unanswerable questions.

How do you pronounce Kauni?

Why am I obsessed with Estonia?

Why is it hard to find pictures to explain bizarre color codes of fancy Estonia yarn I cannot pronounce? If I could pronounce it I could have asked Local Yarn Stores if they carry it and could I come look at it?

Will I ever stop buying yarn? and Will I ever knit all the yarn I have?

Why does the play I am working on make me think of an article on superstition in cats and pigeons, but really the question is why does everything make me think of that article. Or if not that article, then the one that postulated skin color variation was in response to vitamin D and Folic Acid. (Basically, lack of vitamin D can give you rickets, lack of folic acid in utero causes spina bifida. Too much vitamin D can cause your body to use up too much of your folic acid. The only natually occurring vitamin d other than sunlight, is cold water fish, and beef liver. So, the theory goes, skin color is a delicate balance of not too much but just enough of these two vitamins. ) I read this article once years ago, and can now not find any follow up research, it might make me crazy one day.

hmm, maybe that is all of my unanswerable questions?

ps. I bought too much yarn, again.

Well, yesterday, I didn't get too much done, though I contributed to the failure to go to a meeting of another union member.

I did a little on the ongoing tell the computer where the music files are project... I am not doing the majority of the books on cd that I have already uploaded, but I did want to get the Jared Diamond book done... oh, you don't know what I am talking about? when I transferred from one computer to another, I thought I would be smart and move all the music files the the external, but the new computer didn't automatically find the songs, so, I have to individually tell it where each one is... good times... for not just me, for Pat as well... I don't do it everyday. I should I might be done already, but.... anyway, I am doing them in order by artist, and Jared Diamond (who wrote guns germs and steel) wrote a book called Collapse, about what makes societies collapse, the Maya, Easter Island, Greenland etc. and its 22 cds long. I really want it to be the next book I listen to while I knit, and I have only found through disc 11.

I have started looking for yarn for the mittens, I had thought at first I would use a basic yarn from knit picks... but then I got to thinking, I want to make the rainbow bears for Pat's mittens, and I know a few yarns that have long color repeats so, those might work, but is rainbow a color that is in season, or di I want to use multiple yarns, and have more control, but less delightful accident? It doesn't help that I was at a yarn store, and found some beautiful silk wool yarn for reasonable... in good colors... I recall seeing exactly what would work for this project, but I can't find it anymore... so, a little stymied, but its still in the begining stages....

Its almost time to start the christmas knitting.

And I have a few ideas... I am not sure how many presents I may knit, I know I want to knit socks for my dad, and uncle john, and I think mittens for Jana and Daniel.

I am not sure about anyone else...more leg warmers...?

the creative part of the socks will be in the dyeing process, I think. I have this sock yarn that was knit flat undyed, and you can dye a picture in it and then knit it, and it is sort of supposed to come out, its probably not made for detail work, but I could possibly make something fun.


And why mittens for Jana and Daniel... well, I want to send them a present, and I want to make pictures in fair isle mittens that are cool. They work out because they are cool, and live in Finland. This really started because Jana sent me this awesome plate and cup with traditional Finnish decorations on them, which are very cool, Yelena looked at them and pronounced them Russian, which leads me to a book I know that exists

Folk Knitting in Estonia
a Garland of Symbolism,
Tradition and Technique

This ethnic offering gives knitters an introduction to the wonderful knitting of Estonia. There are 26 patterns for colorful mittens, gloves, and socks to knit, along with some exciting new knitting techniques. Included is information on the history and traditions of this fascinating Baltic country

Estonia... that's all up in Finland's neighborhood.

For a moment I was all fired up to buy the book, but I got a good look at the patterns on Ravelry, and I think I am going to wing it with my Knitters Handy Book of Patterns. I knew I would want to create my own colorwork pattern, to be individualized. So, I have looked up math equations for Daniels and I might make Grateful Dead mittens for the roommate. For Jana, she might read this, and I don't have any concrete ideas yet.

the thoughts that I think.

so, 5 days a week, I sit in a catwalk, in the dark for 2 hours, and run a spotlight.

It is not demanding work.

Its sort of mind numbingly dull by this point in the process. (2 weeks left)

To keep myself awake, I have to think of other things with 90% of my brain. The other 10% I leave with the show, to listen to the stage manager when my light is not on, and watch the actress and follow her when my light is on.

I think of many great things to write about, brilliant, insightful things, about the state of the economy, political meanness, the way theatres should be run, evil coworkers and how I might poke them in the eye with a spoon, literary comparisons like the Year of Magical Thinking and Frankenstein - Frankenstein was written because Mary Shelley lost her mind a bit when her child died, which also leads to superstition and myth and death.

But when I get home, all I want to do, it check my facebook pirates, and eat a snack...

