It Gets Better

Thanks to The Kat for posting this:

Beauty vs Brains (not to mention brawn)

Beauty is so important for women in our world.

Pretending to be simple (read: dumb) was certainly encouraged in my day (mother: "you should let him win at backgammon" me: "why? I'm a better player").

Girl-child was introduced to someone new on Thanksgiving, and she told me afterward, "your daughter is lovely; so pretty" and I wanted to say, "yes, and smart and hardworking, and accomplished...just to mention a few of her not-skin-deep virtues"

And then I stumbled upon this in Salon this morning, about The Most Beautiful Woman in the World.

"Any girl can look glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid."

Hedy Lamarr

F.O.s

I finally put buttons on the Peasy sweater. No guarantee they won't change.

And for the record, there was very little yarn leftover (Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool):

These socks are not actually done, but one is done and the second on the way. It's one of those pairs that kind of accidentally got started, and suddenly they're over halfway done.

This is the Montego Bay scarf, done with the sock yarn purchased when I was in Rapid City for my annual work conference in October. It's the perfect pattern for a skein of sock yarn. The colors are kind of cream, brown, blue and burgundy. Sort of. It'll go with a lot.

I also worked in the ends of three pairs of gift socks this weekend, cleaned the gutters and finished ripping out some carpet. Very productive weekend, plus there was good food and conversation. Hooray for long weekends!

Alice & Co for Thomson Airways

I would suggest you watch this, especially if you've suffered through a lot of airline safety talks/videos.



(thanks,Heidi and Rosemary)

Hot Tea

TEA time in LONDON from Hot Tea on Vimeo.

People have been sending me links to cool video, so I thought I'd post a few.

Thanks to Sarah for this one.

A Video Experience

Don't know how y'all feel about Jackie Gleason, but I was recently at the video store where Boy-child used to work (Filmzilla, on Franklin and 27th), and I found the movie Skidoo

Well! What a trip...Jackie Gleason tripping on LSD. Not kidding. Carol Channing is in it too. And Groucho Marx, playing God.

Stupid movie, but worth the trip. So to speak.

Knitting: Mine and Another's. And Yarn

I recently finished the Peasy sweater.

My only problem with it now is buttons. I've purchased three sets so far. And asked two people for their esteemed opinions. I still haven't decided.

Girl-child received a hat recently from Rose the Gypsy. Rose had made one for the Minnesota Knitters' Guild service project this year, and sent it (along with two others) to my house so that I could deliver them (which I did, last Tuesday). When I told Rose that Girl-child was thinking of stealing one of them, an offer was made to deliver a custom order to her. It is, as you can see, adorable.

And, while I've been really, really good about the yarn diet, I have been purchasing souvenir yarn. This is what I purchased in Prescott (locally dyed):

So much yarn, so little time

Random, but Really Cool

Never Heard of Her Before; Why?

Sophie Blanchard

Check her out here

The Best Hotel and a Cute Town

We stayed at a fabulous hotel in Prescott - it's called The Motor Lodge. It is the most amazing retro place, plus the service is outstanding. Wonderful all around.

You can't tell so much from this, but see the lamps? That's a start.

Cool prints on the walls, a mini-fridge, a full sized coffee pot with real mugs or paper ones to go, and a truck full of condiments.

Literally:

The bathroom had a truck full of goodies too:

And a poodle waste basket

And we had our very own tub toy:

I don't think this is a functioning phone, but I liked it anyway. We had a little sitting area with two chairs and a table, and free wireless.

The town of Prescott is charming too, with lots of Victorian-era buildings and houses.

And art galleries

An old fashioned diner.

and various saloons on Whiskey Row

It was a successful trip, in spite of the snow.

The School

The school itself is very nice. It's not a traditional campus, like Macalester or the U of M, but rather a mish-mash of buildings in a small, Victorian town.

Right now they have a little bit of construction going on. Progress and all that:


There are beautiful views all around, though, from the library (the best building on campus, as it should be):

cacti growing on the roof of the cafe across the way:

And, of course, there are books and journals.

They live their philosophy, reusing and recycling as much as possible. The library building has a lot of re-used material and the bike cage below was a student project that basically collects bikes and bike parts so that folks who need one can have a bicycle available for their use.

The bathrooms have bottles which were excavated from a building site worked into the walls, along with collected stone (the old clinic burned down years ago, the refuse and remains plowed back into the ground) .

I like this sort of thing. You know you're not in Minnesota any more when there's vegetation like this.

There is a creek that runs through town, although it can be dry at times.

Interiors can be quite bright and creative, like this Seuss-inspired wall:

I find cactus and snow to be a bizarre combination.

The grazing horses are an art project made of "trash"

I hope Boy-child can deal with the hippies ;-)

Planes and Automobiles (no train)

Boy-child and I went to Prescott, Arizona over the weekend to check out Prescott College.

While the pilots were diligent about a clean windshield (very reassuring), and everything was a go, we had a few problems with flights being too full for us to board.

I think we were bumped a total of six times (three to Phoenix, two to Las Vegas and once to Cincinnati. Yes, Cincinnati. Don't ask.

