book #2: the tortilla curtain

i enjoyed boyle's composition. the opposing stories of the haves and the have-nots are are blended together seamlessly.

the ending was shocking, but also disappointing. not because it was sad, maybe just written hastily? i feel like boyle was grasping at straws to pull all the loose ends together.

the characters seemed boring and one dimensional (with the exception of delaney), and i'm pretty sure i hated all of them.

i have no idea how i finished this book.

-------------------------------------

*off topic*

i didn't buy those shoes.

i promised myself if i didn't get 10 comments, i wouldn't.

i bought something wayyyyy better.

but, i'm not gonna share yet.

-------------------------------------

shoes.

hey.

do i want these shoes?

i really feel like a do.

they break my >$50 rule.

but, i've been thinking about them since i first saw them.

should i just buy them?

what are you coveting?

____________________________

michael buble - haven't met you yet

(not really my scene, but my cousin posted it on facebook. the video is rilly cute)

book 1: revolutionary road.

i'm going to try to read 25 non-school books this year.

i may give up.

i alway let these flickr challenges fall through.

my feelings on revolutionary road:

i could join the mobs of housewives and simply call this book 'depressing'.

i could be a lit. snob and compare this to some other, more obscure novel.

instead, i'm just going to fear feelings of complacency and shun conventional thought patterns for a while.

i don't want to turn into frank wheeler.

i cried when i was finished.

not because i was finished, but because i was nervous.

(i was going to include the trailer for the movie, but it seemed.... whatever.)

_________________________

the carpenters - rainy days and mondays.

knitxcore.

meh.

i usually drink coffee in the bathtub.

this morning, that was not an option.

a few days ago, someone hit a pole and our whole neighborhood lost electricity for a couple of hours.

since then, there has been no hot water.

after boiling 6 pots of water on the stove, i only had about 6 inches of water to bathe in.

so now, mr. hot water heater and i are NOT friends.

an open letter to my hot water heater:

hey.

i can't believe you ditched me.

we've been friends for over five years.

i don't want to play with you anymore.

i think it would be best if you gave me back my he-man 'guys' and my skip-it.

i don't want you to have fun if it's not with me.

i'll bring your POGs to school tomorrow.

there is no need to get our parents involved.

robbie.

P.S. i unraveled all of your queen tapes.

if i had to listen to 'bohemian rhapsody' one more time, i swear i would have beat you up behind the laundromat

_____________________

the monkees - pleasant valley sunday

(it makes me smile)

randytravis.

my grandma thought randy travis was a 'dreamboat'.

we used to listen to him in the car on the way to kmart.

she didn't live that far away, so it was only one or two songs.

unless there was a sale at caldor. in which case, we would listen to half of a cassette.

it was ok.

sometimes, we would stop by a takeout restaurant and get tiny chicken sandwiches.

it only took one or two bites to finish them.

there is nothing more fun than singing along to 'deeper than the holler' with a mouth full of fried chicken and bread.

_____________________

kappa danielson - deeper than the holler (randy travis cover)

-i couldn't find a good quality original-

review: the little prince

existential masterpiece!

disguised as a harmless children's parable, Exupery contemplates the loss of 'the child' in man. "the little prince" rivals both Camus' "the stranger" and Bach's "johnathan livingston seagull".

certain passages still seem relevant to contemporary society (i.e. 'men have no more time to understand anything. they buy things all ready made at the shops. but there is no shop anywhere where one can buy friendship, and so men have no friends anymore.'); a difficult task for a book written over sixty years ago. if i could only read one book for the rest of my life, i would pick this. not because it was a 'nice little story'. but because it forces 'grown-ups'to live deliberately.

read it. it's good.

i found my copy at a dirty charity shop. i was supposed to be christmas shopping for my co-workers. they were having a 50% sale.

i bought a mountain of 'things':

4 highball glasses

a plate with a big-eyed girl on it

a tiny honeycomb paper santa

an elvis record

a buddy holly record

the 'mary poppins' soundtrack

2 cookbooks

'the little prince' first edition (1943)

'the silver nutmeg' (1956)

2 little handsewn cat toys made by the lady behind the register.

all for a total of $15!!!!

the store was pure magic. i would live there, if they'd let me :-)

<3

robbie.

patience is a virtue.

i started these charade socks (ravelry link) in march.

i just finished them this morning. lol.

i tossed them in a basket and forgot about them for a few months.

yesterday, i picked them up and just plowed through the second sock.

tofutsies it the splitt-iest(?) yarn i have ever used.

the sad part is the finished socks are so comfortable, that the splitting isn't even a deal breaker.

i *might* use it again. one day.

i picked the worst colorway webs had on purpose, but it really grew on me.

after a few sizing issues, i ended up casting on 72 stitches and then just followed the pattern 'as is'.

i'm so happy to have an FO to share!!!!

what are you working on???

