Another Year

My birthday was on Friday. I had a great time, since I took the day off and just hung around the house. It was quite relaxing. Then a few of my friends came over, and we grabbed dinner and played Taboo (which, surprisingly, did not end in tears). Plus, I got the awesome knitting swag you see pictured here. Beth gave me Victorian Lace Today (which I have been wanting since I first saw it in Barnes and Noble several months back), and Mike's dad gave me enough Berroco Pure Merino to make the Nantucket Jacket that was on the cover of the Winter IK. I see some more knitting in the coming year!

Still Life of Shawl with Ikea Chair

I finished the center part of Highland Triangle #2. Now I just need to pick up the stitches for the border and then do lots of boring YO's and K2tog's. I wish I could just make those parts of the shawl magically finish themselves. The center pattern is somehow more exciting, even though it's just a bunch of YO's and k2tog's too. Watching them form the diamond patterns makes it more palatable for some reason.

Best and Worst of 2006: Movies

Now that I have caught up on a bunch of films from the end of last year, I feel that I can make this list somewhat well-informed. There are still things I want to see (Letters from Iwo Jima, Children of Men, The Painted Veil, History Boys), so keep that in mind.

The Best:
1) United 93. This is the only movie I saw from the past year that I wouldn't change at all if I were making it. It was respectful of the tragedy without being soft. I thought Paul Greengrass deserved an Oscar for directing and writing this film.

2) The Queen. Even aside from Helen Mirren's brilliant performance, there was a lot to love here. The script was creative with its material, the direction was appropriately restrained, and the acting was wonderful all around.

3) The Departed. Some things about this movie aren't quite right (re: the psychiatrist storyline). But it is such an amazing collection of performances, that it almost doesn't matter.

4) Little Miss Sunshine. I haven't had as good a laugh watching a movie in a long time.

5) Casino Royale. After the last few somewhat embarrassing Bond movies, this one brought the franchise back into full swing. And Daniel Craig is surprisingly hot, though in an "ugly-hot" sort of way.

6) Thank You for Smoking. Although it doesn't hold up as well after repeated watchings, this is an incredibly creative film. And it's crazy. CRAZY.

7) Wordplay. This isn't a hard hitting documentary, but the love it shows for the subject matter (crosswords) is inspiring.

8) The Good Shepherd. It was too long. The performances were excellent, though.

9) The Pursuit of Happyness. This one is all about Will Smith and his son. The rest of the movie is okay, but they are phenomenal.

10) A Prairie Home Companion. I don't like NPR (I'm slightly deaf in one ear, so I can't hear things that aren't music in the car, which is the only place I listen to the radio). But I have to admire both the performances and the direction in this film. Robert Altman will be missed.

11) Dreamgirls. This was beautifully produced and well-acted. Something is lacking in the pacing, though.

12) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. This film is on probation until the third one comes out, as it's really only one half of a two-part movie. But the joy and creativity that shone through the action sequences was quite enjoyable.

The Worst:
1) X-3: X-Men United. I don't understand what happened. The second one was so good, whereas this one was so flat.

Oscar Wrap-Up

I enjoyed watching the Oscars this year. I thought Ellen did a good job, keeping the jokes funny but brief and moving things along reasonably quickly. I was pleased with Martin Scorsesee's win (though I thought Paul Greengrass made the better movie). It's also sad that Peter O'Toole has yet to win an Oscar (besides his honorary one). The two highlights of the ceremony for me were the opening film about the nominees and the wierd song routine that Will Ferrell, Jack Black, and John C. Riley did. I loved it when Ferrell sang "Hey Ryan Gosling, you're all hip and now. Well, I'm going to break your hip, right now!"

By my count, I managed to watch 8 of the nominated movies before the ceremony: The Queen, The Pursuit of Happyness, Little Miss Sunshine, The Departed, United 93, Dreamgirls, The Good Shepherd, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. However, I failed to catch Letters from Iwo Jima. But I'm going to make an effort to see it.

