Inspiration...

....comes at me from all angles, and there are not enough hours in a day for me to perform all the tasks that my muses throw at me. Check out this fabric that Buffy gave me for Christmas:The background is much pinker in person. There's just enough of it for a little sundress and bonnet...BUT I have 5 other projects started already and can't let myself start this one yet!! Oh who am I kidding, I've already got the pattern out and am making plans for the trim to go with it. I'm tellin' ya, it's nervewracking how many cool things I don't have time to make. And being a big fan of Mary Engelbreit, I find cherries very appealing and bright and cheerful so it makes me happy to sew cherry fabric. Thanks again, Buffy! And on the subject of cherries, I already have a cherry dress started. Black background, white collar with handpainted cherries on it, HUGE red rickrack trim that I picked up somewhere so long ago that I don't remember where. BY the way I went to JoAnn fabric yesterday and was amazed to see the price of huge rickrack trim. Makes me very glad I am a packrat, as I have a big tote of various trims and whatnot that I picked up here and there and now I'm finding uses for them.

And on THAT note, it's time to go to work!

Coming to you LIVE from a state of extreme displeasure....

...and feeling like my head is going to pop from the sheer stupidity of recent events.

This is not a politically-oriented blog. I am not a politically-oriented person, don't have a whole lot to say about politics. HOWEVER, something has happened that I find astounding and deeply disturbing. In their infinite wisdom, and we'd all like to believe that THAT isn't just a myth, our government, who is in charge of keeping us all safe and happy and well-cared-for (yeah I know, but just stay with me here) has changed it's schedule to accommodate fans of a TV show. If you haven't heard, the fans of "Lost" contacted the White House by the thousands, begging the press secretary to PLEASE move the scheduled broadcast of the State of the Union address because it was going to pre-empt the season premiere of their favorite show.

When I heard this little tidbit, which was reported on the national news with the same gravity given to the previous story regarding the CIA agents who were killed in Pakistan, my left eye began to twitch and I wished I could rewind the radio because I was sure, sure, that I could not have heard correctly. And I thought, wow, that's really beyond stupid. What these people are saying is that not only don't they care what the President has to say, but that the fate of fictional characters on a show that could undoubtedly be seen on the internet after its initial airing is more important to our country than the Presidental address. AND, they are demanding that the President interrupt someone else's TV show, anyone else's, except theirs. Wow, how incredibly selfish.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to watch the address. As I said: not politically oriented. Also I've never watched "Lost". I get annoyed when whatever I'm watching gets pre-empted by press conferences and speeches or whatever. But I've always respected and been somewhat comforted by the fact that my government doesn't have any regard for what else is on TV, because THEY SHOULDN'T!!!! This is real life here!! You don't want to watch it, don't watch it. Turn the TV off, watch PBS, go play on Facebook. But to ask that the government rearrange it's schedule to accommodate you so you don't have to miss your TV show... and the fact that it DID? What are these people thinking?? There are just not enough adjectives to describe how messed up this is.

If I can stop sneezing long enough....

...I'll see if I can post something. Preston gave me a cold for Christmas, thoughtful man that he is, and it truly is the gift that keeps on giving. But he's suffering right alongside me, so that's just one more thing we do together.

As it does every year, the spring cleaning bug hit me the day after Christmas. I think it stems from the fact that I have a very, very small house and Christmas, however wonderful, makes a big fat mess. I'm not a neat freak, far from it. Very, very far. But even I have my limits. Plus, ever looking forward, I am seized with the compulsion to begin the spring's projects. This probably all adds up to why I never get that post-holiday letdown I've heard about. So many things to do! I've got my spring "line" of clothes started, 5 outfits in the works and many more planned, I've orders still to finish for several people; ribbon shirts, regalia, a vest, Victorian dress shirts, and Kristel's Franken-dress. Also working on the granny-square afghan I started so long ago (we're talking years here) that the person who ordered it no longer wants it. It's a dark-red-and-cream checkerboard design, so I'd like to finish it in time to put out for my shop's Valentine's Day decor. But I have to work on it in between more pressing projects, so we'll see how that goes.

Today I'll review "Knowing", starring Nicholas Cage. If you haven't seen it, and you're one of those people for whom hearing the ending ruins the whole experience of the movie (I am not one of those people), let's just say I recommend it and you should read no further because I'm going to ruin it for you.

"Knowing" is one of those end-of-the-world disaster movies, much like 2012, although with not quite as many special effects. However, I liked this movie so much that I can't wait to watch it again. I am a person who tends to fall asleep as soon as I sit still for more than 10 minutes. I usually have to watch a movie in segments, because I have to keep rewinding to the last part I remember seeing. I had no problem staying awake for this one.
Buffy tells me that lots of people did NOT like the movie, because it doesn't have a happy ending. Yes, the world comes to an end...for the most part. As it turns out, knowing it's coming doesn't mean you can prevent it. It does, however, mean that you get to tie up some loose ends, which actually does lead to as happy an ending as one can expect when the world ends. And the story has a lot to say about faith. I found "2012" unsettling (which is not to say I didn't like it, more on that later), and as few movies do, it gave me a few nightmares. No nightmares from "Knowing", even though it did have a few disturbing scenes; the one that sticks in my mind the most is the scene when the little boy is shown a vision of the woods on fire. The other thing I heard about this movie was that Nicholas Cage's acting was less than impressive. To which I would reply, how would YOU act if you knew the world was going to end (and when)? I thought he did a fine job.
All in all, as I said, I liked this movie a lot, and plan to see it again as soon as I can sit still for two hours.