Books and Such

I've been reading a lot more lately. I've finally jumped on the vampire bandwagon and started reading....
Dracula.

That's right, Dracula by Bram Stoker. I've never read it before, and I decided to participate in an online read-along/knit-along that's reading Dracula for the book and knitting something red for the knitting portion. It's technically not supposed to begin until January 3, but I'm cheating and starting early. So far I've read the first four chapters. It's intriguing and suspenseful and nothing like I expected. Although, my expectations were not very clear, anyway, as I'm not a big aficionado of the vampire genre.

My limited exposure to vampire stories includes watching the movie Interview with the Vampire while in college (which is also a book, but I haven't read it) and reading the books Bloodsucking Fiends and You Suck by Christopher Moore (both subtitled A Love Story). I never had a strong desire to watch Interview with the Vampire when it originally came out, but one night my room mate and I walked into our dorm lobby and people were watching it. We saw enough to get intrigued, but didn't finish it then since we'd come in about half way through the movie. We rented it at some later point and watched the whole thing. Good flick, but not enough to make me obsessed with vampires. I read the Christopher Moore books, because I'm a Christopher Moore fan. If you've never read him, I highly recommend Fluke and The Stupidest Angel. I also thoroughly enjoyed Lamb: the gospel according to Biff, Christ's childhood pal, but that one might put some people off more than the others. It is very tongue-in-cheek, but I didn't find it offensive in a personal-attack-on-my-religion kind of way at all. Just remember--it's fiction. It's not meant to be an accurate representation of history.

I know the current vampire book craze is Twilight and its attendant sequels. I haven't read them. And I really have no intention of reading them. I've heard lots of people say they're wonderful (I've also read some not so complimentary reviews), and they just don't sound that interesting to me. Part of it is my natural inclination to resist things that seem overly hyped. I resisted Harry Potter for a long time for that same reason. Anytime a bunch of people come up to me and say, "You have to read this book!!!!" my response is, "No I don't; and you can't make me." I did eventually read the Harry Potter books after seeing a couple of the movies and enjoying them. And I liked Harry Potter. But, I saw the movie previews and thought the movies looked good. I liked the movies, and so I read the books. The previews for the Twilight movies don't interest me, and so I don't feel compelled to read the books. I'm just not that into the whole vampire thing.

Anyway, while poking about online, I discovered the blog Words, Words, Words. The author of said blog is hosting a Victorian Literature Challenge for 2011, and since I'm already reading Dracula, I thought I'd participate. Here are the details:

This challenge will run from 01 Jan 2011 - 31 Dec 2011.
Participants can sign up at any time throughout the year.

Read your Victorian literature.
Queen Victoria reigned from 1837-1901. If your book wasn't published during those particular years, but is by an author considered 'Victorian' then go for it. We're here for reading, not historical facts! Also, this can include works by authors from other countries, so long as they are from this period.

Literature comes in many forms.
There are so many Victorian reads out there, including novels, short stories, and poetry. One poem doesn't count as a 'book': pick up an anthology instead!

Choose your books.
List your books before you begin, or pick up titles along the way. It's up to you! You can review them if you choose to, but it's not necessary. If you don't have a blog, that's fine! Link to a Facebook, or a page somewhere where you can list what you've been reading. If you can't link up, no problem - feel free to just comment and enjoy.

Spread the love.

Post the reading challenge on your blog - make your own post(s), or stick the button on the side of your page. The more the merrier, after all. Let's build a big community of Victorian literature lovers!

Choose from one of the four levels:

Sense and Sensibility: 1-4 books.
Great Expectations: 5-9 books.
Hard Times: 10-14 books.
Desperate Remedies: 15+ books.

I've decided to participate at the Great Expectations level. Here are my books:

1. Dracula by Bram Stoker
2. Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
3. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
4. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
5. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
6. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
7. Villette by Charlotte Bronte
8. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
9. The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells

Depending on how things go, I might bump up to the Hard Times level, but for now I'm satisfied with this list. Anyone want to join me? To participate officially you can sign up at the Words, Words, Words blog (linked above), or you can just read some Victorian Lit with me and post comments around here. I think I'll make Wednesdays my book update day. I'll post about what I'm reading or just finished, and you all can contribute your thoughts and suggestions as well. Happy reading!