Movie Review and a Book Review: Enigma

Yes, I changed the template. I'm too lazy to use anything but the pre-loaded blogger layouts, but that pink one was beginning to get old. I thought the blue here was soothing, so there you go.

In other news, I recently rewatched Enigma (a movie from 2001), which led to me reading the book it was based on, also Enigma, by Robert Harris.

The Movie
I was impressed with this the first time I watched it, and it holds up really well. The script was written by Tom Stoppard (who wrote Shakespeare in Love, along with a slew of famous plays such as Arcadia, Jumpers, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead...). However, the film is incredibly conventional for Stoppard (the storytelling is quite linear and no one ends the movie with a pineapple on their head). But it's a good conventional, in that we get effective storytelling and character development. The acting is solid, led by Dougray Scott as a cryptanalyst, Tom Jericho, working on breaking the German submarine enigma code. He enlists the help of Hester (Kate Winslet) to unravel another puzzle: the disappearance of Tom's former girlfriend, Claire (Saffron Burrows). Both Tom and Hester have to dodge the questions of an oily investigator (Jeremy Northam) who is looking into Claire's whereabouts. And then somehow all this gets dropped into the middle of one of the largest convoy battles of World War II. The story sounds more contrived than it is (or maybe the movie just does a really good job of selling it). The film is quiet and simple, acting like a modest slice of life movie that just happens to also be a war movie. As an added plus, we get some great British character acting, including Matthew Macfadyen (2005's Pride and Prejudice) and Tom Hollander (2005's Pride and Prejudice, and PotC: Dead Man's Chest).

The Book
I was surprised by how similar the movie is to the book. The two are extremely close, except for a brief departure at the very end. Regardless, the book is a different experience, dwelling on details a little longer, and really probing the character of Tom. But the language remains frugal and effective, so this close characterization isn't overdone. My one qualm upon comparing the book and the movie is that Hester is a much stronger character in the latter. The book is really Tom's story, while the movie is more about Tom and Hester. I sort of like the movie's focus more. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this read.

There is one historical note to all of the above. The man actually responsible for many of the British breakthroughs with enigma was Alan Turing, a pioneer of computer science and a man prosecuted for being a homosexual. He was a fascinating person himself, but this book and movie are not at all about him. They are pure fiction.

From the pre-blog file

I was looking through my photobucket album, and I noticed that I had pictures of this outfit I made a few years ago in college. I never posted pictures here, so I thought I would share. The skirt is basically just knitting around and around in circles, then doing some eyelets for the ruffle. Not rocket science. Then you just sew some elastic into the waistband, and you are good to go! I haven't worn it in a couple years, but it was one of my favorite skirts senior year of college. I think I remember wearing it to the Boston Knit-Out and Crochet that year.

Skirt

Pattern: Rebecca 25
Yarn: Cotton-Ease for the black and Sugar and Cream Cotton for the burgundy (this was before I discovered LYS's with expensive yarn!)
Needles: US 6 Susan Bates circulars

Tank Top

Pattern: none (it's just a panel of st stitch with i-cords attached)

Yarn: Cotton-Ease

Needles: US 6 Susan Bates circulars

Looking ahead

I'm sorry I have had so little knitting content lately. It's because the semester is heating up, and I haven't had time to knit much. I did sew a little, but all I have to show for it is half a skirt. I haven't finished that because I didn't have a zipper for it.

I did want to figure out what is in the "to knit list," though. I stopped planning new projects because I have to knit all those Highland Triangles (I'm on the last repeat of the center chart on #2 right now). But I do have yarn sitting around for these:

1) Cabled boat neck sweater from Debbie Bliss's Cathay book. I got the yarn for this two summers ago in London, but it's just sitting there. The color I have is this bright pink.

2) A hat using this great handspun I got in a Craftster swap from TheBon.

