My first birthday present was given to me today by David (a day early!). I was so thrilled when I realised it was a ticket to see Mr Rufus Wainwright live later this year. I have seen Rufus on three earlier occasions, but this one will be just him and a piano. Cor.
Now to wait a few more hours before I can start to unwrap the rest of my presents. Whee.
Just a little peek of my just-off-the-blocking-board shawl. It’s beautiful, it’s warm and it’s mine. Sorry. I notice how my projects travel by colour. I had a green phase last spring/summer, then recently I have knitted a lot of blue-ish purples and pink fuschia, and now I appear to gravitate towards rich reds. I hope I will never have a pastel phase. I do not think I’d be able to keep my sanity. Anyway, proper photos to come this weekend after Official Photographer and I manage to have a full day together.
Official Photographer called me this morning to let me know that Crowded House will be touring the UK this spring and that tickets go on sale tomorrow. I have written about this before, so it suffices to say that Crowded House provided the soundtrack to most of my life. I connect places I have lived or been with their songs, and although I no longer listen to them on a regular basis, they are “my band”. For one glorious moment I contemplated seeing every Scottish gig, but then I checked ticket prices and also remembered that I will be on my way to West Yorkshire for work reasons when they play Aberdeen. If you had told me ten years ago I would have to forego seeing Neil Finn live for matters involving sheep, I would have thought you mad.
Anna has written an interesting post about her relationship with “things”, crafting and feminism. I enjoyed reading it. You may too.
Yes, it continues to be cold. The novelty of snow has long worn off. My sole source of weather-related amusement is the media who insist 60,000 people will die in the Big Freeze, the British Army is being set in and the beginning of food shortages lead to soaring prices. Yesterday night BBC News ran a Breaking News! story which was – and I kid you not – that snowflakes were seen falling in London. Panic, panic, panic.. but I do find it annoying that we have to pour hot water down our loo every few hours so that the pipes do not freeze. One part of our apartment building had to be shut down because the pipes burst. If ever there was an argument against pipes being stuck to the outside of buildings and exposed to the elements, then this is surely it? Oh you wacky Britons.
While I was at work yesterday (and hello to those of you who came visiting), David went for a walk along the River Kelvin. It is almost completely frozen and signs are up warning people against letting their dogs run unto the ice. Despite all the stern signage, Dave did spot a few illiterate animals out and about on the ice – including a little mink drinking a bit of water. I continue to be amazed at how much wildlife we have on our doorstep, even if we live in the middle of a sprawling city.
I’m currently reading Glen David Gold’s Carter Beats the Devil which I gave David for Christmas (he hasn’t had a chance to start it yet as he is reading his way through the other five novels I gave him). I bought it because I knew how much Dave had enjoyed Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay and I got a similar vibe from CBTD. If you like Kavalier & Clay, early 20th century popular entertainment or maybe even Wilkie Collins, I think CBTD might appeal. I’m certainly enjoying the glimpses into vaudeville performances, music halls and larger-than-life personalities.
Finally, I’m listening a fair bit to Martha Wainwright’s album of Edith Piaf songs, Sans Fusils Ni Souliers A Paris. You can get a taste of it by watching Martha singing L’Accordéoniste on Jools Holland’s show (youtube link). Her darling brother is touring Britain in April and I’m hoping for a concert ticket for my birthday.
Like so many Danes I like straight lines, orderly things and being in control. I incorporate this slightly manic trait in my crafting in a myriad of ways.
Occasionally a project flies under the radar and I only mention it when it becomes a Finished Object on Ravelry. This little project was in danger of becoming one of those stealthy projects, but I could not resist shooting a photo this morning.
David likes his crocheted hats and I’m making him his third. The first was a bit too small (and the peak of the cap very wonky) but he wears the second version quite frequently. The third incarnation is made from a woolblend yarn (machine-washable!) and I’m playing quite a bit with the structural elements. Using UK crochet terminology, I have turned the half-treble crochets at the edge of the hat into single crochets crocheting into the back loop only. The firm fabric is a very pleasing result, but I really, really like how the resulting horizontal lines break up the vertical lines of the half-treble rows making up the hat itself. I won’t have a chance to crochet the peak this weekend, but I’m pondering how to make it as pleasing to the eye as the rest of the hat.
And now for yet another instalment in my songs-of-the-decade rundown. Madrugada and their haunting song, “Majesty” . The Kids Are On the High Street is equally good.
More songs: Kylie Minogue: Can’t Get You Out Of My Head. I suspect we’ll still be singing along to this one in 2030. Lady Gaga: Bad Romance. Yes, it has just been released, but I cannot stop listening to it. Brilliant pure pop. Les Fatals Picards: L’Amour a la Francaise. France’s 2007 Eurovision entry. Costumes by Jean-Paul Gautier. Song in the grand Plastic Bertrand tradition. It is a beautiful thing. And to round off this rather poppy segment, who better than Madonna and her fabulous Hung Up?
In preparation for the new year, I have been going through my knitting queue and my stash. I know these things are subject to change, but I have made a few plans.
I think my knitting plans are fairly modest and very achievable.
Five more songs from the decade-almost-past: First, it’s Guillemots with “Trains to Brazil”. After Elbow (see yesterday’s post), this marks the second politically aware song on this rundown. It’s also incredibly, amazingly upbeat and a cracking pop song. One of my absolute favourites.
