martinimade

* Gnome mittens!

* Shush Shush Shush your monkey mind.

* Mike Rowe works at the Wool Mill. It'll kill ya.

* On self-monitoring and resentment.

* I might have to go here.

* Some books are only meant for burning.

* Mostly for my Dad: Hitchens debates Blair.

* "We live underground."

* Peter Sagal on The Magicians.

* On post-partum depression and psychosis in the early 1900s. Now I want a copy of this book.

* As an only child, I find the sibling thing fascinating.

* I gave her my heart... (ht to Heidi)

* My second favorite Scott  on his Christmas CD. And "Snoopy and the Red Baron" always chokes me up, too.

* A gift for my first favorite Scott.

* The subtle power of stereotypes. Also from Slate: an interactiveish map that shows how diabetes is moving across the country. It seems clear from this that we should treat it as an infectious disease and simply quarantine the southeast U.S. Or something like that.

Hope that your holiday (if you are in a place where the turkey and gratitude is celebrated in November) was lovely. Ours was, mostly, and we did all of the things you'd expect. I think I've finally perfected my pecan pie. One must have goals.

 The kids were mostly pleasant, both to us and each other. After we decorated the downstairs tree*, the Diva and the Boy amused themselves by making their own tree out of stuff found near their bedrooms:

Why do we buy them toys when a box of Q-tips will do?

There were bumps, of course, as there always are when you have more than one person present in a room. Like, say, trying to take the traditional picture for the holiday card:

I think I might have gotten a usable shot. Even if I didn't, I'm not trying again. 

I did get a nifty surprise in Friday's mail. Even though I infrequently win contests - if you are in need of luck, come nowhere near me - I picked up a shiny trinket from my favorite New Hampshire-based wire worker, Kythryn at Wyrding Studios, who is almost-but-not-quite ready to birth a baby. Soon, however.

But she did make this pendant based on the word combo I suggested: "feature, not flaw." 

Woot, I say. Then woot again.

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

* We're jumping the decorating gun this year for a variety of reasons, few of them interesting.

"Mistakes are a part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way. Unless it's a fatal mistake, which, at least, others can learn from."

-- Al Franken, as quoted in the Yarn Harlot's page-a-day calendar.

Once upon a time, Lisa and Adrienne worked for the same alternative newsweekly. Now, both spend their respective days mining their creative souls and leading hermit-like lives. And so an idea was hatched. Every week, one would send the other a sketch - either in illustration or word form - and the other would make a companion sketch. The result would be posted on both their blogs every week, just for grins. Even if the result isn't award-worthy, the exercise might make both minds more nimble. Hopefully.

Grocery list:

• Turkey. Get smaller bird. There have been some life changes and will be fewer guests. Also, no one is up for a repeat of the leftover a-go-go from last year.
• Blanched almonds. Ask husband to work his magic.
• Potatoes, 10 lbs. 
• Gratitude.
• Four packs of gravy mix, just in case the family curse strikes again.
• That nasty bagged stuffing that the kids like.
• Cornmeal, sausage and apples for the stuffing those of us who don’t suck yogurt from a tube like.
• Cranberries. Just make the dang relish already even if you are the only one who eats it. 
• Sweet potatoes and mini marshmallows.
• Green beans, condensed mushroom soup and French-fried onions. Get three cans of the onions. Every you you promise to control yourself; every year you fail. Accept this.
• Canned pumpkin. Pecans. Heavy cream.
• Tums.
• Whiskey, because the pilgrims would have wanted it that way.
• More whiskey. Some wine.
• Wisdom. Also, Patience. Also, Detachment.
• Tylenol.
• Ice.

Text ©Adrienne Martini; illustration ©Lisa Horstman. Until the end of time. Or something.

* Aasif Mandvi hasn't been my favorite Daily Show regular -- John Oliver is -- but he's a close second after this interview.

* Mostly for my Dad: Ruhlman eats his way through Columbus Ohio.

* I'm not sure if this is genius or madness. Or if it matters.

* On a business note, my agent has a new website. In case you'd wondered who my agent is.

* Oooooh, shiny. And glittery. Want. Also, I'm tempted to make pomanders. And, no, I'm not sure why.

* Who is a housewife?

* The class dynamic of bikini waxes.

* I might send these holiday cards this year.

* I'm pondering knitting a sweater. Anyone care to weigh in on these contenders? (1, 2, 3, 4)

-- Delia Sherman made me blush. Thanks, Delia!

