April 2006 Archives

26

| | Comments (3)

Update: Back from Disneyland! It was a total blast. We went from 8ish am to about midnight- Char and Melissa kept on going while I took a two hour break to recharge. Charlene Totally Slaughtered (In a good way) on the Buzz Lightyear ride which we rode three times. We rocked the fastpass system and probably waited longer to get into the parks than at most of the lines inside. I got my fantastically large turkey leg and lots of cast members (staffers) wished me happy birthday upon seeing my birthday sticker.

Today I turn 26 and what am I doing to celebrate? I'm going to Disneyland! Yes, really. And I got a totally different haircut!

From this:

To this!

New Haircut

James has termed it the Rukia from Bleach cut and it is kinda similar!

Sang-froid

| | Comments (0)

Have you ever watched your favorite tv show or movie and wanted to meet the star, stalked their website, and wondered if you'd come of like a total blubbering idiot if you ever got to see them in person? Well, evidently, I'm pretty cool under stardom-firsthand pressure.1 I've spent the past few days rubbing elbows with Vickie Howell of DIY shows Knitty Gritty and Stylelicious (New!). And other than a funny little moron incident where I didn't start the car before backing out of the parking spot (Toyota Engines sure are quiet!) (twice. I thought I started the engine. twice. But I hadn't), I maintained my cool. Vickie kindly didn't laugh really loud at me and told me that the car wasn't on... Right after I made a comment about how the engine is so quiet I can't really tell if the engine is on (Yes, we have engine lights for a reason. Shush). In return, I didn't gush like a starstruck idiot for an hour in the car (how uncomfortable would that have been?). Sure, I love her show (oh, I think I should mention this to her. I might have forgotten) and yesterday, I did something nice for her. I fixed her laptop's Ethernet connection.

Come visit her on Saturday 4/22, 2pm at the Oakland Convention Center (map) attached to the Oakland Marriott. It is a quick hop off 880. If you're going to the Maker Faire, Oakland is only 30 minutes away from San Mateo. Just a bridge, really

She's just as cute as her picture and totally nice.

Evidently, I come off composed when meeting people I admire (other than my tendency to blush) and not like a total nut job. Whew! However, even if I do scare them a bit, I know this is exuberance. Not insanity. Oh heck, who am I trying to convince. And Yarn Harlot, take note, that parking lot was one of many local Peet's Coffee shops

1 There is hope that I won't gush and molest male movie stars. My boyfriend is now a bit more relieved. And he must like how I watch fictitious anime where all the characters are drawn.

Merci

| | Comments (2)

Charlene gave me wonderful sock yarn for my birthday!

LLaces_Sage.jpg

Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock CUSTOM PurlSoho colorway in what I think is Sage

So.Totally.Awesome. I think it is Sage. The tag says Ons/22ms. It smells great with a slight hint of acrid setting agent amongst the bouquet of wool. Believe it or not, this is the first Lorna's Laces that has made it into my stash! I'm thinking of Cookie's Pomatomus sock pattern if the striping looks good or a feather and fan pattern.

(Yes, I did/do really want sock yarn for my birthday). Thank you Charlene! It is soooooo me. Thanks for thinking of me when you went into PurlSoho, too.

Wendy graciously sent me some wonderful sock yarn from her de-stashing. I did the happy yarn dance when I opened the package and will re-enact it for you once I get caught up with my Japan Photos.

wendyYarn.jpg

Merci!

Movement in Some Direction

| | Comments (2)

It dawned upon me a few days ago that I'll soon turn 26. This. Well, it is big. 25 meant that heck yeah, I'm an adult who should be self supporting. I was also a graduate student. Things weren't so URGENT. But 26. Hey, my "life" should be in full swing. I'm done with classes. As birthdays loom, I like to see if I'm moving a direction. Front, back, sideways. Slow, fast, Lost in Translation standstill (as crowds move past you, feeling alienated).

This next month will be dedicated into furthering the direction I want to go. Give me some encouragement for my jog forward, will you? I have all the supporting foundation- the fancy little letters after my name, desire to go forth, and family who supports me. Other than some biological need for excessive sleep I can't figure out (is it this gray gray weather?), I'm starting to feel this primal urge to move forward. It is the right time. Time to make some changes.

Speaking of Changes:
Yo, Melissa my bestest buddy, congratulations on the whole Grad School Ph.D decision! Eloquence abandons me, only the dorky smile and teary eyes remain. So proud of you. I'd drink an entire pint of beer to prove it. (Trust me, that's love)

Robin, a close high-school friend, is also graduating/escaping with her Master's degree. Congratulations!

Charlene finished her first year of Grad School at Berkeley. Yay!

Yes, I'm lucky to have such awesome friends. And you know what? They're really friends, in the best interpretation possible. Fun, supportive, and honest.

This has been a little peek into freecia's life beyond her knitting, travel, and geek toys :) Hope you enjoyed it.

Really Rocking Movie -NaNa

|

nana.jpg

I caught a really great movie on my flight back from Japan. Titled NaNa, it is the story of two 20 year old women who meet on a train ride to Tokyo. Both are named NaNa and they couldn't be more different- one is a singer in a rock band (appropriately goth-like) and the other is a sunny cutesy pretty bit of fluff (appropriately trendy). Cute NaNa is there to chase after her boyfriend and rocker NaNa is there to launch her Tokyo career. That's where some of the predictability ends. They become roommates and friends, which is a wonderful departure from how cinema usually embraces stereotypes and social boundaries. You begin to discover the amazing depths of each character, their past histories, their dreams, and their weaknesses. Throw in some boy candy and Japanese pop/rock to keep things interesting. The movie is based on the Manga (graphic novel) of the same name, written by Ai Yazawa.

I sniffled a lot, laughed a lot, sniffled some more, and cheered them on. Much of Japan went wild over this movie, it won a few Japanese Academy Awards. In fact, in this age where there is a dearth of actual award-worthy movies, I think if NaNa launched in America, it'd get a nomination at the U.S. Academy Awards as well as becoming an indie box office hit. This is one the few movies I'd buy and watch over and over. That's the best compliment I could give any movie; there are less than a dozen movies I've willingly seen more than once- start to finish. Lucky for me, NaNa the manga is going into its' 15th volume so there should be a sequel.

English NaNa fansite- nana-nana.net
Japanese Trailers

Be on the lookout for an English subtitled version. nana-nana.net has a few sources for those of us who don't speak Japanese. I think the effort to get it is worth it.

And just so you know, I have a LOT of trip photos and it'll take me a while to post all of them. So I'll upload in batches and you can wander over to the gallery from time to time to see the progress, or just wait until I announce that all photos have been uploaded before taking a few moments to look at them.