YUMMY!!!

After a large helping of knitting while watching food network, I dragged my camera outside again to see the progress the storm had made.  At this point, I think around noonish, the snow had slowed down.

See what I mean about the snow blocking the door?  I could get out, but this was the back doorway, not the front.

After a viewing of the BBC Pride & Prejudice miniseries and a bit of a nap, I decided I should probably try to move my car so that the plows stood a chance of plowing out the parking lot.  As you can see, they hadn't done much when I first got outside.  There was still about a half a foot of snow in the little circle around our complex that hadn't even been touched by a plow when I went outside at around 6pm.  The poor guy was just driving circles around the lots slowly taking swipes off the piles.

Brian had very sweetly already cleaned off my car about an hour before, so there wasn't much to do other than clear the windshields and floor it out of the 12+ inches of snow surrounding my car.  Shovel? Why?  I have all wheel drive :D

The lone plow truck for our complex.  I think this guy deserves an award.  Although, I'm still a little peeved that I moved my, car out of my spot, left for 15 minutes of so and he still hadn't plowed it out. Grrr....

As annoying as the digging out was, I met some of my neighbors for the first time and saw more activity around the complex than I ever do...  well, besides when the fire trucks come because of a cooking smoke out anyway.  It was nice to see so many people being helpful and friendly.  One nice gentleman offered me a pair of gloves when he saw me slowly chipping at the ice on my car.  I had some, just didn't have them on yet due to laziness.  So, it was a nice day, full of rest and relaxation.  Now it's time to have some dinner and prepare for work tomorrow.  Have a good night all!

An Excellent Night's Entertainment

Just saw this movie in 3D at the IMAX tonight and absolutely loved it.  It has dragons, vikings, a killer soundtrack and it's in 3D.... where exactly could it go wrong?  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

10 on Tuesday: 10 Best Movies I’ve Seen Lately

Eeek!  I haven't been watching a whole lot of movies lately.... but here's what I can come up with.

1) Clueless - nothing quite beats a modern day version of Emma starring Alicia Silverstone.  Darth Coco and I saw this a couple weeks ago via Netflix streaming.

2) Blow Dry - Alan Rickman starring as a reluctant hair stylist in a competition a la Strictly Ballroom.  Brian and I found this interesting movie on Netflix streaming as well.

3) The Ramen Girl - The story of an American girl who gets ditched by her boyfriend after moving to Toyko and finds solace in convincing a local ramen cook to her his art.  Surprise, via Netflix streaming again.

4) District 9 - Not an easy movie to watch, but it really makes you think.  Brian, Darth Coco and I actually saw this in the theater when it came out.  It has to be a really good movie to convince us to pay the $10+ a pop to see it on the big screen.

5) 9 - This gem of animation was produced by Tim Burton (I <3 Tim Burton's stuff) and is about a scientist's nine creations that were built to protect the future.  Check out the trailer. It has a kickin' song by Coheed and Cambria in it.

6) Lost in Austen - A fan of Pride and Prejudice finds she has switched places with Elizabeth Bennett and when she tries to help the storyline progress as it should, ends up making a mess of things.  DVD through Netflix.

7) Muppet Treasure Island - you have to love any movie with singing muppets dressed as pirates and co-starring Tim Curry.  I actually had this in my Netflix queue and it arrived on the same day I stumbled across a copy of it at Borders and not believing my luck, purchased it.

8) A League of their Own - Darth Coco and I watched this a month or more ago on one of our "I can only handle lying prone and watching TV nights."  Again, thank you to Netflix streaming.

9) Spies Like Us - A classic from the 80's starring Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase.  Another of our silly movie nights thanks to Netflix streaming.

10) I Capture the Castle - To save his crumbling castle, a father tries to marry off his daughters to the rich young American men that come to take ownership of it.  Amusing in a very British way and quite odd, but I loved it.  I believe I saw this on a day Brian was out and I had a lot of knitting to do.  Netflix streaming provided yet again.

