Pass, Fail, Promise: Period Drama

While I've mostly been avoiding television because of Nano, I did take a break to watch a few things on Netflix this week. Shockingly, all were period dramas from different countries.

Pass: Populaire
Country of Origin: France
Rating: A-
Okay, so we're talking about a French movie set in 1959 that centers around typewriters? Yep, I'm all over that. :D

I've had this one saved since I first saw the movie poster. I believe it just popped up on Netflix this week, and I happened to see a brief post on the costumes on one of the fashion blogs I follow.

I desperately loved this movie, and the only thing stopping it from getting an A+ was the use of tropes; certain scenes were a little cliched and predictable, but overall this was an adorable film, and very sweet. And if it doesn't make you want to pull out the typewriter and punch out your entire Nanowrimo word count in one sitting, there's something wrong with you. Add to it an adorable main character, gorgeous costumes, and beautifully decorated sets, and you've got a winner.

Fail: The Great Gatsby
Country of Origin: USA
Rating: C
This movie is beautiful. The costumes are fabulous, the sets are grand, and the CG is colorful and detailed, effecting the brilliant, over the top atmosphere of the 1920s in New York, and the acting is spot on.

The problem with Gatsby, in my opinion, lies squarely with the source material. We read this when I was in high school, and I remember as three weeks of extreme torture culminating in two days of watching the film in class. The high point of which was that it didn't last as long as the book did, aided by the fact that our teacher was so sick of it that she kept fast forwarding through the slow bits. Leonardo di Caprio does an excellent job of portraying Gatsby's aloof, narcassistic, selfish nature, while Tobey Maguire is every inch Nick Carraway's dull, lifeless character, doing little more than watching from the background, always invited along though he really doesn't add anything to the story itself.

I could go on for days about the failings of Gatsby, but I'll refrain since the fault lies with Fitzgerald and not Hollywood for once. The characters are completely unlikeable, the story itself is warped and nonsensical. It's not the actor's fault that their characters are all flat and irredeemably egocentric, and in fact they portray it perfectly. It is primarly due to that skill and the visual elements that I ranked this movie as high as I did.

Oh, and don't get me started on the music. It's primarily rap and hip-hop, which was jarring and out of place.


Promise: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Country of Origin: Australia
Rating: A
Another Netflix newcomer, Miss Fisher is set in Melborne in the 1920s. I've only watched the first episode so far, but it definitely has potential, ranking right up with the Bletchely Circle in terms of intrigue.

With witty diaglogue and a setting that is completely new to me at least, I was drawn in from the first. By the end of her first episode, I do think that it is safe to say that Miss Fisher is the first lady detective to come in with a bang (and yes, for those who have seen it, the pun is intended).

Anticipation and a Half

If all goes well, I'll be hitting the 50% marker on my Nano draft this afternoon when I get off of work. I thought about forcing myself to write the 4,000 necessary words all in one go last night, but then my Amazon package arrived, including two books that I've been dying to get my hands on for the past month. The timing was perfect, since I finished my last read before I left work yesterday (and no, the third book in the Virals series did not disappoint. It's left me clamoring for another book, but it looks like I'll be waiting at least a year for it. In the mean time, I'll be downloading the companion short story once I get my next paycheck).

House of Hades has been all over Tumblr since it's release last month, and I've been actively trying to avoid spoilers, with little success. But now my copy is here. I might not come up for air until it's done!

Another thing that arrived yesterday that I've been looking forward to is my Netflix of the Great Gatsby--the new one. I'll be watching that on our big screen, rather than on the laptop like I usually do. Even if the story sucks as much as I remember, it should be stunning to watch. I can always put it on mute, right?

Steampunk Symposium Part I: Con Report!

You've all been waiting for this one, haven't you? That's right, it's time for the con report!

This was my second year attending Steampunk Symposium. Last year was the first year of the con. I have to say, while the hotel was nicer this year, I actually liked it less. The staff were very rude, the service was horrible, and the physical layout of the hotel wasn't as amenable to just hanging out and meeting people as the previous location. Each panel, section, etc, was very segregated from the other parts of the convention. It was also a lot more expensive than last year--almost double the price per room (granted, the rooms were a lot nicer looking and more comfortable, but the other problems kind of negated it.

All that aside, however, we did have a great time. 

Friday kicked off the panels. The first one we attended was on corset making. It was absolutely fascinating, but I'm not quite ambitious enough to give it a go just yet. Missouri is contemplating it, however. We'll see what she comes up with. 

Following that, we hosted our own panel on Maintaining History. There was talk of costumes and typewriters, old books and leather. Not many people showed up, but the ones that did asked some good questions and I think that they enjoyed it. 

