Jan 15, 2009

BUCKLE YOUR SEATBELT

Ready for a little stream of consciousness today, kids?

It all started with another *$&#^% sinus migraine yesterday morning. Now I know I keep kvetching about them, but I thought I had finished these in my 20's. Nope. Looks like they are here to stay. At about 4pm I decided to stop stuffing stuff up my nose and to stop popping the Sudafed and Tylenol like m&m's and I hit the sleigh bed for a nap. Miraculously, I awoke with the headache gone and I felt rather clear-headed for the first time in a month. So I have decided to do nothing. Maybe all the medicine was giving me rebound headaches? I mean, I'm not a doctor (I just play one on TeeVee), but I think the cure was worse than the curse.

So I sat down to watch my boyfriend Brian Williams after having a lovely bowl of soup for supper, when what did I see but Maria Bartaromo on the floor of the NYSE. Normally this wouldn't be news, but as Maria reports that the economy is ridiculously bad and that we are all going to end up on the streets and that the economic world is coming to an end, there are people behind her with COCKTAILS AND HORS D'OEUVRES in hand having a cocktail party. A COCKTAIL PARTY. ON THE FLOOR OF THE NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE IN THE MIDST OF THE WORSE ECONOMIC CLIMATE SINCE THE GREAT DEPRESSION.

So I did what any normal outraged citizen would do. I picked up the phone and called NBC Universal right there in New York City (after having a fabulous conversation with the directory assistance operator) and expressed my....um....disappointment. I'll be sure to watch tonight to see if Brian Williams comments on the "nut from Indiana who ranted and raved about a cocktail party going on while Rome was burning , etc. etc." but I won't hold my breath.

Then after very careful consideration, I decided that I am taking Crazy Aunt Purl's advice and not participating in the recession. Nope. Not going to read/listen to/discuss or agonize over the state of things. And right after I made this decision I heard on the BBC that a professor at Oxford discovered that the NEWS of the recession was actually making it worse, i.e., people are so scared that they are not spending or saving or investing or innovating. So I'm out, kids. I'm not going to buy an island or a private jet just yet, but I am NOT going to let the bastards get me down. I'm going to be careful and watch what I spend, but I'm going to keep patronizing local businesses and living my life as best I can without the news that the sky is about to fall right on my big fat head. So I guess what I should have REALLY ranted to NBC about was the fact that I wasn't invited to the party. What I did instead was call back and say "Nevermind" on their answering maching.

Then Aunt Chrissy called to tell me that she has just received a needlework catalogue and there are several charts therein that look amazingly like those of our favorite girl designer's work. So today when I received my copy, I saw it too, and got very peeved about this subject in general. Now I'm all for being inspired by someone else's work, and I can imagine that there are only so many themes that one can use when designing needlework. But when your designs are practically identical to a sister designer's and you make no mention of it (or hope that we won't notice), I think this is bad form. See, we respect your copyrights and greatly appreciate the work that goes into creating and publishing new things (which we demand on a regular basis), but it makes me sad that one's "brand" is not protected in a creative art form. So why not come up with new stuff on your own, or at least say that you are offering the piece as an homage' to Designer X. Wouldn't that be a nice thing to do?

I started Season Seven of The West Wing and I'm a little bummed. Most of the episodes are on the campaign trail, and I much prefer to see the inner workings of the White House. I do, however, wholly endorse Jimmy Smits for president. Hubba hubba. What ever happened to Jimmy Smits? Or, for that matter, Benjamin Bratt? Can't a girl get a little love on a cold winter's night? Where are you boys hiding yourselves these days? (And yes, in case you were wondering, I am fully aware that my one-true-love boyfriend Chef Robert Irvine His Very Self is headed back to Dinner Impossible. Woo Hoo! Now where did I put my lipstick?)

Stitching last night was on the background of the birds. I have decided to do a slanted gobelin stitch in #3 perle cotton. When you look at the pic, you will notice that I started on the OUTSIDE of the purple border, which seems kinda nuts. Well, there are actually two reasons for me doing this: a) when finishing needlepoint into a pillow you need to have a couple of rows of extra stitching on the edges and b) I think I'm going to try to couch a purple ribbon for that border and I want it to nestle down into the white perle cotton. Woo hoo, aren't I just getting jiggy with it? Although very boring, I think I will continue to plug away on the background to see if I can finish it up before Friday night. Then, methinks it's time to pull out something new.

OH!!!!! One of my lovely commenteers mentioned that she clicked on my photograph and was able to see my stitching up close and all personal like. WHY DIDN'T I REALIZE THAT THIS WAS EVEN POSSIBLE? If I knew that y'all were able to actually SEE my craptastic stitching, I would never have posted pictures at all. Yikes...its' like having somebody seeing the crumbs under your kitchen table...know what I mean?

