Have a glance at my cousin, fronting the Compaq Big Band.
I have some cool relatives.
Mama Gallup
January 25, 2008 by
My mother has a hilarious (and dead-on) take on the aftermath of the NH primary.Â
If statisticians had any idea about the NH psyche, they would have thrown in or invented a perversity factor.
You tell ’em, Mom.
Sawdio
November 30, 2007 by
Recently, I introduced Brenda Dayne to the musical stylings of my cousin Britt Sawdon. As I suspected would happen, Brenda found Britt’s work to be her kind of thing and Britt’s permission was secured to play a couple of her songs on Cast-On.
I had been mulling over a third submission to the podcast, but hadn’t quite figured out what I wanted to do yet. The temptation to do something to go with Britt’s song was too great, though, and the Muse handed me an idea that I admit is very Yarn Harlot-influenced. Except maybe it’s sillier. I certainly felt silly recording it, but hopefully it will amuse.
The cousinly production is up over at Episode 58: “Knitting Time.”
Memery by way of Think-Link
November 9, 2007 by
Cici was kind enough to want to know what randomness I could come up with in eight easy bites. Despite promising myself no memes, I realized I had several not-quite blog posts rambling around in my head, as well as some responses to stuff I had read, so I figured I’d come up with eight of them.
1. Weather: It was cold enough this morning that I ran in my new quilted vest purchased from my favorite purveyor of inexpensive workout-wear: Target (it’s also bright pink enough that John burst out with, “Run Barbie, run!”). I watched my breath puffing in the cold air and thought about how swiftly we have come to this chill, austere point in the year. I was also grateful for the end of Daylight Savings, since I have a few weeks’ reprieve from running in the dark. My mom, an afternoon walker, had a simultaneous notion in the opposite direction. You can’t please everyone.
2. Semantics: How telling is it that the original last sentence of the paragraph above was, “You can’t please anyone?”
3. Knitting: I am simultaneously working on a cozy cashmere vest and a rough-ish wool sweater. Both items are for me (Mine! All mine, I tell you!). Both have their charms, and though they are very different textures, it appears I have entered my Tweed period.
4. Holidays part 1: I am horribly behind in my Christmas shopping. Normally I am one of those really annoying people who starts Christmas shopping in January. Aside from a few purchases squirreled away from our vacation this year, I have no idea what I’m doing. This is a recipe for disaster: panic, overspending, and disappointment (mine, at least) are sure to ensue.
5. Holidays part 2: Having knit for everyone (and I mean everyone) on my gift list last year, almost nobody is getting a handknit gift this year.
6. Television: We are watching the old BBC series, “All Creatures Great and Small” from Netflix. I remember it being a high treat when I was a kid. It may be even better now.
7. Family: I am eagerly awaiting my best friend’s baby, who if she doesn’t arrive soon of her own accord is going to garner herself an eviction notice. I keep getting e-mails from Maria titled, “Still Pregnant.” This is good news at 4 months. It is tedious news at 9+ months (and yes, I am aware that pregnancy is measured in weeks and perhaps days and possibly hours at this point – all I know is the kid was due on the 5th. She’s late, and Auntie Jill is a punctual sort. Get out here so I can meet you and commence spoiling you, kiddo).
8. Blogging: I am selfishly delighted that Lianne is blogging regularly. She’s a delight and a wonder to behold, the way she approaches the world with humor, insight, patience, and intelligence. I only wish that she were coming to visit me on her travels.
You’re supposed to tag eight people at this point, but I shall do the cop-out thing and say tag yourself if you wish to participate.
Success.
October 4, 2007 by
Ever have one of those friends you know would be really good at something? And not only would they be really good at it, they’d probably enjoy doing that something also?
I’ve been pretty sure for some time that my mom was a born blogger. She’s smart, she’s funny, she writes really well. When I was a kid, she had a column in our hometown newspaper, the Hollis Times, and more than one person (me included) has asked her to sit down at the keyboard again. Blogging seemed to be the perfect way to channel and encourage that creativity. But her job has been demanding for many years, and I knew that if I said, “Mom, let me set up a blog for you,” she’d either glaze over from demand-overload or she would go off like Daffy Duck, bouncing and whooping all over the landscape in sheer techno-panic. She’s been shopping for digital cameras for years, and hasn’t been able to bring herself to buy one because there are just too many variables for her to consider in making the decision.
Well, she retired earlier this week. Her former colleagues gave her a digital camera, and in her own words, she’s “obsessed.” She loves it. She learned that if someone takes the technology purchase decision out of her hands, she likes the result.
Aha.
Sneaky kid that I am, I set up a WordPress blog for her. I named it “Letters from the Woods,” because that was the name of her long-ago column. She’s written her first post. She’s off and running and I couldn’t be more delighted.