Miscellaneous stuff

1. Well, yesterday was an interesting day in Philly. I was at work and I kept hearing helicopters. Finally, I started wondering what was going on and I checked the news online and heard about the explosion under One Penn Center. It was electrical, something about an overloaded cable. Apparently there were anywhere from 3 to 5 explosions and lots of that icky green smoke. Manhole covers were blowin into the air and the footage showed flames shooting out of the manholes. One person was sent to the hospital, but I think it was because she was so scared, not because of physical injuries. I imagine that many people in those buildings thought at first that it was terrorism.

My building is about 2 blocks over, and luckily we didn't lose power or have to evacuate. A 36-square block area was shut down. Luckily, everything is somewhat back to normal today. They say that one retail store near City Hall still is without power, and parts of Ranstead Street are closed, but other than that things are fine.


2. You know, I really used to like the Today Show. It had nothing to do with Katie Couric, as I was never a big fan, but I guess I like Matt Lauer. But in the last few years I've been getting more and more annoyed by the "news" reported. Most of it isn't news at all, but infotainment. I know, it seems that all of the news shows are like this now. The ruckus over Brad&Angelna and Tom&Katie having babies was a bit over the top, among other things that drive me nuts. Now that Meredith is on the show, there's all this talk about her kids, how she lives, etc. Today they said they were going to "look back" on Meredith's first week on the show. Good grief! She's been there ONE WEEK, not fifty years! It's just so annoying. I guess other people care about that stuff, but I frankly don't care if somebody has a kid, no kids, 5 kids, 10 grandkids, 16 dogs, where they live, how many houses they have, the colors used to decorate her bathroom, etc. Just tell me the freakin' news so I have a clue what's going on. I'd just watch CNN, but I don't always trust them to give me the whole story. Then again, I don't think any news source gives you the whole story, so I may have a lost cause there.

3. Once again I have to say: Just because a person doesn't agree with your politics does NOT mean that person is stupid. It's so stupid. I know some people would like us all to be little clones who all think the same (the same as them, of course). Well, we don't. I don't go around calling all Republicans stupid, or conservatives stupid, or non-Presbyterians stupid, but maybe I should. Obviously, trying to be respectful of another person's opinions gets me nowhere as some are happier throwing around generalizations.

Meh. That's all I have time for today. I gotta get ready for work. At least it's Friday and I can wear comfy clothes today. :)

Took two days, but it's fixed!

I've taken the last two days to be here while whatever was wrong with my tub/shower got fixed so that water would stop leaking into my hallway. It wasn't just a little leak -- every time one of us took a shower the carpet would be sopping wet and you could see shoeprints clearly.

The reason I stayed home (and I'm glad I did) is that I don't trust my apartment (AM) manager to tell the maintenance man (MM) everything I tell her. If I hadn't been here today there would have still been a problem because of it, and it's not MM's fault. This happens all the time.

He recaulked the tub and parts of the shower yesterday but couldn't test the water then because of the caulk, which I understand. Realized I still had an awful leak after I took a shower yesterday, so called AM back yesterday to make sure MM could come out again today. I mentioned to her that we thought the shower could have something to do with it, as we noticed our shower pressure had dropped. As usual, she dismissed that, saying "Oh, that could happen due to a number of reasons, blah blah blah."

So, MM guy came today, took the access panel off the hallway wall and saw that the pipe from the drain area was broken. He also mentioned he'd like to punch whoever had the great idea years ago to put concrete around the pipes so that he had to break up a bunch of concrete to get the old pipe in and put the new one in. It took the guy about 2 hours to do that. After he was done I asked if he could run the shower because we thought that was a problem, too. Wonder of wonders -- she hadn't told him any of that. Yeah, that's why I had to be here, or else I would have had to call him back again. So, he tested it and then installed a new shower arm and head.