Speaking of typewriters, I did spot one while we were there: 

This Underwood was being used as a prop at one of the booths. It's in great condition (despite my poor photography). I wanted to play with it a little, but no one was manning the booth and  didn't want to be poking at things that didn't belong to be, so I walked away reluctantly. The next time we went by the booth it was gone.

I also spotted this phonograph machine by the check in; I thought it was quite cool, especially since it still had the cylinders.


We only did one other panel that night, since we were both tired: Con Sociology, the Zen of Flirting. At lot of the things in that panel could be used for general networking, but it was a lot of fun and the host was hilarious.

There were, of course, parties aplenty on both Friday and Saturday nights, but neither Missouri nor I are much for large parties. For starters, neither of us drinks or enjoys being around people who are drinking, so we spent our evenings relaxing in our room and making tweaks to our costumes.

On Saturday, we did some shopping in the morning. I think that there were more vendors this year than last, but there was a lot less variety in their wares. A few stands outs included hand-blended teas, a purveyor of vintage kimono, and leather top hats. There were a lot of people selling corsets and costumes of various sorts, but most were quite expensive (not overpriced, mind, but most people don't got to a convention with $150, $200+ dollars to spend in the dealers room). There was less jewelry and accessories than last year, but a lot more author tables, which I whole-heartedly support. I heard a rumor that a publisher had a booth in the dealer's room, but we searched it thoroughly and couldn't find it.

For me, the highlight of the entire weekend came on Saturday afternoon, when we took a stage fighting class. Fencing, to be specific. Most of the class was using rapiers, but they ran out when they got to me so I got to play with a cane sword. Here I am (or at least my back) practicing part of the routine they were teaching use. 

Did I mention? The class was taught by this guy, who arranged the fight scenes in the Highlander TV series and Hook, which was one of my favorite movies as a kid. So cool! So much fun! I really want to take fencing lessons now!

We finished off Saturday with more costuming panels on bustles and corset fitting, and one on Victorian mysticism and occult beliefs, and hilarious panel on Victorian Erotica. I don't think I stopped laughing for the entire hour. Sunday wound things down with Goths in Steampunk, and LGBTQ in Steampunk.

The panels were all great, but I wish they were longer. All of the panels this year were one hour, and most would have been better served to be 2-3 hour workshops.

This is going rather long so check back on Friday for all the details on the costumes, the books, and what I was making while I was there!

20s Week Part II: Movies

I love movies. Great inspiration for writing, and perfect background for knitting! Last week, I watched another silent film, Metropolis (German, 1927). The restored version of this film is available on DVD and streaming from Netflix, and I encourage you to watch it for several reasons. Even if you don't, click the link above to visit the official website for the film (which also has a trailer), which details the restoration process--fascinating!

The movie itself takes a utopian society with a dark secret, a young, idealistic man bent on making things better, a mad scientist and a robotic woman and rolls them all into a captivating film.

It is another silent film on Netflix. No, I'm not talking about the one with the clown. This is a Clara Bow film, about a female shop clerk who falls head over heels for the son of her employer. Cute and funny, it's a romantic comedy rife with misdirection and miscommunication.

Moving forward, I think I've waxed poetic enough about my love for the The Mummy (Hooray for B movies!). I am however, jazzed (pun so intended!) about the Great Gatsby. Keep in mind, I hated the book when we read it in school. I absolutely could not stand it, and I think the only reason anyone in my class even finished it was because the teacher (who caught on to our hatred) made us read it aloud in class. That being said, the visuals for this film are incredibly stunning. I saw the trailer a couple of weeks ago when Missouri and I went to see Oz: the Great and Powerful (also excellent, by the way). I'm a little hesitant, since it has the same producer as Romeo + Juliet, which was horrible, but I'd still like to see it. Maybe I'll wait until it's on Netflix, rather than shelling out $10 to see it at the theater.

Although, in my opinion, no movie with Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead can be all bad.

Lately Downton Abbey has been getting a lot of press. Set in England in the late 1910s-1920s, I watched the first four or five episodes, I think, and couldn't get into it. Even though I love the costumes and the setting, most of the characters made me want to smack them, and the ones that didn't were quickly written off/doomed to die in later episodes. I strongly suspect that Gatsby will fall into this category--the type of thing best watched on mute.

What are your favorite movies from the 1920s, or that take place in that decade?

Inspiration Shots

What are you watching during NaNoWriMo? Here are a few of my top picks:

Anime:
R.O.D (Read or Die)
R.O.D the TV
Comic Party

Television:
Castle
The Book Group
Copper
Once Upon a Time

Movies:
The Dead Poet's Society
Miss Potter
The Secret of Moonacre

Is there a show/movie that you're finding particularly inspiring? Or do you eschew television altogether in November?

Window Shopping

Rawr, why must I be tormented when I'm broke?

