Tra La! It's May!!!!!

April has done its part with the showers and so forth.
Let's hope that May holds up its end of the bargain with some flowers!

Now I have to perform my traditional May 1st custom.
I must listen to "The Lusty Month of May" from Camelot at least 3 times.

Happy May!

Jess

Harlot Night

Well, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee came to Saint Paul last night.
What a wit!
She was so funny!
Also very informative.
We learned all about the four states of brain activity and what to say to rude people who discount knitting as a quaint activity.
She also does a spot-on impression of an attacking deer.
What a night to leave the camera at home. grr.
The weather was horrid.
Rain, WIND, sleet, snow.
'Round here we call that "winter mix" not that the result is anywhere as cute as the name.
We were expecting about 600 people and about 470 came.
A Wonderful crowd.
I will now demand that you all go to Ms. P's and Shelly's to see what there was to see.
The knitted goods were dazzling.
There were at least two Tangled Yoke Cardigans, one in red, a fine choice.
(Someday I will share my Tangled Yoke story)
Really the list of knitting present last night is too broad and deep to mention all of it.
Just follow the links above, you'll be blown away.

The last thing here is really the first thing on the program last night.
We totally lucked out at the Yarnery in that we have some really fine musicians working there.
The aforementioned Ms. P is an hilarious lyricist.
She rewrote the lyrics to How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria, My Favorite Things, and Edelweiss and we did a little tribute to The Harlot before the show.

We also had our terrific Mens Knit-Night leaders Scott and Eric on piano and singing bass respectively.

It was a TON of fun!
I even got to pull out the guitar (after an 11 year hiatus since open mic night in junior year of college) on Stephanie (Edelweiss) and then the crowd joined in and it was an event unto itself.

Thanks to the Yarn Harlot for coming and making such a fun night for us all!
And special super duper thanks to Maura!!! and Shelly!!!! for their tireless work as the amazing planners of the event.

Have a relaxing Friday
Jess

Spring?

It has been said by me that the best musical ever written is about a mass murderer who feeds his victims to unsuspecting pie-shop patrons.
This fact is, in fact, indisputible.
I have to say that my second favorite musical play is also somewhat darkly themed.
Governmental restructuring, war, incest, adultery - Yes, I am talking about Camelot.
I have been thinking about Camelot all day today, and I'll tell you why;

The winter is forbidden 'til December
And exits March the second on the dot.
By order Summer lingers 'til September
In Camelot

We have had a rainy day.
I am choosing to see it as more of an early spring somewhat chilly rain rather than a late winter freezing rain.

I choose to think that I, through my optimism, have great influence over the weather.
Hooray for Spring!
Jess.

3:00 AM

Well, hello there.
Here is what I know today.
If one combines a too-salty meal with a sick family member, a satellite receiver that cleans its hard-drive at 3:00 in the morning and the Worst Pies in London, you get blogging in the dead of night.

My lovely craft club ladies and myself went to see Sweeney Todd today. Yesterday. Saturday.
I was introduced to this musical in the early 80s when we taped a performance off TV.
I love this musical.
It has everything one could want.
Great music- sweeping melodies, fantastic syncopation, odd instrumentation.
Crazy story filled with drama, humor and pathos.
Cannibalism.

I will fully admit that I entered the theater with some trepidation.
Could this show work as a movie?
Would they cut out all of my favorite songs?
Would it carry too much Tim Burton-ness and not carry through the Sondheim-ality?
All my fears were assuaged.

First of all, the cinematography was divine.
There was a wonderful cohesive feel to the whole thing.
The backgrounds and costumes were all painted in muted neutral colors to give the most contrast to the occasional splashes (and gushing torrents) of red.

The singing was far beyond my expectations.
Timithy Spall has a lovely tenor, and Alan Rickman's lusty bass voice was a wonderful surprise. Is there anything that man can't make sexy?
I was watching Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix the other night with the hubby and I says to him, I says "I always feel like watching Truly Madly Deeply after seeing Rickman as Snape to remind me that he can play a nice guy."
Triple that for Sweeney Todd.
One scene from the stage show that didn't make it into the movie and that I didn't miss one jot was the Judge's self-flagellation scene.

The truly shining star, singing-wise was the boy who played Toby, Ed Sanders.
That role is very demanding. His voice was beautiful, very agile. His dramatic scenes were also quite enjoyable.

Johnny Depp.
What to say.
I love him and some day he will grow to love me too.
Same for Helena Bonham Carter.
Also for Tim Burton.
I have loved nearly every movie of his I have ever seen.

I cannot count the number of times I watched the musical. I know this story back and forwards. This adaptation was seamless. Some of the songs were removed, and some shortened, but the story was just as effective. Tim Burton's directing was amazing. The pacing was tight, suspenseful. It has been some time since I felt my heart pound like that during a movie. I was leaning forward in my chair, and I already knew what was happening.
Magnificent.

One more thing.

If you're looking for a fun night out, and you see a movie poster with blood dripping down the title, perhaps you should reconsider bringing your 4-6 year old daughter, person in our theater today.
And if you bring said 4-6 year old daughter, maybe leave after the first time Sweeney says Shit, or after the first person gets brutally slain.
Just a thought.

Review ended.

So, how was every one's Christmas?
We had a delightfully stress-free couple of days.
Christmas Eve with my family, followed by Christmas morning at home with the kids.

I had a semi-homemade Christmas this year.
I purchased a set of natural wooden blocks from Beka, and dyed them with a non-toxic water-based wood dye so they are now bright colors.

I was a little stymied about what to get my dad, but I thought that you can't go wrong with a present from the grand-kids.
So I got the wonderful husband to pick up an apron from the store, and I had the Elder Hug-a-Bug to draw a picture on some canvas with fabric markers.
She drew Grandpa and herself and her brother, and they are all holding hands.
I could weep with joy.
I asked her whether she would like to write a message, like merry Christmas or I love you grandpa, and she chose I love you.
So I wrote it down and she copied it over on to the fabric.
Then I made a pocket for the apron of the canvas.

Christmas Day my husband's parents came over and we had a third orgy of present opening.
Dinner was a little bit of a fiasco.
Why, oh why don't I have two ovens like Martha?
I had to let my pork loin out of the oven to roast my veggies and cook the Crescent Rolls (essential for any holiday feast) and the meat was pretty cool by dinner.
Oh, well. The rolls were flaky and delicious anyway, thank you Pillsbury Dough Boy.

The next day my Mom and Sister came over and built a fantastic table in our toy-room, which is really just a big closet with a window.
The kids love it! It is the perfect height for the elder Hug-a-Bug and the younger H-a-B is enjoying climbing up on the top of it.
There is also ample room underneath to play cave.
The TV has been neglected like nothing I have seen since we had snow.
Not that my kids ever watch TV, or recite the Frosty the Snowman movie or anything.

No pictures again today.
Please send me findy vibes over here.
I went through the mountains of mess in the craft area, and was unsuccessful in locating the camera.
It's probably better for us all that I don't have it right now, so you don't have to be subjected to views of the squalor in here.
I guess I will just have to go through every room one by one and look behind every piece of furniture and other stuff you do when you look for lost things.

I can tell that my mind is starting to wind down.
Perhaps I can get a couple of hours sleep before today really starts.

Have a Happy New Year,
if I don't see you,
Jess