10 on Tuesday: 10 Favorite Movie/Song Remakes

Ooooh, this is going to be so hard. It might turn into 10 movie/song remakes I can THINK of rather than 10 that are my favorites. Also, I'm going to add TV and literary remakes into my list as well to make my life a little easier:

1. Behind Blue Eyes - The original was recorded by The Who in their 1971 album Who's Next (video of original). The cover was recorded by Limp Bizkit in their 2003 album Results May Vary (video of cover).
   
   
2. Smooth Criminal - The original was recorded by Michael Jackson in his 1987 album Bad (video of original). The cover was recorded by Alien Ant Farm in their 2001 album ANThology (video of cover).
   
   
3. Battlestar Galactica - The original TV series aired on ABC in 1978 (promo of original). The series remake aired on SciFi (not SyFy) in 2004 (promo of remake).
   
   
4. Somewhere over the Rainbow - The original was recorded by Judy Garland in 1939 for The Wizard of Oz (video of the original). The remake was recorded by Israel Kamakawiwo'Ole in his 1993 album Facing Future (video of the cover).
   
   
5. Sabrina - The original movie was released in 1954 starring Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn (trailer from original). The remake was released in 1995 and stars Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond (trailer from remake).
   
   
6. Pride and Prejudice - Originally written by Jane Austen and published in 1813 (view original free eBook). This book was adapted into the bollywood styled Bride and Prejudice starring Aishwarya Rai in 2004 (trailer from remake).
   
   
7. Holding Out for a Hero - Original song recorded by Bonnie Tyler in 1984 for the Footloose soundtrack (video of the original). The remake was recorded by Frou Frou in 2004 for the Shrek 2 soundtrack (video of the remake).
   
   
8. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - The original cast starring Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou recorded the musical in 1979, although this is not the first rendition of the tale. The true original was a penny dreadful serial that was called The String of Pearls in and published in 1846-1847 (video of original cast recording). The remake of the musical starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter was directed by Tim Burton in 2007 (video of remake).
   
   
9. V - The original TV series aired on NBC in 1984 (video of original intro). The remake started up just last week on ABC and stars Morena Baccarin (trailer of remake).
   
   
10. Nothing Else Matters - The original was recorded by Metallica in their self titled album in 1991 (video of original). The cover is played by Apocalyptica in their album Inquisition Symphony in 1998. This cover is so good I have to embed the video right in the blog post:

Brains......

Ever felt the need to know what you would look like as a zombie? Well, I did.

I seem to be sporting a decidedly creepy grin. Must be all those tasty brain I'm eating... If you want to zombify yourself you can do so at ZombieMe.com by clicking here to go to their free generator. Then go watch Shaun of the Dead. A romantic comedy. With zombies.

Avast, me hearties! An' hoist the sails ye scurvy dogs!!!

Today be the International Talk Like a Pirate Day and for those of ye who are unaware of this most excellent holiday (since 1995) I feel ye must be enlightened and given the tools ye need to appreciate it. Ye can find out more at The Official Talk Like a Pirate Day Website which has all ye need to know about the piratey holiday and more.

Firstly, ye need to talk like a pirate all day long! This means throwin' in words like Avast, grog, bilge rat, and any sailin' like terms you know such as referrin' to right and left as starboard and port. Nothing quite beats givin' directions to a matey like "turn to your port side after ye spot the ancient scottish restaurant from the crow's nest." If ye need a primer to teach ye proper pirate jargon ye can learn some here at the official how to talk like a pirate page. They even include pirate pickup lines for that special someone ye want work yer magic on.

Now, there are many different ways ye can celebrate on Talk Like a Pirate Day to go above and beyond yer scurvy ridden duty. If ye need help developin' yer pirate persona, go to find out your pirate name. An' instead of just talkin' like a pirate, ye can also Post like a Pirate! and make all yer emails, tweets, and status changes filled with pirate pride.

Example:
Original Tweet- Going to pick apples with my friends. We're making enough pies and applesauce to feed us for years.

Pirate-ized Tweet- Goin' to pick apples wit' me buckos. We're makin' that be all I can take pies 'n applesauce to feed us fer years.

