Category: To Occupy my Time

The Whipping Man


I received a free ticket to this play (thanks Michael!) and am so glad I got to go.  Though the first act had a leg amputation which caused me to nearly pass out/throw up* this play’s setting and themes (Jewish slave holder at the end of the Civil War, freedom, Passover) were intriguing. The plot twists were handy (That was me who gasped aloud when the big reveal near the end happened) and for a play that dealt with such serious topics, it was frequently funny.  Gavin Gregory, Carter Hudson and Christopher Livingston were all tops in their roles as young slaveholder (Carter Hudson) and freed slaves (Gregory and Livingston).  Also, the set was fabulous, and I wish my camera could do more with low-light settings.

*Really.  I was deep breathing while trying to figure out where, exactly, would be the best place for me to puke.  It took a good 10 minutes into the second act to regain equilibrium.

I embark on the Kristen

The Kristen is the first pattern I’ve made from Burda Style.  It cost $4.00 to download and then I printed out the pattern, taped it together and now I am cutting it out.  I’m not certain why you need to see 10 pictures of me cutting out a pattern, but I took them, so you get to see them.  As a reward, at the bottom is the material I chose.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Upper right is the contrast detail, lower half is main fabric, bit in the left corner is the lining.  I found the main fabric material back in January when I was buying skirt material.  I’m only allowed one sewing project at a time and I thought this design and weight would make a beautiful Crepe Dress from Collette Patterns.  That’s the dress I plan on making for my 20-year reunion, which is the project after this one.  But the bolt was considerably slimmer on this trip and Julie (she of the excellent fabric picking skills) convinced me that I needed to get the material for THIS dress and find something else delightful for the reunion dress, as this material might not be there when I came back next time.  I’m so glad she convinced me of this.

fun. is fun.

It’s a sunny Wednesday afternoon.  Where am I going with a backpack?
 
The fun headboard, the painted walls, the lamps.  I must be at a McMenamins Hotel.
 
Indeed it is.  It’s the McMenamins Crystal Hotel located in downtown Portland.
 
Each room is  named after a song and I was excited to have the “Louie, Louie” room.  The very nice desk clerk told me that the song was recorded just up the street.
 
Here’s a map of the whole hotel layout.
 
 And here’s my room’s “Louie Louie” painting.
 
Why am I here on a weeknight?  Why to see fun., of course.
 
You know, FUN.  The band’s name is fun.?  It’s the worst name ever, because no one has any idea what the band’s name is.  It’s like a mini “Who’s on first” conversation every time I bring them up.  But if you have been anywhere near radio (including pop radio, alternative and adult contemporary formats) in the last year, you’ve heard fun.

Notice the ticket says “A December To Remember”?  And notice it’s March?  The show was postponed twice, I was supposed to go on December 19, but they moved it to March.  Because I decided too late I wanted to see the band, the show was sold out, so I stayed in the hotel and was able to buy a ticket.

How was fun.?  fun. was fun.  The band Family of the Year opened and they were great to watch. They said we were an “amazing” crowd.  This was very flattering, although I’m sure they say that to all the crowds.  Here’s a clip from the show.  This song was clearly their big hit as the sing-along got very loud.  I particularly enjoyed watching the bass player, whose hair and stage mannerisms were straight out of 1994.  I say that with love.

fun. was a good time.  They were apparently jet-lagged, but enjoyed us as a crowd as evidenced by this clip. I was interested to see how they would sound live as there are only three of them, and yet many more sounds on their songs than three musicians can make.  They solved this by having additional musicians on stage.  I particularly enjoyed watching Emily Moore (at least that’s what Wikipedia says her name is) who played a lot of instruments.  I learned the lead singer’s sister lives in Portland, which was an interesting fact.  And I particularly enjoyed hearing “The Gambler.”  Here’s a clip of “Carry On.“

Orthodox Lint Project

Hey!  Orthodox Lent is just beginning!  Just in time for my new idea for a Lint project:

Mashed Potatoes and Meditation!