I have about thirty things I want to purchase this week, but I've had to put them on hold thanks to bills. And then I get an email that KnitPicks is having a sale--not just a 50% off sale, but there's free yarn involved, too! Arg!

Oh, and have I mentioned lately that season 4 of the Murdoch Mysteries has finally come out on DVD? It was actually released on the 25th, but I haven't been able to purchase it yet. Another (fairly) recent release (at least, one I only recently found out about) is the region 1 edition of The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec has finally worked it's way down to a semi-reasonable price on Amazon. I've wanted to see this movie since before it came out in theaters in France, but have yet to find a way to watch it here in the states. As soon as funds allow, both of these DVDs will be coming home.

In the meantime, I'm satisfying my urge to watch period film with Netflix. I finished up the BBC's Wives and Daughters last night, and it was quite good, though I liked their North and South better. Right now I'm watching Bramwell, which is something like Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman meets Murdoch. Actually, it's got me wanting to watch Dr. Quinn, too. I loved that show when I was a kid, and it was Mom's favorite (though I was always perplexed about why though thought it was a good idea to drastically change the actress who played Colleen in the middle of the series the way they did, and for such a different actress. It wasn't exactly a seamless transition. But I digress). I love watching period films/tv when I'm knitting. I guess it's the whole history meets ancient craft thing. But it's always engrossing, and period dramas tend to age so much better than their contemporary counterparts. Also, costumes! Typewriters! What could be better?

Speaking of knitting, I finally got the paperwork for that knitting pattern I'm getting published (this month has been so exciting, professionally!) so I cast on for Northman #3 at last. I was putting it off until I had final confirmation from the publisher, but now that it's here I should be able to whip it out rather quickly. It usually doesn't take me more than a weekend to make a hat, and I love this pattern. It's so much fun to do colorwork. It's probably my favorite technique after entrelac.

Which reminds me, I should get back to work.

Next verse, same as the first.

Well, I didn't fall off the face of the earth, but unfortunately, I have to continue with the random today. My mental bandwidth is extremely low right now for several reasons.

For starters, it is official: I'm allergic to work. That is, my place of employment is aggravating my allergies to the point that I think it's time for a new job. Between the perfumes we sell, the lint and dust from the clothes, the pollen that blows in from the continually opening and closing doors, and the chemicals used by the cleaning crew, I have basically been sick for the past week. To top it off, the only allergy medication I've found that has any effect will only let me sleep 5 hours a night, max, and then only if I take a Tylenol PM on top of it (last night I didn't and got about 2.5). I would like to get allergy tested, and figure out specifically what is causing the problem and what I can do about it, but since my insurance covers absolutely nothing (no prescriptions, no testing, no preventative care, and only 1 check up every 2 years, and only with one of their doctors) that is out of the question.

I have been writing (a little). Missouri challenged me to write a short story for her publisher's annual shape-shifter's anthology, but as I'm having trouble getting out of bed in the morning (or the afternoon...as the case may or may not be) it hasn't been going so well.

I still have not photographed the socks (which did get finished, finally), and I've been meaning to take pictures of the Royalite so I can post them on the Yahoo group (it's still up for grabs, if anyone wants it). Maybe later today.

Must. Find. Motivation.

In the mean time, let me distract you with this, in honor of the Avenger's movie, which comes out May 4th. The sound I made when I first saw this could have shattered glass:

Ironically, when I pulled into work yesterday, this happened to come on the radio:



Did I rock out in the parking lot for all the world (and my boss) to see?

Why yes, yes I did.

Briefly, at Tiffany's

Very random, but:

How did I go this long never seeing Breakfast at Tiffany's? And why didn't anyone TELL me that there is, in fact, plot, that it's not just about some social climbing bitch and that there's a writer and typewriter action in this movie?

Now I'm on an old movie kick. Must get caught up on classic films!

Costume p0rn and Typewriters VI

The Help
This is the last regular post I have planned in this series, though my next Netflix might get tagged on at the end and I'll probably revisit it from time to time, since by now you all know how much I love writing about costumes in general, and period costumes in particular.

I talked a bit about this movie when I first saw it in theaters, and the desire to watch it again is what kicked off this whole costume p0rn thing (with some help from Murdoch and Dr. Ogden). Unfortunately, though, I had to wait for Netflix to catch up, hence the other films and shows.

Before I get into the costumes, there are two other draws to this movie (other than cast, story, etc): number one, the sets are wonderful, particularly the mansion Skeeter's family lives in.
Case in point:



And then there's this:
Her '62 Cadillac convertible is more than drool-worthy in my opinion. Put a bow on it, I'll take it!

Allison Janney (who plays Skeeter's mother), like most of the characters, is dressed to the nines in nearly every scene. She sports some fantastic jewelry, and I love her sweater clasps, which Google images is failing me on.

