It's not all Futurama. Aidan thinks this PBS show is really funny. He especially loves the theme song:
It's his morning wake-up show. Something about the talking dog strikes him funny.
It’s been forever since I updated my reading list. Here's what I can remember. Bear with me:
My rating System:
*****Lawrence Block and Ross Macdonald (THE BEST OF THE BEST)
****Double Thumbs (GREAT!)
***I liked it (GOOD)
**It's not that bad (OK)
*It's Bothering me (BAD)
*** Summer of Fear by T. Jefferson Parker
**** L.A. Outlaws by T. Jefferson Parker
**** Silent Joe by T. Jefferson Parker
*** The Blue Hour by T. Jefferson Parker
*** I'm The One That I Want by Margaret Cho
***1/2 Redwall by Brian Jacques
**** Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
**** When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
*****Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (A reread, but totally great)
**** The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
**** The Deep Blue Goodbye by John D. MacDonald
*** A Purple Place for Dying by John D. MacDonald
**** Nightmare in Pink by John D. MacDonald
*** Bright Orange For the Shroud by John D. MacDonald
****1/2 The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly
***1/2 The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
*** Mattimeo by Brian Jacques
My special skill is the ability to create something out of nothing. If I want to make a a second hanging bar in my son's closet, I am able to make one using things found around the house (PVC pipe, thick wire and clamps). Done and done. If I want to make a curtain for my son's theater I'm making, I use an old duvet cover, wire and screws. Beautiful. It's my gift. I find joy out of not having to buy anything to make my project happen. The other key is being able to produce the final project in 10 minutes or so. Being painstaking takes all of the fun out of it. My son has figured out this gift and he abuses it to the fullest. He'll say, "mom, can I have an antenna like Bender?" I'll say, "probably" and then I'll figure it out (headband, aluminum foil, a ping pong ball and a glue gun). Adorable. Lately he's been having me outfit his Futurama characters. His favorite episode lately is "Less Than Hero" when Leela, Fry and Bender become superheroes. His favorite is Bender's character, Super King, pictured here:
He asked me to make a crown for Bender and using things around the house this is what I came up with in about 10 minutes:
Materials used: Sequins, old burgundy pants, old dalmatian puppet and gold material.
Aidan was thrilled. It's fun to be creative with my son. He believes that I can make anything. The other day he asked for a marionette. I told him I didn't know if I could do it. He said, "Sure you can. All you need is string and some plastic." I ended up putting embroidery floss on a long limbed stuffed animal and that worked just fine. No plastic necessary.
After the the Super King success, Aidan wanted me to come up with a costume for Fry when he is Emperor:
Materials used: old burgundy pants (I always mine the Goodwill bag for material), sequins and gold material.
I’ve been knitting a lot lately, but I can’t remember the last time I knit something for myself. I mostly knit or crochet for others. These have been my projects in the last 2 months. There has been this for my mother in law:
Four different variations of this for ladies in my life:
A pair of these:
A nice deep black cotton so I can wear it everyday. I can be an ambitious knitter, but never have I taken on a project like this for myself. I cast on last night. It feels good to be selfish.