just maryse

Ten More Days

halfway there!

this weekend, in addition to shopping, i also made more funfur trees.  (you know, instead of studying.  i have a lab final on wednesday and then a final final the following wednesday -- fuckers).

these guys are little, no more than 6 inches tall.  and what i like about my version of the funfur tree (pattern in the side bar over there ----> ) is that because it's started at the top and you knit down toward the base, you can stop knitting whenever you feel like it without having to plan ahead.  ran out of yarn?  you can stop.  sick of knitting with the funfur?  you can stop.  bought 3 tons of funfur at a sale 3 years ago when you were all about the funfur and you want to use up the stuff?  make a much bigger tree.  you are only limited by the size of your house. 

i didn't use lion brand funfur for these trees, but some green trendsetter aura that i got at graceful stitches for 50% off.  it looks and feels like easter basket grass.  yes, it's lovely stuff.  makes a nice loofah too.

and the garland i  made by stringing a bunch of those giant sequin thingies (they're called paillettes) onto metallic sewing thread and with a tiny crochet hook i made 15 chains, crocheted in a paillette, crocheted 15 more chains, etc. until i had a chain of paillettes long enough to wrap around each tree.  then i secured the garland with a small stitch or two.  ta-da! 

and now to the 10th thing about me:

10.  sometimes stupid, insignificant stuff can really irritate me and i'll obsess about it, getting all riled up and outraged.  and then feel kind of dumb because in the grand scheme of things, who cares?  for example, this is my current pet peeve.

i was listening to very smart people talk on NPR this morning and this one very smart, journalist person who writes for a living and expresses her opinion in publications that people spend good money on used three little words when used on their own do not annoy me.  but when strung together as a transitional phrase make me want to set something on fire:  "THAT BEING SAID."  (or it's equally annoying cousin "THAT SAID.")

god, i hate that little phrase.  because these days, every one uses it.  i read in newspapers, magazines (god you  magazine people need to mix it up a little).  i hear it on news shows on tv and the radio.  i hear it all of the time.   bloggers use it a lot, and that's fine.  i can live with it, because most bloggers, don't blog for a living.  i don't use caps in my blog posts and i'm sure that annoys people but hey, i'm not getting paid to type.

but if a professional writer or speaker uses it, ugh!!! it annoys me so much.  know why?  because it's sheer laziness on their part.   they should know better. and they should be able to transition from one thought to the next without using "that being said."    in my line of work, it would be as if  instead of collecting data from actual data sources, i decided to make the data up.   ok, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration but you get my point.  maybe.

ok.  see how stupid and insignificant that is?  and now i'm all riled up just at the thought.  want to set my teeth on edge a little more?  use the phrase "the fact of the matter is" over and over again.  yeah.  annoying.

alrighty then.  that being said, i'm out of here for today.

heh heh.

 

Bag 'n' Trash World Headquarters

this morning, while on the train, i noticed that somewhere between Natick and Wellesley (i think) we passed the Finagle a Bagel World Headquarters.  that's what it said on the building.  WORLD HEADQUARTERS.  now my question is this...where do the finagle a bagel people come off having a world headquarters when there are no finagle a bagels outside of the boston metro area?  huh?  are there finagle a bagels in brazil?  romania?  worcester? 

that would be a no.

it's like the World Series.  it really isn't the World Series, other than if you consider that half of the RedSox for example are from outside of the U.S.  but that's not why it's called the World Series.  pretentious pricks.

and sure, when the Patriots win the SuperBowl in a couple of weeks, they'll be called the world champion Patriots.  but how can they be world champions?  beating a team from Indianapolis doesn't really make you a world champ.  just an united states champ.   

hell, i could call this blog bag 'n' trash world headquarters because it is possible that i  might blog in france ... the paris office would be called "bague et trasch" or "sac et poubelle."  and i know i'm read in france ... hi auntie m and kate and anna!  but i don't see a finagle a bagel opening in prague any time soon.

Pots and Kettles

i was going to start this post with a rhetorical "maybe i just don't get it ..." and then decided that i totally "get it" ... it's our "fearless" leader and his politicos that don't.

so it's totally ok to tell the american people that if they don't vote for bush et al that there will be another 9/11 ... but telling seniors that social security is going to go to hell in a handbasket if bush gets elected is a scare tactic....

isn't that like the pot calling the kettle a kitchen implement?

hmm i guess what's good for the goose IS NOT good for the gander.

