Crime Scene

Isn't this the coolest/cutest thing you've seen? I love it. Check more out at this NPR article.

Knitting.

I started knitting in the 7th grade, when I would spend Friday nights with the ladies from my church learning new stitches and perfecting my tension. I joined a community of knitters (mostly with women 4 or 5 decades my senior) and spent a lot of my parents' money on yarn, needles, and patterns. I remember the first scarf I knit, the purse I learned the art of felting on, and my favorite teal size 8 straight needles. I remember the yarn store where I would walk the aisles, eyes wide with excitement at the colors & textures. I would watch the ladies knitting their sweaters & socks, enviously dreaming of the day I reached such a skill level.

Well, ladies & gentleman, I have arrived.

Perhaps I'm not making quite as intricate knitwear as the ladies in the knit shop made, but I also haven't yet retired to spend hours on end knitting. (oh, I wish)

Knitting has taken me on quite a journey. There have been times when I thought it was too uncool, when I lacked the patience to complete a project, when I didn't believe I could make something as big as a sweater. A decade later, and I'm feeling so fulfilled by my knitting. I love the feeling of the yarn between my fingers, I love picking out bright & colorful balls of yarn, and turning it into something beautiful, wearable, practical. I am constantly amazed at the minute difference between each stitch, and the huge visual difference within the finished product. I feel healed when I make things. I feel a sense of newness and excitement, as well as relaxation and simplicity. I am not at all bothered by the "uncoolness" of knitting or the hours & hours it takes to make one sweater.

I have learned that knitting isn't about the finished project as much as it is about the process. As is true of much of life.

Brave.

Nathan & I rarely go out to the movies, mainly because it's so stinkin' expensive. We have to be pretty excited about a movie to spend $20 to go to the theater. Well, we've been really excited about seeing the new Disney/Pixar movie Brave. Yes, it is a children's movie. Yes, it is a princess movie. But it defies the stereotypes of its genre in many great ways.

Animation: For starters, the animation is breathtaking. Rather than being overly cutesy or unrealistic, the animation depicts the Scottish countryside in dark hues and in an incredibly realistic manner. And the animals in the film (aside from one particularly personified bear) look stunningly real. Now, let's talk about Merida's hair. AMAZING. I have never been so utterly bewildered by animation. Her hair. How do they do it? It's awesome.

Plotline: The story is an excellent children's tale of courage, wisdom, humility, learning from mistakes, and, duh, bravery. The main character, Merida, makes a prideful and thoughtless mistake that she must figure out how to remedy. The story isn't based on pursuing love or being rescued; it is based on cooperation, selflessness, love, strength, and a little bit of magic. I think these are probably some of the best lessons we could teach our kids. And while there is some violence in the film between goofy Scottish clan leaders, the violence depicted is mocked as being silly, frivolous, and unhelpful. Violence is not glorified as a way to solve problems or eliminate the bad guy; it is depicted as something that idiotic drunk men do when they're trying to assert themselves, & will inevitably end up looking like imbeciles.

Love/Romance: And what of love? In this story, Merida refuses to follow the tradition of betrothal. She demonstrates that she neither wants nor needs a husband. But in no way does this translate to her hatin' on love. The love between families and between neighbors is a central theme of the story, as is the importance of women being able to seek out true love on their own terms.

The Ending: (Spoiler Alert) Oh, and perhaps the best part- the story doesn't end with her & a prince "living happily ever after". It ends with her being awesome, completely on her own.

Seriously, all people young & old should go see Brave, if for no other reason than to make a statement that this is the kind of movie we want to see companies producing and showing to our children. Not the typical crap.

 I don't know why this poster says August, cause it's definitely already out.

Every Single Night- Fiona Apple

Fiona Apple might be my biggest girl crush. Her music is incredible. And this song off her new album is certainly no exception. The video is crazy bizarre, but that's what I love about her.

Enjoy!

SO EXCITED.

I cannot WAIT for Baz Luhrmann's version of The Great Gatsby. Leonardo Dicaprio? Carey Mulligan? Yes, please.

Next tattoo...

I would like my next tattoo to be the dogwoods from this drawing:

Geninne Zlatkis

I've always loved dogwoods. They'll always be a symbol of home for me. And they're just so lovely and delicate.