Monday, February 28, 2005

I Be Crafty

Many years have passed since I received my Bachelor's Degree. My BA is in Fine Applied Arts (with the obligatory minor in Swedish, of course), and I spent five years learning about color theory, textile characteristics, fiber reactive dyes and natural dyes alike, and the complexities of shearing sheep, cleaning the fleece, and spinning it into yarn. I spent five years calculating wefts, winding warps, and tying on to looms. I perfected my rya, my bird's eye, and my chain lightning. Six years later, I have finally learned how to knit.

Maybe it was because of all the well-intentioned souls who asked, "So, did you knit that?" whenever they saw one of my Navajo tapestry pieces, my angora-rayon-lyocell concept piece, or even the board game made of felt and handmade paper (our final projects in school were always weird). Maybe it's because I have so much junk in my spare room, it's nearly impossible to set up my loom. Or maybe I instinctively knew that it would bring my cat Milhouse and I closer together as we bonded over the yarn. Either way, I can now officially cast on, knit, purl, cast off, and plan a great many projects which I'll never even get around to, let alone finish.

But for now, I'll continue to be super proud of my very first completed piece, Scarf #1.



Modeled by the Ozzmeister. He wears it well.

Thursday, February 24, 2005

Noise Pop is Good Pop

I love pop music. I was first able to admit this when I was living in Sweden in 1997. There's nothing like good Swedish pop music on your headphones to warm your insides when your trudging through the snow at 1:30pm--and the sun has already set.

But the fair-haired lovelies of Scandinavia do not have a monopoly on good pop music, as expertly demonstrated by the bands at last night's Noise Pop show in San Francisco. I was there to see Mates of State, a band introduced to me by my brother (he's the kind of guy who knows ALL of the good indie bands, bluegrass bands, vocal bands--you name it.). Opening act Aqueduct was a totally adequate, nothing-terribly-special-but-perfectly-entertaining-none-the-less indie pop band, but the sister-sister pop-duo Smoosh was an added bonus entirely. The novelty of their ages was undeniable (keyboardist/singer Asy is 12, drummer Chloe is 10), but it wore off as soon as they started playing. They were, in a word, awesome. Contagious, even. Less then 24 hours later, I've downloaded their album from iTunes and I've already made everyone at the office listen to it--twice. They certainly held their own as an opening act for the pop-filled harmonies of Mates, and seemed right at home in the smilely, head-bobbing line up.

And I fell asleep with a huge smile on my face last night, and that's what really matters.

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

The Reason for the Season

Do you know what season has begun? No, not baseball season--I don't fall for any of that malarkey. And not half-off-Valentine's-candy season either, although you're getting warmer.

It's easter candy season!!



More specifically, it's Cadbury Creme Egg season. Mmmmm, choco-ovo perfection. And there's nothing quite as cute as my cat attacking one of those little plush, clucking Cadbury bunny toys. What a sight to see. (I'll try my best to get some photo journalistic evidence of the preceding statement up here in the next few weeks.)

Coming soon: The Reason for the Season, part 2--Cadbury Mini Eggs. Oh, drool.

(Editor's note: For those of you who care to know, this post was typed in its entirety by using my new skill-in-training: touch-typing. No peeking! And it only took about 20 minutes to type.)

Shared User Pre-Engine Router Compressed Option Operating Library

Think you know what stuff means? I'll bet you didn't kow that STUFF means Structured Turbo Unified Floppy Format. If you did, then there's something terribly wrong about you. Or terribly right--I can't decide which.

Acronyms are the third coolest word thingies, after palindromes and anagrams.

Maybe this is why Rhonda's always encouraging me to go to a meeting of the Palo Alto Scrabble Club. Someday, Rhonda, someday.

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

My .0005 Minutes of Fame-ish

This is great: in the midst of the Paris Hilton/T-Mobile/phone book hacking scandal, the internet was ripe with curious onlookers who wanted to get our--I mean, their--grubby little paws on the private phone numbers of Ashlee Simpson, Fred Durst, Eminen, Lindsy Lohan and the like. So when many of these people searched for "Paris Hilton contacts," as in Paris Hilton's contact list, guess what they found?



See that? The last search result? Deborah's Den ended up on the search results for the Celebutant's latest shenanigans, based on my recent posts about Paris Hilton and about my new contact lenses--which, by the way, I am thuroughly enjoying. Honestly, it made my night.

Monday, February 21, 2005

Happy President's Day, Observed

Let's count 'em off!