I do want to make a brief liberal statement to the nasty Republicans out there, do you think we were this mean to Bush that you have to be evil, do you think we weren't this mean because Bush was a better president than Obama, or because we were too wousy? I think we were being polite. Don't ask me in snide ways how I think its not better. Warm dog shit on a stick would be better than Bush, and I will always think that. I know the Republicans aren't the LaRouche assholes with the Obama as Hitler posters, but give the guy a break, he inherited the crap economy, he inherited the war, he inherited a bunch of shit, and we won't know his true legacy for a while. We can't even be sure of the Bush legacy at this point. So give the guy a damn break.

And before you say I get my news from some yellow liberal news source, I mostly read the Economist for my world news, with a little NPR (which I mostly can listen only for the human interest stories) and well, scientific american.

errrrr... I also get a little worked up, up there in the catwalk, with my light, in the dark.

Where does the time go?

I mean to update this all of the time, but I don't.

maybe its because nothing much happens in my life.

I promise there will be more of an update soon.

I am not dead, and life is not terrible. so...

If I could figure out how to update this from my phone, I might do it, while sitting around at my job unable to do anything that makes noise.

Ah the joys of theatre

well, its been a fun week.

our play is not quite up to snuff, so, we are delaying the opening. And we got an understudy. But there is a little tiny party for production staff tomorrow night... I wonder how much I can drink before they cut me off... no I am kidding. No really... last week, I had two beers on Sunday, and one beer on monday, and thought to myself as I choose not to have a second beer on Monday, that 4 beers in 2 days, might mean I have a problem.

Its been a long hard tech, and our actress, has had a very hard time. I don't know the entire extent of everything, so, I can't say anything for certain as to why she is having a hard time. I have strong opinions, as I am sure anyone reading this will know. But anyway.

There is much to look forward to this week. Stitch and Pitch on Thursday, its a baseball game a bunch of knitters go to, and there is free stuff.

I broke down and signed up for an AT&T account, and ordered an iPhone. I know its silly, and wasteful, and silly, but childishly, I really want one. I bought an ipod touch about a month ago, and its all that I ever wanted except it doesn't take pictures or make calls. Is it only to update Facebook with inanities, maybe... but its a pda you can play games and movies on....

Its funny that I do this just as iTunes gets more and more on my nerves.

The question now becomes, what becomes of the ipod touch? I have a few ideas, and here they are, my roommate, my roommate's brother, my friend Ali, or my dad.
My roommate, because its a silly piece of technology he would never get for himself, I worry it will make him want an iphone though, I believe it is gateway technology. My roommate's brother, who is undergoing dialysis 3 times a week, now there is someone who might need a diversion that is portable. Its not the brother who I have met, but, still. Ali? well she knows she does not want an iphone, since she wants to get a phone that takes sim cards for other countries, since she travels, but she might think is fun. My dad, well he might think it is fun too, or not...

if none of these 4 wants it, I am going to sell it for $100 on Craigs list or through a friend.

To counteract this willful spendthriftyness, I bought a cd at my bank, $500 now, and adding $200 a month, for the next two years. At the end of two years I should have $5000. spend and save. a new policy.

Should have posted on Monday

I meant to post on monday, as it was my day off for a little bit, I am lame.

I am about to start day two of tech week. and this show is intermidable. er... unending? I had such high hopes really. because I really loved the book.

I can decide yet if it is the actress, or the director, but I think its the actress, this 90 minute play is so ponderous, and the book - not ponderous.

I always thought they should get a younger actress to do it, and they just make her up to be older.
its unfair of me to say, maybe ageist, but its huge... and we have no understudy, and she can't learn the lines.

well, anyway, I may be over stating the case, I have gotten 5 hours of sleep last night, and I am forcing myself to not go to work till 9am, not that its going to give me more sleep, but, there was no big reason to come at 8am, except guilt. but I really should make a bit of coffee, or drink tea, and make my breakfast, lunch and dinner, and get this party started.

On an animated movie front. I watched The Cat Returns, (a Miyazaki film) yesterday during dinner. It was pretty cute. I bought a few Miyazaki films at... sigh... Costco, the shorter ones we can watch during the 2 hour dinner break, I had hoped to share Spirited Away with Jeanette, but it might be too long, we can do it if we start right away, so, beverages will have to be bought at lunch.

What else... there was somehing... oh right, I am pretty convinced that I NEED an iphone, because I am a hopeless consumer, and must keep up with the cool kids, plus, constant connection to facebook. maybe I will start to twitter. ohhhh.... but I have given myself the task of coming up with 85 reasons to get one (the price of monthly service) I wonder if I smoked 85 dollars worth of cigarettes a month, could just send it to another blood sucker.