Kat’s been working hard on her posts
M is for Music
There is nothing quite like getting your groove on to some sick beats.
N is for Nail Polish
painting nails at a slumber party is definitely my speed
O is for Ocean
finding new and amazing stuff that lives in ridiculous extreme underwater environements.
P is for Picnic
Picnics, much like solitaire, can be done however the attendees wish.
Image by romana klee via Flickr
E is for Embroidery or, actually hand cross-stitching.
A few years ago, I was thinking that I didn’t have any material thing hobbies. I collected things and learned how to do things but that’s not the same. I started looking through all kinds of hobbies: candle-making, hair jewelry, plastic spoon art.
I finally settled on cross-stitching which startled my family a bit the first time that I brought out my embroidery bag. I used the Klutz Guide to Simple Embroidery to learn. It was perfect for me. Each stitch came with a little project. I just copied it free hand from the book and did it.
At the end was project that used all the stitches together but I didn’t do it. First, I am lazy. Secondly, I wasn’t interested in the scene.
Now I have the rudimentary skills to make the stitches but I still don’t know much about when to use them. When do you use a French knot and when do you use a backstitch? Dunno.
Next step was to find some pre-made patterns. I learned that counted cross-stitch is very, very different from free-hand cross-stitch. I don’t think much of counted cross-stitch, it’s like putting together a puzzle that takes a really, really long time. I want my embroidery to have a quicker payoff.
Turns out there are lots and lots of sweet aphorisms and cute little animals. That’s about it. While I wouldn’t say no to a Hello Kitty pattern, I want to move onto something different. Steotch.com is much more along the line I want. But they do counted cross-stitch. Boo!
I have all these hobbies supplies that make me so happy. I have a wooden embroidery hoop and someday I plan to get a metal one. I don’t like the plastic kinds.
My family gave me tons of embroidery floss one year. Thanks! I want to buy some gold thread too.
There are all kinds of needles but I just bought a basic set of 16.
I have a cute strawberry pin cushion but I lost a needle in it and and now I just use a magnetic tray. Safer for me.
My niece was interested in what I was doing. So, I gave her kid sized hoop and floss and needle and started her on a pattern. Next time, I see her I hope to show her more.
Here are useful links:
Image via Wikipedia
I was stuck for a topic for “D” when my sister suggested D for daydreaming.
I looked up information about daydreaming – people are mostly supportive of it but they weren’t always. I remember being scolded a lot by adults about daydreaming or even appearing to be distracted.
James Thurber is a favorite of mine and his Secret Life of Walter Mitty is my second* favorite story of his. Mitty is a loser who constantly disappoints his wife: he drives too fast, he can’t put chains on his car, and he forgets the grocery list. Still, and all, he’s a fun loser. I wonder, if he would share some of his inner life with his wife, would she be more accepting of him. Maybe he’s tried.
Chuck Jones made a couple of cartoons with a child Mitty which were just as hilarious and his teacher was more long-suffering than annoyed with him. Unlike Mitty, the boy got to go in space and have lots of more action-packed adventures. (Note: if anyone knows the names of these cartoons, please let me know.)
I read a bit about daydreaming and it is seen as somewhat beneficial now. Bet you that wool-gatherers are still scolded regularly.
While I was pondering how to go about describing how much fun daydreaming was, I realized something. I was hardly ever daydreaming. The most I might do is run through my day’s plans to make sure I have everything I need before I leave for work.
And I think it must the suggestion but I’ve been daydreaming a lot lately. I’ve been remembering great parties, imagining my future, and traveling in fantasy lands. Best of all is having conversations with fictional characters.
I figure that when they aren’t busy with their official lives, my favorite characters like Aerin or Sookie** or Chuck would want to sit down and chat with me. Of course they would.
Sometimes I complain about a bad day and they nod sympathetically or I “tell” them about this great movie I just saw, and they usually agree that they liked it too.
Mostly though, they serve as a sounding board while I’m working out various philosophical questions. For example, “how are horror movies valuable to society” or “in this situation, how much do I owe myself and how much do I owe the other person.” They very helpfully take the opposing side and help me sort it out.