George Washington 1789-97
John Adams 1797-1801
Thomas Jefferson 1801-09
James Madison 1809-17
James Monroe 1817-25
John Adams 1825-29
Andrew Jackson 1829-37
Martin Van Buren 1837-41
William Henry Harrison 1841
John Tyler 1841-45
James K. Polk 1845-49
Zachary Taylor 1849-50
Millard Fillmore 1850-53
Franklin Pierce 1853-57
James Buchanan 1857-61
Abraham Lincoln 1861-65
Andrew Johnson 1865-69
Ulysses S. Grant 1869-77
Rutherford B. Hayes 1877-81
James Garfield 1881
Chester Arthur 1881-85
Grover Cleveland 1885-89
Benjamin Harrison 1889-93
Grover Cleveland 1893-97
William McKinley 1897-1901
Theodore Roosevelt 1901-09
William H. Taft 1909-13
Woodrow Wilson 1913-21
Warren Harding 1921-23
Calvin Coolidge 1923-29
Herbert Hoover 1929-33
Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933-45
Harry Truman 1945-53
Dwight D. Eisenhower 1953-61
John F. Kennedy 1961-63
Lyndon Johnson 1963-69
Richard Nixon 1969-74
Gerald Ford 1974-77
Jimmy Carter 1977-81
Ronald Reagan 1981-89
George H.W. Bush 1989-93
William J. Clinton 1993-2001
George W. Bush 2001-present

But let us not forget...

Friday, February 18, 2005

Grade me! Evaluate me! I'm good, good, good and oh, so smart!

This is me basking in my own glory after I won the Valentine's Day essay contest at my gym.

See, at my gym, we exercise more than just our lats and glutes. We also exercise our thinking muscles.

Let there be light!

Ha! The weather fears me and my wrath!



Wise choice, weather. You've been a worthy adversary. Still, you're no match for my powerful skills of whining and complaining.

Rain, Rain, Go Away...or else I'll flip out

It has now been raining for 6 days straight. Curse you, foul weather! You don't own me!

Thursday, February 17, 2005

Who says conceptual art is only ridiculous?

It can also be heart-warming! I dare you to read this without saying "Awwwwwwww" at least twice.

This doesn't take away from the fact that this whole "Gates" thing is absolutely crazy. It's OK, I know I'm not the intended audience, but conceptual art and I aren't usually the very best of friends. Stephen Colbert said it best.

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Thought of the moment

Working in the publishing industry makes me especially partial to things like the Editor pant from Express, and songs like "Everyone Needs an Editor" by Mates of State.

All aboard the Cheechoo Train! Next stop: Moose Factory, Ontario

Last night I heard a rumour. A delicious, optimistic rumour which , sadly, turned out to be false. February through June will be just as sad and empty as October through Januray was.

Which causes me to wonder: what did the gentle people of Moose Factory, Ontario do with themselves before Jonathan Cheechoo?



Fun things, apparently. Just ask the Moose Factory Original Home Maker's Club.

Monday, February 14, 2005

Dio de los Valentinos

Happy Valentine's Day to the nicest, sweetest, thoughfulest, bestest, most dinner-makingest, bathroom-cleaningest, cat-feedingest, trash-taking-outest, flowers and chocolate deliveringest guy in the whole wide world!

Friday, February 11, 2005

We're gonna ride 'til there ain't no mortal goal

I highly enjoy thought-you-saids. Song lyrics are a great resource, and apprently Neil Diamond is a mumbler. I though it really was Reverend Blue Jeans...

Thursday, February 10, 2005

The End Is Near, or, Why I Like Paris Hilton

The thing about Paris Hilton is that she is an organic celebrity. She is a celebrity because she is rich and famous. She is rich because her great-grandfather invented Hilton Hotels. She is famous because she very much wants to be famous. She has a TV show because she's a celebrity. She has a jewelry collection because she is a celebrity. Her dog has a book deal because she is a celebrity. How can you not love that?

When you're a celebrity due to your own actions and abilities, say an actor, musician or athlete, the things you do and say off the job tend to be highly scrutinized. In essence, you, as a celebrity, are representing your industry, gender, country, etc and are held to certain standards. Such as, don't get into drunken cat fights when the paprazzi are around, don't make out with strangers on the sidewalk outside of your favorite Chinese restaurant, do show up on time to your club's opening--you know, basic celebrity stuff.

That's the thing about Paris Hilton. She doesn't have to answer to anybody, yet her audience is as big as the planet. All she has to do to maintain her fanbase is proclaim that some things, people, or concepts are "hot," and occasionally do an interview in a fashion or special interest magazine. And giggle. A lot. And she doesn't even necessarily need to stand behind the alleged hotness of the thing, person, or concept in question. For example, voting is hot. Paris modeled one of P. Diddy's "Vote or Die" t-shirts for the 2004 presidential election's get out the vote movement focusing on MTV-ers (I really dislike those bangs. But what do I know about bangs?). Here's the fun part: she herself did not register to vote. Shortly after the news broke, Paris was being interviewed at one of the many social functions she attends. When asked about her failure to register, she sweetly replied "No comment," smiled, and giggled.

