The List – #32

Popcorn & PJ’s Night!

This seemed like one of the easier list items to complete!

Originally the idea I had was for adults to do this – then I thought I should do this with my little cousins and then I thought – hey, why not host the evening for them to enjoy with their friends?

Everyone came in their pj’s – so comfy! We started with some arts and crafts downstairs — making name placards for bedroom doors was the idea but it became much more about the process than the end product – which was perfect.

After the crafty time, the kids went upstairs to watch the Bee Movie and we stayed downstairs, drinking tea, eating Lindor chocolate and talking. It was awesome.

I had made each child these cutesie Popcorn Cups that were a hit.   

 It was so much fun! I decided to host another night (and there are one or two more in the works) because I have so many friends with children.

 The difference between the two groups was hilarious. With the 1st group I ran out of popcorn, apple juice, milk and cookies. There was a solid half hour of sweeping to do after they left and two days later I was finding things under the couch and behind plants. No problem! That’s what life with kids is like.

With the second group I didn’t even serve the popcorn, goldfish or raisins. I think one child had a drink – of water! When they called down to ask about making a fort upstairs I said: Of course.

When I joined them upstairs for the last half hour I was almost speechless. There was no mess. NO mess whatsoever. They had built the ‘fort’ by laying a blanket over the coffee table. That was it. That was the fort – no couch cushions on the floor, no furniture moved. But they had a blast sitting under the coffee table in their fort.

They made fridge magnets. They watched Cinderella and danced about, pretended to be dogs and babies and then they all got bundled up and went back home.

I was left with a glass of wine and a super clean house by 8 pm. And I was already in my PJ’s!

Truly a rewarding experience completing this item on my list!

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Nothing is Irreversible

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Simultaneously divergent timelines!!! 

Snugglebear!

Kira’s car blankie is complete!

So it took 2 years and 2 months, what’s that in the life of a WIP?

Ahh, the blink of an eye.

It’s been done for a week and my elbow is still hurting. My body is apparently not so used to crocheting.

Ah well! It’s well worth it — look at that cozy pup!

All made from fingering yarn – leftover scraps or unwanted colourways. Painstakingly hooked on the smallest crochet needle imaginable — though rumour has it there are smaller ones still…

LOST posts coming your way fast and furious this weekend — I was a little delayed by the Lost Media server crash — but they’re back up!

LOST Books – Everything That Rises Must Converge

In anticipation of tonight’s final premiere (oh it hurts to write that!) we relaunched the Lost Book Club on Ravelry ((I’m a Mod!!)){meaning moderator}.
We chose the short story by Flannery O’Connor (not a nice name for a lady don’t you think?) that Jacob is seen reading as Locke falls from the window behind him. 
If any of you are interested you can read the story online.

Sidenote: I may be the only person thoroughly disappointed in the long-awaited Jacob reveal. I mean, look at him: He’s a chimp! Ok. A chimp that can read but… I always pictured Jacob as a impressive, omniscient figure and this guy is impossible for me to take seriously (so far!) which could be Drowning Mona’s fault…

On to the reveiw. This is a very short story but wow! does it pack a lot in. There are a number of overlapping theme/storyline parallels with our Losties, Others etc.

The protagonist is an embittered man, who believes his life is without a future, that things have been decided for him and that he has fared badly through no fault of his own. He holds his mother responsible for his current situation and for what he sees as his lack of opportunity.

He lashes out at his mother because he is unhappy with his life and believes himself powerless to change – both himself and his environment.

This ties in so well with the running theme of Fate/Destiny vs. Choice. How much control do we have over our lives? How much is predetermined? Who’s fault is it if we are unhappy? Like Sawyer, Jack, Kate, and Ben this man punishes others to avoid true introspection. (I don’t include Locke here because he was unable to punish his father or his mother – passively I guess you could say he punished what’s-her-name but…mostly it was himself he was hurting)

The concept of OTHER is shared by this man and his mother. It is where they place their mistrust, their fear and insecurity of themselves and whether or not they belong. This desire to fence people out, especially those closest to the heart, is closely linked to their need to feel superior (Ben! ok, Jack too) and therefore necessary — and of course, wronged.

This This defense mechanism has played out multiple times in the series. The Others. The Hostiles. The Tailies. The Freighter Folk. The rivalry between Ben and Widmore. The rivalry between Locke and Ben. Locke and Jack. The triangle between Kate, Jack and Sawyer. Oooh baby. This list of black vs. white could go on!

