Happy Halloween!

No, I'm not going out Trick-or-Treating, I'm not handing out candy, I'm not doing any of the festive things Halloween calls for. Unfortunately, I'm a bit of a Humbug. I thought about watching a scary movie, but I've already discussed how I feel about that.

What I did do is make what is probably the lamest costume for my cat. I say cat because I only made one costume and I knew there was no way I would manage to get both into costume. As it turns out I had trouble getting even one of them situated. I will give you a preview of the costume elements and you can guess what it is. It should be pretty easy for anyone who reads this blog.

That's right...CAT-niss! It would have been awesome with a bit more preparation and less animated cats. Did you guess? That lump of black yarn at the top of the photo is the braid I made. The mouse toy is her prey, there is the mockingjay pin and bow and arrow.

I managed to get Owl into the costume, but she wouldn't sit still for a photo. This is the best I could do...at least you can see the braid!

Good Cat

This week I came across a bunch of youtube videos by a guy who shows you how to nicely annoy your mean kitty. I don't have mean cats, but I thought I would like to see their reactions. Here is the very easy how-to.

My cat had a bit of a different reaction. Turtle was having none of it, but owl enjoyed the initial back scratch. After that well...

I feel like this is the very definition of unfazed. This cat could not care less! I felt a little bit put out by her non-reaction, but decided that it was kind of funny in its own way. She's a little like the unfortunate person who walks out of a public bathroom with TP trailing behind her. The receipt piques her interest when it falls off, but only for a moment. She frequently exhibits more interest in the wall, when there is absolutely nothing on it!

Project Run-WHAT?!

SPOILER ALERT (although, if you don't yet know the outcome, I imagine you live under a rock or just don't care)

Last night was the finale of Season 8 of Project Runway, a show I have watched since the middle of Season 4. This season has had the most drama (much of it was oddly boring) and the finale was no exception. The final two were Mondo and Gretchen. Mondo was the odds-on favorite based on his previous designs and the fact that he was a fan favorite to boot. Gretchen was the recipient of much venom from the public due, largely, to the fact that she came off as a self-important know-it-all and bully. I would argue that she wasn't so much of a bully as her partner in crime (turned enemy), Ivy.

All that having been said, Gretchen was also edited in such a way as to magnify her already glaring shortcomings. I don't think anyone put words into her mouth, but the additional half-hour provided the producers with some extra time to fill and her runway melt-down during the team challenge was just too juicy to pass up. So, basically, she was shown, through an entire season, as being someone to despise. Whereas Mondo not only produced amazing clothing, he had personal revelations out the wah-zoo.

The winner was decided long before last night, and I believe there was an attempt by the editors to soften Gretchen's image in the later episodes, but viewer vitriol was not to be so easily squashed. What resulted was the most upsetting win since Jeffrey in Season 2.

It certainly didn't help that Gretchen's final collection was an olive-drab and poo-brown parade of dingy granny panties, bare mid-drifts, and harem pants. Out of 10 looks, she sent a full 3 of them down the runway with bottoms even Lady Gaga wouldn't wear. Gretchen: granny panties are not pants.

The judging was the absolute worst. Michael Kors and Nina Garcia were firmly on "team Gretchen" while Heidi Klum and Jessica Simpson were the voices of reason. Kors and Garcia praised Gretchen's accessorizing and said they could "see" the woman who would wear her clothes. There was nary a mention of her monotone (which is what was supposedly Michael C's downfall one week ago) color palate. One week ago they were very concerned that her looks were too down-scale, Nina said she needed to find some heels STAT. I'll let you in on a little secret... the clothes are exactly the same, she just put some of the girls in heels and slapped on some bronzer. Somehow that garnered her the win.

On the other side of things, the only negative Nina an Michael could say about Mondo is that he didn't listen to them and tone down his collection and remove one dress they didn't (but Heidi did) like. Simpson pointed out that she could pair any number of his pieces with items from her closet for a subtler look. Nina had the audacity to say that it wasn't her job to style the looks (although she did want him to style them the way she dictated). And I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that as the Fashion Director for Marie Claire, that IS her job (or the job of someone who works for her). Any fashion editorial worth its salt will mix-and-match pieces from various designers to achieve the desired result. Pardon my french, but the whole thing was bullshit.