-- My new plan for when I can't take the writing business anymore - which may be sooner than I'd hoped because this business of writing proposals and feeling no love (seriously, I want to be at a point in my career where I can just call an editor and say, "It'll be fabulous. Trust me." and have that be enough (I am *so* not there)) - is to open a sweet shop that serves all Bundt cakes all the time. There is no food more perfect. Witness this:

Chocolate Guinness Bundt Cake FTW. Seriously yum. 

-- I went riding again this weekend. I'd forgotten how aerobic a posting trot can be, as well as how creaky my hips are. Also, Lulu, pictured below, would sound like Donkey from Shrek.

-- The Diva and I read The Dutchess of Whimsy before bed last night. I'd forgotten how much I dearly love this book. 

Gorgeous, it is, in both image and story.

-- Today and tomorrow are half-days for the kids. They are also when parent-teacher conferences are scheduled. The Boy's is today. Wish us luck.

"...Cause this is the song where I listen
This is the song where I sit still
Until our heartbeats drown out the clock ticking
And the song becomes I love you and always will
Good luck, good luck, good luck, these are tough times
We’ll get by
Good luck these are tough times
We’ll get by
Good luck these are tough times
We’ll get by
Good luck"

-- "This is the Song," Punch Brothers, who I love more each day.

An apology - I'm usually pretty good at keeping up with comments and emails but last weekend's trip has left me behind. Sorry. I'm working on it. Once I get all of these papers graded...

The weekend away was worth it, tho, no matter how far behind I've been left.* Clara's write up is here and she, as usual, captured the best parts.

What she left out, tho, was all of the swag.

Which included a skein of Socks the Rock Mediumweight,** Berroco's Blackstone Tweed, which I want enough of to make a sweater, Zara's extra fine merino, Dirty Water DyeWorks BFL sock yarn, a couple of pattern books, a stitch marker, chocolate, Soak wool wash and more.

Plus!

These three skeins of Crystal Palace Chenille I picked up in the Stash Lounge:

I hate knitting with chenille but handknitted washcloths are a great gift and we are entering the season...

And, of course, I had to buy some String Theory, which is quickly becoming my yarn crack:

It's Caper Sock (80 merino/10 cashmere/10 nylon) in Atlantis, which I wished I'd bought four more skeins of. Ah, well. I'll make do. Or buy four more skeins.

Plus, I finished Scott's hat when I got home.

That's me modeling, not Scott. In case you couldn't tell. Now on to the mittens.

And, as is usual, McGregor had to help with the yarn shots:

* You should see how desperately the house needs to be cleaned. 

** Each bag had a different color. I scored Hard Rock.

Once upon a time, Lisa and Adrienne worked for the same alternative newsweekly. Now, both spend their respective days mining their creative souls and leading hermit-like lives. And so an idea was hatched. Every week, one would send the other a sketch - either in illustration or word form - and the other would make a companion sketch. The result would be posted on both their blogs every week, just for grins. Even if the result isn't award-worthy, the exercise might make both minds more nimble. Hopefully.

T’other day, Clem asked about quantitative easing. 

“What t’heck is it?” he asked.

“Well, buddy, it’s hard to explain,” I said. “See, we’re not on the gold standard anymore, which means the Feds can, essentially, print more money in order to forestall all sorts of unpleasant consequences.”

“Ain’t that, like, lying?” he asked.

“Perhaps,” I said. “But all economies are based more in people’s ability to believe the impossible rather than in actual supply v. demand-type facts.”

“Thems some deep thoughts for a dog with a mustache,” Clem said.

“Indeed,” I said, then spent the next twenty minutes chasing my own tail.

Text ©Adrienne Martini; illustration ©Lisa Horstman. Until the end of time. Or something.

* What new feminists look like.

* I am soooo tempted by Fancy Hands. Which shouldn't be confused with jazz hands.

* How much do I love this post from Doula K? So, so much, mostly because my kids have the same dang issues. And I want to go to the caveman restaurant, if only because the English translation of their menu is, um, unique.

* Unpopular science.

* Bad Girl in the TARDIS. Related.

* Letters to a Whiny Young Democrat and the Tea Party.

* I got an 8 out of 10. You?

* The trick of cooking for your family? Planning. And, yes, they laugh when I show up at the grocery with my clipboard and lists. But who has matzoh ball soup all ready to go for tonight? Ha.

* My husband needs this cake. I need this burger.

* Am I surprised by this post on plagiarism and its attendant discussions of privilege? Nope.

* Also related: this story in the Atlantic about U.S. schools. (Hat tip to Trish) 

* Also related: this story about female college students and their clothing choices. (What interests me most with this are the comments.)

* Also related: My kids and, it appears, most of the kids in their school love RIF day. I had no idea you could give money directly to the cause of giving books to kids. Now that I do, I will.