Life is Short. Opera is Long.
I can't really complain, because I am not assigned to the show currently in tech. So, I have a bit of time to catch up on my knitting. I don't normally have a lot of time for it as my days consist of sleep, work, sleep. Occasionally, there's alcohol in there as well, but that isn't exactly a performance enhancing drug for knitters. So, I spent all of yesterday finishing my caramel striped raglan sweater. It is very cute, even though it hasn't been blocked. I am so glad to be finished with all those stripes and decreases!
I've already started another sweater, about which I am optimistic. The new project has no stripes, therefore, should go much quicker. I am making a hooded sweater with moss stitch detail in Manos Stria cotton yarn. It is as soft as a cloud, with a funky, almost boucle texture. Those women's collective yarns always get me, but this one is actually fabulous. The moss stitch doesn't read as well as it might have in some other fiber, like the wool called for in the pattern, but it has an interesting texture. The yarn is a nice cornflower or sky blue, with many natural variations in color. It's good to be back to my normal palette, haha.
I seem to be out of my Newer Wave phase. That's not to say that I don't like it anymore, but I've been listening to a lot of mellow music instead lately. Maybe I'll make a mellow playlist on my ipod... So, the following artists have been in heavy rotation lately: Rachael Yamagata, Nick Drake, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Rufus Wainwright, and Dido. I also really enjoy the Johnny Cash album that I bought a couple of weeks ago, even though my coworkers complained that it got "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" stuck in their head. That's a very valid complaint, I agree, since that isn't exactly my favorite S&G song. I'd be hard pressed to name one, though I can tell you I love the following albums: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme and Live in Central Park. It's funny how musical taste can be cyclical, and so hard to predict. How did I ever decide which albums to bring along this summer? Last year, I took all of them. Last year, I also took my car. I miss the car more, but sometimes I get an itch to listen to the original cast recording of Company, which I haven't spun in years.
I went to see Fahrenheit 9/11 on Sunday. It was well constructed, with good use of juxtaposition and music. It made me laugh and cry and want to shout obscenities at the screen. Still, I wonder how history will view that film. It's not exactly The Sorrow and the Pity, but who knows how that film will affect the election. Most of the people who were in the theatre where I saw it were clearly already democrats (although it's hard to say about the two inexplicable preteen boys). Later, I rented several art films. How predictable.
I was already a little angry about politics in this country as I cannot watch my scrambly television without being subjected to a barrage of campaign ads. The Bush commercials are so, so evil. Like the one that basically attacks John Kerry for supporting a woman's right to choose and her right to privacy. As I told my mother a few years ago, beware of any government that seeks to control women's bodies. That's where it always begins. It is so clear to me that the Republicans don't give a shit about women, as illustrated by their much touted Laci Peterson law. First, that law won't protect any woman from harm, as their ads claim, only provide greater potential punishment. Why not strengthen existing laws against domestic violence and violence against women? Why not actually enforce them before writing legislation to protect "unborn children", a phrase that makes me gag every time I come across it? Well, it's hard to tout that sort of thing in campaign ads, isn't it?
I'm going to get back to my knitting now.