Troll Happy

A few weeks ago, Ali and I got into an argument about how many trolls I owned as a child. Y'all remember trolls, right? They actually used to be vaguely cute, but in recent years have morphed into some creepy shit:

Also creepy are these Halloween costumes:

But I digress...Ali argued that I had at least 20 trolls and I, of course, denied this. Sure, sometimes I would sneak a troll into my backpack pocket as a security blanket during school (Oh, whatever, like you never did anything like that!), but it's not like I was forming a collection. Regrettably, I did have one of those troll baby dolls with bright pink hair. Ali, being the neat-freak organizer she is, knew exactly where my sad trolls were stashed, and AHA, I do not have 20! More like 15. :)

Hey, look,  it's Michelle Tanner!

Jets vs. Sharks

Dear Columbia House DVD club...

...I hate to be the bearer of bad news...oh wait, I'm not - Dave Kehr and the New York Times beat me to it. The headline says it all: Goodbye, DVD. Hello, Future.

The DVD isn’t dead yet, but it’s definitely looking a little peaked, at least in the eyes of the home-video industry. Sales continue to decline (volume is down about 40 percent from this time last year for the Top 20 titles, according to Home Media Magazine), the formerly ubiquitous neighborhood rental shops have all but vanished (Blockbuster, once the dominant franchise, has plunged into bankruptcy), and the major studios have drastically cut back on full-scale releases of library titles.

I for one, can't remember the last DVD I bought. (Granted, I can't remember many a thing of late.) My best guess is that it was my impulsive purchase of In Bruges at TJ Maxx many, many months ago. The last mainstream new release DVD for which I paid full price? Um... It was probably a Harry Potter film. Like, the FOURTH Harry Potter film. Redbox and Netflix Instant have almost completely supplanted my once insatiable need to buy movies.

"This particular chart shows the 10 countries with the
fastest internet in the world. It also shows that
they're not slowing down." Akami via Gizmodo

Still, I find it highly unlikely that the DVD will ever disappear entirely from the U.S. the way it has in South Korea, mainly because our Internet is not and may never be as affordably fast as in that country.

Why is South Korea the world leader in Internet speed, year after year and why is it so far ahead of the U.S.? As CNN reports, it is the result of an interrelated matrix of economic, cultural, political, demographic and technological factors. But if I had to sum it up in one word that word would be: competition. Healthy, thriving competition among Internet service providers. Which is to say South Korea (and most of the other countries leading the list) have it, and the U.S. doesn't. You mean competition benefits consumers? Who would have thunk it?

But getting back to DVDs, this evening I received an email addressed to "Former Music Club Member" containing the following:

Yeah... no thanks. If you're reaching out to former music club members who'd forgotten your existence is the act of desperation I'm thinking it might be... what with your being bankrupt in Canada and all...
Sucks to be you. If you didn't suck so hard, I'd almost feel sorry for you.

And you're right, I WOULD prefer NOT to receive future promotional emails.

Upstairs, Downstairs, etc.

I have fond (if very, very vague memories) of watching early episodes of the original Upstairs Downstairs when I got home from school - the most vivid being the episode in which Rose is force-fed (off camera thank goodness) while imprisoned as a suffragette.

That being said, my level of anticipation and excitement at the prospect of the updated series was inevitably mellowed by the awesomeness that is Downton Abbey. And the first episode did nothing to improve my excitement, as evidenced by a rather lackluster live tweet and my near failure at watching the second episode on air (Because I was rather meh about the whole thing and NOT, sadly, because I was watching Game of Thrones).

Oh I'm glad I did. I'm not going to delve too heavily into plot details (You can watch the full episode --and you should-- here until May 24. Thank you PBS). I just wanted to say...

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Lady Persephone, played by Claire Foy, is my least favorite character who gets all the best clothes. And when I say "all the best clothes" (because it's not like her sister, played by Keeley Hawes, is lacking in jaw-droppingly gorgeous wardrobe) I mean, all the RED clothes.

via fromasinkingboat

via recyledmoviecostumes

via Beyond the Pale

Why does she get all the red? Well, I'm sure part of the reason is that Claire Foy looks utterly fabulous in red. As production designer Eve Stewart notes (discussing sets, but the same holds true for costumes I'm sure):

...sometimes you have to tweak the colours that you've chosen once you know who has been cast. The cast will all have different skin tones and ultimately it's our job is to help make them look good.

