Fight the Amoral Fight

Karen -
This particular pattern (and when I think about it, the one I did for my mom too) has you attaching the motifs together with the last round. I have 7 done now! I should take a progress photo.
Oh, that's better! Thanks for explaining :) Sounds like you're moving right along! You know I'd like to see an in-progress photo :)
I saw a blanket made of a fish motif, sort of like an Escher thing, where all the fish shapes fit together. Lots of possibilities with color, there. Not really my thing but so cool I was considering it anyway … until someone noted that they had, like, 468 fishes to sew together! Um, no. LOL
I like your rock and sand collecting ideas! Nice way to bring a vacation home.

Briar – oh, sure. That's just what we all need – free games! Thanks, I think ;)

Geez, I've had those kinds of arguments. Part of getting along with others is knowing what not to talk about, of course. Sounds like you relearned that, as we all must do from time to time! Sorry if those articles contributed to any friction but gratified to know they were thought provoking.

WTS – stoopid winter. For three nights I was lulled to sleep by the wind machines as the temp dropped below freezing. Last night I was kept awake by nature's own wind machine! It's still howling out there. Also, it's cold :(
I'm a little surprised it got that cold down your way, too.

Ylee – LOL Not Bob Dylan but he did tour with Nine Inch Nails awhile back. Excellent collaboration, there.

LC – oh … dear. What the … ? I mean … why?
Gosh, people are wonderful :)
The musketeers made that video for me, even though they were wearing pants.
Watching that video, I kept thinking of Sheldon (who has “bus pants”) and how he would freak at the notion of sitting on a subway seat wearing only undies, lol. They should do an episode including that event.
If you get a chance, even though it's a bit late, you might want to put a NSFWU tag in that comment – not for the video but for the tunes. Fairly made me blush ;)

gg – ROTFL Thanks for the reality check! Pants are useful!

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I found out what happened to that guy who was going to jump off a cliff in NM. He didn't. He changed his story, hung around the rocks a bit, and then went home.

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For the outrage file, and you may all have seen this already, Matt Taibbi had a sort of overview of the bank bailouts and their aftermath. Long article but easy enough to get through.

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The weather … is still cold. Freezing overnight for a few, and in the low-to-mid 50s during the day. Last night's low (39F) was not so bad thanks to the high winds. Still very windy. Humidity at 16%. Supposed to warm up over the next few days, with a forecast high of 77 degrees on Friday. My own guess is 72, but, we'll see. No rain in the foreseeable future.

Sometime around Christmas the leaves on the sycamores by my house finally changed color. For the first time in years they actually went gold and red instead of straight to dried up brown. Last year the leaves on the east sides got shredded off the trees by the wind while still green. So it was nice, over the last few weeks, to occasionally find myself standing at the window, mesmerized by the sun shining through Autumnal colors, and watching the leaves drift to the ground. Today, of course, they are back to being shredded. Don't expect there to be much left by tomorrow, which means there will be more sun coming in through the windows. All good all around.

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On the knitting front: I made a big deal out of being happy that I could fix a big mistake several rows back without having to unravel the whole project to that point (did I write that here or at calpoppy's?). And, I'm still happy that I can do that, because it saves a lot of time and provides a challenge. But, after doing that four more times, I find that I would rather not make the stupid mistakes to begin with! It's a good thing I chose a sturdy yarn for the baby blanket, and I hope a trip through the washer and dryer will sort out the wonky stitches, in the end.

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That's all I got, at the mo.
seewu! :)

WTS – well, it looks pretty. That's something ;) The wind was very twisty. When I looked at wundermap with the wind indicators on the weather stations, I could see wind going every which direction. Guess you were out of the loop!
Yes, warm up will be good. Though the sky was so clear last night, in a way that seems possible only at low temps and low humidity. Shiny stars.

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For those who are sick, have been sick, or, sadly, will be sick, here is some comic relief … or, at least, commiserative commentary:
Chris Clark vents his frustrations with the cough (in the first few paragraphs of the post), and
xkcd on how to spend one's sick time.

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I just found these youtube videos on basic biology concepts that are quite good. Brief, simple, and cute – good for kids learning about life and informative for adults, too, of course.
What is DNA?
What is a gene?
What is Evolution?