Of course, in a film of this sort we have the usual 1960s style:
I love the nipped in waist lines and the full, swishy skirts. I also love that the center dress was "handmade" (at least, according to the story line) even if I don't like the woman who "made" it so much.

I guess I'm not the only one who loves the costumes from this movie, since there was a display around the time of the premier. I love the apricot dress on the right, which Skeeter wears to dinner. I hate the romper on principal. Rompers should remain in the past where they belong, but every time we get a truck in at work I get proof that they refuse to die.

This is possibly one of my favorite outfits. It's simple, business like, and very flattering (fun fact: there's one almost identical to it in the Nancy Drew movie, and Skeeter wears a similar outfit in green later in the movie. Must have been a popular style). I also adore the leather satchel that Skeeter carries all of her business papers in.

Miss Hilly might be the devil incarnate, but she does have great fashion sense, like the pink jacket and dress she wears to the association meeting.

Since this is a movie about writers, there are several typewriters that show up, though most of them are in passing and the bulk of them are available only in brief glimpses when Skeeter visits the Jackson Journal office.


I did pick up the book. We'll see if typewriters play a bigger role in the print format.

Costume p0rn and Typewriters V

The King's Speech
This is another movie I've spoken about on the blog, rather at length, so let me sum up: Great hats, elegant costumes (would there be anything else in a film about British Royalty?) and an Oliver (which seems to be eluding my image searches, along with some of the better dresses from the film).




Plus, Geoffry Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, and Colin Firth. What's not to love?

ETA: Please don't forget about the typewriter I'm trying to find a new home for. Pictures available on request.

Costume p0rn and Typewriters IV

The Mummy
I know I've talked about The Mummy and The Mummy Returns on this blog before, way back when. Why do I love these movies so much? I don't know. They aren't even remotely historically accurate, the mythology is way off base, the plots are so-so, and I have to cover my eyes any time there's a scarab on the screen. But nonetheless, something about them resonates with me.

I'm combining both movies here, since the characters generally wear the same costumes for the duration of the films (I'm pretending that Return of the Dragon Emperor or whatever it is doesn't exist, and I'm not much of a Scorpion King fan. Besides, you can hardly call the scraps of cloth and large pieces of jewelry used in that film to be "clothing.").

I think that the easiest answer to the above question is that once again, I'm drawn to the female lead. Unlike the characters I've mentioned previously, however, Evy is bookish. She's a nerd who loves a good library and isn't necessarily out for adventure, just the next great discovery. Adventure just kind of lands in her path and she can't avoid it. Of course, it doesn't hurt that she likes it.

With a backdrop of Egypt in 1923 (then ruled by the British), the Mummy not only has great costumes, but also great sets. Check out some of the wood work:



One of my favorite costumes of all time is Evy's librarian outfit. I love the bookish, nerdy look, and I have serious case of shoe lust for those Oxford Mary Jane pumps. I couldn't find a full body shot of the outfit, but you see them briefly in this clip (when I watched it, the audio syncing was off, but that might be my computer. Even if you hit mute, the scene is still very funny):



Here's a still from the same scene:


I love women in ties. Especially when worn with a long skirt.


But of course, this is an action movie. We can't have a dowdy, bookish librarian for the hero's love interest! So about five minutes into the movie, Evy promptly loses all of her clothes in a shipwreck, and must "go native":



In this scene, we also see Rick O'Connell's costume. It's pretty basic: Shirt. Trousers. Boots. Nothing really out of the ordinary, except those holsters. Which for me, really make the outfit. In his case, it's not so much what he's wearing, as how he's wearing it (okay, you caught me; Brendan Fraser fan).

Part of the reason I like this look is that while it is a period piece, and while it does involve British influences and have all the manners and niceties of the early 20th century, he's not wearing a suit. It's a nice departure.

Speaking of suites and departures, when the first board the boat (the one that sinks) he is wearing something a little fancier. Sadly, since it's shown for all of five seconds, I can't find a picture. But it's one of those light colored suits like the ones Jonathan wears throughout the film (minus the pith helmet and dorky expression).


You can see that Evy appreciates the change.

Oh, and of course there's the British Army uniform Rick wears in his opening scene. Uniforms are always a plus:


In the second movie, both Evy and Rick wear variations on their costumes from the first movie. Set ten years (or thereabouts) in the future, around 1933, Rick looks much the same only...cleaner. Well, he would have to since he and Evy are both key members of London society. The suits switch from tan and white to black (yawn) (though everyone looks very snappy in them), and Evy shows up in this:


...While I love the outfit, I can't help but think that the costume designer forgot what decade it was supposed to be. In fact, very few of her costumes from this film (mostly black dresses/skirts that harken back to her "native" costume from the previous movie) really look like something from the 30s. In fact her nemesis, Meela, dresses more to period (though her costumes are entirely inappropriate for traipsing around in the desert, at least until she gets ready for a show down and then she, too, forgets all references to time period.



