I never have gotten to attend my local Stitch n' Bitch group's meetings here in town, but I like their vibe and I certainly enjoy their free tips. Their new cause is aboycott of "Sew Fast Sew Easy". Seems like the knitting world is always full of angst...

That said, I made some headway today in my knitting. Didn't finish my daughter's halter top, which at this point is so big it could fit me and my "girls", if only they weren't really really droopy, like overripe eggplants or..ok, you get the picture. But I did look into my hostess gift idea for the holidays, and I bought mySELF some yarn, by God! I will make myself something for once. A light blue scarf - perhaps a small rib, extra long and cozy. Yay. Thrice yay.

I really tire of the phrase "not your father's" this or that. Or sometimes "not your grandfather's" or "not your mother's". It is over people. Newsweek uses it at least twice in every issue. I saw it today in the freaking Times. What demographic do they suppose that phrase speaks to at this point? I remember the commercial. We all do, now that it will live on in perpetuity in the American lexicon.

Grrrr.

The juries are in, and Borat is a hit (though maybe Tim Allen will conquer the weekend box office receipts with that Santa movie), but more importantly my boy Sacha Baron Cohen is finally a star. Madonna saw him first, but we were quick to jump on the Ali G bandwagon. Borat was always our favorite character. The New York Times goes on and on about the brilliance of the satire and his poke-funedness and how Cohen's Jewish background comes into play. I'm sure I'll be able to to wax on all that after I see it, but I am just eager to laugh my ass off and weep tears of happiness into my Mr. Pibb.

My husband told me that the buzz is that if Borat does huge box office this weekend that the Academy won't recognize Cohen...but he is so revered that just maybe he'll get a nod for Best Supporting Actor. And why not? In the (somewhat garbled) words of Jean Girard, "you taste of America".

This has been out for a while, but it made me happy today, for four minutes or so. Some yummy pomme frites and walnut-encrusted duck leg made me happy for almost an hour!

"Consider earphones a social cue.
Wearing earphones is like hanging a “do not disturb” sign off your nose. Like an engrossing novel, they help you avoid interactions with annoying strangers on airplanes or subways. Unfortunately, they send the same go-away message at work. That’s useful if you wear them only when you’re on deadline, but your iPod is more likely to irritate co-workers if you hide behind it eight hours a day." - from The Morning News' correspondent Margaret Mason's article on iPod etiquette. I've posted on iPod etiquette before, I believe it was after I found out my friend Lynn wore hers TO THE DENTIST. I like this choice in concept. After all, who really enjoys the strange, controlled, one-sided discussions you have at the dentist? The brief spurts of talking between spits. But in practice, wearing the iPod during the teeth cleaning sends a message that seems a bit hurtful to the very kind dental hygenist and/or dentist on whom your pain management depends. And that is dangerous.

In other news, Halloween was fun, on the whole. Pumpkin carving and eating witch-shaped pasta and trick-or-treating were highlights. Right before Halloween we were "Phantomed", which is a new neighborhood "game". That I hate. Like her. I agree that it shares qualities with a pyramid scheme, or even worse, a chain letter. After a chiding phone call from a Mrs. Robin Guard-Davis who said she was chair of the Phantom Commmittee, and that I was officially on Phantom Probation for lying to my children (only for a day or two - I finally gave in and told them) and for not making homemade snacks, I tried to lighten up and enjoy the Phantom ride. (Mrs. Guard-Davis, as you may have guessed, is a pseudonym for an equally vitrolic and non-domestic neighbor who thought it very funny that I didn't tell my children we had been Phantomed. ) I swear - each holiday becomes more and more tiresome the closer we get to it, and that, folks, means something has to give. I can't take my children out of school, I can't avoid the church anymore than I already do, and I'm already seen as a bizarre mom who - gasp - likes to just hang with my family and play games....so the answer lies somewhere else. Where? I'll keep you posted.

It's no fun at all, but I haven't any time to post right now. And this, in the middle of NaBloPoMo! Yet, priorities are just that...and in my constant battle to put my family first, I am currently fighting small insurgencies of extra-curricular activities along with sniper-like seasonal events. So blogging must take a back seat.

That said, my daughter's homework was excellent the other night. (In general, her entire school experience has been excellent. This year in particular has been stellar super scrumptious excellent.) She was asked to fill in a chart for a Mrs. Chen, giving her a schedule of all of her errands, and how much time she would have to do them before meeting the young Chens at the bus. For example, if Mrs. Chen left the mall at 1:15 after having spent 50 minutes shopping, and it takes her seven minutes to reach the grocers, how long can she stay at the grocery store before needing to leave to get to the bus stop (time to drive from grocery store to bus stop=ten minutes). LOVE IT! I was so happy that I understood the homework and could actually assist my daughter should she need help, and that here was a real-life lesson that would serve her well down the road, and mainly that I felt much more effective than Mrs. Chen that day! She only went to the mall, the grocery store, and the auto repair shop. Please. I can nail all that in an hour.

Good Girls Go Bad, for a Day - New York Times: not an indictment, but a little essay on the sexy Halloween costumes my generation of women, and beyond, seem to favor.

As an adult, my costumes have been: Bruce Springsteen circa "Born in the U.S.A.", a baby with a diaper, a fly fisherwoman, and a K&W server, complete with hairnet.

Some of us don't need a flippin' pagan holiday to exude a little heat. Rawwrr!

You know I wanna piece of that pie! Listen all the way through - the bridge is SICK.

You all are just going to have to ride out my fascination with JT.

Also today: Gramps' birthday, Friday the 13th, the school Fall Festival aka Event Causing Belle's First Fall Meltdown Due to Too Many People and Fall Treats Such As Cotton Candy (Meltdown #2 to follow next week), Lemony Snicket's End, and prep for our trek to the coast to celebrate friends' impending adoption of their daughter. They travel to China next month. Happy times.