As usual, many fans of the show are threatening to quit watching, but with all the changes since moving from Bravo, they may be telling the truth this time. As for me, I'll wait and see. When the winner was announced my heart dropped, but I was pretty quickly filled with a feeling of apathy. Mondo and Gretchen will both either succeed or fail based not on the outcome of this show, but on their output in the future.

In Honor of the Project Runway Finale

Short post today since I got my hair cut then hustled home to watch the finale of Project Runway

GO MONDO!!! (his hair is A-MAZING for the runway show)

I figured I would feature another knitting project of mine. It was my first foray into color work. I dread the thought of doing intarsia, but fair isle seemed interesting.

Here are the results:

The idea was to have a pair of these fingerless gloves for those days at work when it gets a little chilly. I can wear them and still type, shuffle paper, etc. I knit it in the round using leftover gray yarn from Arne's scarf and some red yarn I picked up on sale. I love it...now to make the second one!

Next on my list are some cute bath-mitts that will hopefully be fun christmas gifts (my first truly cabled endeavor) and the daunting task of a fisherman's sweater for my father (my first try at anything requiring shaping).

A Head-Butt By Any Other Name

Over the weekend I had a conversation with my mother that lead us to wonder about a Morrow family "tradition": the bunner. Those of you who knew my family well during the late 80's may be familiar with this phenomenon. For any readers who may not have the luxury of this previous knowledge, I'll break it down for you.

My brother, Ryan, is just under 2 years younger than I am. When he was born, he was very chubby and had a massive (to my mind) head. I believe he was a late crawler due to his inability to support his own noggin. When he did finally learn to crawl and then walk, there was no stopping him. As a child he got himself a pair of "Kangaroo" shoes and was always happy to demonstrate just how quickly those sneakers allowed him to run.

The boy loved to run. Not only did he love to run, but he loved to run, head lowered, straight into an innocent bystander's gut. This was called a bunner. I was the victim of many a bunner. It still amazes me that it happened with such frequency. I mean, it wasn't like he was unexpectedly slapping me. He was running at full-tilt from a distance that presumably was far enough away to build up some steam. Didn't I see him coming? My reflexes are notoriously bad, but the boy couldn't even have been able to see where he was going. The advantage should have been mine.

The question my mother and I grappled with was on the origin of the term "bunner". We have no idea where it came from. As I have mentioned previously, much of my mother's family was from Serbia and some Serbian words have found their way into my vocabulary. The name of this blog is one example. It is a strange thing to take up the Etymology of a word that is, in all likelihood, complete gibberish. I decided to attempt it anyway.

My thought was that bunner may have its origins in the Slavic languages. I have no idea if this is the case. When I google bunner, nothing comes up that may apply. However, I have found a dictionary that gives the Slovak word "baran" as meaning ram. A possible connection? Who knows.

The Grand Wizard

It has come to my attention that I have been publishing fewer and fewer posts each month since June. This can be partially explained by an increase in stress at work from the end of June until early August, but there is no good reason for the decline in August, September and October. I have set myself a goad to post once a day for the rest of this month in an effort to reverse the trend.

In honor of my renewed commitment to Stadababa and the Halloween tradition, I would like to present for your approval the sexiest wizard that ever was. Move over Harry Potter...here comes The Grand Wizard!

I know you could not help noticing the stunning special effects and staggeringly beautiful lyrics. My question (and I already have an opinion) is: who was in on the joke?

Based on my love of all things Tim Curry, I have decided that he definitely knew how ridiculous the movie, the song, and his performance were. Did people watching this movie know? I can't believe that it is just a matter of this film not aging well. The Worst Witch was originally a book and JK Rawling is said to have taken inspiration from it.

I don't remember watching this as a child, but it is possible that I saw it. I feel like I would have LOVED it in '86.

Darwin

I recently watched the film Creation, starring Paul Bettany and his wife, Jennifer Connelly. It is the story of the internal struggle Charles Darwin had over writing On the Origin of the Species. I cried for about 50% of this movie. Despite this, I really enjoyed it and I fee like I learned quite a bit.

