Music is the answer

I've been dragging around the house today. The internet does not amuse me and no one's picking up the phone. Ennui has set in. Nothing entertains me today, and I find myself brooding over the meaning of Sinatra lyrics. Isn't "A Very Good Year" really about the need for more and more stimuli, how our tastes become more sophisticated as we age? Maybe it's the return of Saturn, I don't know. I try to play it cool and I can't.

What has gotten me out of this Piscean funk? My drug of choice, music. Perhaps you have heard that Zooey Deschanel has an album out. Buy it. I wouldn't have thought that she could be more adorable, but She & Him makes me love that quirky, wide-eyed indie girl even more. Happy/sad love songs, retro girl singer arrangements, and an amazing cover of "You Really Got a Hold of Me" have made this album a quick fave on my ipod.

I also purchased an old album of chansons by Mme Sarkozy, Carla Bruni. Meghan at work recommended it to me. Seems we both love dreamy French music (see Keren Ann, Monade, Stereolab, et al). Quelqu'un M'a Dit makes an oddly good pairing with She & Him. Of course, I strive to complicate the iTunes store's recommendations algorithm. Really, how do you make predictions for someone who buys folk, trip hop, and French pop?

Communication is key

Sorry for the blog hiatus. I've been having problems with my DSL, which has put me in a foul mood lately. Doesn't the phone company know that I need to devote at least an hour a day to looking at lolcats and Ravelry? I thought that I'd solved the problem at the beginning of the week. Someone had tripped over the phone line to the modem and pulled it out of the wall. Problem solved, right? No, this was a two part problem. The modem had to be reset as well. Apparently, my modem is like a flashbulb, because it can only be reset so many times. The tech service rep told me that I have only one more reset. So that modem better be on its best behavior!

My cell phone has been acting up, too. The battery hasn't been holding a charge. Also, the phone has decided to constantly take pictures of the inside of my pocket. That may or may not be related to the weak battery. Fed up, I called my phone company and sweet talked them into giving me a new phone. Then I waited and waited for it to come in the mail. I'm not the most patient person about mail order, so this just added to my aggravation. I made a couple of phone calls and discovered that the phone company sent my new phone to the wrong address. They sent it to an address that doesn't exist and were about to return it to the sender when I called. Sigh. I have the new phone now and it is highly excellent. My mom even gave me a bluetooth earpiece to go with it, so I can rock out like Uhura. So if you see me walking down the street talking to myself, it's the phone, not craziness. Probably.

I went to the opera last night to see Eugene Onegin. It had a bit of a slow start, like a Russian novel, and a stark set, but I eventually got into it. One of our customers at the LYS is in it, so I was excited to see her. I was also a bit surprised. Poor Catherine. She's such a lovely, vivacious person and they gave her old age makeup, an awful wig, and a costume that looked upholstered. I'm so glad that I went to see her recital at the cultural center this week. She wore a gorgeous ombre dyed devore velvet flowing jacket that suited her perfectly and sung art songs. She also sang the "Out Damned Spot" aria from Macbeth, which was absolutely incredible.

On the knitting front, I have so many WIPs now that I may never finish any of them. It's too crazy. To say that I've come down with startitis is an understatement. Fortunately, several of the projects are small ones, so I may be able to finish a couple of them and return to the everlasting Malabrigo project with a bit of confidence.

I've got my voice back now and I'm making up for lost time! I am full of opinions, but oddly still lacking in energy. Maybe it's the uninspiring weather. This is the sort of day perfect for curling up with a book and a cat (provided that the cat is willing. He's had to be forcibly removed from the heat duct several times this afternoon.). This would undoubtedly lead to a long, afternoon nap. Given the choice between almost anything and sleep, I would choose sleep. I've been really tired lately and not getting much done. Yesterday, I planned to get moving in the morning, get a new driver's license (mine broke in half), go see a movie, get a manicure, etc. How much of that do you think I did? None. The current plan is to go to the DMV after my hair appointment this week. It doesn't guarantee a cute picture, but at least increases the odds.

My knitting is progressing slowly. Maybe I have too many projects going at once. The Malabrigo cardigan is marinating right now. I'm afraid of running out of yarn, which it is eating up quickly. I'm working on two pairs of socks: one for work out of Araucania Ranco Multi and one for me out of Noro Kureyon sock. Both are being knit from the toe up, Magic Loop, on Knitpicks fixed circulars. The Ranco makes a really soft, squishy fabric, with surprising color variation. The yarn is much more purple in the fabric than it looked in the skein. The Kureyon is full of surprises as well. It's not nearly as scratchy as it feels in the ball and makes a very striking sock. It's a lively single, which is a bit frustrating at times, but I am pleased with the project. I am also working on a One Skein Wonder shrug out of yarn from my stash, shale colored Manos. It's sort of an unusual un-color, but I like it.

My grandmother celebrated her 90th birthday on the first, which led to a weekend long family celebration. It was a great deal of fun, as my Aunt Jeanne came to visit and regaled us all with old family stories. My grandmother received so many phone calls for her birthday, as well as two floral bouquets and a fruit bouquet. The fruit was incredible. I had seen ads for them before and figured that the pictures were doctored, but the bouquets really do look that good. They also taste amazing. Everyone agreed that it was an excellent and clever gift from our cousin. My grandmother is terribly hard to shop for. I'd planned to make a lace scarf for her out of laceweight Malabrigo (fabulous! love!), but couldn't work on it while I was sick. I didn't want to give my grandmother a smallpox blanket birthday present. So, it's going to be a Mother's Day gift instead.

My mother talked me into getting a pedicure today. I've avoided them due to the state of my feet. I wear clogs without socks, and have hoof-like feet as a result. Calloused, rough, and neglected, they weren't going to improve on their own. I really needed a pedicure. It sounds so frivolous, but my feet feel so much better now. And I have cute pink nails. If I keep this up, I might even be able to wear sandals this summer.