Christmas Recap

Michael and I agree that this Christmas was one of the best ever. Beginning Christmas Eve with a busy buy enjoyable day attending church and spending time with Michael's parents and continuing through Christmas Day, which was relaxing and full of laughter, love, and good food at my parents' house. The only downside was that Michael's dad came down with something and couldn't make it Christmas morning. We both got loads of great stuff, including iPhone4s, new Ariat boots, books, shirts, nice cookware (to replace my old, not so nice cookware), books, candy, and a big Longaberger basket. The gifts I made seemed to go over very well. The only thing that wasn't a perfect fit was Allyson's hat, which was a little small (it seems she may have inherited the Bruner big head gene). Fortunately, it can be remedied by attaching an elastic band that will go under her chin to secure the hat on her head (like a large party hat with flowy fabric attached to it). On to the photos!

Opening our iPhones on Christmas Eve:

My basket (which is now full of yarn):


Our new boots:


And now for everyone else's presents:

Mom's Socks:



Dad's Socks:



Donna's Socks:



Mike's Socks:



Amy's Socks:



Justin's Socks:


I don't have pictures of Justin and Amy with their socks because those were delivered to Colorado yesterday by my parents. I have been assured that they fit well, and the recipients like them.

The rest of the day was spent talking, laughing, eating (lots of eating), and enjoying each other's company. So, that was my Christmas. How was yours?

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, everyone! It's nearly 9:00 pm on Christmas Eve, and it's been a fairly busy Christmas Eve at that. But, it's been good. We spent the evening with Michael's parents. We enjoyed a nice Christmas Eve church service this afternoon, went to dinner, and walked around downtown enjoying the Christmas lights. Last night Michael and I drove around looking at Christmas lights around town. I very much enjoy Christmas lights.

I think the fascination with lights around Christmas has to do with the fact that it's the darkest time of the year. The Winter Solstice has just passed, and while the days are getting a bit longer, the return of the light is barely perceptible. The little lights that we string around our houses and adorn our trees are little symbols of hope. Knowledge that the light will return, and it will once again be warm. The tiny lights are comforting in the darkness of winter.

I think that fascination with the light is why I like that we celebrate the birth of Jesus this time of year. While he wasn't actually born in December, he was the coming of the light. He is the personification of the hope represented by the tiny Christmas lights. The Light was here and will come again. And when it does, we won't have to worry about the darkness anymore.

So, enjoy your Christmas. Spend time with your loved ones, enjoy your presents, have a few cookies, and reflect on all of your blessings.

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Random on a Wednesday

It's currently snowing. Unfortunately, the highs during the day are above freezing, which melts the snow. Then it gets cold at night and freezes, making the roads slippery. This morning, the leafless trees were outlined in frost. It was very pretty.

Michael and I went cross country skiing on Sunday. We purchased our equipment from thrift stores for a grand total of $35. It's perhaps not the greatest equipment, but it's cheaper than renting. We went up to the cross country ski trail on the Fourth of July Pass. The snow was only a couple inches deep at best, so it wasn't actually groomed, and all the natural topography of the trail was obvious through the snow. This made things more difficult than if there's been a good base that was groomable and even. We went for about two miles. I keep hoping we'll get enough snow to go again on Christmas Eve or the day after Christmas, but the forecast is not in my favor. Anyway, here are some pictures from Sunday:





I've finished my Christmas knitting! As of this morning, the last toe was grafted, the last ends were woven, photos were taken, and all of the socks were lovingly laid on tissue paper, placed in boxes, and wrapped. They're all under the Christmas tree, where they've been since this morning. I also put the finishing touches on the princess hats for my nieces. I felted them on Monday and let them dry for the last couple days. All they lacked was the fabric veil to drape down the back. This afternoon my mom and I went to the fabric store and picked out some sheer fabric with sparkly things all over. Very pretty, and quite the perfect finishing touch to the princess hats. Mom hemmed them for me so they wouldn't fray and they were attached to the hats. And here they are!





All I have left to do is Michael's hat, which may or may not be done by Christmas Day. I started it this morning, but had to rip it out and start over because it was turning out too big. So, I restarted and completed one row. I'm also making some little toys for Allyson's birthday, which is a few days after Christmas. They're quick and cute, but they have to be done before Mom and Dad go down there the day after Christmas, so I've been working on them a bit more than the hat. In any case, it's only Wednesday and the important Christmas things are done. That means I won't be up until all hours on Christmas Eve frantically finishing things. What a nice feeling.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

I saw this last night when I was driving home. I'm sure it actually says "Peace on Earth," but it sure looks like it says "Peace on Farth." I was wondering where or what Farth might be.

Anyway...

Christmas is officially two weeks away. The Christmas knitting is progressing. I got the yarn for the rest of my projects in the mail on Tuesday and immediately cast on for the hats for my nieces. I finished the knitting for them in two days per hat. They're going to be felted, but that hasn't happened quite yet. I'll be doing that in the next couple days. For now, here are a couple pictures in their unfelted glory. I've included a normal hat that I made for Michael for scale comparison.