Good thing I had plenty to do during all that airport time

We ended up flying to Albuquerque and driving half the night to Prescott

The area is beautiful

Boy-child liked the place, in spite of the fact that they're all ultra-liberal

More tomorrow

The Magnum Opus of Palindromes

A Greenward Palindrome

by Barry Duncan

IN WHICH A CONVERSATION WITH TWO U.S. SENATORS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE EVOLVES QUITE NATURALLY INTO A CELEBRATION OF THE CAMBRIDGE ECO-BOUTIQUE GREENWARD – ITS MISSION, ITS OWNERS, ITS STAFF, ITS INVENTORY, ITS PATRONS, AND ITS SPIRIT – ON THE OCCASION OF ITS THIRD ANNIVERSARY

Won't I note Ben? Oh, still a cold, raw NE. Ergo: two nos. Day as dismal, climate big. Get Sen. (R- OK), sir. One disputes data in “war”? Damn, I do. Oh, retro? Paper a sham, lacks a bite. Mine position won. Kyoto? Negate; J.I.'d abet. Saw one rot. (Sneer.) Gas to low temp. Oh, sad loser, eh? Sit. Ah. We sue re caps, ocean?

Wows, is up: Mural a gem. It still, a ballet, how one in every 3 is awed. Art on!

At 1764 M. A., as I view Otsu, mill at some mags, I gab gab on. Sin. A catnip, a Reknitz on a pup. (Is it paw art?) Sleets? A Totes. “I was, I tote.”

No. No, see? Seeps. We fed ample. He's so PC in a Gro diaper.

(A IPO to CEO? Greed, sir! A fast ego's evil. Slam in a tub! How?)

One do Rei me. Togs. All is soft, safe, no? Rattle. Moth. Asleep.

Store: no BPA. Can I spot SIGG? (Is not a bottle beer, then a refill?!) Listen, a LP tray. (A LP is naive.) Was gift – rats! – late, Mom?

Gab. Keel. So ten, if smart, lug a bare hot pans: To-Go's tiffins (ha! sets!). A Taza tastes...ah! Sniff it. So, got snap? To HER, a bag (ultra-Ms.-fine-to-sleek bag). Mo' metal? Start. Figs? Awe. Via N.? Si. Play. Art.

Planet's ill. Life ran, eh? Tree. (Belt to baton, SIGG is tops in a cap.) Bone rots, peels. Ah, to melt tar, one fast fossil. (L.A.'s got 'em.) I erode now. Oh, but animals live, so get Safari's deer.

Go, ecotopia!

Repaid organic posse? Help! Made few. Speesees on one tot is a wise tot. A steel straw apt: I sip up an oz., tinker, a pint, a can. I, snob? AG bag is game. Most. All. I must owe, I. Visa. Am 46.71. Ta! No? Trade.

Was I 3 yr. even (i. e., now)? Oh, tell. A ball? It's time. Gala! Rumpus!

I, S.W., own a eco space. Reuse what is here sold. A shop. Me. Two lots. A green store. No, waste bad. I? Jet age no toy. Know. No, it is open. I met, I bask. Calm. Ah, S.A., rep a Porter 'hood in MA. Drawn? I? A tad. Set. Upside: no risk, or nest egg. I bet a mil clams, I'd say. Ad.

So now to Greenward: Local. Lit. Shone. Bet on it now.

ACRONYMS, REFERENCES, ABBREVIATIONS, AND SUCH:

Ben = Ben Nelson, Democratic senator from Nebraska.
NE = Nebraska.
Sen. (R-OK), J.I. = James Inhofe, Republican senator from Oklahoma.
Kyoto = The Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Mural a gem = Greenward's brilliant and iconic in-store mural, created by artist Craig Bostick.
1764 M. A. = 1764 Massachusetts Avenue, Greenward's address.
PC = politically correct.
IPO = Initial Public Offering.
CEO = Chief Executive Officer.
BPA = Bisphenol A, a potentially harmful chemical used in the making of plastic.
LP = long-playing vinyl record album.
L.A. = Los Angeles.
oz. = ounce.
S.W. = Scott Walker, owner of Greenward.
S.A. = Simone Alpen, owner of Greenward.
MA = Massachusetts.

COMPANIES AND PRODUCTS I MENTIONED IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER (and my apologies to those I missed – I'll catch you next time!):
Otsu = Little Otsu Publishing, stationery and greeting cards.
A catnip, a Reknitz on a pup = catnip toys and Reknitz reclaimed cotton dog sweater, both from West Paw Design.
A Totes = Totes Umbrellas.
in a Gro diaper = Gro Baby cloth diapers.
One do Rei me = Toby + Rei, eco-friendly baby clothes and accessories.
SIGG (mentioned twice) = SIGG of Switzerland water bottles.
a LP tray = LP snack tray by Vinylux.
To-Go's tiffins = tiffin set by To-Go Ware.
A Taza = Taza Chocolate, makers of organic, stone ground chocolate.
HER, a bag = HER Design, eco-friendly bags by Helen E. Riegle.
Figs = jewelry by Figs & Ginger.
Via N. = jewelry by Via Nativa.
Safari's deer = Bucky Cardboard Deer Trophy by Cardboard Safari.
Speesees on one tot = Speesees, organic gear for babies and tots.
A steel straw = stainless steel straws from R.S.V.P. International.
AG bag = bag made from upcycled materials by Alchemy Goods.

Copyright 2010
Barry Duncan

link here found it by being on the Mental Floss Water Cooler Ammo email distribution list