Nerd Rock!

Get your nerd on!  ...  I found this band, Kirby Krackle, from a fellow nerd online and think it's hysterical!!  If you know anything about gaming, comics, or general geekiness, listen to some of their songs.  Dooooo it!  Do it now!

If you want to read the lyrics, go here.  How can you not love self-titled "nerd rock"?

Thor

I was able to drag John out of the house and to the movie theater yesterday so I could see "Thor."  I know, I know, it's a bad movie, but it was enjoyable and I love super heroes.  :)   There are numerous reviews out there, so not to bore you, I will sum it all up quickly:  it was stupid & fun & I can't wait for more shirtless Chris Hemsworth ... wait, I mean, the Avengers movie.   ;)

No, really, I am a comic book dork, but I just don't know enough about Marvel's Thor mythology to get picky about details.  I could have written you a thesis paper when Batman Begins came out, but I really don't know enough about Thor to say anything.  .... The movie did have about 30 seconds of Sleipnir, so that made me happy.  And I always love Anthony Hopkins.  But other than issues I have with the movie industry as a whole*, I don't really have any witty review that isn't out on the internet already.

* Specifically, why do we need to zoom in so close on a person's face that we can see their eye-boogers?  Or the fact that more CGI shiny lights and swooshes do NOT make a movie better?  Or how about investing in a steady-cam for the fight scenes so we can actually see what is happening?  Or at the end of the movie, how did Natalie Portman suddenly grow 8inches so she could kiss him easily?  ... Okay, okay, maybe that last one stems more from my personal life of dating someone 10inches taller than me.  But the fact still remains, short girls cannot kiss tall boys without the boy exerting a lot of effort to squat down!  (getting off my soap box of craziness) Anyways....

What I do want to talk about today is the movie previews we saw.  Now, I like going to the movies, but I LOVE movie trailers.  (There's a "show" on some DirecTV channel that is simply 30min of movie trailers!  How awesome is that?!)  And I was pleasantly surprised that there were mostly good trailers for what is coming up this summer.  Not to say that there are pieces of poopoo, too, but I like the surge of comic book movies coming out now.

Cowboys & Aliens  - AWESOME!  How can you go wrong with cowboys & aliens?  Wait for it... There's Daniel Craig & Harrison Ford starring.  (squeee!)

Immortals - Pile of poopoo.  They are trying to capitalize on the success of 300, Clash of the Titans, and Spartacus and make another Greek "mythology" movie.  This one's about Theseus, but I saw not a single image of a minotaur anywhere.  (Angry at it already)

Green Lantern - MORE AWESOME!  Not to get too dorky on you, but I have reservations about this movie that are balanced out by how much I absolutely love Ryan Reynolds.  I prefer Kyle as GL, but I think Ryan Reynolds will make Hal Jordan likable.  How can you not laugh at, "Oath? Well, everyone knows the oath... I pledge allegiance / to the ring / that I got from a dying purple alien..."

Super 8 - Not sure what exactly is going on in this movie.  I would have sworn that it was an M. Night Shyamalan movie from watching the trailer (it's not).  You know how he never really shows you what it happening, but there is a bunch of crazy stuff and maybe monsters, and chaos. Not cool.

Captain America - EVEN MORE AWESOME!  Again, they are taking "not my favorite superhero" and combining it with "actors I really like."  It's almost as if they are catering to me personally.  :)   I am really hoping that there is some "Sergeant Logan" he runs with in the War, just as a nod to X-Men history.  (Hey, "Mr Stark" flipped the switch on the gizmo that changed him, why can't we have Logan, too?)

Colombiana - More poopoo.  I can tell you the entire plot in a few words from the trailer: "From those who brought you La Femme Nikita."  It's basically a Hispanic Nikita kicking butt. Nothing new or interesting at all.


I've already told John to prepare himself for taking me to numerous bad movies this summer.  AND I'M GOING TO LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!!   :D   (breathing into paper bag to calm hyperventilations)

Wall o' Yarn

I decided to finally get organized about my yarn stash and (maybe) motivate myself to knit more projects and buy less yarn.  I have a few under-bed storage boxes that hold all my yarn, but I've never seen the whole stash in one place... and therefore, I've yet to realize exactly HOW MUCH yarn I've got.  :(   Well, I got a bulletin board to shove that reality in my face each day.  I've got it all sorted into "yarn with patterns attached," "projects in some stage of completion," and "good yarn with no pattern."  I also organized the actual piles of yarn to condense and better sort what I've got.  I think I am satisfied with what I've got... I definitely have a lot on my plate!  So, I'm logging off the computer and back to the needles for me!!  :)

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Happy Mother's Day!