The pink one is for Allyson and the blue one is for Lauren.

After these I have two pairs of socks to churn out. I hope I can manage a pair per week. We'll see how it goes. One pair might end up being finished on Christmas Day. I also still need to wrap the presents that are finished. The socks for my parents and my mother-in-law are done. My father-in-law's socks are on the needles. At least, the first one is. I need to go get a good book to read while I knit. His socks and my brother's socks are both going to be plain stockinette (based on the assumption that men don't really want fancy looking socks), so they're not particularly exciting for me to knit. Reading while knitting makes the knitting go faster. My sister-in-law's socks are pretty much done. I still need to close up the toe and weave in the ends of the second sock, but that won't take long once I get to it. Speaking of that, I still need to weave in the ends of Allyson's hat as well. You'll get to see official photos of all these things in just over two weeks. Even though pretty much everyone knows what they're getting, they don't know what they look like, and aren't allowed to see them before Christmas.

A few days ago my friend Juanita invited me over to her house to decorate gingerbread houses. She'd gotten a couple of kits and hadn't gotten into them yet. When I told her I'd never decorated a gingerbread house before, she decided that I needed to be initiated. Here are the results of my first attempt:





Here is Juanita decorating hers:


And here is her masterpiece:


I have to admit that Juanita's skills are far superior to mine in regards to gingerbread house decoration. But, for my first attempt, I think it looks cute. I also managed to burst the frosting bag that I used for piping on the frosting. It was fun, and we decided to bake and decorate a cake for our next adventure in pastry decorating. I'm not sure when that will happen, but be sure I'll take and post pictures when it does. (Given my unfortunate lack of prowess with the piping bag, it might be an interesting looking cake.)

Our Christmas decorations are up. All we lack are some presents under the tree. Soon enough, that will be taken care of as well.

Carpet Cleaning

Michael decided that tonight he is cleaning our carpets. He went to Home Depot before I got back from teaching in Athol to get the carpet cleaner. Pretty much all of our living room furniture is packed into our kitchen, and we are effectively barricaded from entering said kitchen. I'm currently in our bedroom while he cleans the living room carpet. I suppose we'll have to frolic barefoot across the small expanse of carpet that separates the bedroom from the bathroom. Hopefully I won't be experiencing an insomniac episode tonight. If I do, Michael might just have to deal with me having the light on, since he will have rendered it impossible for me to go hang out in the living room until I get sleepy. I suppose I could scamper to my studio, but it's not very comfortable in there, and the desk (the only thing from the living room not in the kitchen) is in there. The plan is that we'll be able to let the living room carpet dry over night, then move the stuff from the studio and the bedroom into the living room (after replacing the living room furniture) to clean the rest of the carpet. This will make for an interesting couple of days. At least we're leaving some of the larger, more unwieldy items in place, such as our king size bed, the entertainment center, and the book cases in my studio. But, in the end, we'll have clean carpets at least.

Letters

Dear Weather,

The rain was really not necessary. We've had lots of snow, and I, for one, would prefer for it to stay cold and continue snowing. Warming up enough to rain really only makes things worse. All the packed snow turns to slush, which makes the roads dreadful. And you know you'll only make it freeze overnight, which makes the roads even more dreadful the next morning. And then you'll make it snow some more, so the nasty icy stuff will only be covered with snow, making things yet more horrible for driving. Apart from the unpleasant driving conditions (and the fact that my car is beyond filthy now), it's just miserable. You can go outside and play in the snow, even when it's actively snowing. Who wants to go outside and play in the slush and rain? No one. It's not fun at all. Dry cold is much more bearable than wet, nasty cold. So, shape up, please. No more of this nonsense. At least not until spring. Then, you can rain and make the snow go away. Preferably overnight.

Sincerely,

Jessica
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Dear Man Who Plows Our Parking Lot,

I appreciate that you did eventually plow the slush for us tonight. It would have been appreciated if you'd done so earlier in the day. The fact that there were 6 to 8 inches of slush on the ground at any given point today made getting up the hill that is the driveway quite difficult. I'm just glad no one was trying to get out while I was trying to get in, as the snow/slush/whatever was pushing me around, and I had difficulty controlling my car. And if I stopped, I doubt I would've been able to get the rest of the way up. In the future, please be a little more on top of things.

Sincerely,

Jessica
_________________________________________________________________

Dear People In Charge of Plowing the City,

Plow! The residential streets especially need it. I should not be scraping the underside of my car on huge mounds of slushy snow as I'm driving. Please see to this immediately.

Sincerely,

Jessica