Dear Secret Pal

thank you so much for my package! what a pleasant surprise to find a little package pour moi amidst all of the bills and junk in our mailbox. i love my bookmark

- baaaaa -- and my fancy tape measure that will not get lost in my knitting bag.

i also received the latest issue of marth stewart's living. it's ghoulishly delicious. boo!

finally, i know i haven't ranted lately about bush et al. do not believe for one millisecond that it's because i don't care anymore, or i've given up or anything like that. it's just that if i get all worked up about it, i'm sure to hurt people.

i swear whenever i see a pro-bush bumper sticker i want to grab the driver of the car by the collar and cuff them good and hard about the head and say to them repeatedly...."CLEARLY YOU ARE A MORON!!!"

*ok...i'm good now*

Shove It!

to hear the media (especially katie couric who grates on my nerves more and more each and every friggin' day) talk about theresa heinz kerry and her infamous "shove it" remark, you would think that she was afflicted with tourettes' syndrome. it's a good thing i'm not thinking of having a future in politics. in heinz kerry's position, i would have been too tempted to tell that journalist to, "get the *$%#$ away from me you right wing nut job."

anyway. i haven't mentioned it but yes, the democratic national convention is in town. and let me tell you, i've been able to make it to work in 35 minutes as opposed to an hour. it's like driving in on a sunday night! as far as i'm concerned, we can have a convention here every single day. hell! invite the republicans!!! true, i haven't ventured downtown but i think i may tonight. J has sent me back to live in the city for a few days. he asked me if i wouldn't mind staying in boston until saturday so that he can just buckle down and finish what needs to be done to the house without me being a distraction (which really means that he wants to finish things his way without me going into project manager mode and nagging him.) i said fine. i can do some packing AND live like carrie bradshaw, without the fabulous wardrobe (and the slim figure, and rich boyfriend, etc.) one last time. anyway, i haven't really listened to many of the speeches -- i did catch some of bill clinton's but that's because i love him and always will even if he did cheat on his wife and lied and i wish he could be president again -- because it really is just a bunch of bullshit. i'm a bit of a cynic and i just can't get all gung ho over words. watching the DNC is like watching the academy awards, without the possibility of seeing Jude Law and without the fabulous clothes, with everyone talking about the future, and how great everyone is and how they love everyone that's here and *puke*. (and what is with the wacky hats?) i just want the election to be here, and for everyone to go out and vote for kerry because i want bush out. he's a menace. i've been voting since i've been old enough to vote and NEVER EVER have i ever felt that if my candidate did not win, we'd be up shit's creek. i feel that way now. and i'm terribly afraid that too many americans are still too stupid, selfish, or rightwing freaky to do the right thing and vote for someone who's college GPA was higher than mine. (again another example of why i can't run for political office).

"why am i running for office? because the other candidate is an idiot, thank you. and needs to stop smoking crack."

*abrupt topic change*

i really really wanted to make this post about knitting. i had downloaded some pictures of completed items and everything. but somehow between home and work, i managed to "lose" all of my pictures.

so i'll post them this weekend.

*sigh*

Stop the Insanity....

the senate voted 48 to 50 in favor of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage today. although this is good news in the short-term, in the long-term it brings to question a couple of things.

1. why is it that it took rachael's blog to bring this very important impending vote to my attention in the first place? true, i don't read the newspaper every day cover to cover, but c'mon i watch the news every morning! why wasn't this a bigger deal? jesus some dead tiger (poor bobo) got more news play!

2. why was this vote even this close? it was 12 votes short of a 2/3 majority, so that's somewhat comforting, but c'mon people. that's still too close.

3. finally, why are valuable tax $ being wasted on making an amendment to the constitution that would ban people from getting married? what has happened to our country that makes it ok to do this?

as someone now ensconced in a traditional marriage, i cannot understand how having ted and fred (or gladys and alice) saying "i do" in any way threatens my marriage or my future family. can anyone explain this to me? anyone? bueller?

ok i'm done.

thanks rachael for keeping me in the loop.

oh and HAPPY BASTILLE DAY!!!!!!!! let's have cake!

WARNING! The Following Post Contains Pro-French, Elitist, Liberal Content ...

this morning, i was reading the latest issue of The Boston Phoenix on the train to work. YES PEOPLE IT'S A DIRTY LIBERAL RAG!!!! BOO!!!!! but hey, i like it. anyway. i took particular offense to the ideas expressed in this paragraph in this article ...

