I think I was still waiting to fight more Crazy 88’s yesterday morning, because I didn’t even mention any projects. I can only mention, not show, because they’re gifts for Christmas–Christmas, which is less than a week away, and yes, I am still knitting them. I even added one to the schedule. I had plans change and tonight became free, and in my current frantic ninja-fighting mindset, that’s more than enough time to knit something to give to a coworker tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow. Of course I can do it. Bring it on!
Karen
Posts by Karen Kaminski:
Have You Ever Wondered What Working Retail During The Holiday Season Is Like?
We Are Our Own O. Henry Story
Remember “The Gift of the Magi,” about a penniless married couple having mishaps with presents? Here’s my version of it: I was following Mr. Isbell home last night after an evening at his parents’ house when his tire blew out. So we both pulled over and put on the hazards, and Mr. Isbell got the donut spare and the jack out of the trunk—no problem, really. Except my Christmas present was in the trunk, too. I pretended not to notice but he said, “There’s your KitchenAid” and it was a happy Christmas moment at the side of the road.
Once we got on our way again and convoyed to my apartment, Mr. Isbell helped me unload the car. I was putting away laundry when I remembered I had one of his presents in the bags he was unloading, so I dashed out of the bedroom saying “Don’t look in the Harmons bag!” but he was already putting things back in the bag, pretending he hadn’t seen his present. So I said “There’s your Carhartts” and it was a happy Christmas moment in the kitchen.
(We’ve both decided this is turning into the “Christmas of No Surprises, but yes, I am giving Mr. Isbell more than pants.)
Friday Unrelated Information
1. I have a friend who’s all about “asking the universe” for things and then “trusting it to answer.” Well, if you ask the universe for a couch, the universe must give you an idea to look at Target.com, where you find this. Thanks, universe!(Next I have to ask the universe to make my brother let me store the chairs I’m using right now in his basement. Come on, universe!)
2. Going back to another childhood memory this week: does anyone remember this animated Sesame Street color-wheel clip? I remember the music made it especially scary because the voices never made discernible words and just repeated the same pitch. Apparently, the music was by well-known Minimalist composer Philip Glass. Still scary.
3. Could the universe be moving these rocks across Death Valley? Or is it the wind? Here’s a science article that has a thrilling title: The Sliding Rocks of Racetrack Playa.
Looking For Answers
I’ve started what I’m afraid will be a very long search for a loveseat/small couch that 1.) will fit in my apartment; 2.) looks modern; 3.) doesn’t look or feel too cheap and foam-y (I hate foam; it makes me cringe); but 4.) costs three digits instead of four, preferably the lower half of three digits.
I’ve considered having two jobs through January, just to give me a larger couch fund so I have more options, but I realized there’s a problem: I also want to get a kitty in January (maybe Ponch the kitty!). And should I introduce the kitty to a new couch? Or get a used couch and not mind if kitty takes out its anxiety on it? Where are the answers?
Are they in there, kitty?
Speaking Of…
1. Christmas: The blog of Disney animation backgrounds that I mentioned a few Fridays ago posted a background from “Pluto’s Christmas Tree” (1952), a short that I remember watching as a kid. The cartoon was silly but the scenes that showed Chip and Dale inside the decorated tree were just magical for me. Colors! Pine needles! Secret hiding places! I wanted to get into our Christmas tree like that. Seeing it now, it’s still fabulous: (If you can stomach Pluto, you can watch the whole thing on YouTube here.)
2. Birthdays (well, we weren’t speaking of them, but we are now): My sister-in-law’s birthday is today! She is a rocket scientist and a gardener, has started taking piano lessons, and is crafty, too. Also, she married my brother. All of these things make her pretty cool.
Tuesday Project Roundup: The Hap-Happiest Time Of The Year Edition
I’ve had to ration out the crafty time since I started working so much, so most of that is going to gifts which obviously can’t be posted on the internet for all (six of you) to see. Instead, I thought I’d show you how I decorated this year.