So, the problem is fixed but it makes me so mad that I have to take time off from work, my vacation days, to be here because dingbat AM won't tell MM the whole story because SHE KNOWS what the problem is and that whatever I think the problem is couldn't possibly be correct. It wouldn't have bothered me so much, except that I'm gone from Wed - Fri next week at CATS and we are all off on Monday as it's Yom Kippur and we get Jewish holidays off. I'll probably be working some over the weekend. It's not a huge deal, but I don't like being out that many days so close together, especially when today and yesterday were unplanned. I have a cool and understanding boss, and she knew I was worried and told me it's fine, but I don't want to take advantage, either.

Anyway, I just had to get that out of my system. It seems to be OK now, which is good. Now I need to start harping on AM to fix the water damage I've had in my apartment forever due to other plumbing issues that were not my fault. I've mentioned them a few times to her, but I think if I report them again and nothing happens I'll have to write a letter with a list of issues and send it to her and CC it to the owners and possibly a lawyer Tim knows. It's not my fault that the idiots upstairs kept flushing stuff they shouldn't, or that they were using a washing machine in an apartment not set up for it, or that it took AM forever to finally install a new check valve in my kitchen sink so I wasn't getting water backing up in my sink and on my kitchen floor.

How the heck this person got a job as an apartment manager, I'll never know.

(OK, I'm done.)

Joining the 10-Project Challenge!

This is basically a stitching challenge over at The Wagon for those of us who are trying to stitch more from what we already have and buy less. Others are doing a 25 or 50 Challenge, but 50 is just too much for me as I mainly stitch large projects. I figure I'll see how the first 10 go, then I can do another 10 Challenge if I want to. Of course, we are allowed exceptions, and mine are below. I didn't want to make too many but I also want to be realistic:

Exceptions

1. Limited Edition Mirabilias
2. JCS Ornament Issues
3. CATS shopping (going next week!)
4. floss & beads for projects for which I already have fabric and chart

I decided to write down the 10 projects I plan on finishing. Of course, this particular list is subject to change and I some of them are new pieces so that I allow myself to start new projects. Angel of Love is also on my 101 list, so when I finish that one I can scratch it off in two places.

WIPS
1. Lady of the Flag (just finished, figured I'd count it since it was after 9/1.)
2. Angel of Love - L&L
3. Angel of the New Dawn - Mirabilia
4. Liberty Sampler - Hester's Needle
5. I Shall Wear Purple - Lanarte

New
1. Why Hoard Chocolate? - Dragon Dreams
2. Cinnamon Bear - one of the JCS ornament issues
3. Country Fair - L&L
4. Season's Greetings - Christmas book I have
5. Santa in Crimson - one of the JCS ornament issues

Stitching update

(Doh! I don't know why some of these photos are so big. I edited them in Photobucket as usual, but they certainly aren't as small as Photobucket says they are. Have to work on that.)

Well, it's been a while since I made a real post. I'll start off with my good stitching news -- I finished Lady of the Flag! I wanted to have her done by 9/11 and had her stitched and was in the middle of the beading when I realized I didn't have enough gold beads. Duh. So, I ordered them and received them on Friday, finishing her yesterday.

I'm thinking of framing her in a special way. I need to add my initials and "September, 2006" to the bottom, and may also add "Remember 9/11/01" or something. Then, I'd like to stitch sayings about freedom and have them inserted in the mat around her. I'd probably but them on navy blue and use white floss, as I want her to be the focal point. There are several quotes out there about how loving this country also means questioning the government, what true patriotism is, etc. I need to work out the details, but I think that would be nice. Or, I could print the quotes in a nice font on a laser printer on acid-free paper, but I'm not sure it would give the same effect.

Anyway, she looks a little odd because the bottom is hanging off the couch cushion. She's pretty big and it's hard for me to get a good picture of her.





I've also been working on Garden Verses and Mermaid of the Pearls, and both are coming along nicely. I'm very happy with both, but particularly Garden Verses, probably because she has no beading so that I can see the whole picture as I stitch, whereas Mermaid of the Pearls has a lot of beads that I will be filling in after I stitch.