Ye can also catch up on yer pirate related movies. Some of me favorites and suggestions are listed here:

The Princess Bride - small amount of piratey goodness, but tha best movie ever! Ye can see the best sword fighting seen from tha movie here:

The Pirates of the Caribbean - all three be good, but I prefer the first.
Cutthroat Island - some people hate it, others love it, I liked it.
Muppet Treasure Island - for those who enjoy plushy, less gritty pirates. Shiver me Timbers song below:

The Pirates of Penzance (1983) - for those matey's who enjoy a good musical.
The Seahawk (1940) - this pirate has not seen this film, however, Errol Flynn is the star so it must be good.

For those of ye that are of a creative nature and love fiber, here are some examples of pirate knits:

Arrgyle Socks Chart
Felted Eye Patch
Knitted Tricorn Hat Pattern
Knitted Gunner's Cap Pattern

So, enjoy yer day as ye see fit. After all, it is yer life... even if you're Jack Sparrow! Pardon, Capn' Jack Sparrow.

Can't Stop the Serenity

This past Saturday three of my friends and I took part in a really interesting event at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline. Can't Stop the Serenity is a yearly event that goes all across the country showing screenings of the movie Serenity, which is based in the wonderful but very short lived Firefly series by Joss Whedon. Whedon is also responsible for such great shows as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, two of my favorite shows of all time. Can't Stop the Serenity tours benefit Equality Now, which is global non-profit that,

"...works to end violence and discrimination against women and girls around the world through the mobilization of public pressure"
-Equality Now Website

In addition to seeing Serenity again on the big screen, this tour was treated to seeing Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, another of Whedon's creations. What's so special about this showing is that Dr. Horrible has never been on the big screen. It is a video blog musical starring Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day. Dr. Horrible as an evil scientist (with a PHD in horribleness) aspiring to join the Evil League of Evil. It is an absolutely hilarious 45 minute musical and on Saturday they turned on the captioning and let all of us Whedon geeks sing along with his creation. It was glorious!

So, if you are interested at all in Firefly, Serenity, Joss Whedon or The New England Browncoats (who sponsored the night) make sure you go to this event next year. It is well worth the late showing time of midnight, plus you can say you stayed out until 3 in the morning! It certainly made me feel like I was back in college rather than being -cough- 30 -cough, cough-.

It so chose me!

I swear the pizza came like this. We opened the box and the piece of pizza had in fact chosen to be eaten by me.

I believe I was truly flirting with death by keeping Colette away from this pizza long enough for me to document this momentous occasion. Every few weeks or so we get together on a Friday night, order some kind of obnoxious takeout and complain, exclaim or refrain from talking about our respective weeks.

This was just the beginning of our most recent pizza-filled, movie-laden Friday eve. We started the evening with a movie that was a bit of a dissappointment, Italian for Beginners. It wasn't exactly what we thought it would be... i.e. it was pretty boring. So, after we got fed up enough to press stop we scrolled through the on-demand for other forms of entertainment. We ended up watching The Others with Nicole Kidman. Pretty darn good movie; creepy and weird, but overall very entertaining. I would definately recommend it.

Colette's keyhole scarf is finally complete!

So, I finally finished Colette's (Christmas present) scarf.... Only 2 months in the making, but hey, who's counting? ...probably her :-P

I picked the color to match her sunny yellow walls, which unfortunately look a little dark in these pictures in comparison to seeing them in real life. I finished the scarf up this evening while we were watching Kung Foo Panda after a great dinner at Sangra in Somerville. As per usual, we stuffed ourselves and then talked through the movie...

It may sound boring to some but there isn't a time we get together that we don't say, "isn't it great how our friendship hasn't evolved [since high school]?"

Not a photo, but at least a post: Repo! The Genetic Opera

This is a neat new-ish Rock Opera starring Anthony Stewart Head and Sarah Brightman that one of my co-workers told me about. The dvd is coming out on January 20th, but you can download the soundtrack on iTunes already. I must say its quite good, although if you have a problem with the concept of organ harvesting you may want to give it a pass. This is more for the Buffy, Angel, and Invader Zim loving crowd. My needs for a rock opera have been fulfilled. Honestly there hasn't really been anything since The Who's Tommy anyway.