Sunday, October 28, 2007

windswept and interesting

You know how you want to breeze in, be all windswept and interesting (a phrase that my husband made up when he was away on a ski trip) and have a fascinating life.

Well, today that ain't going to happen. I was looking at my previous blogs and thought 'but they say it all'. It's been bathroom frustrations (7 days of mess for 1.5 days of work, and the plumber's insurance still hasn't come through! So he can't work here. Blaugh!!) Then beading joys (new necklace and two pairs of earrings, or really 1.5 pairs as I haven't finished the second pair. But I will, and they are sparkly. I love sparkly earrings. Necklaces can be subtle, but earrings have to glisten and gleam, otherwise they just get lost in my hair) and work. Nothing new to report. Not reading a fabulous book (am reading, I'm always reading, but it's an average wizard book ala Harry Dresden and not going anywhere very fast.) Listened to the new Gloria Estefan - which I'm enjoying, I used to have to know what the lyrics meant, but that necessity left me and now I can listen to Latin music happily. Went for a walk, fall finally arriving in nyc, and froze my fingers as I strode down Battery City Park.

That's about it. More interesting life next week! (though I am aware of the Chinese curse - may you live in interesting times) so maybe I'll amend that, to more interest post next week. Surely that's safe enough.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Jewel of a Bathroom

We are renovating our laundry, getting rid of the large sink (who does handwashing anyway - not me!) and putting in a shower, turning the apartment into a true 2 bed, 2 bath resellable slut - once seen, everyone wants her...

So we chose such pretty coloured tiles and it's going to be gorgeous, but in the mean time, they are drilling, loudly, pulling up the floor tiles. Mess, weird gunky stuff and tile dust I can tolerate, but the drilling is driving me crazy.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Beads, glorious beads

Have I told you my new obsession about beads? If I haven't, things have progressed. I now have made for myself about 10 necklaces, 5 bracelets, 5 pairs of earrings and about 12 rings. I know, I really need to get more earrings. One day I'll even manage to photograph some of them and upload them so you can see what I'm up to.

I love it. I said to my sister its like a perfect storm connection of all my other obsessions. I've always liked make up, the colours, the glitter, the combinations. And I love sweets/candy, the small burst of flavors, the colors, the combinations. Well beads surpass all that. So I'm not buying 22 shades of reddish brown lipstick in order to find the one true perfect one. I'm buying 22 purple beads in all sizes, shapes and colours, and mixing and matching them to find a combination that delights me, both in shape, and colour and texture. It just makes me happy.

This week, for the first time, I'm going to a bead fair, which is very exciting. I've been to the shops on 6th Avenue - there's a whole string of them from about 36th to 38th. But they are so expensive. I've become an ebay hawk, looking at all the beads, buying far more intelligently after a few early errors (you can't believe how small 3 mm is until you're handling it. But bigger is not always better, I've actually had more difficulty incorporating beads that were too large, because then they dominate and unbalance the pattern.) I've started buying A grade semi precious beads rather than D grade. And I've discovered the high cost of cheap findings. In beads, the beads can be cheap but the wire has to be the best available. Ditto the tools you use. No point buying the cheap ones, you'll just be back for the German made ones a week later.

But with beads, as in life, the right tools make all the difference. I can now use crimp beads properly, my bracelets no longer self destruct (sadly I gave my sister my first one and it broke on the plane as she left) I'm now designing pieces with people in mind, and gathering tons of garnets to make my mother her perfect black and red necklace (her colour choice)

It's interesting, people are polite about my necklaces (Oh, you made that, it's so pretty!) but really admire the rings. (they offer the comments spontaneously and when they hear I made it, instead of it's so pretty they're amazed. It looks so professional!) I went to one wire wrapping class and now have these gorgeous, interesting and yes, even quirky, rings which I feel happy wearing.

Photos to follow, I promise.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Fall TV

I know, there is much to discuss, where to begin.

I never did tell you the amazing night at the theatre I had where Patti Lupone sang her heart out in Gypsy. I saw the piece with Bernadette Petters, a softer, sweeter version, but Patti just filled the stage. When she was on you didn't need to look anywhere else. It's funny, you could think it was a dated piece, but that fear that you are forcing your dreams upon your children, that you are sacrificing your dreams for them, that doesn't leave so easily. And that famous, frightening line "I was born too early and started too late..." not so much for women now, but surely still applies to plenty of our mothers... And so the piece, set in vaudeville in the depression era, still resonates and speaks to us today. She was wonderful, she actually gave me goose bumps. It was a magic night in the theatre, the ones you dream about and so rarely get.

So that was the last thing I really wanted to blog about.

The thing I want to blog about now, quite urgently, is the fall TV schedule. Because if you don't all get behind Life, my great fear is that they will cancel the best new show on TV. It's such a ridiculous title, so easy to over look, so hard to google. In the end I googled Life - zen cop eating fruit to find it (and isn't that an intriguing line) It's about a cop in LA who was falsely accused of murder and put away for 12 years and then exonerated and given a huge pay out. He returns to the police force, much to their dismay, and lives out his new quirky life, trying to deal with the rage by being purely in the moment. He is also an oddly perceptive cop, and solves his POW with his own particular insights. Interesting, funny, about crime and punishment and even something about life and what's important (I am not attached to this car, he mutters as he drives his new, beautiful sleek ride)

I like some of the other shows - Pushing Daisies is so visual, it's a treat. But didn't love Dirty Sexy Money as much as I would have liked and had to stop watching Big Shots because the men just drove me crazy. Not really into Reaper or Chuck, but quite enjoying Aliens in America. I haven't watched Private Practice at all and have stopped watching Grey's Anatomy (I'm just not interested in the characters anymore) I hear good things about the new series of House and may return to it.

But the show that has captured my imagination is Life and I want it to continue... so please, Tivo, DVR or even watch it live (!) but watch Life. It's worth it.

Want to know more about fall tv? This is my favorite website - TWOP. Not sure about their new glammed up site, but liked the old one pretty well. Very passionate chat boards. Of course, my great concern is that they are not covering Life. I do so worry it will slip through the cracks...

There ends the rant. More normal quirky things will follow...

I'm back...

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

I had 3 seperate people tell me they had come to my blog but where was I...

Summer ran away from me and then school began and that ran away from me too, and then there was so much to say I didn't know where to start and kept putting it off until it all felt too much.

So I'm starting here and now, with this pathetic excuse and will start blogging tomorrow, just like a normal day.

Back on line,

see you soon,

amf