And the other reason? (Maybe.) What better way to visually represent your character's budding  fascist sympathies than to put her in a lot of red and black. I must say, it's a pretty visually stunning shot when Lady Persephone is en route to an Oswald Mosely speech; the screen cap doesn't do it justice.

via claire-foy.org

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The title of this episode,"The Ladybird",  is derived from the German lullaby that new parlormaid Rachel teaches to Ivy. I'd never heard of it, though Ivy says "oh, we have that in English." Like I said, I'm not getting into plot, but the song is all symbolic and foreshadowing and whatnot, in a way that is the opposite of subtle. (Hint: The swastika kind of looks like a spider, doesn't it?)

The lyrics (German and English) follow (Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
from The Lied and Art Song Texts Page -- http://www.lieder.net/):

Marienwürmchen, setze dich auf meine Hand, Ich tu' dir nichts zuleide. Es soll dir nichts zuleid geschehn, Will nur deine bunten Flügel sehn, Bunte Flügel meine Freude. Marienwürmchen, fliege weg, Dein Häuschen brennt, die Kinder schrein So sehre, wie so sehre. Die böse Spinne spinnt sie ein, Marienwürmchen, flieg hinein, Deine Kinder schreien sehre. Marienwürmchen, fliege hin zu Nachbars Kind, Sie tun dir nichts zuleide. Es soll dir ja kein Leid geschehn, Sie wollen deine bunten Flügel sehn, Und grüß sie alle beide.

Ladybird, sit on my hand I will do you no harm. No harm shall come to you; I only wish to see your colorful wings: your colorful wings are my joy. Ladybird, fly away, your house is burning, your children are crying so much, so much. The evil spider is spinning her web around them; Ladybird, fly home, your children are crying so. Ladybird, fly to the neighbor's children, They will do you no harm. No harm will come to you: they only wish to see your colorful wings, and greet them both for me.

I mention it here because I liked the song; it's sad, German, and about a ladybug/ladybird. Seems like something I should know, right?  I spent the after hour of Sunday night's broadcast scouring the Internet and learned a couple of things.

1.  There are actually two versions of Marienwürmchen - one with a melody by Schumann and the other by Brahms. They seem to get confused a lot. Brahms is the one we're interested in.
2. It's well nigh impossible to find free sheet music to said tune. It's not like buying one digital copy of the sheet music is going to break the bank - it's more the principle of the thing, i.e. why is this one song of Brahms (who died in 1897) is NOT in public domain.

So, I guess I'll be listening to the song on repeat and learning it by ear. Thankfully, the Internet came through with this video of the Southern California Children's Chorus singing it. Enjoy.

Marina and the Diamonds - Mowgli's Road

Chauffeuring my friend Laura around town means she is subjected to my music selections, and this weekend I managed to suck her into the world of Marina and the Diamonds. Mwahahaha! Here's possibly my favorite song from her debut album. Weird, yes, but I love it!

All for one and one for suck?

I was excited when I randomly learned of the new Three Musketeers movie, even more when so when I saw the cast list. It stars, in no particular order:

Percy Jackson

Tristram

Titus Pullo

Col. Hans Landa

Mr. Darcy

Legolas

Joan of Arc

In other words, it SHOULD be awesome.

So why did I throw up in my mouth a little when I saw the trailer? Because, ooh la la, it's in 3-D.

(Roger Ebert can tell you why 3-D sucks better than I can).  And as far as I'm concerned, in 9/10 cases, 3-D is code for "awesomely bad." And even though I love my awesomely bad films, it's a letdown when I was hoping for awesomely good.

Speaking of awesomely (if cheesily) good... I will be the first to admit that I own this song. Not on cassette tape from 1993 (I wish), no, I bought it off iTunes in 2008.

giraffe of the week

*I thought I published this ages ago. I think I've referenced it in other blog posts. Oops.


In an effort to update this here weblog experiment more regularly, I introduce "Giraffe of the Week," whereby I feature of one of my many, many various and assorted giraffe collectibles et. al. and... yeah, that's about it. I've loved the giraffes way longer than the ladybugs (you know like, since birth), so doing one a week should keep me posting until at least 2015.

We've got stars directing our fate...

And the song that I (Ali) most associate with freshman year of college (i.e. 1998-1999)?


Randomly playing in Rutters last night when I stopped to get a sandwich en route to baby-sitting.

Incubus - Drive

There are three popular songs that I associate with my freshman year of college. I despise "It Wasn't Me" by Shaggy and "Who Let the Dogs Out?" by Baha Men, but genuinely like "Drive" by Incubus. Ah, to be an angsty teenager again. (No thanks.)

By the way, does Brandon Boyd have something against wearing shirts?