3) A cabled wrap from Wrap Style, using some red Wool of the Andes from knitpicks.com.

4) Enough yarn (it's the blue yarn in that picture) to knit another VK Cabled Cardigan, since the first one I made is getting old and pilly.

5) I'm contemplating the Nantucket Jacket that was on the cover of the winter IK, too. But I don't actually have the yarn for that yet. Maybe I should hold off.

Movie Review: The Departed

Next up on our magical mystery tour of oscar movies: The Departed. I'm probably the last person in Boston to see this movie.

Overall, I liked it. It was like watching a very slow train wreck, in that you know exactly how it has to end, but you're mesmerized anyway. I could have done without most of the first hour. A little too much set-up. And I hate to say it, since she was the only actress with any lines of note, but I would have trimmed the psychiatrist (Vera Farmiga) storyline too. But the last hour was incredibly riveting. All of the performances were strong, including Leo's, who continues to surprise me. If the first movie you see him in is Titanic, he kinda has to spend the rest of his career trying to dig himself out of a hole. But he has done that admirably since (Catch Me if You Can comes to mind). Matt Damon does a good job of being the glue of the movie, allowing everyone else to be flashier (though Jack Nicholson is flashy no matter what he does). I still don't understand why Alec Baldwin's and Mark Wahlberg's characters had so much hair, but their performances were great examples of perfect character acting. And I forgot that Martin Scorsese doesn't just have a verbal ADD style (watching his interviews is fascinating) but also a visual ADD kick. It works, though.

Next up: Letters from Iwo Jima, if I can get out to the theater.

Movie Review: United 93

I was scared to watch this movie. Watching something about 9/11 when the memories are still so vivid ... but I'm very glad that I did. This film is an important story, and it will be an important document of 9/11 50 years from now. When Mike and I started the movie, I was nervous that something in it would be handled poorly, embarrassing the memory of the event, instead of honoring it. But that moment never came. Paul Greengrass (who wrote and directed) deserves great credit for creating the best constructed movie I have seen from 2006, and doing it with such emotional source material. Many of the people involved in that day (FAA officials, air traffic controllers, military personnel) play themselves, and that works surprisingly well. The film is also a scathing indictment of the administration, showing us how little ability our airspace control system as a whole had to deal with a situation of this magnitude, despite the heroic efforts of individual members. As a result, the passengers and crew of United 93 are on their own, and their final act is captured movingly and appropriately in this film.

Next Up: The Departed

Movie Review: Little Miss Sunshine

Finally got around to seeing this one. I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. Some people have told me that they loved it, others not so much. I think the problem is that this movie is based on a series of utter unbelievabilities. How exactly did this gangly, not entirely beautiful Olive (Abigail Breslin) win a local beauty contest to begin with (or even come in second)? How did Steve Carell's Frank self destruct so badly as to go from being a successful professor at Yale (the university isn't mentioned by name, but I think that was implied) to needing a teenager to be his suicide watch? How did Dwayne (Paul Dano) survive public school without speaking for 9 months? In what world would the bastardish Richard (Greg Kinnear) marry a caring woman like Sheryl (Toni Collette)? This movie makes no apologies for this set-up. In fact, the opening scene just throws it on the dinner table without any fanfare. If you accept it, the rest of the movie works. If you don't, it doesn't. I accepted it.

Next up: United 93.

Movie Review: Dreamgirls

Mike and I are trying to watch at least one Oscar movie a week all of February, so as to be able to catch up before the ceremony. First up was Dreamgirls.

I was impressed with the production values on this film. The acting was solid, making good use of interesting casting (Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson did give Oscar-caliber performances). Bill Condon's direction was smooth, guiding us through years worth of plot. However, I was less than taken by the music. It seemed slick and unemotional, cooked up for the stage. The singers did their best to liven things up, but there was something fake about it. The other issue I had was that the pacing was a tad off. The movie would dwell on one thing for a LONG while, then skip forward suddenly. I just didn't buy it. Nevertheless, it was definitely worth seeing.