Also: Grandaddy: He’s Simple, He’s Dumb, He’s the Pilot. Their album, The Sophtware Slump, is one of my favourite albums and this is the lead track. Yes, it is nine minutes long, but it is also deeply affecting. I recommend listening to the entire album and discovering just where this song fits into the story.. Hawksley Workman: You, Me & the Weather. It feels very unfair that Hawksley Workman isn’t an international superstar. An astounding voice and a gifted songwriter. Maybe the world can only handle one Canadian male diva singing super-dramatic songs about wanting to be a girl.. I Am Kloot: Twist. Overlooked British band that makes songs for those 3am nights. “There is blood on your legs .. I love you.” Interpol: Slow Hands. One of the best singles this decade. Fact.
(and the title’s a play on this ace song)
Christmas has caught up with me. We are leaving for Scandinavia next week (and it is rumoured to be very cold), we are heading for North-East Scotland this week (and it’s rumoured to be almost as cold) and somewhere in between these two trips I have to finish David’s sweater (because places are rumoured to be cold), do some Christmas baking, sort out some work things, make smart decisions about what clothes to pack, and get the last few Christmas cards sent.
And suddenly I thought it would be a great idea to cast on a cowl for my partner because the weather is taking a cold turn (and MooncalfMakes sounds very persuasive). Thankfully I have talked myself away from that particular ledge of insanity.
Yesterday I was given an early Christmas present by a visiting hand-knitted pirate (her visit was a present in itself, actually): 18 antique buttons made of dark chocolate. The box itself is gorgeous and obviously I shall use it to store my non-chocolate vintage button finds once I have finished the chocolate ones. Yesterday I also spent a really lovely evening dining out with some of my closest friends here in Glasgow. That calmed those pre-Christmas nerves a bit.
Thank heavens I’m not actually in charge of anything important such as, you know, Christmas food.
Now, Anna asked what my cultural highlights of the Noughties were. That question made me waste copious amount of time on YouTube tracking down beloved songs and film trailers.
One of the first songs that sprung to mind was “It Takes a Fool To Remain Sane” by The Ark, a Swedish glampop band fronted by the fluently-gendered(?) Ola Salo (appropriately enough, the son of a preacher man). Not my favourite Ark song (possibly this one?), but it is the song which kick-started a decade-long affinity for the band (which is a great live band).
Four more songs: Betchadupa: My Army Of Birds & Gulls. I am weak when faced with vaguely psychedelic pop from New Zealand – especially if someone called “Finn” is involved. Liam Finn’s disbanded band came into their own with this song. The Delays: Valentine. One of the great lost singles of the ’00s and a perfect pop song. Elbow: Leaders of the Free World. One of the very few good things to come out of the second Iraq war. Franz Ferdinand: Darts of Pleasure. Not the reason why I moved to Glasgow, but the first Franz Ferdinand album is the sound of Glasgow.
My all-time favourite Christmas song. Yes, December madness has officially begun.
But let’s not forget that December 1st is also World AIDS Day. Stay safe and play safe, my friends.
(probably not something you’d want to watch with children around or at work)
Off one of my all-time favourite albums, In A Bar, Under the Sea. I love this song.
The Guardian is running a series of semi-humourous columns called This Column Will Change Your Life and I hit upon It’s Not Easy Always Being Right the other night. I don’t think I’m always right – I live in shades of grey – but I know that I often feel like I’m outsmarting people (mostly myself) which is a bastardised form of Always Being Right, of course.
Unfortunately this “outsmarting people” is not particularly useful. I am not outsmarting bankers in order to make hefty profits, for instance. My brain is far more useless than that: I’m always two steps ahead of whatever I am supposed to be doing. A typical example of a telephone conversation would be: “Yes, you have misspelled my name, but I would like to address the legal issues surrounding .. okay, it’s K. A. .. can we just look at section 7 befo .. yes, K.A. R…” and when I type I miss out words because my brain is always three or four sentences ahead of whatever I’m typing.
Now imagine how I read. I read very fast and can wolf down a book in a couple of hours. About ten years ago I decided that I needed to start poetry because you cannot wolf down poetry. You have to work at making meaning. You have to be patient with a quiet mind or the poem will not open up. I spent years working with poetry before I felt ready to go back to reading prose. And I still wolf down prose instead of savouring every little punctuation mark. I cannot remember characters’ names nor minor details, but I can tell you if I enjoyed the read or not in very fancy terms.
I am not a New Agey person but I do wish I could live more in the present and focus on what is Right Now. Instead I’m always two steps ahead and outsmarting myself while I’m at it.
A few links that have grabbed me over the last few days:
+ Madeleine Albright: Read My Pins. When costume jewellery went political.
+ The $3,000 Scarf – or why crafting isn’t necessarily a cheap hobby.
+ Cross-dressing in the 20th Century – a series of photos. Thanks, Alex.
+ The Ultimate Bauhaus Dog House – or how to produce a quintessential Ms Bookish link.
+ Take A Weird Break – some very odd headlines from a British women’s magazine. “Spirit Mum Sends Me Elastic Bands” sums it all up.
+ Lady Gaga – Bad Romance (youtube). I love her forthcoming single – it’s exquisitely poptastic in a super-cheesy Eurovision-goes-gay-bar-circa-1986 way. I could see Sweden offering this in a perfect Eurovision world. Other Half hates the song. Pffft.
Hawksley Workman. One of my favourite male singers. And the video is so beautiful.