And the typewriters in all of this? While there might be one lurking in the background at the beginning of the second movie, the only one I found in the first was a very abused portable machine that shows up for just a few seconds as Rick tries to get Evy out of Egypt as fast as he can. Sadly, I cannot find the clip or a still with the typewriter. You'll just have to see the movie and cringe for yourself.

---
I have two more blogs planned for this series, unless I think of another period film I want to add (which is possible. Originally, this one wasn't on the list). There are two others that MIGHT make it...it depends on how far I decide to go.

Other than the typewriters, what draw you to period films?

Costume p0rn and Typewriters II

Grease
Okay, so this one just barely counts for this list, from the one brief glance we see of Blanche tangled up in the ribbon of her Royal.

I love this movie. But there are two things that I HATE about it. First, I can't stand the depicted bullying of Eugene. Bullying is never okay, and in the film it's played off as "boys will be boys." Yes, I know the story takes place in the fifties and that there were different attitudes and that similar things happen today--often much worse--but it still bothers me.

Second--and this actually bothers me a lot more, since it has a bigger part in the film--is the song Beauty School Drop Out.



Good things: The video itself is beautifully shot, there's a dose of humor in it, and it is used to encourage Frenchy and other young people to finish high school.

What irks me: Frenchy's so-called "guardian angel" basically spends four minutes telling her why she is too stupid to ever reach her goals. His exact words are "Why keep your feeble hopes alive?/What are you proving?/You've got the dream but not the drive/If you go for your diploma, you could join a steno pool," and then later "You're not cut out to hold a job/Better forget it."

Really? That is the message you want to send to young girls? The musical was started in 1971, the film was released in 1978, so there's at least a few years of the sexual revolution behind them when the original story was written, and they're still arguing that the best a woman could hope for was to be a secretary? Even while the principal of the school is female?

I am sure others have heard this argument before, but it's just something that really gets to me on a core level, especially since I went to a technical high school--we had career training before we'd even graduated. And yet, when I talk to others who love this film, they always cite this song as their favorite.

Okay. I said I loved Grease, but by this point you're probably wondering why. Well, as I said, it starts with the music (I just fast forward though that one). When I first saw the movie as a kid, my favorite song was "Greased Lightning." Now that I'm a little older though, and have a better understanding of some of the themes presented in the movie, I find the term "pussy wagon" offensive. Now, my favorite songs are "Summer Nights" since it shows the two perspective and how Danny keeps trying to boost his image. It's very tongue in cheek, which I love. Another favorite is "You're the one that I Want," because it shows a balanced relationship--both Sandy and Danny are willing to make changes for the other. These aren't changes that were demanded by the other. They were done with free will. While I do think that Sandy was forced to bend a little more, I think this is tempered by the fact that she came to the realization on her own, since how things were before just weren't working for her. She knew that in order to have the kind of life she wanted, she had to work to make some changes, take some risks, and she took them (unlike Frenchy, who gave up).



Despite this, my favorite character has always been Rizzo. She stands out and isn't afraid to do so. She speaks her mind, calls it like she sees it, and never backs down. I love her solos "Sandra Dee" is hilarious and "The Worst Thing I Could Do" is just heartbreaking--and once again points out that Bullying is Bad. Throughout everything, she never once apologizes for being who she is.



And then, of course, there are the costumes.

Once again, I love the way Rizzo is dressed--she's the only female character to regularly eschew skirts and dresses, even at school, and I love her favored highwaters and the pencil skirt she wears on the first day of classes (left).

In general, I love fashion from the 1950s. The cuts are so flattering, and the full skirts are so much fun to wear.

And don't even get me start on the dance off scene; oh my gosh, I love the dresses. In particular, Marty and Rizzo's picks. They are form-fitted without being revealing, and the colors are bright, eye catching, and just right for both the actresses and the characters.





















Well, I think I've waxed poetic enough about this one--especially since it's probably one film that almost everyone (at least in the US) has seen (and now someone is going to comment and prove me wrong. :) Please do).

A List, Some Reviews, and BOOYA!

1. I recently finished Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light by Tanya Huff. This was her second or third novel, I believe, and one of her lesser known ones. I strongly recommend that any fans of urban fantasy check it out as it is just as good as her Blood Ties books. It follows nicely in the vein of The Enchantment Emporium (or would it be leads, since it came out first?). I found it as part of a twofer, Of Darkness, Light, and Fire, which includes another of her early works. I've only just started that one but it promises to be just as good, if not better.