In the story the man wants to take definite action “in reparation for his mother’s sins”. Jack certainly goes to extremes helping others, uselessly trying to impress his worthiness to the Father that is no longer there. Locke’s desperate search for meaning in his life in response to his father treating him as a non-person. Sawyer’s determination to do people over first – to not be the victim that his parents ultimately became. Kate killing her father because he was “in her”.

 

I found the closest match in personalities/situation to Ben in this protagonist. The man says, of his mother “there was an evil urge in him to break her spirit”. Goodness, how many people does Ben do that to, or try to? Gee, how many people has he met?

There is an interchange between the mother and another mother on the bus that left me shaking my head. I have encountered this reasoning elsewhere (most recently within the madness of Courtney Love’s “no daughter of mine” rant online) and it baffles me. The mothers are discussing the hooligans who have been committing petty theft in the neighbourhood. The stranger says that she told her son if he ever did something like that…and our mother replies “training tells.” Um yes. You raised them so…what you are saying is if they are good it’s the training and if they are bad it’s the training. But if they are bad and you disown them - wth? Isn’t it your training that caused the problem?

This interchange with the threat to disavow your own child reminded me of the dynamic between Kate and Diane. Kate believes she was freeing her mother and Diane’s response is to turn her over to the authorities. (ok – this is strictly a response to a fictional situation – I am not advocating the acceptance of murder! so don’t flame me in comments please!)

Back to our man. In repsonse to overhearing this conversation he retreats to his mind, “the only place he felt free from the general idiocy of his fellows.” Whoo! Judge much? Again this reminded me so much of Ben – his words to his father before he released the canister were: I had to put up with you. Ben’s entire demeanour oozes derision of almost everyone he speaks to.

From within his mind he says ‘he could see her (mother) with absolute clarity’. Really? It is this deluded sureness that leads to our crisis and this is the same on the show. Over and over again characters behave in ways that are unexpected by their enemy: ‘He changed the rules.’ ‘You aren’t supposed to leave.’ Juliet siding with Jack. Alex with Karl. And these led to crises of their own.

The protagonist says of life, it “gave him a certain satisfaction to see injustice in daily operation. It confirmed his view…” This sounds a lot like Locke seeking out rejection, moving purposefully towards it – with his father, with whats-her-name, with Ben. Ben certainly seems to find satisfaction in injustice, albeit while insisting on his own skewed perception of how to mete out justice! And while much yet is to be revealed – it makes me think of Jacob too. Who is he to decide? Why do his choices seem to cause so much suffering? Does it help support him in his debate with…the other Island guy. ( I cannot remember names at all today!) Or is it the other way around? Is the other Island guy finding satisfaction in the struggles of others as he tries to prove Jacob wrong?

The end of that thought was ‘it confirmed his view that there was no one worth knowing’. Ben? I certainly think so. He cuts off even the people that he ‘loves’ and I still think that he was the one confining Jacob to the cabin with the ring of ash…but nevermind that.

When things start to fall apart the man lashes out at his mother and defends his actions this way: ‘he could leave her wondering. No reason for her to think she could depend on him.’ This sounds like Ben – not being honest with people. Sawyer pushing people away. This childish, punitive approach to relationships echoes throughout LOST.

The protagonist intentionally goads his mother and then thinks to himself “now persecute us. go ahead and drive me out.” This is entirely Sawyer of Seasons 1 & most of 2. Ben absolutely does this. Locke has a persecution complex of massive proportion!

When he sees the effect of his words on his mother he feels a twinge of regret that ‘only lasted a second before principle rescued him. Justice entitled him to laugh.’ Does it? This twisted perception of morality colours the interactions of our Losties. But the laughing when inflicting pain, laughing because you are morally superior and therefore entitled sounds like Ben. Though again, since we see Jacob reading this story — is this about his relationship with other Island guy? It certainly could be.

His final words to his mother are ‘you aren’t who you think you are’. It is this realization that her own son is an Other, coupled with her recognizing herself in the Other she encountered that is her undoing. And also his.

When his mother crumples to the ground he is filled with grief and a sudden realization of what he has done and her true worth to him. Like Ben saying that Alex ‘is nothing’ to him and his immediate and visceral response to her murder, our man gathers his mother in his arms calling her ‘darling’ and ’sweetheart’.

The story ends with the man walking after a disappearing bus – a goal that is eluding him – so that he can avoid the ‘tide of darkness. Postponing entry to a world of guilt and sorrow.’ Wow. Ben’s whole trip to revenge, to save the Island has become reparation for Alex’ death — and isn’t someone on the Island using him to that end? Is it again all about other Island guy and Jacob? I think so…but we have a few more months to learn!

 

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Some Like it Hoth 

 One of my favourite episode titles thus far. Much better than Eggtown — I was hoping for more babies because of that title. Sigh…

And now for something completely different….