_________________________________

the wannadies - you and me song

<3

robbie.

we declare world contact day

i've been in a dayquil induced haze for at least a week now.

i feel disgusting.

my nose is running in my sleep.

every morning, i wake up to a snot covered pillow.

i have absolutely no appetite,

and have eaten nothing but christmas cookies

from the time i open my eyes until i pass out on the sofa.

i downloaded the carpenters 40/40 album right before i got sick

and have listened to it almost exclusively.

i can barely squeak out a whole sentence without coughing,

but i now know every word to 'calling occupants of interplanetary craft (the recognized anthem of world contact day')'.

i'm sad that i have never bothered to listen to the carpenters until now.

they are absolutely one on the best bands to exist, ever.

and that's not just the dayquil talking.

__________________________

the carpenters - calling occupants of interplanetary craft (the recognized anthem of world contact day)

<3
knitxcore.

my feet are sweaty but at least i have shoes.

i just posted this comment @ emy augustus' blog

"i feel like when people give homeless people 'anything', for maybe just a second they are really saying 'it is probably my fault you are here, on the street, eating garbage. here is a grape or a frito or whatever. this small crumb makes up for that fact that you are completely oppressed and i need to think i did something to change that". it doesn't. it's probably really demeaning and kinda selfish. when i see a homeless person, i just want to smile and maybe say 'hi'. possibly pay them a compliment. not a facetious, underhanded compliment. just something honest and simple like "you have beautiful eyes". so, maybe, just for second, they will feel normal and 'connected' to someone else. i feel like they feel lonely. this one time, after a maria taylor show, a man outside of a bodega asked me for a chocolate milk. like specifically. he said,"excuse me, i know this sounds ridiculous but, i would be really happy if you bought me a chocolate milk". when i was walking around the store, i wsn't sure if i should do it. eventually i came to this conclusion: i had money, he was thirsty for some chocolate milk. why shouldn't i buy him 8 oz. of happiness? the fact that he was able to find happiness in such a simple thing made me think about my own materialistic life. since then, i've only had chocolate milk a few times, but it tastes different. 'better' or something."

she posted this vlog, and it made me think.

i know this is random, but at least i blogged something.

i haven't had a lot of time to work on any 'projects'.

the semester is over next week, so maybe i'll find some time to make a few gifts.

<3

knitxcore.

EEEEEE

'sara's popsicle was depressed.'

reading in bed is such a welcome distraction.
i should be writing a paper about what i believe in but, i'm not sure.
i think i believe in simplicity? (re: thoreau)
and maybe buying handmade? (re: etsy)
possibly, living deliberately? (re: existentialism)

i don't know.
i'm hungry, and tired.
i think we have some spaghetti.
i'll try again tomorrow.

-----------------------------------------------

i kinda want to live in this house.

the most serene republic - heavens to purgatory

<3

knitxcore.

happyhippiebirfday.

i apologize for my hiatus.

i didn't have a battery for my camera.

and people want to see pictures on a blog.

don't lie.

but i have a battery now.

and it's my birthday.

<3

knitxcore.

school daze.

i'm sorry it's been so long.

i'm still here.

i still knit.

i finally decided to go back to school, after 8 years. that makes me sound old doesn't it?

i really didn't have the opportunity to go to college right after high school and was thrust into the real world without my big boy pants on. after folding t-shirts for most of my adult life i started wondering if there was life outside of the mall. it turns out there is, you just need a degree to enjoy it. i'm going to be thirty soon and don't have a whole lot to show for it. now is as good as time as any right?

i'm still knitting. I finished a few special orders. see?:

and a few days ago, i casted on my second charade sock from a few months ago. lol. the tofutsies is just plain horrible. it splits more than any yarn i have EVER used. EVER. but the socks will still be nice when/if finish them :-)

i can't decide on a fall sweater. all i know is that i want to use a rowan pattern (from knitting for him or vintage knits) and that i want to make it out of peace fleece or something from beaverslide dry goods. i pick up the books every night and look at EVERY SINGLE PAGE, not only because the photos are amazing but also because some of those patterns look quite intimidating.

any suggestions on a sweater pattern for me??? come on. i know you all spend every waking moment on ravelry. have i missed a hidden gem???