There is a garland that got the Peanuts Christmas serenade (“loo loo loo, loo loo loo loo loo”) from Mr. Isbell after I plugged it in:
But the garland didn’t accommodate all the ornaments, so I decked the ceiling fans:
And the plants:And the cuckoo clock:
Meanwhile, up at Blue Moon Ranch, the alpacas got their own holiday decorations:
A Snow Poem For A Monday
I’ve been having trouble sleeping this last week, waking up at 4:00 or so and not being able to get back to sleep. Last night my eyes popped open at 2:00; around 4:00 I got tired of turning over and got up to have some tea (mmm, valerian). Just to get my mind on something other than not sleeping, I picked up the big poetry anthology and found some Wallace Stevens, which I read while looking out the window at the snow.
“The Snow Man”
One must have a mind of winter
To regard the frost and the boughs
Of the pine-trees crusted with snow;
And have been cold a long time
To behold the junipers shagged with ice,
The spruces rough in the distant glitter
Of the January sun; and not to think
Of any misery in the sound of the wind,
In the sound of a few leaves,
Which is the sound of the land
Full of the same wind
That is blowing in the same bare place
For the listener, who listens in the snow,
And, nothing himself, beholds
Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.
Then the valerian made me dizzy and I went back to bed, where I eventually fell asleep on my stomach and woke up with a neck ache. But it’s a nice poem, huh?
Friday Unrelated Information
1. Hey, did anyone read about Mitt Romney’s speech that was supposed to calm people’s fears about voting for a Mormon? It’s mind-boggling! Here’s a choice excerpt:
“There are some who may feel that religion is not a matter to be seriously considered in the context of the weighty threats that face us. If so, they are at odds with the nation’s founders…Freedom requires religion, just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone.”
Um, Mitt? The definition of freedom is that nothing is required. And you should really take a break from blow-drying your hair and READ some of the nation’s founders thoughts on religion. Like Thomas Jefferson, who wrote, “Christianity neither is, nor ever was, a part of the common law.” (Seriously, does anyone else find this speech extraordinarily chilling? Candidates will start preaching “Strength through unity, unity through faith” next.)
2. Okay. Let’s retreat back into our happy bubble that is untouched by politics and take a virtual trip to Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital, a 24/7, 365-day animal hospital in Britain that rescues “hedgehogs, badgers, wild birds, foxes, and even reptiles and amphibians.” I love that a.) the hospital is named after a Beatrix Potter character and that b.) they’ll “even” rescue non-cuddly animals.
3. It’s going to snow again Saturday. I got stuck in my driveway the last time it snowed. I am dreading the snow.
4. Deutsche Grammophon, in my opinion the best classical label out there, has launched an iTunes-like online store of its entire catalog, including physically out of print recordings. If I didn’t have to work the other job Saturday, I’d stay inside all day and download Corelli and Bach.
Agency Love
It’s been a busy week at the agency, with all sorts of deadlines getting shifted, projects redefined, and changes made that affect all the deliverables I’ve written in the last two weeks that should be in final layout but instead get to be tracked down and reconciled. (And I just used “deliverable” in a sentence. It’s getting to me!)
But something always makes me feel better, and that something is angry blogs written by creatives. (And now I just used “creatives”. Help me.) My new favorite is Why Advertising Sucks, but click through at your own risk–it’s pretty profane and misspelled, which I blame on the force of the writer’s anger. There was a fantastic post from a while back titled, “5 Things You Should Never Ask a Creative.” I liked #4 a lot:
#4. Are you sure that word is right?
No. I took 4-6 years of college, have worked in advertising for a couple of years and actually passed the ninth grade but I’m not sure if that word is right. If by “right” you want to see if I’ll offer you synonyms for a word that has nothing wrong with it, then I can offer you one option, let me do my job while you [redacted] your [redacted] rather than a thesaurus.
Not that I’ve ever felt that way or anything.