Monday, March 31, 2008

Movie Quotes

Wendy recently did a movie quote meme on her site. I liked it, even though I didn't guess any of her movies. Like her, I'm not a big fan of memes, since usually it's all about me, me, me, but this one is not so much like that. So . . . here's my version of the rules:

1. Pick 10 of your favorite movies quotes.
2. Post them on your blog for everyone to guess.
3. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
4. Looking them up is cheating, please don’t.

If you want to guess, leave a comment by clicking on the comments link at the bottom of the day's entry. If you are hesitant to comment because you don't belong to Blogger, don't be. Just comment as "anonymous" and you can add your name at the end of your comment (or not if you prefer).

My quotes are not quite as obscure as Wendy's (I hope). Anyway, they're not from as highbrow/old movies. Composing my list gave me a good chuckle. I hope you enjoy it too.
  1. Of couse he had a gun. This is Texas! Everybody has a gun. My florist has a gun!
  2. This is my corn. You people are guests in my corn.
  3. As for his mum, she appeared to be clinically insane, and wearing some kind of yeti costume.
  4. It's not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts getting ideas, and thinking . . .
  5. Mental that one, I'm telling you.
  6. Do you not get it, lads? The Irish are the blacks of Europe. And Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland. And the Northside Dubliners are the blacks of Dublin. So say it once, say it loud: I'm black and I'm proud.
  7. I will live in Montana. And I will marry a round American woman and raise rabbits, and she will cook them for me. And I will have a pickup truck . . . maybe even a recreational vehicle.
  8. You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
  9. Come and see the violence inherent in the system. Help! Help! I'm being repressed!
  10. It's like gum in your hair. It comes out eventually.

There are other quotes I like, but I chose not to use. Some are too well known ("Here's looking at you, kid"). Some reveal the movie in the quote (Ben Stein's "Bueller? Bueller?"). And some date my prime movie watching days a little too much ("Wax on, wax off.")

If you are interested, AFI has a list of top 100 Movie Quotes. You have to register, but not join, to access the full list.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Finished Object, Finished Books, Finished 2nd Graders

A Big Finished Object

The Lacy Prairie Shawl from Cheryl Oberle's Folk Shawls. I'd been working on it for over a year, maybe two. I'd work on it a bit, then put it away for other projects.
















Unblocked.

















Close-up.
















Modeled.















Leftover yarn. Nothing like cutting it a bit close. It's done in Cascade 220 in the "Tahiti" colorway.

Books I've finished in March
  • The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough -- a history, rather gruesome at times, but fascinating
  • The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers -- a turn of the (last) century thriller that is considered the first spy novel in English. Set in the Frisian Islands in the time leading up to WWI. A few old fashioned passages, but really a rip roaring read. Interesting factoid: the author was later killed in the Irish Civil War.
  • The Bloody Tower by Carola Dunn -- Former aristocrat and policeman's wife Daisy Dalrymple Fletcher solves a murder at the Tower of London in the 1920s. Not rip-roaring, more comfortable, but I love the setting.
  • Shark Island by Joan Druett -- More in the Wiki Coffin nautical mystery series
  • The Bounty by Caroline Alexander -- a detailed history of the mutiny and its aftermath
  • Dark Tort by Diane Mott Davidson -- another Goldy Bear catering mystery
  • The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick -- this one is hard to categorize. It is the most recent Caldecott medal book, but it is 500+ pages. However, it's a quick read as some of the action takes place in the illustrations and in movie stills. It's not a comic book, but might appeal to young comic book readers.
  • The Unfinished Clue by Georgette Heyer -- another 1930s classic British mystery. I like Heyer because she sometimes sneaks in a bit of dry humor.
  • Murder on the Flying Scotsman by Carola Dunn -- another Daisy Dalrymple mystery
Finished Second Graders

While I was out on medical leave, the second grade heard several versions of Rumpelstiltskin. I brought in my spinning wheel and demonstrated for them. One of our state standards is that they learn concept of a production process for finished goods and I thought this would qualify.


















I've never had as rapt an audience in this age level right before spring break! They were fascinated.

















They were even interested in the knitting that follows spinning.

Finally, as an aside, does this look like a comfortable way to sleep?









Friday, March 21, 2008

Things It's Good To Know

First of all, when your doctor is going to do surgery on your eye, he comes into the prep room and writes above the correct eye on your forehead.


Look closely, it says "yes."





This eye surgery doesn't really hurt all that much, but when they say not to touch your eye it sure starts to itch.

When kids send you get well cards, they are often cute, sometimes funny, and always entertaining.


Get well, or we'll send you into space?




The sign on the right says
"Reading Park." The one on the left says
"biogerfee." Creative spelling!





Again with the spelling, but they are only second graders.
















When you go back to work after two months off, it's good to be prepared for anything. Including:
  • Sending a fifth grader back to the teacher for misbehaving during the very first class you see.
  • Taking a first grader to the counselor because she's crying about family problems.
  • A second grader left late after school and telling you cheerfully that it's not the first time her mom's been late.
  • Finding three, count 'em, three library books have been chewed by dogs while you were gone and two were lost in a fire. [I don't think we've lost that many to dogs in the last three years].
  • Walking into the cafeteria and having a group of kids repeat "It's her!" like you're a movie star, just because they've missed you.
  • Having a second grader accost you and say "You know that book I checked out two days ago?"
  • Wanting to reply to the second grader, "No, my ESP is apparently not working."
  • Many, many hugs from students and staff.
  • A great welcome-back banner signed by many, many students and staff.
And finally, be prepared for unexpected gifts.

This card is supposed to be an Easter egg.











Inside it says, with exact spelling and punctuation:
"Dear [my name] I am so eggsited your back your freind [student's name]
P.S. happy Ester
P.S.S We all mised you
P.S.S.S. I like Applesauce"

Up next, a big finished object and also finished books.


Wednesday, March 5, 2008

The best laid schemes o' mice an' men . . .

. . . Gang aft agley, to quote Robbie Burns. He's basically saying the same thing as Proverbs 16:9, but thousands of years later in that way cool if sometimes unintelligible Scots dialect.

Anyway.

The surgery center and insurance company are arguing about me, so my surgery has been postponed a week.

So, other than frustration, all I have today is this:





Bacteria, for a friend who thought they were cool.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

She Likes It! Hey Mikey!

If you recognize the title (slightly amended) of this post, you so grew up in the 70s.

My sister does like her new hat. It is either "awesome" or "so cool." I forget which she said, but there was definite approval there. Now she is bummed because Salt Lake City is undergoing a warming trend and she can't wear it.

Finished Objects:



Baby Sweater from April 2008 Knit 'N Style, page 70.





Scrambled Eggs Blanket (the color and texture remind me of scrambled eggs).




Finished Books:
  • Double Shot by Diane Mott Davidson -- a Goldy Bear catering mystery
  • How Come They Always Had the Battles in the National Parks? by Peter Bales -- a laugh-out-loud history of the US up through the Civil War. The humor is a little crude in places and the author has some definite political opinions, but overall just the thing for history nerds like myself.
Lady Jane has found a new place to perch:























I'll probably be absent from blogland for a few days, since I am having this surgery on Thursday morning. Looks like I'll have a cool scar and a black eye for a while.