2. I also finished reading The Enchanted Typewriter. I am planning a more complete review for the podcast, which I hope to record tomorrow. If it doesn't happen then...well, I mentioned at the outset that the production schedule would likely be sporadic. It will probably be November before I manage to get another episode out.

3. Part of that delay is that I am moving over Halloween weekend. No idea when I will regain internet access or how long it will be down.

4. The typosphere has been abuzz with the upcoming start of NaNoWriMo. Just to set the record straight: I have no plans to participate. My only acquaintance with short deadlines is the whizzing sound they make as they zip by and they've nearly decapitated me on an occasion or two so I generally avoid them on principal. I will, however, endeavor to finish Threadbare (formerly known as Fortune's Fight) BEFORE the start of November, if my paying job doesn't suck the life out of me like so many vampires. (Really, it's like Dracula meets Clueless. Never give a vampire a credit card.) I am doing this so that I can work on my Untitled Jazzpunk Novel as soon as possible, because...

5. THE THREE MUSKETEERS IS AWESOME. Seriously. Alexandre Dumas + Orlando Bloom + Matthew Mcfadyen + steampunk = THE BEST THING EVER. EVER! Also, it was total costume p0rn and I want every single outfit and prop associated with Countess de Winter. I have a strong desire to cosplay her at the earliest opportunity.


6. While it isn't truly a costume, I did finish knitting my Quebecois pride hat this week. This has been in my queue for years (ever since I made a scarf based on the Canadian flag). This couldn't have come at a better time, since...

7. Thursday night we drove out to Beavercreek for the Kathy Reichs signing. For those of you unfamiliar, she wrote the books that the Bones TV series are based on, though other than the name and occupation of the main character they really bear no resemblance to the source material. (For those not catching the connection here, in the books Temperance divides her time between a North Carolina university, and working for the government of Quebec. In Montreal. In a building that I am enough of a fangirl to have photographed just for it's relationship to the books.) Sadly, both Mom and I forgot our cameras, so I only have one cellphone picture:


So that is my list of awesome. We'll see what next week holds.

P.S. I just went through to add links to everything in this post, and it appears Kathy's site is down due to bandwidth limits. Looks like that last signing broke teh internets.

Blue (and all the other colors, too)

Currently Reading: Death's Mistress
Currently Watching: Star Trek TOS season 2

This week has been positively tragic in terms of technology. It's getting better, but I'm still avoiding pretty much anything that requires and electrical outlet. Thankfully, George (the laptop, named after the Nancy Drew character) is used to my slightly magnetic personality and doesn't seem to be suffering any ill effects. *knocks on wood, throws salter over the shoulder and crosses fingers, just to make sure*

The other day at work I managed to crash the credit card application server, a register, the digi (handheld we use for printing price tags), drain the battery on another digi and my cell phone, and crash the time clock. Of course, all of these devices were miraculously in working order as soon as I left the room (except the dead batteries. Those still had to be charged). It's my senior year of high school all over again. Our first semester, we were doing design work on PCs, and then we were supposed to switch to Macs for the next semester. Well, in four months I went through four PCs. At first the IT guy tried to tell me it was a virus, but that's impossible when the computer wasn't even hooked up to the internet. Every time I sat down at the darn thing, it would give me the blue screen of death or a random error message that the IT guy had never even heard of. He'd fiddle with it, it would go back to normal, and then fifteen minutes later it would freeze and die on me again, until the teacher moved me to another computer. I'd get a few more days, maybe a couple of weeks out of it, rinse and repeat. Eventually, there simply weren't any other computers in the classroom for me to try, so the teacher put me on a Mac. I've been stuck on the brand ever since, since even my seven year old laptop with the dead battery and peeling keyboard plate is still able to limp along and doesn't crash every time I walk into the room.

You see people, there is a reason I like typewriters. I'd be typecasting right now if others in the household weren't trying to nap.

The cell phone issue, which has been ongoing for a couple of months, was finally resolved yesterday when I got a new phone. It is metallic blue--in fact, it is the exact same color as my camera and the cover I have on George. It would also match my ipod case, except that the metallic blue part peeled off and left me with clear plastic. But considering how hard I am on my ipod, I'm just happy it's still there.

Speaking of matching sets, I started another knitting project last night (not that I needed one). Since my camera cord is still MIA, I'll just have to tell you: I'm making a steering wheel cover for my car. I'd bought a skane of burnt orange Red Heart yarn a couple of months ago to make cargo nets for my car, and it was exactly the same color as the paint. But, I ended up with a ton of yarn left over and nothing to do with it, since it is a very particular color and not one I'd normally choose. Alice recommended seat covers, which I thought might be overkill and a bit more work than I'm willing to do (also, it would mean buying more yarn and I'm having enough trouble using up what I've got), so I settled for a steering wheel cover. It's about half done, mostly knit up last night while I was watching Mary and Max, a little stop-motion film recommended by another typospherean, though I can't remember who at the moment. I have to say, I found it absolutely tragic. I had to watch another movie afterward just so I could go to bed feeling something other than horribly depressed. I settled on Ramen Girl for that one, and while the beginning and middle of the movie were still less than cheerful, it at least had a happy ending. Honestly, I don't know who decided to label those two as comedies. I think they just tacked a list on the wall and threw a dart at it, because they weren't funny to me.