That's the rant for today. Thanks for stopping by! Please don't feel too bad that I'm over caffeinated and tilting at windmills...it's actually good for me to get a little hepped up about something every now and then.

Oh, and if I've offended anybody out there, I'm truly sorry. Not my intent at all. If I want to offend you, I'll do it right to your face. I promise. So please don't be mad and come back real soon!

14 comments:

  1. I just read your entire blog from the beginning to now. I was completely amused. I wanted to make comments all the way along but who would see them. I have a west highland terrier called Dr. McCoy (Star Trek). He has a buddy next door called Duffy who is a west highland terrier also that he plays with all the time. Your stitching is great and adventurousand the pictures are getting better. I had to get a new camera to get better pictures but I am still working on it.
    Happy stitching
    and I can't wait to read more.

    Patty

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  2. Love your rants and your taste in idiot box viewing, Auntie Purl's ideas and presidential candidates. Sorry about your crappy headaches. Been there, done that, had my nose and sinuses roto-rootered yesterday. Back to stitching today.

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  3. Hello there. I love the birds but please please please can I see Miss Lillie Frog finished? She really tickled my fancy and I must meet her again!

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  4. LMAO! Now I am definitely watching Brian Williams from start to finish tonight!!!!

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  5. Way to go, sweetie! We will take up a collection for bail if necessary.

    Hope those migraines go away. They are the pits but I've not had one in years knock-on-wood.

    The stitching and tv watching plans sound good. Make room on the couch and I'll be over once the ice melts.
    Jane, waving from COLD CH

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  6. I just hate it when my righteous indignation is all for naught and I end up sounding like Rosann Rosanadana! I think your birds are cute and the clickability is an added bonus!

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  7. I love reading your blog. It always brings a smile to my face, if not an outright guffaw!

    Jimmy Smits recently met Dexter on Showtime. He played a DA who partnered up with our favorite serial killer to mete out his own brand of justice - definitely a different side of him. The season just ended about a month ago, so it probably won't be out on DVD for a little while yet.

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  8. Maybe those people at the NYSE were doing their part to bolster the economy, by supporting the local catering businesses? I don't blame the traders for the state of the economy...

    Now, if Maria had been reporting from the factory floor at GM, and they were partying, I would definitely be p***ed off...

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  9. Coni, you are definitely the absolute BEST! I love reading your blog, love your ideas, your rants, and your tiny dog Stewey. But, I love your stitching the bestest!
    hugs
    Debs

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  10. You NEED http://www.imdb.com/ . Then you would know that after West Wing, the talented Mr. Smits started in a network Hispanic soap opera called 'CANE'. It came and went so fast you probably never heard of it. I liked it, but I knew it was doomed. He has been on Dexter (on Showtime) as Miguel Prado. Mr. Bratt has had his own canceled show. "E-RING" (about the Pentagon) and an A&E show about recovering addicts called "The Cleaner" which has just been picked up for another season.

    So lift your cocktail glass high and put in another DVD. There's nothing to watch on television.

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  11. I'm with you. Let's all refuse to participate!!! And ranting and raving keeps you warm! My newest favorite motto is "Born to be Riled!"

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  12. I've opted out of the news. It's so much more pleasant. They do the traffic and local weather on the 8s, so if I'm in the car, I tune in for those and then turn it all off. Thank god. Like there's anything we can do about it anyway? I do this for those sinus headaches: two shots of Four-Way nasal spray (once a day so you don't get the rebound congestion) just for a couple days. No painkillers--they make it worse in the long run. Then I got a prescription for Nasonex, which is an allergy nasal spray. It is a long-acting thing, so it builds up over a week. And now--no sinus headaches, no rebound, no jittery feeling from pills.
    Love the birds!

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  13. Hi Coni,

    So what new needlework are you going to buy to help perk up the economy??? Yes, I'm ducking and running here in Windy Meadow but it would help! Or at least help us feel better...

    And talking about feeling better, how about the plane, crew, and passengers who ended up floating down the Hudson River today? If that doesn't restore your faith in everyone I don't know what would. The pilot and co-pilot landed that bird on the river and made sure everyone got off. The men made sure the woman and children were off first. And the boats in the harbor came rushing right over. Thank goodness no one was seriously hurt!

    Cynthia
    Windy Meadow

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  14. For your sinus problems...

    If you are waking up in the middle of the night with a headache try just drinking a glass of water and then going back to bed. Also, a humidifier in the bedroom might help.

    I went through this every winter until a couple of years ago when I no nyquil/sudafed/tylenol/arsenic left to medicate myself with, I sat with my head in my hands occassionally sipping some water. After 10, 15 minutes, the pain was gone. At bedtime I always have a large glass of water on the nightstand and turn on the humidifier before getting into bed. It's been three or four years of no sinus migraines or headaches.

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