Next up: Little Miss Sunshine.

Oscars 2007

Nominations are out! I've held off on making my best of 2006 list for movies because I haven't seen everything from last year that I wanted to see.

So far, I have seen the following Oscar nominees: The Pursuit of Happyness (Best Actor), The Queen (Best Actress, Best Director, Best Film, Best Original Screenplay, and others), and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (Art Direction, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Visual Effects). This is a pathetically small list! I am hoping to see The Departed, Little Miss Sunshine, Dreamgirls, and perhaps Letters from Iwo Jima before the ceremony. I also sort of want to see Blood Diamond (though I've heard the film is only so-so; it's apparently a case of good acting in an average movie) and United 93 (if I can stomach that).

Highland Triangle #2!

I have been knitting like crazy lately, so I am through 5 out of 6 repeats of the main body pattern. Then on to the neverending border.... I don't have pictures, but the shawl looks just like the last one, so it shouldn't be hard for you to use your imagination.

In other news, I have been sewing, and I made two new regency dresses. You can see pics at my livejournal.

Best and Worst of 2006: Installment Two

Next up, books! Note that the books included here are from those I read in 2006, not from those published in 2006. I'm not that up to date on my reading material. Also a warning: I didn't get much time to read for fun this year. Even when I was riding the subway to work in the summer, I spent most of my time reading The Economist. So this list is short. *Sniff*

The Best:
1) Daughter of Fortune and Zorro, both by Isabelle Allende. Allende has an amazing voice. She carefully crafts a detailed world for her characters, but doesn't let the environment overpower the story and plot (unlike some talented authors...I'm looking at you, Tom Clancy!). Both of these books examine the immigrant experience with breathtaking honesty and poignancy.

2) Jane and His Lordship's Legacy by Stephanie Barron. Barron's Jane Austen mysteries is one of the best historical mystery series I have ever read. Although early installments were a little obvious (as in you could spot the villain well before the reveal) and mired in their attempts at historical scholarship (Barron frames the books as lost letters and manuscripts by Jane Austen herself), Barron has managed to get past the gimmicks and write engaging stories. This entry is the best of those I have read (I haven't yet gotten to the newest book, which was just released), a fitting end to the Jane/Lord Trowbridge relationship. I'm just not sure where we go from here, as Jane died relatively young, and the series is now nearing the last years of her life.

3) Cavalcade by Walter Satterthwaite. This is the third mystery in the Phil Beaumont and Jane Turner series. In it Jane and Phil investigate an assassination attempt on Hitler. It's a really weird book, but Satterthwaite makes his characters accessible and really tries to take the darkness of his subject matter seriously. But not too seriously. If you want to check out this series, I would recommend starting from the beginning, though (with Escapade). The previous two entries were stronger.

Honorable mentions to Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination by Helen Fielding and North by Northanger by Carrie Bebris. Just some chick-lit goodness.

The Worst:
1) The Edwardian mystery series by Marion Chesney. These mysteries are on crack. Chesney just likes to jump from one situation to the next, without any explanation, and then suddenly reveal the murderer in a cliched final reveal scene. Skip these.

2) Yet again, all the books I didn't get to read this year. Damn you, lack of free time!

Best and Worst of 2006: Installment One

Yes, it's that time again! Time for Gloria to make pointless lists about what sort of books, tv, and movies she was into this past year. I know I'm running a bit late, but bear with me; I've been dealing with end of semester stuff.

Let's get the ball rolling with TV.

The Best:
1) ER. This has been at the top of my list now for two years in a row. This is probably because it is my favorite show ever. I realize that this makes me a little biased. However, this show has also been surprisingly successful for NBC during it's 13th (!) season, so much so that they decided not to put it on mid-season hiatus. Season 12 ended strongly, with a massive shoot-out in the ER and with Abby going into labor. Season 13 has been even tighter, with effective guest appearances by Sally Field and Forest Whitaker. But now Laura Innes is leaving! She made Dr. Weaver an interesting and compelling character for 11.5 seasons. Yet, I have faith in the show's continued strength. Even John Stamos is working for me (I got over the Full House connotations).