Yes, that’s right.  From now until Orthodox Easter (known as Greek Easter to my family) on May 5, I will meditate every day and also eat mashed potatoes every day.

Why?

I have a sneaking suspicion that my insomnia might be tied to a lack of meditation and I want to test that theory.  Plus, meditation is good for me and I’ve fallen away from it.  As for the mashed potatoes, my favorite local actor, Andy Lee-Hillstrom (U of Idaho graduate!) ended his bio for the play The Velvet Sky with the following: Andy’s a sucker for a good montage, the sound of fingernails being clipped grosses him out, and he could eat mashed potatoes every day of his life.

When I related to Matt that I too could eat mashed potatoes every day of my life, he didn’t believe me.  So I’m eating them every day of Orthodox Lent.

Our Heritage?

Celebrate “Rip City style” by honoring the Trail Blazers 80’s teams. 
Players will wear special Rip City jerseys to honor our heritage.

Now me, I think of “my heritage” as something that happened far in the past, like the fact that my great-grandmother had 15 children, or my grandfather died when my dad was a teenager, or that my other grandfather was born in New Hampshire, but grew up in Greece.  I don’t think of my “heritage” as something that happened less that 35 years ago.  That’s not a heritage, that’s the recent past.

Interestingly, here’s the definition from Dictionary.com

her·it·age

  [her-i-tij]  Show IPA

noun

1.

something that comes or belongs to one by reason of birth; an inherited lot or portion: a heritage ofpoverty and suffering; a national heritage of honor, pride, and courage.
2.

something reserved for one: the heritage of the righteous.
3.

Law.

a.

something that has been or may be inherited by legal descent or succession.
b.

any property, especially land, that devolves by right of inheritance.

Can we really say that our pro basketball team came to us by birth?

Potatoes. Sometimes, they are what’s for dinner.


I remembered that I never finished harvesting the German Butterball potatoes last fall and dug up a pound of them.  They were in great shape, just muddier than if I had pulled them out of the ground last September.  I roasted them up and, man, were they good.  They were so good, I just had a double helping and called that dinner.

Transcendent Donut Experience

I head about this donut shop, something about quality ingredients, good donut, etc.  I like a good donut, so I wandered over.
The interior was industrial, spare and hip.
 
A statement.
 
More hipness.

Here’s the donut in question.

The verdict.  A-mazing.  Here’s how it usually works with me and donuts.  “I wish I had a donut.” I say to myself.  Then, being gainfully employed and mobile, I get myself one.  Sometimes I get them from the grocery store bakery case, sometimes from an official donut shop.  I eat the donut and it leaves me feeling a bit empty.  It was okay in the moment, but the moment has passed, leaving me with a bit of grease and a few coins shorter in my wallet.

Here’s what happened with this donut.  I paid my money, sat down and bit into it.  And it was chewy and substantial and burst with flavor.  The donut was a substance in and of itself, not just a carrier for the toppings. And the toppings!  The chocolate was rich, the coconut was toasted perfectly.  The whole experience was exactly what I’m looking for when I’m in the mood for a donut.  At $2.50, this donut wasn’t cheap, but I’ll take one of these over three of the standard donut, any day.

More fun from the Parade Magazine

If you don’t want to make any chair a cozy one, perhaps instead you need a magic pancake pan?
I think my favorite part of the ad says “You can make: French Toast, Grilled Cheese, Eggs Over Easy, Crepes and more!”

Then, there was a short article on a new film about the Bible.  Read this excerpt and guess what my favorite part is:


Did you guess this:  “Adds Roma Downey, 52, who plays Mary, ‘We wanted the audience to think, ‘I know these people.'”
Well, Roma Downey, I can’t say I knew Mary, but I can say that she sure as hell wasn’t FIFTY-TWO YEARS OLD when she gave birth to Jesus.

Seriously, is anyone in Hollywood sane?