________________________

MagicGingerSongs <3

a fine frenzy - blow away

<3

knitxcore.

i'm trying to get back into my "good" habits.

i used to make the bed everyday.

i kinda dropped the ball.

i'm going to frame this and hang it near the bed.

i'll have a gentle reminder every morning.

i finished a few custom hats, last week.

i promise to share them soon.

i may even do a shop update sometime in the near-ish future :-)

i'm gonna feed kitties and go to bed. it's kinda late.

___________________________

BEDTIME STORY!!!!!

Capucine: Cute French Girl's Fairytale

i saw this on someone else's blog and thought it was the cutest thing i've ever seen :-)

<3

knitxcore.

watergate salad.

watergate salad is one of my favorite things ever.

pistachio pudding and marshmallows together?

a delicious dream.

my family always had it at cookouts when i was wee lil' guy.

until recently i had never made it myself.

i could never find a recipe, and wasn't even sure what it was called.

pretty sure it was some secret recipe, i gave up trying to duplicate it.

as it turns out, the recipe has been on the pudding box all this time.

now, i can share it with blogland:

Watergate Salad

• 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant pistachio pudding mix
• 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, with juice
• 1 cup miniature marshmallows
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Mix everything together. Refrigerate for at least an hour :-)

______________________________

cibelle - green grass (a tom waits cover)

<3

knitxcore.

and the winner is....

that right!!!!

by a landslide with 45 votes.

i've already cut it (and left sides a lil' longer in homage to Ol' RobbyPattinson), but need to pick up some styling tools and a blowdryer (dammit) because my hair refuses to stand up on it's own. i may post some photos tonight anyway. we'll see.

as you can tell, i'm on the fence about it. but this guys hair has given me hope:

thank for all of your votes/suggestions!!!!!

the winners:

nora and joontoons.

email me your mailing adresses to claim your prizes @ rdulaney82 at comcast dot net.

_________________

elvis - i got lucky

<3

knitxcore.

hair today, gone tomarrow.

i want to thank everyone so much for all of the options!

i never thought that i would get that many comments.

i know big time bloggers get tons more, but 14 is a lot to me.

my three favorites from the choices were:

-the "james dean"

WoW! why i didn't i think of this on my own?

it's perfect!!!!!

-the "swing kid"

i loved this movie when i was a younger.

we watched it in fourth grade for some reason.

-the "super hip lookbook guy"

thanx for sending this my way :-)

i love lookbook.

so these are your choices.

which haircut should i pick?

• the "james dean"
• the "swing kid"
• the "super hip lookbook guy"

View Results
Create a Blog Poll

the poll will be open until the 6th.

don't forget to vote :-)

<3

knitxcore.

hair.

this is what my hair looks like right now.

i hate it. it's thick and kinda wavy at times and usually looks terrible by the end of the day.

so everyone that reads my is going to help me pick a new 'do. right?

i want:

something more polished (as stacy and clinton would say).

that doesn't involve blow drying or straightening.

possibly vintage or classic? (i.e.; pompadours and side parts)

and finally something that requires very little "product".

leave your ideas in the comments, preferably with a link to a photo.

i'll pick my favorites out of those, and open a poll for all of you to vote on monday.

the person who picks with the winning style/cut will recieve a sweet vintage or handmade prize!!!!!

<3

knitxcore.

floor pillow.

made from a vintage montgomery ward bed sheet.
my grandma used to work there when i was little.
it's stuffed with two regular bed pillows tied together.
i'm sure the kitties will adopt it, and i'll never get use it.
i used ApartmentTherapy's tutorial as a jumping off point
and adjusted the measurements to make it easier.
i'm horrible at math.




project details:

tutorial= @ apartmenttherapy

materials = two standard pillows (which were under the bed), one vintage bed sheet (ebay $8), velcro (i had laying around for some strange reason), fiberfill to fill out corners (i buy it every time it's on sale)

time= 30 minutes

modifications= i needed this to fit under my coffee table so, i did a 30" x 30" square.

---------------------------------

sarah blasko - no turning back

<3
knitxcore.

vinyl sunday.

ed ames- when the snow is on the roses.

i bought this album at a store where LP's are 20 for $2.

the sleeve was so good i couldn't leave it there.

i'm still not sure who ed ames is.

he could have been the indian guy in "daniel boone".

-----------------------------------

ed ames - when snow is on the roses.

<3

knitxcore.

friday faves.

Etsy:

forage shoulder bag from forestbound.

sturdy and well crafted from vintage materials.

oh! if this fabric could talk, it would have better stories than my grandpa.

Music:

zoe woodbury-high's amazing ukelele smiths cover.

i secretly want a ukelele, but i know i won't be good at it.

i had a lot of instrumental FAILs in my life already.

BLOG:

a five year old girl photo blogs with her polaroid

camera. magic.

enjoy!

<3

knitxcore.