My yard has three yard signs in it now. One for a guy who we know who is running for judge, one for a judge who is running for reelection and was STRONGLY ENDORSED(by my husband's boss), and one for a County Commissioner candidate who is far better than the alternative. Soon, a sign promoting the local bond issue will join the happy patch of signs. I am not alone - everyone in our 'hood and all around us have signs. I particularly enjoy how our stretch of lawn offers high-visibility for our chosen endorsees.

But today, we drove by my brother's house, far north of here (I mean, not like Quebec City, but it seems really far away) and saw no signs. Actually, we saw one. Just one. And very few bumper stickers aside from the occasional "W", but those seem to be disappearing quicker than you can send an IM message.

What is up? Is it that these folks are too busy to care? Are there neighborhood ordinances forbidding signage? Are my neighbors and me too precious and really shouldn't promote various candidates so much? I could probably make some gross, and sort of mean, generalizations here. But I've gotten in trouble doing that, so I won't to keep life simpler. I'll just report the facts and then see if any of you can help me figure out why my fellow city dwellers don't seem to be getting involved.

Whoa!! this reminds me of the great Sharpie innovations of 2002!

Halloween - not my favorite holiday for years, until I discovered that if I sent my children out with their Dad, I could stay home, drink wine, dole out candy to the few visitors we have, and watch "ET". Now things are getting dicier. My daughter wants to go trick or treating alone, and she wants to dress like agirly whore. I've never bought into the whole "women have to look campy and hot" thing for Halloween, and I really don't want her starting all this crap at her tender young age. Then again, she doesn't ask for much, she's very good and sweet, and my son is going to wear an eye patch, carry a sword and call it a day. So I have some cash to spare.

If she wears that get-up, she ain't going alone, though.

Like me, the country cannot heal until the Irishmen, Bono & Co., come to make everything right. They did it in grand style the other night - and the Falcons got routed. Coincidence?? Watch Green Day & U2 cover "The Saints Are Coming" and you decide.

I kind of understand the impulse...my fall knitting project could set me back $150!

Our household watched a replay of Clinton's Fox News interview, and most members felt a wave of excitement and relief that someone had enough power to successfully take on what sometimes seems like an unbeatable opponent....a feeling shared across the Internets. But my son complained that the interview lasted FOREVER (Then go outside and shoot hoops! Is your political analysis gene kicking in? There is little chance you avoided inheriting a love of policy wonk goodness but you don't have to fall prisoner to it so early, dude!). And he got critical too - he thought Clinton was mean and nasty and "a bad President". The kid's not alone, but things seemed a bit more even-handed yesterday. Just a bit.

This morning I pulled a "BAW" move and fell on my cute, bronze, slingbacks. At church. In front of others. My dress was ok, but my foot? It hurts. And I think I have torn ligaments or sprained something or something. So yet again my husband is having to do everything and we are having to cancel stuff and rearrange schedules. Maybe the grand design is in place to slow me down?

I really lurved seeing The Lion King - Tour...sometimes I am just a sucker for musical theahtur...and I think that Julie Taymor is a genius, and "The Circle Of Life" is one of those inexplicable tear-jerker songs for me, so all in all a good evening. My son only slept through the final scene and woke in time to see the big finale with Simba, Jr. showing up on Pride Rock. My daughter was bummed about the big death scene, but better Disney to educate her about that than me.

Fall is in full swing here and I could not be more stressed out or overwhelmed. I'm trying to remember the lessons of The Salmonella and just take life one day at a time and treasure the special down time with my three big priorities. It's hard, though. I need to keep remembering my motto: September Sucks.

Bad enough that I ate a bunch of these golden nuggets of goodness in the grocery store, before paying for them. Worse still was being busted by her skinny, elegant self in aisle 10. (That would be the cleaning products aisle. Nary a food stuff in her cart.)

THE BEST OF SUMMER as seen & enjoyed by me.

Books: "Blood Done Sign My Name" by my fellow Southerner (so proud to say that), Timothy Tyson, "Drop City" by an old favorite, T.C. Boyle, and "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" by Kate DiCamillo

DVDs: "High School Musical", "Inside Man" and "Elizabeth 1"

Movies: "Who Killed the Electric Car" (if only because we saw it at a hippy theatre in Hippyville, aka Asheville - the perfect venue!) and "Stick It" and "Little Miss Sunshine" (I will not link to this due to the annoyingly ubiquitous marketing of this film).

Vacations: Fallingwater and Ocracoke

Web sites: No end of snarky fun, and
way too hip for me, and you know how I really just want to be able to bake all day.

Music: Thommy York, Alan and Elvis, and well, you know...Justin...

Though 9/6 is the day he was born, that particular anniversary has rarely been kind to my husband. He shares his birthday with my mom - not a bad thing, but it detracts from his moment. People forget his birthday religiously. Including his own family every now and again. One year we woke up on September 6th after a really, really bad nightmare...to destruction the likes of which I had never seen before, and never saw again til the tsunami and Katrina hit. One memorable birthday I woke up at five a.m. not to celebrate my husband, but to mourn a complete stranger.

September the sixth is an amazing day, despite it all. Just think, honey! You and the new heir to the Japanese throne share something in common now. And Suri Cruise has been revealed to the world - ON YOUR BIRTHDAY. This modest, humble, slyly and strangely funny guy really deserves better...but it doesn't seem likely this year, anyway, since he is deep in the middle of a trial and is putting in 16 hour + days, including today. My strategy will thus be to try and make every day feel like his birthday...and even if I don't succeed, it is a worthy goal.

I could not be more proud of my boy Andre. Seems like I'm not alone in this. Go have fun with Steffi and the kiddos.