Now, that's just magical. Horribly, muscle-crampingly magical.

I'm not saying that Paris Hilton is an appropriate role model for young women, or that I would hire her to cat-sit, or that I long for her companionship. What I am saying, however, is that Paris Hilton is tremendous fun to watch. Some liken this fascination to that of watching a train wreck, others to that of a dirty magazine. To me, it's not about how ridiculous she is, or how pretty--though both of these aspects of her persona are undeniable. It's something about her eyes, narrowed to blackened slits of mascara, the pinky pink smirk of a smile, and the trembling little chihuahua clutched in her arm as poses and prances that keeps me coming back.

And for goodness sake, how cute is that little dog?

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

That Summer Feelin'

The weather's been pretty tame lately. Save for a few showers, and a few more in the forecast, it's been lovely. It makes me miss summer so dang much.

Tuesday, February 08, 2005

Sincere Apologies

First of all, I'd like to apologize to Arthur for the rather odiferous conditions of the office today. I suppose it's part of the package when you work in a dog-friendly office, but that doesn't make any easier to breath around these monsters today!

But they're really sorry. Look:



A forensic photo of the offending end:



In all honesty, Nanna is the most likely culprit. She had four suppers last night. That's right, four. Let's count:

1) Nanna's very own supper
2) Ozzy's very own supper, which she stole (he just didn't get up the stairs quick enough last night)
3) Miru's kitty supper (as evidenced by the empty kitty bowls which were lying at the bottom of the stairs when I got home last night, and not sitting in their natural habitat upon the kitty-feeding table.)
4) Milhouse's kitty supper (see #3 above)

I mean c'mon. Look at her. Is that the look of guilt, topped with indigestion or what?


For those of you who don't want to read about canine digestive issues, please read this. And then buy me the pink and red one.

Monday, February 07, 2005

In Your Neigh-Bor-Hood

Yesterday, as Max and I were strolling around our neighborhhod with the dogs, we had a couple of back-to-back encounters with really freindly--I mean really friendly--people. Not creepy-friendly or particularly talkative people, just the kind of people who who made us both say, "Gosh, I really like our neighborhood. People here are just so nice." Whether it involves well-timed smiles, considerate door-holding, baby-talking to a stranger's dog, or (most frequently) incredibly patient and helpful clerks and cashiers at our local restaurants, bars, corner markets and pet food stores, the feelings of friendly and nice abound.

And then today, I found this. The Muppets were right again. The Muppets are always right.

Except for that whole Christian Scientist thing.

3...2...1...Contacts!

I've done it, I've taken the eye wear plunge. I up and got contact lenses last weekend! And let me tell you, it's w-e-i-r-d. I've been wearing glasses since I was 18 months old. The adorable stories about little Deborah hiding her glasses in the backyard over and over until Mommy had to tie them to my head are endless. The socially-damning pictures of little Deborah playing AYSO soccer with the shatter-proof, spongy, elastic band-clad Rec Specs are, too, unfortunately endless. Even after 3 days, I barely recognize myself in the mirror (for those of you who are wondering: I spend an average of 4.6 hours in front of the mirror each day. Just looking. Admiring. Sometimes posing.).

The Top Three Things That I've Noticed That Are Different About Wearing Contacts As Opposed To Glasses:

1. I can see my nose. It's nice.
2. I can feel the wind/rain on the bridge of my nose.
3. When I apply mascara, I can see each individual lash. It's truly astonishing.

But the best part about wearing contacts, and 99% of the reason I got them, is that I can have lots and lots of sunglasses. I've been wearing the same (beautiful, wonderful, amazing) pair of prescription sunglasses for the last 4 years. As super fantastic as they are, variety is the spice of life. Especially when it comes to eye wear. Now, instead of just coveting and lusting after them, I can actually purchase J-Lo glasses, retro 70's plastic glasses, and super cool cat-eye specs with rhinestones artistically glued to the sides. Mmmmmm, rhinestones.

Wednesday, February 02, 2005

Mmmmmmm, books



Brian works hard for the money. So hard for it, honey. Brian works hard for the money, so we'd better treat him right.

Tuesday, February 01, 2005

Kah-li-for-ni-ah's Recent Addition

It's here! It's here! A proud day for us all it was. Yesterday, January 31, 2005, saw the official release of the California State Quarter. While the Governator took a break from his pectoral workout and groping to partake in a glorious ceremony, those of us who are nerdy enough to get exscited over our own state's quarter release readied our maps--be they fold-out, glass-covered, relief, or felt (collectible, one and all)--and prepared to carefully inspect our change at coffee bars, post offices, and record stores until the blessed day when we spy in our sweaty palms the face of Half Dome and the kindly, old grandpa-esque image of John Muir, glinting in sun.