making stuff

I have no problem curling up on the couch (or in my case on a second hand futon) with a trail of thread and a small hand stitching project.  What I do not like is to stare at my sewing machine willing it to perform magic.  Too often I end up frustrated with a half finished item with hideous stitches and mangled corners.

My mom helped me start a project over Christmas break (love having a school schedule for work again) to move me one step closer to mastering the machine.  Like I mentioned before, I really wanted to make pajama pants for Christmas gifts.  The teacher of the sewing class at my job graciously gave me a pattern to begin.  One problem.  Fear of machine is also a fear of working with tissue paper patterns.  Eek!

Turns out it was both harder than I thought and easier.  You have to take special care to read and follow the directions.  No intuition here and no shortcuts for doing it right.  The part that surprised me was how much clearer it was to move ahead when you slowed down and gave yourself the space and the time to get it done.  We ironed the fabric, trimmed the pattern, pinned it on, cut out the fabric pieces, and now I have four legs waiting to be sewn together and turned into grey flannel pants.

Stay tuned for the harrowing conclusion…and the photos when RJR models his late gift.

UPDATE: Several resources for sewing can be found at Melissa’s blog here, check out the books she references and be encouraged that many in blog land are trying to tackle the sewing thing!

music monday :: best of 2009

At the end of every year we see and hear a lot of “best of” lists. I’m just passing along some “best of 2009″ lists from two of my favorite radio stations: 97.7 The Exit in Amsterdam, NY, and 88.5 WXPN in Philadelphia.

The best of 2009 from the Exit staff:

Staff Picks
Dave Michaels
(Mon-Fri 6a-10a)

Songs …
1-Mykonos by Fleet Foxes
2-Home by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
3-Fresh Blood-Eels
4-When You Call My Name-Dawes
5-Animal (Mark Ronson remix) by Miike Snow

Albums …
1-The Hazards of Love by The Decemberists
2-Sweet Fist by Super400
3-Wilco (The Album) by Wilco
4-Before The Frost … Until The Freeze by Black Crowes
5-A Strange Arrangement by Mayer Hawthorne

Chris Wienk
(Mon-Fri 12n-6p)

Albums:
1. Black Joe Lewis “Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is”
2. Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros “Up From Below”
3. Pete Yorn “Back & Fourth”
4. Avett Bros “I & Love & You”
5. The Swell Season “Strict Joy”

Songs:
1. Pete Yorn “Last Summer”
2. Fiction Factory “When She’s Near”
3. Edward Sharpe “Home”
4. Avett Bros “I & Love & You”
5. Fleet Foxes “Mykonos”

Wayne Henning
(Sun 4-8p, and North of the Border)

Albums:
1. Great Bloomers: Speak Of Trouble
2. Great Lake Swimmers: Lost Channels
3. Barzin: Notes To An Absent Lover
4. Catherine MacLellan: Dark Dream Midnight
5. Patrick Watson: Wooden Arms
6. Provincial Archive: Nameless Places
7. Amelia Curran: Hunter, Hunter
8. Ohbijou: Beaons
9. Doug Paisley: Doug Paisley
10. Peter Bruntnell: Peter and the Murder of Crows

Songs:
1. Great Bloomers – Honey Blanket
2. Valery Gore – Great Lakes
3. Peter Bruntnell – Domestico
4. Tragically Hip – Morning Moon
5. Patrick Watson – Big Bird In A Small Cage
6. Amelia Curran – The Mistress
7. Catherine MacLellan – Dark Dream Midnight
8. Dan Mangan – The Indie Queens Are Waiting
9. Provincial Archive – Sound In Winter
10. D’Ubervilles – Magic Arrow

Scott Sauer
Development Director, Asst. GM
(this is the dude who raises all the money to keep the eclectic mix on the radio!)

Albums:
Son Volt – American Central Dust
Rosanne Cash – The List
Zachary Richard – Last Kiss
Bruce Cockburn – Slice O Life
Bob Dylan – Christmas in the Heart
Jimmy Buffett – Buffet Hotel
Jesse Winchester – Love Filling Station
David Gray – Draw the Line
Levon Helm – Electric Dirt
Steven Curtis Chapman – Beauty Will Rise

Michael Keefe-Feldman
(WMHT Web dude, and EXT Pearl Jam Expert)

Songs:
1. The Eels – Prizefighter
2. Phish – Backwards Down the Number Line
3. Pearl Jam – The Fixer
4. Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears – Sugarfoot
5. Avett Brothers – I and Love and You
6. Bruce Springsteen – The Wrestler
7. Blitzen Trapper – Big Black Bird
8. Bob Dylan – I Feel a Change Coming On
9. Meat Puppets – Sewn Together
10. Dinosaur Jr. – See You

WXPN asked listeners to vote for the 100 best songs of 2009. Here are the top 10. Note that “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros seems to have been a hit at both stations.

1. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Home
2. The Avett Brothers I And Love And You
3. Phoenix 1901
4. Levon Helm When I Go Away
5. Grizzly Bear Two Weeks
6. Bell X1 The Great Defector
7. One Eskimo Kandi Buy
8. Phoenix Lisztomania
9. Monsters Of Folk Dear God
10. Rosanne Cash Sea Of Heartbreak

Read the whole list of 100 songs here and the top 50 albums here.

ten in ‘10

I think the general consensus around here is that 2009 cannot depart soon enough.  I mean, there were some good things packed into those 365 days, but also plenty of pain, doubt, contradiction, and uncertainty.

In an effort to pull back the dark shades and shed some light on a fresh day, RJR and I spent the evening of January First crafting inTENtions for the new year.   Some of them are incredibly personal and soulful, not really to be shared in this space.  Some are a bit less serious, but nonetheless important.  These intentions are not resolutions so much as an enumeration of focused action that will help us both be better people, more committed to our faith, to our values, to living with hope in this world, to each other.

Six of my ten in ‘10 list do make sense to say out loud to all of you because you will probably (or hopefully) be able to see the progress/process here:

• Provide more meaningful blog content – there is a lot going on in my head all week long, but I can do a better job of wrestling that jumble into more inspirational and thoughtful posts.
• Practice, practice, practice with my sewing machine – no more being afraid of what I don’t know thereby preventing me from from even trying.  Onward with the Husqvarna!
• Run another 5K – did it once as a challenge to myself and to find out what RJR loves about running, need to do another one to remind me why this body of mine was made to move more and sit around less. Healthier living in 2010.
• Submit an article for publication – laziness, fear of rejection, whatever it is, I’m done with it this year.
• Start making cakes – cupcakes are good, but when was the last time I even made a layer cake?  I don’t even own layer pans anymore.  Might seem trite.  Yet, I know that conquering the time and technique required to pull off a splendid towering cake will be satisfying and it represents a deliberate return to the kitchen for desserts I was more likely to buy in 2009.
• Start a community garden in Kensington/Fairhill – applied for three grants for this inb 2009 and was turned down all three times.  No more excuses.  The neighborhood needs more green and growing things and as a community we need to rally round the transformational power of soil, sun, air, water, and collaboration.

I know that I will stumble.  That mornings will come when I don’t want to rise from my bed to meet the day.  Yet, I think by making declarations, by saying out loud that I can master some of my time and energy, that I can channel it into joy filled actions, I will find the day dawning fairer and with a greater measure of hope.

That some day, emerging at last from the terrifying vision
I may burst into jubilant praise to assenting angels!
That of the clear-struck keys of the heart not one may fail
to sound because of a loose, doubtful or broken string!
That my streaming countenance may make me more resplendent
That my humble weeping change into blossoms.
Oh, how will you then, nights of suffering, be remembered
with love. Why did I not kneel more fervently, disconsolate
sisters, more bendingly kneel to receive you, more loosely
surrender myself to your loosened hair? We, squanderers of
gazing beyond them to judge the end of their duration.
They are only our winter’s foliage, our sombre evergreen,
one of the seasons of our interior year, -not only season,
but place, settlement, camp, soil and dwelling.

Duino Elegies – The 10th Elegy by Rainer Maria Rilke

8tracks i never knew you before

Is everyone in blogland familiar with 8tracks mixtape except for me?

I follow former Brooklynite Brian Ferry here, enjoying his amazing photographs and urban orientation.  He recently moved to London and has started posting more achingly gorgeous images from the streets and alleys of this great city.  All of that is to say that he created a holiday music mix in early December that is equal to the feelings evoked in his photographs, but that I only just now found it on January 2nd.  The consolation prize is that you can still stream it at 8tracks here.

According to the site, “On 8tracks, people can do two things: listen to a mix, or create a mix. Listeners can search for a mix by artist or genre, stream it in a legal, radio-style manner, and follow others who make compelling mixes. DJs upload MP3s/AACs or select tracks from the 8tracks library to craft a playlist, add context with description and art, and publish their mix on 8tracks.com and a personal webpage.”

I recommend setting aside some time to explore this site.  I lost some serious New Year’s InTENtions time today while wading through the melancholy tunes.  Check out another one of Brian’s sets, “transition tunes” with some Phoenix and Avett Brothers.  Swoon.

If there was any confusion before, let me say it now: I am always the last to be cool.  Also, RJR, if you told me about this before and it didn’t register in my tiny brain ’till now, my apologies.

wintery fairyland

If you live in the Northeast or visited our grand region this Christmas, you found yourself plunged into a winter wonderland.  I boarded a train on December 23rd during the aftermath of Philadelphia’s greatest snowstorm in a century.  The night of December 28th the flakes came down in the Mohawk Valley, nearly 12 inches.  Today, back in Philly, we are again being blanketed with the white stuff.  If I were headed to work today, I might be annoyed, but as I only have plans to celebrate the end of 09 and ring in 2010, I can revel in the sky’s gift.