I also started Skeleton Crew last night and am enjoying it. I'm hoping to have it finished by Halloween, but of course it won't be framed by then. It's by Cross-Eyed Cricket and is very cute, but I haven't stitched enough of it yet to justify posting a picture.

Wahoo!

I've actually got more to post, which I will later after my thoughts are a bit more organized -- nothing bad, just been a while since I posted.

However, I HAD to post that I FINALLY got DSL at home so I'm not using that dial-up anymore! Yay!

It's all Nora's fault!

Darn it Nora! I absolutely love the vast majority of your designs and own them or plan on buying them. I have stitched or are in the process of stitching several. I thought I was safe, though, when it came to the "In My Garden" series. They were cute, but not really my style. Then I saw the Autumn in My Garden design and fell in love with it. Of course, me being me, I can't have Autumn in My Garden without finishing the series eventually, so now I'm going to be FORCED to buy the whole series.

Nora definitely knows what she's doing.

Musing on Movies

See, this is what happens when you give me a day off -- serial blog postings. :)

Are there any actors that you so strongly identify with one particular role that you have trouble accepting them in other roles? What actors do you find the most versatile (i.e. it is easy to accept them in a wide variety of rolls)?

They aren't movie characters, but for me it's the "Seinfeld" cast. Judging from the difficulty many of them have had finding new roles, I guess it's not just me. There was a short-lived sitcom starring Jason Alexander as a father, and I couldn't watch it because I kept picturing him as George Costanza and couldn't POSSIBLY picture him as a father. Same with Michael Richards and his Kramer character. I was glad to see that Julia Louis-Dreyfus just won an Emmy for her new tv show. Maybe she's broken that curse. I feel bad that I can't get past those characters, but "Seinfeld" is my favorite tv show ever and it's tough to get beyond those roles.

I think one of the most versatile actors today is Johnny Depp. I think he could play any role you gave him. I also think Russell Crowe can play different roles. Same for Cate Blanchett.

SBQ

It would be nice if I'd remember to keep up with these each week, but I do always get to them eventually.

For those of you who use hand or over-dyed floss, how do you store it? I store mine in floss bags on a ring. I keep WDW on one ring, Sampler Threads on another, Needle Necessities on a third, etc.

What do you keep your WIPs and other stitching supplies in when traveling? I have a bunch of organizers I bought from Dyeing4U a few years back. There are made out of placemats and have freezer bags inside to hold materials, as well as some pockets for charts and other items. I absolutely LOVE them and use them mostly for keeping all my WIPS even at home. I have one that is relatively empty and use that one for traveling, as the others are pretty full.

How do you share your finished pieces with others? Do you frame them,
scan and/or photograph them, or do you have another method that you
would like to share? Well, this blog is one way I share my finished pieces with others. I also post pictures on various stitching boards I visit and email photos to my mom and sister. I used to use a scanner at my old job but I now have a lovely digital camera that Tim bought me and I use that. My local friends see them in person.

Changed plans

Well, I'm not going to NY this weekend but will go later in the month. I won't be able to stay as long but that's OK. As I thought may happen, Dana's husband wasn't able to get back home in time yesterday from work so that we could go to get a car. Fine with me, as he's got a new supervisory position and that has to come first. Also, I was thinking about putting the trip off anyway, after seeing the weather forecast for the weekend up here. I don't like the idea of driving 5-6 hours one-way on Labor Day Weekend in bad rain in a car I'm not used to. I think that's just asking for trouble. My mom agrees and knows I'll get up there when I can.

So, instead I'm going to have a nice 4-day weekend at home, which is fine with me. I was tired all week but didn't realize how tired until this morning -- when I woke up at 10:30AM! I usually end up automatically waking up no later than 7AM on the weekends and get up around 6AM during the week. So, I guess I really needed the sleep and would have been that much more tired if I'd stayed out late getting a car last night and waking up at the crack of dawn this morning to travel.