Pekeweenie Gardening

This postcard called "The Gardeners" by Mabel Gear makes me think of my dog Zadie who is 3/4 dachshund and 1/4 pekingese. Oh, and I like to garden, even if I'm not particularly good at it. :)

today in ladybugs

ASD Living

Ladybugs Jessica Apron - Girls

NOO

Ladybug Dress Set

NOO

Ladybug Luxe Faux Fur Jacket

Kid-sized, giraffe-themed kitchen utensils

Observed (and documented) today at Target (East York). Surprisingly enough, I DIDN'T buy it. There was only one; if it's there next time, I'll take it as a sign. In my defense, it wouldn't be completely useless because there IS a Montessori practical life activity for whisking. And if that whisk doesn't constitute a point of interest, I don't know what does.

Via On the Shelf

today on zulily

Cuddly Pillows & Pets
Princess Ladybug


To whom it may concern: I don't want this. Ever. If you see it at the mall and you think, "aw... Ali likes ladybugs," keep right on walking. I think pillow pets are a brilliant idea generally, but this one has no reason to exist. Ladybugs should not have faces. EVER.

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If only I could get away with wearing red seersucker imprinted with ladybugs...

So La Vita

Red Ladybug Seersucker Dress Set - Infant

So La Vita

Red Ladybug Seersucker Dress - Toddler

Put a little birdhouse in your... tree

I watch more than my share of Sprout, but never on weekends, which is why I've never seen the awesomeness that is the Noodle and Doodle show. (I take it for granted that the show itself is way better than their poorly-designed, flash-happy, slow-loading, user-unfriendly website.)

On Monday I helped my favorite Lilybelle make a Bird Feeder House. I did the cutting and gluing, but the bricks are all her.

Printer-friendly directions are available here, or, see them in their entirety after the jump.

I Read Good

I enjoy two primary pastimes: knitting and reading.

I've known how to knit since high school and mostly taught myself, but I've never been a hard-core, consistent knitter. I go through phases. I also get easily frustrated, which is not good for a knitter. Knitting takes time and patience and I usually need something else to occupy my mind, like a movie. Much to my chagrin, I can't knit and read at the same time. Yes, yes, I know there are books on tape, but my feelings on those lie with my feelings on e-readers: NO!

I was never much of a reader in my younger days. I have a short attention span and limited will power when it comes to reading material. I've finally figured out that finding reading material I enjoy is like finding cute clothes, you have to browse patiently. I actually enjoy skimming library shelves and looking for covers that catch my eye, but I also make sure to read a few lines of text. (This is how I made the decision to not read the Twilight series.)

On a side note, I was actually voted "Most Likely To Be Found in the Library" in my high school newspaper. I don't know who "voted" because I certainly never received a ballot, but my friends and I thought this was pretty hilarious because I rarely read (unless for school). I always assumed I was assigned this label because I'm quiet and shy...unless you're my friend and then I'm quite obnoxious. :)

I haven't really read anything in a while because I was busy knitting, but just recently, I finished two books and here's a little bit about them.

Last year, I read and enjoyed Sarah Addison Allen's Garden Spells and I was equally pleased with The Girl Who Chased the Moon. All of her books have a touch of fantasy that requires some reality suspension, but they're beautifully written with good plot and characters. I cried through a lot of this novel, but not in a horribly depressing way. If you're looking for a feel-good piece of fiction, I suggest you check out Sarah Addison Allen's novels. Even Ali with her high literary standards enjoyed it. :)

I followed the aforementioned light-hearted novel with Justin Cronin's The Passage. I'm thinking maybe I should have reversed the order because this book was in no way light-hearted and I could really use a pick-me-up right about now. Basically, via failed attempts to make the ultimate soldier using a vampiric virus, the U.S. Army unintentionally spearheads the death and destruction of the North American continent. Woohoo, good times!...NOT! Obviously, there's way more to the story, considering it's 766 pages long (too long if you ask me). I was apprehensive about reading this book because of a few things Ali had mentioned to me when she read it several months ago; however, I found myself really getting into it. Whenever I read/watch apocalyptic stories, I always end up imagining myself in that position. What would I do? And then I feel really grateful that I'm NOT in that position. The end of the book sets up the beginning of the next book, but honestly, I don't know if I can handle another one. I'm exhausted.

Eisley - The Valley

It's always nice to see a family making beautiful music together. Eisley's newest album The Valley was released March 1st.

I actually didn't even realize they had a new album until I skimmed this month's issue of BUST. Here's a nice li'l' preview:

a belated happy birthday, featuring CRAFTS!

Hi Baby Sister!