A few shots from Little Falls…

arson update

Little Falls police have made another arrest in connection with some of the suspicious fires in the city. From the Little Falls Evening Times:

A 24-year-old Little Falls man has been arrested in connection with six of the eight arson fires that have occurred in the city since October.
Daniel J. Simonds, of 575 E. John St., has been charged with two counts of third-degree arson, a class C felony, for the fires to the building at 585 John St. on Oct. 26 and the building at 334 S. Second St. on Oct. 21; one count of fourth-degree arson, a class E felony, for the damage that was caused to the neighboring house of the building at 585 John St.; and four counts of fifth-degree arson, a class A misdemeanor, for the fire to the fence and shrubbery along State Route 5 on Nov. 5, for the fire to the storage trailer at Ideal Wood on Nov. 13, for the fire to the garbage in Shoppers Square on Dec. 21 and for the fire in the dumpster at the First Baptist Church on Dec. 23.
Simonds was arraigned in Little Falls Town Court and was remanded to the Herkimer County Correctional Facility in lieu of $20,000 cash bail or $40,000 bail bond.
He is scheduled to appear in Little Falls City Court on Jan. 6, 2010.
According to Chief of Police Michael Masi, Simonds will be charged at a later date with additional burglary charges for entering two of the buildings to set the fires, felony criminal mischief charges for the damage caused to the properties and equipment that was destroyed by the fires and criminal mischief and larceny for damage caused to a CSX truck and for property taken from the truck.
Masi said Simonds has also admitted his involvement in other crimes, such as the burglary of an elderly resident’s home over the past week where a “substantial” amount of money and prescription medications were taken, as well as larcenies from other residents’ porches.
The chief said his department was able to recover a portion of the stolen money from the residential burglary, some of the prescription medications and just under a half pound of marijuana that was purchased with the stolen money.
Although Simonds was only charged with the arsons at the time of his arraignment, Masi said the remaining charges will be submitted to the Herkimer County District Attorney’s Office for future filing.

words from the wise :: chesterton on christmas

Some of my favorite thoughts about Christmas from GK Chesterton:

1) His poem, “The World’s Desire”:

The Christ-child lay on Mary’s lap,
His hair was like a light.
(O weary, weary were the world,
But here is all aright.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary’s breast,
His hair was like a star.
(O stern and cunning are the kings,
But here the true hearts are.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary’s heart,
His hair was like a fire.
(O weary, weary is the world,
But here the world’s desire.)

The Christ-child stood at Mary’s knee,
His hair was like a crown.
And all the flowers looked up at Him,
And all the stars looked down.

2) From his book, The Thing, some thoughts on shopping and Christmas:

“The Christmas season is domestic; and for that reason most people now prepare for it by struggling in tramcars, standing in queues, rushing away in trains, crowding despairingly into teashops, and wondering when or whether they will ever get home. I do not know whether some of them disappear forever in the toy department or simply lie down and die in the tea-rooms; but by the look of them, it is quite likely. Just before the great festival of the home [Christmas], the whole population seems to have become homeless.”

3) From his book, The New Jerusalem:

“Any one thinking of the Holy Child as born in December would mean by it exactly what we mean by it; that Christ is not merely a summer sun of the prosperous but a winter fire for the unfortunate.”

4) From his book, All Things Considered, a contemplation of the Christmas turkey:

“A turkey is more occult and awful than all the angels and archangels. In so far as God has partly revealed to us an angelic world, he has partly told us what an angel means. But God has never told us what a turkey means. And if you go and stare at a live turkey for an hour or two, you will find by the end of it that the enigma has rather increased than diminished.”

gifts of the season 3 :: final round up

Christmas is almost here!  In only a few short days, the wrapping paper will be crumpled (or saved for another year), feasting will commence, and DVDs received as gifts will be playing as the long holiday weekend passes by.   I’m fairly happy with the homemade gifts I have put together.  (Spoiler alert: you might get one of these, but I’m not saying who…)

• Grapefruit Thyme Sugar Scrub
• Vintage Button Patchwork Pin Cushions
• Bourbon Pecan Pralines
• Cranberry Orange Biscotti
• Mocha Almond Biscotti
• Brown Sugar Almond Cookies
• Peppermint Fudge
• Fabric of the month calendar

Here is a list that I did not get to (a little overreaching on my part):

• Recycled Sweater Felted Hats
• Felted Christmas Ornaments
• Flannel Pajama Pants
• Mix CDs

What I did do over the last few days was enjoy an incredible weekend with RJR during Philadelphia’s storm of the century.  It was one of those rare moments in time where everything comes together just when you least expect it.