2) The Closer. This show just keeps getting better. The second season had more zany moments, which really endeared it to me. Even the mysteries are getting less stupid. Kyra Sedgwick is doing a wonderful job, and the entire cast meshes incredibly well. This is the series that will restore faith in the police procedural.

3) The West Wing. It's over! The show ended after 7 years. I was very impressed by their ability to rewrite things after the untimely death of John Spencer. They managed to honor his work while still carrying on with the plot. I'm still a little miffed at the way in which things ended for Toby, but at least he didn't go to prison. And Bradley Whitford finally got me to love Josh, despite the fact that he's a self-righteous bastard. Somehow I like John Wells' softer Josh better than Aaron Sorkin's crazy "I know what I'm doing so just do what I say" Josh. I know, that's blasphemy, but I respect John Wells and Aaron Sorkin. It was a fitting end to a great show.

4) Veronica Mars. I started in on this show just this season. Then Mike and I watched the DVDs of seasons 1 and 2 in about a week. Suffice it to say that I am now obsessed with this show. Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring are phenomenal. Plus the mysteries are compelling (if a little oddly plotted and paced--I hate how they sometimes drop things for episodes at a time). I do think that the Lily Kane case is the best arc the show will ever have, and that it suffers now because of it. But I'll still watch for the Logan and Veronica scenes alone. It seems unlikely that this show will get another season (they only got a 20 episode order for this one). I just hope Logan and Veronica end up together in some suitably happy relationship.

5) Heroes. This show creeps me out. The gore in the indestructible cheerleader scenes is a bit much for me. But so far it has been really well constructed, with tight cliffhangers. And it balances a lot of characters effectively. I've been a fan of Adrian Pasdar since he had a recurring role on Judging Amy, so I'm pleased to see him, even if he is playing a horrible person (though I am sure he will be redeemed somehow). It is also great to see Milo Ventimiglia and Greg Grunberg (of Gilmore Girls and Alias, respectively). Plus the Tim Sale artwork is beautiful, as always.

6) Scrubs and 30 Rock. All hail the return of Must See TV Thursdays! I am not normally a sitcom person, but these two are just too much fun to pass up. Plus, they're on right before ER, so it's no big deal to turn on the TV a little early. At first I was puzzled by 30 Rock, but Alec Baldwin kept me coming back. But now the show is genuinely hilarious. Scrubs has always been strong, and it is just rolling through what looks to be another great season (apparently its last, as Zack Braff is not coming back).

7) Gilmore Girls. It's weird without Amy Sherman Palladino, but Gilmore Girls is still trucking along. At first I was afraid that the dialogue was going to get just fake enough to become annoying (it's not as if it has ever been that natural). But the new show runners seem to have ironed that out. I really hope Lorelai can just settle down and be happy. Christopher is trying so hard to make their relationship work. The Rory/Logan storyline is getting a bit boring though. Somehow Rory is just not as cute as she used to be. I did love the knitting episode. Lorelai even had a shirt from Craftster!

8) Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. This show has SO much promise. Great cast, great director, great writer...but somehow it's not quite right yet. Bradley Whitford and Matthew Perry are really working it, as are Amanda Peet and Steven Webber, but the plots and dialogue aren't really singing. Many of the situations feel stilted (after having watched West Wing and some Sports Night, I keep thinking, "...and here is where we get the patented Aaron Sorkin touchy feely scene...and here is the classic freak out scene...etc."). But Nevada Day was nice, and I still have faith that this many talented people will make something of this show.

Honorable mention to Without a Trace. There is just something about Anthony LaPaglia that is watchable.