Something which did make me laugh, however, was a posting I found online for a condo for sale. Missouri and I have been having a horrible time finding an apartment to rent in our area that fits within our budget. But, the housing crisis seems to be even worse where we are and there are pages of listings online for houses in our country for sale for about the same price as a new car (not my car, mind you, since it's still a budget vehicle, but there are still plenty out there for under $100,000. Five years ago, this would be unheard of). One such example has such a disjointed paint job in the kitchen, I burst out laughing as soon as I saw it. It's so awesomely bad that I almost want to buy the place just to repaint it (and hey, if the price is right...). You can find the image here. But I'm not linking to the listing, just in case we do decide that buying is the right option.

Mabel

Currently reading: Proven Guilty
In the DVD player: Iron Jawed Angels

I've been going through my extensive film library, trying to compile a list of movies and tv shows that include typewriters, and the makes and models where possible. Last night I got to watch one of my favorites: Iron Jawed Angels. For starters, the story is fabulous and made more so that it is based on the plight of real women leading the suffragist movement. Add to that a wonderful cast and some of my favorite film costumes of all time, and you've really got a winner.

One of my favorite character in the film has always been Brooke Smith's character, Mabel Vernon. When we are first introduced to her in the film, she says that she became friends with Alice Paul when they played hockey together at school (one of my favorite sports in gym class). Her costume usually involves a necktie, which I'm rather fond of on women, particularly when combined with Victorian era dresses. In the film, Mabel is the one people go to to find out what is going on, what the latest news is. She also seems to spend a good deal of her screen time battling with various pieces of office equipment, most notably the typewriter in her introduction scene.

The movie has another point of interest in that there are some really nice pieces of knitwear in it. (I choose to ignore the hideous, fringed, mustard yellow sweater Mabel dons at one point. We're all allowed to have an off day, fashion wise, and most of her friends were in prison at the time. Though come to think of it, that looks more like macrame or something than it does knitting.)

There are two typewriters that are featured in the film. The first is an Underwood that lives on Alice Paul's desk and is used to type all of her memos and editorials. It looks like a portable to me, but I can't seem to identify it (I'm still not good at identifying typewriters by sight. Sigh). The second is a Royal. It's also small enough that it looks like a portable, but it's hard for me to be sure.

I will be adding a page to the sidebar to list movies/television shows and the typewriters they contain at some point in the future (but not today). I want to make a similar list for typewriters in literature at some point as well.

The meeting of the Hobbies

Has anyone else seen this clip? It's great--in which an avid typewriter collector plays a trick on an avid knitter. Really, I might have to see Larry Crowne, just for the connection.



I don't think you could get a better clip for this blog, except, of course, that the prank doesn't actually involve typewriters. Perhaps we shall have to come up with a variation on this theme?

I also found this fabulous little video on one of the steampunk blogs I follow. It's a ad, but it all about a steampunk knitting book that will be coming out shortly. It looks really interesting and I can't wait to get my hands on it!

Coming and Going

Hello, beautiful.

What you see before you is a 1958 Chevrolet Impala and my new love.

This little beauty was one of four Impalas at the Belfountaine Hot Summer Nights Car show yesterday. Okay, well, two days ago now since it is officially after midnight.

Dad's '53 won a Top 50 award and he won $57 in the drivers pool, which he promptly donated to the Holland Theater. The Holland is a local historical site that my grandparents have been helping to restore. Hot Summer Nights is sponsored by the Holland and a local car club, and all of the proceeds go to the Holland and other local charities.

It's been a busy weekend, even without bouncing around in a poodle skirt (because at heart, I am still a geeky con-goer).

Speaking of being geeky, I'm going to have to blame Crazy Aunt Purl for this next bit of geekery. My knitting mojo has been somewhat depleted for the last several weeks. Maybe it's just the weather combined with stress but when I read her post about the Entrelac Scarf, I had to try it. This segment here seemed almost like a challenge, and considering how non-competitive I am and how terrible I am with patterns, I just had to try.