 The big news from before I left for California, sadly simultaneous with the Japan earthquake/tsunami, was the long-awaited birth of Baby Sister (Lily's, not mine.)

Belatedly introducing to the world (i.e. this blog's pitifully small readership),  Miss Emeline Rachel, born March 11, 2011 at 5:23 AM, 8 lbs. 7.8 oz.

Shimmer!

The blanket is a variation on Lion Brand's Circle to Squares afghan pattern, that is, using only 2 of the 3 square sizes so as to make it  more baby-sized. The yarn is Red Heart Ltd. Shimmer in chocolate and hot pink. I must have spent half an hour roaming the yarn aisle at Michael's before finally deciding to go with them over designated baby yarn in a more traditional color scheme.  This color  scheme was inspired by Lily's winter coat. Also - did I mention that the yarn shimmers? (As does a good third of my wardrobe.)

I started out really meticulous with keeping the gauge consistent, but got lazier (read: looser with the stitches) as time went by; the outer edges are straightish instead of straight (even after I  tried blocking - and I never bother to block. My OCD self can hardly stand to look at the picture.)

Try to ignore my pasty neck.

I figured out pretty earlier I was going to have more yarn than I needed for the blanket (I'd bought 3 skeins of each color), so I started an Amigurumi giraffe using another Lion Brand pattern. 


Amanda had sent me this pattern ages ago, but it was only within the last year that I finally got around to buying the yarn to start one in the suggested colors. That one lounges, disarticulated, in my in progress bag, waiting for the next imminent baby to spur me into finishing it.


But anyway, when I finished the first giraffe , everyone who saw it (i.e. my family), raved about how cute it was, even with its somewhat gimpy eyes (the pattern calls for plastic safety eyes - I embroidered mine instead). The initial plan was to make its mate (or rather, its sister - one for Lil, one for Em) a different species all together, but I couldn't find an other Amigurumi pattern (free anyway) as cute as this one.  (Suggestions are welcome.) And so another giraffe it was; the second one was made, literally, in one night.  As to their durability? I'll have to get back to you.

French Food, American History

On Friday night, Emily and I want to Gettysburg (by way of the East Berlin Road - always more scenic and less stressful than the Lincoln Highway) to see my friend Becky's aforementioned production of The Triangle Factory Fire Project for Gettysburg Stage. 

En route, we took a brief but obligatory tour of the Battlefield, i.e. parked at the Eternal Light Peace Memorial, took a picture, and then got back in the car because we were freezing our buns off with the wind. (WTF tourists! Where are your jackets?)

Last night's show was staged in the G.A.R. Building. By the time we found it (there was some block circling) and parked, we had maybe an hour for dinner, which necessitated an eating establishment in close proximity, which turned out to be the Café Saint-Amand (mad props to their website - no flash AND the menu AREN'T in PDF), located at the NE corner of Middle and Baltimore Streets (aka 48 Baltimore Street, a block South of the Square).

Ratatouille!

After perusing the posted menu outside, the deciding factor in opening the door - for me anyway - was the presence of a Monte Cristo sandwich ("Turkey, ham, and Swiss cheese encased between battered bread and garnished with confectioners’ sugar" = divinity). As it turned out, sandwiches were excluded from the dinner menu, which was more of an issue for Emily than for me.

I really wanted to try the ratatouille ("Zucchini, squash, tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, onions, and herbs de Provençal layered with eggplant, served with herbed risotto"), but again, since we only had an hour, we both ended up ordering hors-d'oeuvres. 

Commemorating Emily's first ever crêpe.

We each had a slice of the quiche du jour (it involved Parmesan and mushroom and I can't remember what else) and I had a cup of French onion soup.  Emily had originally ordered Scallop au gratin, but having been informed that the kitchen was out of scallops, she opted instead for Crêpe nutella banane.  And it was all très delicieux! Well, I thought so anyway, but even Emily ate all of her quiche, that is, once she'd scraped off the crème fraiche . 

(Read more reviews of Café Saint-Amand on Yelp.) 

The show itself was incredibly well-done. I wore mascara for the first time of ages and definitely shouldn't have, since by the end of the first act I was well nigh bawling.  Well done, all (But especially Becky and Patrick!)

For more information on Gettysburg Stage's production of the Triangle Factory Fire Project check out the following news articles:

• 'Triangle Factory Fire' remembers tragedy's 100th anniversary -  Frederick News-Post
•  Gettysburg Stage commemorates 1911 industrial incident - Flipside PA

I'd tell you (again) to go see it, but the last show is ending as we speak.