The Worst:
1) Alias. Arrrrrrrgh! At least they brought Michael Vartan back. That and the fact that Victor Garber's Jack ended the show credibly are really the only saving graces. I would prefer to forget that seasons 4 and 5 ever existed.

2) CBS for canceling Smith after only a few episodes. I was very intrigued to see John Wells working on a show that had such unlikeable characters. And the first episode was so well made that I thought it could be a feature film. A good feature film. Ah well, better luck next time.

Highland Triangle #1 Finished!!

Ta Da! (Click for a bigger pic.) I finished Highland Triangle #1. Only 2 more to go! This pattern was actually quite enjoyable to knit, and it wasn't a bad introduction to lace. I used about 3/4 of a cone of Brown Sheep Nature Spun, on US 10 Denise circulars. I have to say I was surprised by how big it came out. I wasn't expecting something this wide. But that does make it very snuggly. Considering that I didn't touch this for weeks at a time, I was also surprised by how fast it knit up. I started it in the middle of October, and I finished it right at the end of December. My hope is that I will be able to speed things up a bit on the next two. And I already started the next one.

Happy New Year!!!!

Man, sorry I went so long without posting. December got sucked up by finals. Anyway, I finished two classes, International Trade and Cross-Section Econometrics. I only have Industrial Organization to deal with during reading period. Plus, I have signed up to present a research paper in February at the International brown bag. I am not anywhere close to being ready for that, but I think I can get something together this month.

Christmas was nice. Mike and I spent most of Christmas weekend watching 1.5 seasons worth of Veronica Mars. That rocked. But it also made all the episodes blur together. I guess that just means we'll have to watch them again!

In knitting news, I have FINISHED AND BLOCKED Highland Triangle #1. I even started Triangle #2. I will have pics soon.

Also, I Play With Pins and Needles has tagged me to list "6 Weird Things About Myself." Let's see....

1) I like eating ice cream for breakfast. Mint chocolate chip is my favorite breakfast choice. But not for when I'm eating ice cream for a snack. Then french vanilla or cookie dough is better. I haven't indulged in a breakfast sundae in quite some time, though.

2) My nose makes a squeaky noise when I blow it. It's really embarrassing sometimes.

3) I have a fear of geese.

4) I love the way my parents' dog smells at the spot on top of his head between his ears. My sister calls it the "puppy corn chip smell." Somehow that scent reminds me of home.

5) I have a friend from high school who has repeatedly given me a stick (as in a twig from his backyard) for Christmas. It started as a joke many years ago, for some unknown reason.

6) I collect those souvenir spoons you see in vacation spots. I have hundreds.

I tag Jessie, and anyone else who wants!

So Many Stitches

I am working on the bind off for Highland Triangle #1. It's taking forever, because it involves making this pointed edging as you bind off. But I like the look of it. Hopefully I will have it done soon!

In other news, I have been sewing some more. I decided to try to confine most of the sewing chatter to my lj, http://quincy134.livejournal.com/. Feel free to visit!

The semester is almost over here at Harvard, which means it's crunch time. I will have one final during January (Harvard has it's official exam time after Christmas), but I will have one on December 20th too. So I'm off to study!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, to those in the states!

Shawl Update

I managed to get an okay picture of the border on Highland Triangle #1. It's going alright, but the knitting is getting a little mindless now. I liked the center stitch pattern better. I've got 2.5 more repeats of this chart to go, and then I have the bind off edging.

In other news, I am waiting for Matlab to run through my code for an econometrics problem set. Matlab is the slowest program I have ever used. It even takes forever to start up. Now I'm getting it to run some Monte Carlo experiments, and waiting for it to crash my computer. I was driving through Framingham last weekend, and we passed the Mathworks building (the company who makes Matlab, you may have heard them mentioned on NPR as a sponsor). I thought about pulling over and giving them a piece of my mind. Except it was Friday night and no one would have been there to hear my rant. But the idea seemed like a good one at the time.