"Among other things, Republicans have been trying to paint Kerry as somehow French, which apparently is now considered prima facie evidence of cultural elitism and anti-Americanism. The Republican National Committee mocked Kerry’s "misery index" of Bush economic failures by releasing an "Index De Le Miserables." And after Kerry suggested to Tim Russert during a recent Meet the Press interview that he had met some foreign leaders at restaurants in New York, House majority leader Tom DeLay actually said, "I don’t know where John Kerry eats or what restaurants he attends in New York City. But I tell you, at the Taste of Texas restaurant — it’s this great steak house in Houston, Texas — the only foreign leader you meet there is called filet mignon."

first of all, what is wrong with being french? why is having french blood a bad thing? because france didn't back the US in this sham of a war? a lot of countries didn't. the french government has it's problems but i was very pleased that this time they didn't turn around and let the US .... you know .... do that thing that was once outlawed in texas but was then deemed unconstitutional... you know ... wink wink.

by the way, i'm french. my parents come from france. i come from a long line of french peasants. 100% through and through. but i don't sound french, and maybe that is what makes me particularly dangerous ...... be careful.... we look like you ... we don't all wear berets or smoke, and (unfortunately for me) we aren't all reed thin and naturally stylish ...but we're out there ....WATCH YOUR BACK! WE MIGHT MAKE YOU DRINK GOOD WINE!!! AND EAT BRIE!!!!!

as for having culture....why is that voters in this country think that having any sort of culture is a liability? i want my president to be smarter than me. to have gotten better grades in college than i did. to speak more than one language. and to speak english correctly. why is mediocrity so highly prized in this country? why?

by the way, i was born in the US so i'm an american citizen...so you can't throw me out...heh heh.

we now take you back to your regularly scheduled program.

Over-Accessorizing

sometimes i try TOO hard and my last post is a perfect example of that. i posted too many pictures. and certainly too many that were mediocre at best. oh well. i need to remember that when writing up a post, like with accessories, the way to go is simple yet elegant. and taking pictures in a moving car while driving just doesn't work. plus it's dangerous.

on a totally different topic, Mitt Romney, the governor of Massachusetts, is trying to re-institute the death penalty. just last week, he was obsessed with gay marriage. on may 17th, massachusetts will be the first state which will legally allow gay marriage and ole mitt has his panties in a twist about it . so, maybe he's thinking that if he can't prevent gays from marrying, maybe he can have them executed. silly mitt.

Take This Job and well you know ....

ugh. i've decided that i hate my job. in fact, i think i hate working altogether. last night my friends were asking me what i would want to do instead and you know what? i couldn't tell them. some women i know have the option of getting preggers and staying home to raise their brood. i'm not saying that it's easier than my job (so keep your "you don't know what you are talking about you working no kid type person who doesn't know what she's talking about" comments to yourself, thank you very much). i know it's hard ... but still you're the boss and it's meaningful, and if someone gets on your nerves you can ground them. or something. i can not ground the people who make my life miserable at work. or give them a "time-out." "hey that was the dumbest thing i've ever heard anyone say ever ... where have you been for the past 6 months ... get with the program people ... or NO TV FOR 2 WEEKS." hmmm no, that wouldn't work.

oh well. i gotta start playing the lottery.

by the way, i love my new weatherpixie. she's so tarty.....grrrr

A New Bag ... Should it be Trashed?

so here you go. except for the straps, which i havent' decided upon quite yet, the tri-pocket tote is finished. and it actually came out better than i thought it would. the pattern called for Crystal Palace Deco Ribbon and Chenille held together. i had this gigantic stash of Lion Brand Homespun sitting in the closet ( i wanted to make a log cabin afghan that just wasn't working) so after crocheting a swatch and noticing i could get the same gauge, i said why not give it a try. and here it is .... drum roll please ....

this is what it looks like on the inside
so, not half bad ... clearly it's floppier than the original but it still holds itself up. if you do decide to try this with a different yarn than is called for, please make sure to swatch. it's critically important for the gauge to be correct because otherwise the 3 pieces will not fit together properly ... and then mayhem ensues.

on the topic of mayhem (one of my favorite words) ... i've been out sick for two days. just not feeling "right," probably saddled with some random virus that i caught on the plane. but i can't help but feeling guilty. i guess i could have gone in today. but on the other hand, it's not like anyone else will have to do my work in my place ... it'll just wait for me in my absence. plus, a study just came out ... i know because i saw it on the news ... concluding that if we're sick we're better off just staying home, it's better for the employer and for the other employees, instead of being a regular typhoid mary and getting everyone else sick.

anyway. now that i've got that bag done i'm thinking of doing another in another color combo... yes there's more yarn in my stash.

one more thing... why in heaven's name is this still happening? if any of us performed as poorly at our jobs as this man, we would have been fired. clearly they never polled me. i'd give them a good talkin' to.