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Oh, hey, I think I linked the wrong Bowie video in gg's blog a few days ago. That was an older (no pun intended) one. This is the new one -

It reminds me of something ... something from ... oh! It sounds like "Love You Til Tuesday"!!! How weird. Well, I'm not known for my musical ability so prolly I'm just hearing it weird.

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I know I need a new blog. May have to resort to the Book of Changes again. We'll see how it goes …
… but not today ;)

lol No need, Ylee! All is well here!
Sorry - I know I hate it when wufolks bug out for no known reason. Will return asap :)

I don't really know how so much time passed between my comments here. It doesn't feel like it's been that long. I know it was really warm for several days, and that I spent much of that time outside and away from the computer, so that's where some of it went. Then, it rained for a few days. We got 1.44”, which is something! No, not enough, but, something. Anyway, everything is fine, and I don't feel like I've been especially busy, but I definitely have not been at the computer as much as usual. Perhaps I should blame it on the phone! I have made a point of using it in order to justify having bought it and do a lot of reading there, now. That could keep me from the “quick check” of wu (and other spaces) on the computer and, when I check the site on my phone, it isn't to post (too hard to type on that thing). I do seem to be getting more actual work done … hmmm …

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This comment will be long and loaded with a vid and pics and a little disjointed. It's okay – I've got a new blog coming sooooon ;)

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On the subject of weed – really funny tune + video, Briar! I do think times are changing and Ylee's note about hemp (quite different from marijuana) is interesting. Essentially all the hemp found in yarn, for instance, is grown in Canada even if the yarn is spun/dyed in the U.S. and, even then, there are limits on how much can be brought in. Same for hemp oil and such. So stupid. It is such a versatile plant and low impact in every way. Along with Bogon I thought it would be all sorted by now. It may be coming to a head, soon, as the economics of the whole issue become clear. It was economics that drove the ban, after all.
Keep in mind, though, that there will be consequences!


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On crafty stuff -
What a great idea to make coasters out of swatches, calpoppy. So new DIL is crafty and very smart! Lucky you (and lucky son, of course!) :)

You are really moving along there, Karen - I'm impressed! And it's beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing that – cannot wait to see the final project :) I think work-in-progress pics are so useful.
Last week I took final photos of two projects before sending them on to their new owners and also took some of the blanket I'm working on while I was at it. Wanna see? First, Garage Cat helped by holding the shawl-ish thing steady:


and then by taste-testing the black yarn of the blanket (this photo is not the best of him or the blanket but was taken immediately after I told him he'd had enough yarn for one day and shows how he felt about that):


Also, Karen, yes, quilters are in awe of your crochet skills :) My sis wants me to quilt rather than knit/crochet because she likes quilts. I told her that she should learn how to quilt, then! LOL

I've seen that giant knitting project before, Briar, and it always makes me smile and think, “Well, okay, but, why?” LOL Guess the answer is, “Because I can.” and that's plenty good enough!

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Miscellany -
Ylee – the Antikythera mechanism has fascinated me from the day its discovery was first announced. I so want to know what, who, why, etc. The day that was posted I didn't have time to go through all the links and will do when I can spare the hours I know I'll spend reading about it. Thanks! And thanks for checking in on me :)

calpoppy - I haven't read Diaz but recognized the name. “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao “ is one I remember wanting to read so thanks for the rec and reminder - in my wishlist, now!

gg – oh, lovely. Another time sink, LOL! I went there soon after you posted the link (I think it was soon after) and saw no ads because I have adblock. That is a funny juxtaposition, though! The critters are amusing enough in their own right and I checked in this morning … for about 20 minutes!

Karen – because you mentioned Huell … I can't watch his shows but have always appreciated what they are. It was sad to hear of his passing at such a relatively young age and, regardless of how I felt about him, I know he's brought a lot of pleasure and knowledge to many. Thankfully, there are probably thousands of hours of shows just like the one you mentioned for people to enjoy for years to come.

Bogon – watched the video twice 'cuz it cracked me up! I can see where that's a good stand-in for C&C, LOL

WTS – I'll come over to your place to commiserate on the lack of rain … you gotta admit, though, that warm stretch was niiiiiice ;)