The snow came down in powdery flakes on Saturday while we worked together on a presentation for teen girls at my job.  We helped my staff unpack a u-haul full of gifts for children in the after school program.  And, we made our way through the snow packed streets to return several girls safely home after the training.

Left the car to be buried under white blankets Saturday evening and ventured forth into the magical night to land at Local 44.  Pints in hand, we settled in for a lengthy conversation ranging from thoughts on sustainability, our families, being Catholics in America, politics, and more.  The pub began to fill up with happy snow covered neighbors.  A few nods hello from across the room gave me such a feeling of being right where I was supposed to be.  For that night, everyone was a kid again, coming in from sledding with red cheeks and noses.  A dark porter or stout stood in for the steaming mug of cocoa.

I might not have made my soundtrack for the season, but that didn’t stop RJR.  His fantastic collection of songs includes some standouts that became the backdrop for the blizzard adventures.

The Grand Archives “Sleepdriving” captured the season’s sights and scents:

Snow fell thick and small
It buried a starlit fog
You remembered it all
I’m sleepdriving away

Metal and mold, bourbon and clove
Mirrors and smoke, yesterday’s clothes
I’m sleepdriving away

Eyes through your window, I stare out
And some, someday we’ll be too old

Cold will ache with making you jaw
You’re only as old as you say that we are
I’m sleepdriving away

The trunk of the car filled with all that we own
This old Pontiac’s starting to feel like a boat
I’m sleepdriving away

Eyes through your window I stare out
And some, someday we’ll be too old

It’s nearly dawn, your motel home
The shades were drawn to hide the storm
Without a sound, TV glow
The blankets tied around our throats

Swirling round, the light above
Outside the crows were waking up
It’s nearly dawn
Motel home was nearly gone
No sleep at all

Outside, those crows
In life, oh noes

Frozen roads and run
Sleepdriving away

Perhaps these lyrics from “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros sum up the weekend best:

Home, Let me come Home
Home is Whenever I’m with you
Home, yes I am Home
Home is wherever I’m with you

music monday :: the “fab four” of the shire?

When it comes to pop music, it seems there is almost nothing that the Beatles didn’t do. They experimented so much with song concept and arrangement that it is virtually impossible for other artists to avoid copying them in some way. They even broke into the movie business with such films as A Hard Day’s Night, Help!, and the very strange Yellow Submarine. One thing the Beatles did not do, even though they tried, was to star in a film adaption of JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

According to Peter Jackson, the director who brought a superb adaptation to the big screen, he was told by none other than Paul McCartney that the Beatles did try to produce a live-action version sometime in the 1960s. You might have thought John would want to be Frodo, but in fact he was hoping to play the scheming, greedy Gollum, with Paul playing Frodo, Ringo playing Sam (makes sense), and George Harrison playing Gandalf (that probably made sense to him). Surprisingly, the movie never really got off the ground, but Peter Jackson did correctly observe that, “There probably would have been some good songs coming off the album.”

The Beatles were not the only artists interested in LOTR, though they may have been the only ones interested in making a film about it. Another iconic English band, Led Zeppelin, has several references to the books. One of the most obvious comes from their song “Ramble On” from the album Led Zeppelin II. In one part of the song Robert Plant sings:

Mine’s a tale that can’t be told,
My freedom I hold dear;
How years ago in days of old
When magic filled the air,
T’was in the darkest depths of Mordor
I met a girl so fair.
But Gollum, and the evil one crept up
And slipped away with her.

Tolkien references appear in other songs, such as “Bron-Y-Aur Stomp”, “Misty Mountain Hop”, and “The Battle of Evermore”.

Then there is a song dedicated to brave Bilbo Baggins, sung by everyone’s favorite artist…Leonard Nimoy (a.k.a “Spock”). Someone had the good sense to kill the Beatles project, but nobody saw how crazy this idea was. Nimoy didn’t write the lyrics to “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins”, but he starred in this video, which has to be one of the worst of all time:

Okay, you need something to get that last video out of your head. The soundtrack to Peter Jackson’s trilogy is worthy of LOTR’s greatness, including “May It Be” by Enya:

The song captures the bittersweet ending of The Return of the King.

christmas on main street

Little Falls celebrated “Christmas on Main Street” on December 12. From the Evening Times:

Christmas on Main Street returned to the city of Little Falls on Saturday, and had people out and about throughout the downtown shopping district where the merchants offered specials and sales.
The second-year celebration included indoor and outdoor activities, many of which raised funds for area causes and organizations.
Activities included a visit from Santa Claus, movie screenings at Valley Cinema, Christmas Karaoke at The Club, Christmas stories and crafts at the Little Falls Senior/Community Center and a Christmas cookie contest.

A reminder of how important Main Street is and how it could be further developed.