Knitting Content!!

Yes. Your eyes are not deceiving you — it’s a slew (or is it slough?) of FO’s!

Topmost is the Tudora Ruff- or Tudorica.   

I think this picture turned out quite funny – I was actually trying to avoid a triple chin but…it makes me look kinda threatening.

 

I joined a traveling Scarf Exchange, which is pretty fun – we just mailed off the second section. You start a scarf – knit the 1st 6″, send it on to the next knitter, they add 6″ and so on. Finally your scarf is returned to you and you knit the final 6″. Voila!  A complete scarf. And this way you – ok I - totally avoid the dread that comes upon me about 8″ in to a scarf — that certainty that the scarf is not growing – a fact that seems to be proven by measuring! Does anyone know how that works? How can you measure something at 8″, knit 10 rows and remeasure and it is still 8″?? I don’t know how it happens but it has happened to me more than once.

I used the leftover wool from Tudorica and chose a pattern from the Stitch Dictionary my Mom gifted me. This is not the best picture. At least I hope it’s the picture.

I also joined a Granny Square Exchange and this is a terrible pic of the one I sent out. (at least there is a bit of a theme to the post!)

AND last of all: Aunty K’s Amendment Thrummed Mittens

So named because they were to make up for the socks I made her for her anniversary that fit her granddaughter! (I’ve seen her wear them twice already!)

Thrumming was much easier than I thought and it is super-duper cozy. I might have to look into a pair for myself for next season since, you know.

Knit while watching: Lost Seasons 1&2; True Blood Seasons 1&2

Tudorica & Amendment Thrummed Mittens were projects for the BSG Fleet Power Battle (on Ravelry). Go Galactica!!

Comfort and Preparation

The internet is abuzz with news of Haiti and how we can each assist as we are able. Over at Ravelry there are patterns tagged for  Haiti Help  – parts of the proceeds will be given to Doctors Without Borders. So…if you were going to be buying a pattern soon, and you do it before Jan. 31st you’ll also be helping DwB/MSF

Yesterday the children at the Daycare asked to work on helping the ’sad people’. They decided that they would make crafts and have a craft sale. Pretty sweet of them and whoever buys the wallpaper and construction paper hats, the faux fur cuffs, the pom-pom people they’ve made so far.

Two of the little girls have had everyone write their names on paper so that the ‘people in Haiti know who loves them’.

They are donating their empty juice boxes and bottles from home and offering to ‘just bring some money’. We’re sending the money they raise to MSF. They aren’t affiliated with any religions/churches and very little, if any, of the monies are used for administrative purposes.

Not all of their ideas were workable, they wanted to gather wood and bricks and send it on the boats from Canada, but they all came from the heart. Which is pretty amazing.

I thought it might be a good time to remind people of the government initiative that all of us be ready for a disaster – they reccommend being self sufficient for up to 72 hours. This is really important for us on the West Coast since we live directly on a major faultline — eek!

A daunting and potentially stressful task, contemplating the worst but it could make a real difference for you and your loved ones.

In November a friend who teaches Earthquake Preparedness for teens and families helped me complete my readiness kit.

Yes – that’s my Emergency Knitting kit - it’s clipped to my pack ($10 2nd hand, pretty awesome find). It holds 2 complete projects with instructions, needles, tape measure, beads, darning needle and scissors. I have one complicated project from the 7 Deadly Spins club and one plain vanilla sock project.

This pack, that I was relieved to learn I can put on and carry unassisted, has food, medicine and water for 1 week, plus the tools to build a temporary shelter.

My friend told me about an awesome cooker and I highly recommend it. It is lightweight — like a feather! — and lasts for hours.

Naturally I have a leash, food, treats and a sweater for Kira in my pack too. She’s my baby!

Altogether assembling my kit cost between $60-$80. If anyone wants I can send you a copy of the supply list I used.

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Better late than never – I want to get these reviews up before the new season starts in…15 days! Whoo! It’s nearly here…which also means, it’s nearly over.

Dead is Dead

 

 Whoo Nelly! Just when I think I can’t love this show more…the next episode airs!

A Coming of Age

 

Their friend dies – and they’re all grown up. ;-D

I got my first egg today!

 

I was cleaning the coop, freshening the water etc. and saw the egg just laying in the pine shavings. Inside their coop I bought specially for them! Such a relief – because they sleep in the rafters of the enclosure and I wasn’t at all sure they would know to lay in the coop.

I brought the egg to work to show the children. After we marveled over its size, shape and colour we shared it – scrambled in butter. (I know – heartless) 9 children and one adult had two spoons of scrambled egg each.

And it was delicious!