One of the things I liked the best was the conversations they had about Darwin "being at war with God". At one point, one of his children is punished in school for claiming that dinosaurs were real. In reality, we know that the existence of dinosaurs is TOTALLY compatible with the book of Genesis. History has proven that, not only did people continue to believe in God, they chose to flaunt Darwin's science to suit their needs.

Quite Honestly, One of the Stupidest Things I've Ever Seen

American Apparel, while a popular place for many to shop, is a tacky, over-priced, bastion of poor taste. I never gave it much thought until I followed an advertisement link from one of my favorite blogs, to the American Apparel website. The ad was for "Halloween Costumes" made with American Apparel clothing.

My favorite is "The Cupcake". You just need to purchase $210 worth of layered petticoats, and and additional $81 worth of shoes, shoe laces, and sash, and you'll look like Edna Turnblad at the Beauty Salon! Cute. All for less than $300!

If you have the time and inclination, I dare you to take a look at some of these atrocities. Anyone with half a brain could see that all this really means is that you can make a costume out of any old crap. Luckily for American Apparel, I suspect many of their customers have less than the requisite half brain.

Breaking News

It's been a long, strange, trip, but longtime rivals Winifred P.H. Barksworth and Snowball The Voracious came to a tenuous cease fire agreement two nights ago in Chicago, IL. This unexpected turn of events, was met with awe and jubilation in the streets.

The two parties, at war for nearly two years now, met briefly for a closed-door session in Winnifred's stronghold. In exchange for this concession, Snowball ate an entire bowl of food and one of Winnifred's prized Greenies. There was much sniffing, a couple of uneasy growls, but teeth were not bared. Witnesses whispered in the background, doing their best no to trigger more hostilities. The meeting ended in belly rubs and treats.

One Winifred aide commented "she must not have felt so protective with her people out of the state".

The next morning, peace talks took a turn for the worse, when a dispute arose over boundaries when the two met again during their morning constitutionals. When asked to comment on the latest turn of events, Winnifred's only reply was "BAP...BAP..BAPBAPBAP!" Snowball was unavailable for comment, having holed herself up with food in an undisclosed location. This new setback may mean the end of peace for the war torn area.

Winnie & Me

This weekend I am dog sitting for my friend, Kathryn. Things began as they usually do with me: utter incompetence. Kathryn had arranged for a neighbor to walk Winnie at about 5:30 ish. I got to the condo a little after 6. When I walked in, I checked for Winnie in her crate, no Winnie. The place was completely silent. I figured the walk was still going strong and I decided to take the opportunity to avail myself of the washer and dryer (for which I had packed my giant suitcase, Ricardo).

I was super-excited to do laundry without having to go outside, and proceeded to search the linen closet for the detergent Kathryn promised would be there. This went on for a minute or so, but I couldn't find it. My first thought was that Jeremy, Kathryn's husband, had hidden it as a little joke. Good one, Jer!

My quest for detergent was interrupted when I found a note addressed to someone named Jen saying that the author of the note was keeping Winnie, and telling Jen to call when she got in. The letter was a little difficult to read, but I figured that I was "Jen" and that I needed to call the number to collect the dog.

I called the number. No answer. I heard the click-clack of puppy paws coming from (what I thought was) out back. Not the case. I looked, no Winnie, but still some clicking now accompanied by the tiniest of whimpers. I followed the sound more closely and opened the door to the bathroom. Guess what I found?! The laundry detergent! Oh yeah, Winnie was there too.

Love Child

You may recall my various posts about a baby blanket I was making for a friend from work who was expecting. Well, just under 3 weeks ago on September 14, Aiko Smith was born. This afternoon was my first opportunity to see her and her mom, Jody. I went with my friend, Nicole to visit.

I'll start by saying that Aiko (which translates directly to "Love Child") is absolutely beautiful. She has a full head of hair and chubby cheeks. After getting a tour of Jody's new home, Nicole got to hold the baby. We all chatted and Aiko made cute, funny faces. Jody took Aiko back, changed her diaper and after I washed my hands, I got to hold her. This was the result:

I don't have much experience with babies. I tend to do better when they no longer have to be held and can clearly articulate needs/anxieties. Mostly, I like children who can speak in complete sentences.

In my defense, I will say that I held the baby for a good 30 seconds without incident and Jody insisted that she was probably hungry (whether this was out of compassion for me, I may never know).