Beer!

So this is where I was last night & where I'll be tonight: The Great American Beer Festival!!. And what a great thing it is! I volunteered for security last night & had a blast. Tonight I'm volunteering as a brew crew pourer at the Blue Moon booth. Last night I couldn't drink; tonight I can :) OMG what a FUN event. I also hung some posters 2 weeks ago as a volunteer. So now I get a comp ticket. But I have to work on Saturday so G's using my ticket. I've already told him that next year he'll have to volunteer himself (it would be a fun "date night" thing to do, actually) for his own comp ticket. I am definitely volunteering again AND attending myself next year. They're expecting 14,000 people tonight & more than that on Saturday night. I should have notated the brewers that I want to visit to sample their wares. There is just about any beer imaginable from the US. Well, there are obviously not all of them there. I noted some important ones missing. But I'll check it out in more detail tonight on my breaks. Last night I was fairly limited in the areas I was able to see. I highly recommend this festival as a must do yearly activity!

Thought control, anyone?

Banned book week...try explaining to an 8 year old why books are banned or challenged. I mean, try explaining it so it makes sense & she doesn't look at you cross-eyed for talking about a concept that is completely incomprehensible. For God's sakes folks, just don't read what you don't like. Are these the same people who just can't understand how to work the remote to change the channel?


The “10 Most Challenged Books of 2005” reflect a range of themes. The books are:

“It's Perfectly Normal” for homosexuality, nudity, sex education, religious viewpoint, abortion and being unsuited to age group;
“Forever” by Judy Blume for sexual content and offensive language;
“The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger for sexual content, offensive language and being unsuited to age group;
“The Chocolate War” by Robert Cormier for sexual content and offensive language;
“Whale Talk” by Chris Crutcher for racism and offensive language;
“Detour for Emmy” by Marilyn Reynolds for sexual content;
“What My Mother Doesn't Know” by Sonya Sones for sexual content and being unsuited to age group;
Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey for anti-family content, being unsuited to age group and violence;
“Crazy Lady!” by Jane Leslie Conly for offensive language; and
“It's So Amazing! A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families” by Robie H. Harris for sex education and sexual content.

Off the list this year, but on for several years past, are the Alice series of books by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck and “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain.

home sweet home?

I was away to PGH last week. Wednesday to Monday actually. By myself. No kids. No G. Just me. My very first plane ride alone -ever! and I survived to tell about it. It was relaxing even. I always have been a fan of benzos. And without kiddos, I actually get to sleep deeply. So the first night I got to partake in a Wednesday evening ritual that started shortly after I moved to CO. Dinner @ Joe & Kim's. I was tired from not falling asleep until 3am & waking @ 6am. But it was fun & little things like that make me wish I could move back -the laid back camaraderie & sharing food kind of little things.

Thursday was wedding gift shopping and dinner with the girls at Fatheads. I see it is aptly named not just for the jock types who hang at the bar but also for the sandwiches which are large enough to feed a small family. Then I met up w/ a friend whom I haven't seen in at least 11 years. Then the attempt to get next tattoo on paper; no dice so a few more beers instead with Chris & Sean. God how I miss my friends. And to buy a Guinness for $3. Bargain for a gal used to paying upwards of $6. First to Dee's which was THE hangout when I last lived in PGH. It's the same but different. Then on to The Smiling Moose which is apparantly the new improved hangout now. Am I getting old if I think the dj plays the music so loud I want to sit far away from the music? And you can still smoke in PGH in bars. I had forgotten about the smell of smoke all over everything at the end of the night.

Did I mention that I had picked up desserts from Moio's? I've been looking for a decent Italian bakery in Denver for 10 long years to no avail. The occasional trip to Moio's will have to suffice. And maybe that's a good thing that Moio's is 1500 miles away. I'd be fairly large now if I could indulge in that more often.

Friday morning was slated as helping a little at the reception hall. So at least I got to help a little since I couldn't be around to help for much anything else leading up to the wedding. Then Angela & I went for lunch & to have our nails done. Ang & I don't get to hang out very much by ourselves so this was a rare & fabulous treat. And I got to visit a little bit w/ Angela'a mom & brother after. He has turned out to be quite the handsome THIRTY year old. That is about the only thing that really makes me feel old. Knowing that Angela's brothers are in their 30's. Weren't they like 9 & 11 last year? omg.

Then I went shopping for wedding clothes, etc. at the Pittsburgh Mills Mall which I couldn't stop calling the Colorado Mills. I was going to watch a Pirates game but heard nothing from the friend who was going to go with me. Luckily I hadn't bought tix in advance. And no I didn't want to go alone. Although, in retrospect, I kind of wish that I had considering the Bucs manhandled the Mets for the whole 4 game stand that weekend.