At my own mother's request, I will post some pictures here.  She wanted to see my fabrics and didn't feel like hunting through my Flickr account, I guess.  (Don't worry, Flickr is a bit unwieldy if you are looking for a specific picture.  Great for browsing, though.)  LOVE YOU, MOM!  Here you go:

The first batch of bags I made...

The fabric I got the first time to the store...

The fabric I got the other day....

Purses

I have had a few requests for the pattern for the Thirty-One skirt purse slipcovers, and honestly, I have been trying to figure out where the boundary of copyright infringement lies.  I know I joked about that earlier, but I don't wan to be helping people hurt a company that I like.  If you are going to make a few covers for yourself, maybe some as a gift, I have no problems with you using my pattern.  However, there will be a special hell waiting for you if you use my pattern to sell covers on eBay.  I do not allow permission for that.  I personally do not own this pattern, nor do I make money off of it; neither should you!  (end of legal disclaimer)

Admittedly, this pattern is pretty fast and loose.  I opened the seams of a skirt cover that I bought, and then traced it out on paper before transferring to the PVC.  I really do just wing it each time I make a new cover.  (Sorry to those who were expecting detailed instructions.)  But, I've measured out my pattern for you, and it should be fairly easy to recreate onto your own piece of paper.

I know not all the measurements add up (since when does 14.75 + 1.75 + 1.75 = 18?!), but that is what my pattern says.  Don't worry about it; the seam allowances are pretty big (more like 3/8in than 1/4in) and it doesn't have to be a perfect fit.  (The small black dashes in the corners in the picture are the seam allowances.)  I often trim the cover down a bit to make it more snug on the purse; I don't like it to be baggy.

Extra Notes:  I have found that plain ol' quilters cotton (such pretty patterns!) works well with fusible interfacing on the backside.  A stiffer material is easier to form into the right shape and also will be more durable and long-lasting.  I also haven't added any hook/ bars fasteners to my covers.  I try to make the top opening a little snug and just count on the magic of friction to keep it on.  (I also don't feel like going through a pack of fasteners for each cover.)

Basic Instructions:
1. Sew bottom seam.
2. Sew up side seams.
3. Fold bottom corners and sew seams.  Congratulations! You now have a basic bag!
* Check for fit on your bag - adjust side seams if cover is "baggy."  Measure how "tall" your cover is on the purse; you may need to cut down the top corners if they are too high.
4. Fold (tiny!) seam allowances in top corners and sew seams around notched corner
* Check for fit again.  Measure how much to fold top seam down.
5. Fold top and sew seam.  Run second line of stitching for strength.
6. Add bars (4 on each side) if desired.

Question...

Do I have a sign on my back that says, "Take my stuff"?  I cannot remember a time when I had something stolen from me* in more than a quarter century on this earth (*a time when I know it was stolen, not just when I misplaced it and thought someone took it), and yet in the last three weeks, I've had my credit card number stolen and now someone at the gym took my headphones.  I'm pretty pissed off to say the least. 

And I'm not mad because of the financial reasons of having to replace the stolen items... because I haven't really lost anything of great value; I don't have to replace a TV or a car.  But that is exactly why I'm mad: who really goes out of their way to steal low-in-value items?  I mean, a pair of nice headphones can be had for only $20; if you're pinching pennies, I think Wal-Mart stocks some for $10 (They actually have some for $7.11).  So, seriously? A whopping eight dollars after tax?  If that person at the gym today came up to me and asked for money to buy headphones, I probably would have given him some.  But no.  The jackass has to take mine, now I get to spend the time and effort to replace them.  Was he purposefully thinking of inconveniencing me?


Additional information that makes the situation even more confusing:
--The thief at the gym moved aside my prescription sunglasses and unplugged the headphones from my smart phone in order to take them.  Really?  You passed over two expensive items to steal a pair of headphones? 
--Would you take someone else's IN THE EAR headphones?  I mean, that's a little gross. I'm not saying that my ears are full of crusty nastiness, but I wouldn't want to stick something in my ear that has been in someone else's ear. (blech!)
--I live in s VERY strong Christian town and my headphones were taken from the YMCA.  Is there a special hell for people who break a Commandment... in the Bible Belt... while in a building with "Christian" in the name?  Just askin'.



.... I WANT TO FEEL SAFE AGAIN, YOU JERKS!! I want to think that there are good people in the world and that not EVERYbody is out to get what they can, no matter what happens to others.  I want to believe that I can leave my stuff in a cubby at the gym and not get ripped off.  I want to think that people are good and nice and friendly, and that they are not two-faced, selfish bastards.  And most importantly, I want to kick the headphone thief right in the nuts!  (Or, not to be sexist, I want to pop the female thief right on the nose.)