I'm very thick-headed when it comes to reading patterns and I think that Allison Lo Cicero, the woman who wrote this, is brilliant at writing patterns! It's very clear for such a complicated concept. You do have to take a leap of faith when you start the first time because it may not make sense for a while (What? I'm knitting one stitch and then turning the work around and knitting that one stitch from the other direction? Are you nuts?) but it works

No pictures just yet; I'm using recycled sari silk and it makes the texture a little hard to pick up in the best of times, let alone with a camera interfering. I've had some skanes of this that were semi-striping, or at least had color variations. This particular one, however, is very evenly distributed but I still like the way that it looks and it makes me happy. I love the construction and after I finish this initial scarf, I'm going to play around with it a little bit and see what else I can do to it in a self striping yarn. That will have to wait until I get to Italy, though.

Today I went to the State Fair. It was hot. Very hot. It was 90 degrees with little shade, but even with the windows open on my car, the AC on it's max setting, and going 75 (sh, don't tell) down 670, it was still cooler outside in the sun than it was inside my truck. I think my brain melted. I may have lost IQ points, I didn't have many to spare.

And lastly, if you've been paying attention to the news the last few days (as in, a lot of attention; it didn't get much press) the wonderful, beloved, and magnificent John Hughs passed away this week. Alice and I are marking his passing in appropriate style. We started with her favorite, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, moved on to Sixteen Candles (which, shockingly, neither of us had ever seen all the way through), to Pretty In Pink. For the grande finale there's my favorite, The Breakfast Club.

Arrival

We're here: Arlington, VA. No pictures so far because most of it has involved getting lost on the wrong side of the river (and the wrong side of the tracks).

If you plan on going to DC, here are my suggestions:

~Avoid Martin Luther King Blvd south of 295 (I think; like I said, we got lost) unless you plug "where white boys go to die" into the GPS.
~Drive a car that has both GPS and cruise control. Trust me, seven hours without it is NOT my idea of fun.
~If you think it will take you six hours, or less, or whatever time you think it will take, add an extra hour for getting lost. And stop for food BEFORE you get lost.
~If you are coming to DC for the first time, don't try to navigate it in the dark. I swear, our nation's capital took a leaf out of medieval cities of old and made it as hard to get around as possible. Maybe they think it will keep the protesters out?

At this point, I would normally insert a picture, but I was too busy concentrating on not dying and trying to get un-lost to whip out the camera. Also, I left the card reader at home. So conjure up a fitting romantic, patriotic image in your head. While you do that, I'm going to see if I can't sleep on this couch, because apparently, $2100/mo only gets you a one bed, one bath apartment that would fit in my parents livingroom. I'll stick with my $250/mo victorian and it's drafty windows, thankyouverymuch.

Christmas in July

Sheesh, I've really been slacking off on this whole writing thing.

I swear, everything sort of came together today.

For the last few months (okay, maybe a year or two. Or three), I've been wanting to get a new TV. The one I had was a cheap off brand I got when I turned sixteen. The picture has always been dark on it, and the sound has been absolutely horrible for a while now; i couldn't even tell that the singer on the closing theme song of a movie I was watching was female, it was that bad.

So this morning I broke down and got a new one. It's a 19" Phillips and weighs about 1/3 of what my 15" Sanyo did. I christened it by watching the first disk of the first season of Charmed, which I also got while I was at Walmart.

I stopped by the PO box and found a new flag tucked in there--Qatar, from Spirals, as well as well as the first volume of the Blood Ties novels, a gift from Mackenzie's Momma. Then, when I checked the mail at the house, I discovered my box from Borders had come, including a volume of Fruits Basket, two of Absolute Boyfriend, and the second Bridget Jones movie.

Of course, all of the swag isn't just for me. I've also updated my Etsy shop, so you can go find some things for yourself, too. I put up some jewelry pieces, and I'll have more in the coming days. I've got six days off over the next two weeks, so I'll be putting in a lot of crafting time. Go on over and check it out.

Now, if you will excuse me, I am off to roll in my swag and bask in the glow of an LCD TV.

May I borrow your shoe phone?

Since today was my day off, Mom and I drove into Hilliard to see a movie. We stopped first at work, so that I could spend the lovely $30 gift card that she and my dad got me. I picked up two new tops and a pair of pants for work. It's sad that I can only afford to shop in the clearance section, even though I work there. Then we drove over to subway, scarfed some sandwiches, and met Dad to see Get Smart. My parents were fans of the original series. Apparently, I used to watch it as well, but I don't remember this. I laughed through the entire movie--loved it. There were some great references to the original series, too, and they were things that even I could get.

One of my favorite parts was that Masi Oka (Hiro from Heroes) played one of the techies. I think he's adorable, and that just made me grin. I also came very near to squeeing when I saw the Batman trailer, but I refrained since I was about six inches from my dad's ear.

Just prior to viewing the movie (while we were in line for Subway, actually), some guy asked to use my cell to call AAA. I should have handed him my sandal.