Saturday was the wedding but first I had an easy peasy ride w/ Sean on his new(?) Triumph. And lunch. And then I was reminded that there are parts of PGH that I don't miss. Like the North Side hasn't changed except for the worse since I lived there 20ish years ago. Sad. (well, there are some improvements -like the stadiums, and "the north shore", etc.) But East Ohio St. and North Ave are just ghetto as ever.

Then the wedding of the decade. I had to leave the bride's room b/c I started crying and I didn't want to infect anyone else with my melancholy and nostalgia. Beautiful ceremony. And then the reception which was a little like a reunion for me b/c I got to visit with so many people that I haven't seen in ages. Delish & fun. And a chocolate bar! And Barbara's famous & the most delicious cake in the world. And a cookie table to be envied by the worlds' most reknowned bakers. And then the Jager shots just like old times with just a little dancing.

Sunday I spent with my parents. Just me. and my parents. I don't think that's happened since I can't remember when. Probably when I was at AIP. That's, oh, 18 or 20 years ago. I mean, BOTH of my parents & just me. We went to the Warhol Museum. You know, it's small enough to make me think that we could see it all in one day. But there's enough to see that it would be better enjoyed over a couple days. Oh and we had Primanti's for lunch -since I didn't get any in June. My dad for the first time and I think he liked it! It's the same but much cleaner on a Sunday afternoon instead of a Saturday 2am.

Denise & John hosted a little get together @ their house for the first time as a married couple. More cake & cookies everyone? It was kind of cool to see Denise in her own kitchen doing some kitchen-y things. And what a home it is. Simply beautiful on a private drive up a big hill -"Keppel Mountain"- sitting on 10 acres or so(?).

So all in all I have to say it was the BEST vacation I have ever had. Every day was jam packed yet it was relaxing & I got to do everything I set out to do (except the bucs' game). Seriously folks. The best. It ranks right up there with Grace coming to visit me (which falls short b/c I didn't leave home for that). I got to be an adult (not a "mom") for a whole 5 days. Something I have rarely done other than that trip to Paris. And a few yearly jaunts to Florida when Nikki was wee little. And it was FUN! And no stress of dealing with a significant other -which, admit it, can be a stressful factor on any occasion. Just me and my buds & my folks.

And now I'm terribly homesick. More so than I have ever been before in my life. Maybe I'm getting old & waxing nostalgic. Maybe I see what kind of family life my kids are missing out on by being 1500 miles away. Maybe I like CO for the weather & the views (and the activities that I can't afford to participate in) but that's not holding much water these days in comparison to family & friend relations. But that's a whole other post. For now, I will relish the memories.

score!

So I was visiting an old friend in da 'burgh & he gifted me with this box of books from his childhood. Talk about feeling lucky & honored & torn b/t letting the kiddos have at them or storing them away.

I suppose I have my own super old books mixed in with the girls' own. Relics that really deserve an upper shelf rather than the bottom two. You know, out of danger of being randomly ripped page by page. Must post pics of those jewels too.

thank you Sean P. McCarthy

and there was this most excellent coloring book. I don't let the girls have coloring books normally b/c I like for them to draw their own lines. And this book will be no different. The drawings are so awesome & vintage and have incredible embroidery possiblities! It's mine mine mine all mine mwahahahaha!

'atta girl

forget ketchup packets; this girl knows a good thing when she tastes it & goes for the gusto.

been gone a week

& all you get for your troubles is a meme. wah wah wah.


Four Things about me -- you may not have known about me.....

A) Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Mom (it's not just a job, it's an adventure) (good one, Debb!)
2. free-lance landscaper (it's alot more fun w/o children interrupting every 10 minutes...and with an unlimited budget!)
3. Retail Manager
4. jewelry consultant

B) Four movies I would watch over and over.
1. Apocalypse Now
2. Dream a Little Dream
3. Batman Begins
4. Most anything w/ Vince Vaughn

Four places I have lived.
1. Boulder
2. DuBois
3. Lawrenceville
4. Blawnox

D) Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. Project Runway
2. Nip/Tuck
3. The Shield
4. The Sopranos

E) Four places I love to go or would love to go on vacation:
1. Paris
2. London
3. Pittsburgh
4. Durango
(been to all -would move to any in a heartbeat, given the right opportunity)

F) Websites visited frequently:
1. www.sexyknittersclub.com
2 www.craftster.org
3. http://gofugyourself.typepad.com
4. http://www.denverrollerdolls.com/

G) Four of my favorite foods:
1. anything made in France -breads, pastries, cheeses, wines. foods of the gods. my mouth waters just remembering it.
2. cocoapuffs (I could eat the whole box in 2 sittings)
3. sweet potato fries
4. popcorn w/ butter & parmesan
(what a distorted sense of "food" I have...most people would answer w/ "real" meals; I prefer junk)


H) Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Pittsburgh!!
2. in the mountains
3. someplace beachy
4. Boulder


I) Four friends I think will respond:
1. Lindz
2. ???
3. I don't think anyone really reads my blog anyway
4. anonymous

freaking not so tempting

or rather, I am tempted to forget the whole thing. So I got to where I was starting on the sleeves for the Tempting II & wasn't liking how very stretchy/sponge-y the body was looking. So I frogged the whole thing. the whole thing. yes, let me say it again. I frogged the whole freaking body. Back to square one. I will say that I should be a gosh darn pro at the k1/p1 ribbing thing. ARGH. It's a charlie brown moment. Well, at least I didn't actually finish the sweater & decide that I didn't like the finished product & just never wear it. That would be a waste. So while I wait for the SKB yarn to arrive, I will attempt the Tempting II with a smaller needle.

Oh and let me say that if you watch the Dane Cook HBO special, do not, I repeat, do not attempt to count stitches. He is too friggin' funny to only listen to with 1 ear (and my counts -or the many times I had to recount-are proof.)

QoD borrowed from Cailin Deas

In how many places have you lived? Not nearly as varied as Lindz...but still ALOT of packing & unpacking (21x ?!?!?!?!?). Thankfully won't be doing that again any time soon.

1. Milwaulkee, WI
2.Brookville, PA
3. Dubois, PA (3 different houses)
4. Strattanville, PA
5. PGH, PA -Northside
6. Lawrenceville, PA
7. Northside, PGH, PA
8. Strattanville, PA (back to parents')
9. Lawrenceville, PA
10 Sharpsburg, PA
11. Highland Park, PA
12. Blawnox, PA (so the last 8 places were all suburbs of da 'burgh w/ the exception of the 'rents -all in 10 years)
13. Strattanville (parents' again & RD 2)
14. Boulder, CO (two different apartments)
15. Longmont, CO
16. Denver, CO (2 different house -blocks apart ; yes, we like the neighborhood that much)

AFI's top 100 movies

green font for the movies I've seen. I'm looking for a list from another source b/c I think this one is incomplete and outdated. Granted there are quite a few good old movies, there are also some good newer flicks that deserve to be on here. IMDb has a list compiled from the site's users. Maybe I'll try that next.


1. CITIZEN KANE (1941) (so it was innovative; I still think it's overrated)

2. CASABLANCA (1942)

3. THE GODFATHER (1972)

4. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) (used to be my favorite)

5. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) (here's another I remember watching with my mom when I was little -it was one of her favorites)

6. THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)

7. THE GRADUATE (1967)

8. ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)

9. SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993) (this should be at the top of this list...it hits every human emotion imaginable)

10. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)

11. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)

12. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)

13. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957) (does this count if I remember watching it with my mom when I was little but don't actually remember the movie except for the whistled tune?)

14. SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)

15. STAR WARS (1977)

16. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)

17. THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951)

18. PSYCHO (1960)

19. CHINATOWN (1974)

20. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975)

21. THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940)

22. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) (I do remember the t.v. series -esp. that woman with the funky eyebrows)

23. THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)

24. RAGING BULL (1980)

25. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)

26. DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)

27. BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)

28. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)

29. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)

30. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)

31. ANNIE HALL (1977)

32. THE GODFATHER PART II (1974)

33. HIGH NOON (1952)

34. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962) (I still favor the book instead...I could read it over & over & over)

35. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)

36. MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)

37. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946)

38. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)

39. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965) (yes, I know)

40. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959) (why oh why isn't this on the "Hitchcock channel" or whatever comcast calls the ondemand listing)

41. WEST SIDE STORY (1961) (I remember my mom letting us stay up late to watch this b/c it was one of her favorites...we were leaving for vacation early the next day & really should have been in bed early...I've passed on the love of this flick to Snick)

42. REAR WINDOW (1954) (haven't finished it yet -Madster & I started it on summer break)

43. KING KONG (1933)

44. THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915)

45. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951)

46. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971) (ah, the art institute days)

47. TAXI DRIVER (1976) (Harvey Keitel's performance is just as memorable in this as Jodie Foster's & DeNiro's , but he is so underrated)

48. JAWS (1975) (I remember my mom & her friends going to see this in the theatre & chatting about it for days afterwards. I was intrigued by the very risque book cover/movie poster. The Manson murders & Helter Skelter paperback are a memory simultaneous to Jaws.)

49. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937) (one of the funniest animations Disney has ever made)

50. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)

51. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940)

52. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)

53. AMADEUS (1984)

54. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)

55. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)

56. M*A*S*H (1970)

57. THE THIRD MAN (1949)

58. FANTASIA (1940)

59. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)

60. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981) (one of the few movies I've spent $ to see more than once in the theatre)

61. VERTIGO (1958)

62. TOOTSIE (1982)

63. STAGECOACH (1939)

64. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)

65. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)

66. NETWORK (1976)

67. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962) (still haven't seen the remake)

68. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951)

69. SHANE (1953)

70. THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971) (really? I don't think it's that good. Surely there are newer, better cop films than this)

71. FORREST GUMP (1994)

72. BEN-HUR (1959)

73. WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)

74. THE GOLD RUSH (1925)

75. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990) (have you seen this lately? the perfectly coiffed mullet makes the movie difficult for me to watch these days -it so dates the movie & not in a civil war era kind of way.)

76. CITY LIGHTS (1931)

77. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)

78. ROCKY (1976)

79. THE DEER HUNTER (1978)

80. THE WILD BUNCH (1969)

81. MODERN TIMES (1936)

82. GIANT (1956)

83. PLATOON (1986)

84. FARGO (1996) (hilarious)

85. DUCK SOUP (1933)

86. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)

87. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)

88. EASY RIDER (1969) (my must see before all vacation trips movie)

89. PATTON (1970)

90. THE JAZZ SINGER (1927)

91. MY FAIR LADY (1964) (see #100)

92. A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951)

93. THE APARTMENT (1960)

94. GOODFELLAS (1990)

95. PULP FICTION (1994) (that Quentin...what a sense of humor)

96. THE SEARCHERS (1956)

97. BRINGING UP BABY (1938)

98. UNFORGIVEN (1992) (I liked Pale Rider better)

99. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967)

100. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942) (sad but true -one of the best classes I had @ CU (enjoyable, informative, great professor & yet w/ a fair share of homework) was an elective called "Classic American Music Comedies" or something like that. Snick remembers it & she says it's still available -except she's already seen all the twice weekly required movies lol)

dubya ticker

Every time I see the number getting smaller (864 days left as of today), I feel like a kid counting down the days 'til xmas. happy happy joy joy!

SP8

So knit blogger to whom I've been a secret pal the past 3 months is Renee. She's a very talented knitter. She inspires me. She's got a little dog named FIONA -what a coincidence.

I can FINALLY reveal myself. I've sent post cards & e-cards & emails. I sent 2 packages. The first had 3 different purple yarns (her favorite color) & a Fray cd (she said she would like to hear some of my favorite music), a purple knitting bag I made and a purple dishcloth I crocheted (one for her & one for me to remember her by). There was a mystery book with a crafting theme. and a purple candle w/ purple glass candle holder. And I can't remember what else. It was alot of fun to get her questionaire & then find things that I thought she would enjoy.

The second package should arrive today. I wanted to do another color theme with her other favorite colors of turquoise & chocolate brown but as far as I got w/ that was another dishcloth & some yarn. The rest of it is local products (soap, beeswax candle, red zinger tea, water, trail mix, lip balm) & some stitch markers that I made. I had wanted to make biscuits for Fiona too, but thought they might be greasy from the peanut butter & stain the yarn. The soap is something I want to get for myself -there are about 15 flavors & they all smell soooooooooooo wonderful. I had to enlist the help of Fi & Lib or I would've bought every scent & that would have been the whole package! I agonized over the stitch markers b/c I'd never made them b4. So I was worried that they wouldn't turn out the way I wanted or that I simply wouldn't be able to make them. Whatever. They were fairly easy & really pretty & fun to make. And they turned out exactly the way I intended. I hope they work. I didn't take the time to try them out b/c the package was late already & I just wanted to get it out to the P.O. Ah the dilemma of being a perfectionist who suffers from success anxiety.

As I've said, I really enjoyed doing this. However, I don't think I'll be participating in the next round of SP9. I'm going to take this idea & spoil family or friends instead. Yeah, if money were no issue, I'd gladly do this for a stranger again. But I think I know a few deserving women in my life who would also enjoy some mystery packages in the mail!

day late & always a dollar short

Wednesday Mind Hump

Hello again! Let's do another Mind Hump. Today is National Geek Day, so let's geek it up!

Star Wars or Star Trek?
Star Wars, baby, unless you're talking old Star Trek t.v. (William Shatner & Leonard Nimoy style)

Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter?
Harry Potter -books and movies

Internet Explorer or Firefox?
IE. Used to be Netscape; can't remember why we switched.

iPod shuffle or iPod Nano?
neither, I opted for not further greasing the Apple machinery; I have a Creative Zen Nano Plus. And I like it. And with the money I saved, I could download a bunch of CDs online.

Camera phone or mp3 phone?
neither; a camera is a camera, an mp3 is an mp3, and a phone is a phone. Call me old fashioned if you will. Just remember, I had a working record player until a few years ago.

Dilbert or Jon from "Garfield"?
Dilbert is way geekier

And of course, the big question
Mac or PC? PC. I am not a Mac snob. Didn't I make this point clear a couple items ago??