*my all-time favorite James Thurber story is The Night the Bed Fell.
**Kat pointed out that Sookie reads minds so I wouldn’t have to do much talking.
C is for the TV show Chuck starring Zachary Levi. This is part of our Dictionary of Fun project.
My timing is never the best and the next season – the 5th – will be the show’s final season. To be honest, it’s my favorite way to watch TV without the pesky raising and dashing of hopes. It’s done and ready to watch in long sessions.
From what I’ve read, Chuck has had a troubled history staying on the air. But they also have had the good fortune of devoted fans who bought Subway sandwiches to support the show. I had read about the Subway campaign but still didn’t watch the show.
One time, I saw a Christmas episode in which there is a hostage situation (Season 2 - Chuck Versus Santa Claus). It seemed grim. And I thought, if that’s their Christmas episode –no sappy? no feel-good???– then I don’t want to see their regular shows.
Just recently, I saw an episode in an airplane that was very, very funny. So I thought I’d try it, and I just finished season one. I can see why people bought sandwiches for it. It’s very enjoyable with a very engaging cast.
Last week, I showed Beffers the episode Chuck vs. the Undercover Lover, and she laughed quite a bit. She thought she could convince her brother to watch it with her as it is guy-friendly.
Adam Baldwin, especially in the later episodes of season one (The Crown Vic and The Undercover Lover), is a sheer delight. I am wishing, in complete self-interest, that he gets another job SOON that matches his abilities.
Perhaps I should have waited till “L” or “Z” because the actor who plays Chuck Bartowski is a big part of my infatuation with the show. If I’m reading the world right, many, many people besides me have noticed that he’s handsome, charming, and witty. He can also sing.
Television Without Pity says Levi couldn’t be cuter if he had a rabbit on his shoulder. A piece of information that is indisputable.
Here is what I think sums him up. Oscars: Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi are singing the nominated song I See the Light. A fan describes his performance as debonair. After the song, Mandy Moore still looks tense. He winks at her. She visibly relaxes and gives him a sweet smile. Not only is he something of a Prince Charming himself but he brings out the princess or prince in his co-stars.
I wanted to be as poetic as my sister bloggers but I don’t have anything elevated inside me right now. So here’s my first (belated) Alphabet of Fun post.
(A for Autumn)
Winter here in Kentucky is awful. There’s rarely any snow to speak of – the trees are bare and brown, the ground is bare and brown. It’s usually raining and the sky is sickly pale blue. I hate it.
Spring is okay. It tends to be unstable: chilly; sunny; windy; rainy and then tornadoes.
There is one excellent thing about spring here and that’s the yellow-green leaves. Usually I dislike any yellow-green but this is such a happy, fresh color I can’t.
My brother imagined a conversation between the deciduous trees and the evergreen.
D (goofy, excited, childish voice): I’m greeeen! Green green GREEN!
E (growly, world-weary, curmudgeonly tone): Photosynthesis isn’t always going be as easy.
D: What’s fotosinnasis? We don’t do that, we’re just GREEeeNNN!
E: Happens every year. Gotta teach ‘em everything.
D: Greeeeeeeeeen!!!!!!!!!
Summer is pretty good. Every thing feels lush; the grassy fields and the deep green leaves on the trees. Mellow rains interrupt hot, humid sunny days.
But Autumn is my favorite season. The sky is a deep blue – a lot like this: 
. It’s the perfect temperature, not warm enough to make you sweat if you are out for a brisk walk and not cool enough to warrant sweaters. The leaves are so brightly yellow and orange and read that they bounce light off people’s faces as they walk along. It’s rarely windy and the rains are pensive. It’s so perfect that it sustains me through most of the winter.
I participated in Encyclopedia of Me blog carnival hosted by Bella Dia a few years ago. Now Kat from Kat’s Weblog and Beffer from Befflets are going to post about 26 fun things to do.
New! Crazybay from crazybay46913 has joined our Dictionary of Fun.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I |
B is for Casual Gaming from crazybay
D is for Daydreaming from moonlitgarden
D is for Doctor Who from befflets
I is for Internet from kat’s weblog
moonlit garden Romance Movie Date  |
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