Alan Rickman Departs

I am stunned to lose 2 great celebrity forces in one week.  I have loved Alan Rickman since I first saw him tragically killed on screen by the very mediocre Kevin Costner.  From Truly, Madly, Deeply to Chaos Theory I have watched his films with the devotion of a fan.  I have even said if I could have a celebrity best friend it would be Alan.  Now he is gone and I can only wish him well in the next life and condolences to his loved ones.  The man could act and tangoed like a dream.   I will miss him.

Good Bye David

 



Today they announced that David Bowie died yesterday.  This news made me feel sad, like I had lost someone I knew, but of course I did not.  The thing is my grandmother talked about him all the time.  She followed him in the tabloids, with Rhoda Barrett on the news, and regularly would watch him on the Midnight Special.  She would talk about how he and his wife both looked like girls, he was seen wearing a purse, and he had on full make-up while performing on TV.  One night she even let me stay up and watch him perform a number on Midnight Special.  He was gloriously beautiful.  My grandmother talked about him so much, I thought she must know him. 

As I grew up I learned what it meant to be a celebrity and have everything you do securitized in the media.  My grandma did not know David Bowie, but in some ways I still felt like he was a distant relative.  He also stood as a beacon of what it meant to be different.  Even in the middle of nowhere I could see that individuals did exist in the world.  There was hope.

In 2014 I had the good fortune to see the David Bowie exhibit at the Chicago Museum of Modern Art (http://tempestinapot.blogspot.com/2014/10/an-iconic-vacation-to-chicagoland.html ).  The exhibit reminded me of how iconic Bowie is.  Today the news came Bowie became a was, not an is.  I know like many I am wishing him well in the great beyond and thanking him for being something glittering and bright in my world.  Good night, sweet prince.

Worth the Fight

Over the last 31 years (yup I said 31), one of our biggest fears as a lesbian couple has been what if one of us gets sick and has to go into the hospital.  We were afraid either the hospital or our families would block us from seeing one another or worse health care decisions would be taken away from us as a couple.  In the early aughts we spent some bucks on designating each other with durable power of attorney.  Our lawyer did not want us to give each other those legal rights, but realistically it was the only way we knew to protect the other.  Over the years we have given copies of those legal documents to our doctors and have a file at home to grab in case of a medical emergency.  The things we did to protect our rights as unrecognized spouses.

Fast Forward to November 2015.  For Natalie's birthday we flew to Florida to meet our new niece.  The first night Natalie suffered a gall bladder attack so severe we ended up at the emergency room followed by admittance and removal of the offending organ.  It was a tough couple of days which ended with a flight home taking care of an uncomfortable and drugged wife.  What didn't happened was anyone questioning my right to be there for my wife.  I was treated with respect and dignity by all of the hospital staff.  Natalie has recovered and our new niece is indeed adorable.

I wish Natalie had not gotten sick and our trip had not been so stressful, but that said it was good to be treated like every other spouse.  I thanked the Supreme Court and Edie Windsor over and over again during those days in Florida.  This is what we fought for the right to be recognized as the caretakers for one another.  Thanking the staff at North Florida Regional Hospital for taking such good care of my wife and threating us any other married couple.

Casting Off 2015

As usual I did some knitting for the holidays.  I tried to keep it light, but you know sometimes I get a little too ambitious for my own good.  My friend Brooke Nico at Kirkwood Knittery is known for her lace projects.  From her needles comes some of the most gorgeous lace patterns, which for me can be daunting.  Counting beyond my 10 fingers gets complicated and many stitch markers are needed.  However, during the yarn crawl I purchased a kit from Kirkwood Knittery featuring the Chianti Cowl pattern in a luscious Black Bunny Fibers color way.  The kit color was in the red and burgundy family, hence the name, those shades do not flatter my complexion, but I knew it would look stunning on my mother.  I thought if I started knitting in August I would surely get done by Christmas.  The pattern needed my liberal arts brain to stay focused on the my stitches requiring the Chianti Cowl to stay at home.  Fortunately, I had a Blue Heron Chenille cowl I was knitting for my wife, Natalie, as a Christmas present, that cowl went anywhere she wasn't.

I knit with diligence and the chunkier Blue Heron cowl actually knitted up fairly quickly.  In fact I knit it up and sewed it together just in time to hear my wife say she did not like long cowls.  At 54 inches her cowl was going to be a long one.  I told myself she could wrap it around her neck twice, either that or I could strangle her with it (because the more you love someone the more you want to kill them).

The lacy Chianti Cowl was more of a challenge, that counting thing even with the stitch markers was slow knitting for me, but by Thanksgiving it was almost done. The frothy concoction needed to be blocked and finished with a 3 needle cast off.  Plenty of time I told myself.  Right.  There I was the week before Christmas blocking and trying to get it finished.  I spent Christmas eve casting off, but got it done.  The yarn with its merino, angora, and tencel blend turned out soft and light.  Brooke's pattern included an edging with a combination of stitches that not only blocked out flat, but stayed flat and looked stunning with the rest of the pattern.  My needlework was not perfect, but only another knitter would see, my mom not so much. 

In the end Natalie loves her new cowl with the cozy chenille yarn.  I have not heard back from my mom on the Chianti cowl.  I can only hope she loves the drape and color.  I also hope both know how much care and love went into each stitch.

Well, Hello 2016!

Leaving 2015 behind, the year of the big move, the year I felt displaced and out of my comfort zone always, the year I seemed to have lost everything I own in cardboard boxes.  Waking up to a me who quits moping about the move and starts finding her stuff and that damn power cord to my boom box.  I know it will get better.  I am also over knitting stuff for gifts right now when I want a big green poncho.  I need this poncho, I have lots of green yarn, and I know how to knit.  NYE resolutions: unpack my shit and knit that poncho.  Wish me luck.

Happy Holidays

Just sending out Holiday love.  Whatever your reason for celebrating this season be it a time of joy.  Peace!

Owls Need Big Eyes

While cruising the pages of Ravelry I came across a crochet pattern for little owls ( http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/owl-key-chain-pattern ).  I had some cotton scraps I was waiting to move into a finished object and thought this pattern was a good project to achieve these goals.  I also thought they would be cute little gifts for my friends.  With hook in hand I started on plan.  My first couple of tries were not cutting it.  I pulled those out and started again.  My crochet skills lacks the refinement of some of my more talented friends.  However, it did not deter me from making four of these little key chains.  My first 3 look okay, but the 4th one looks much better.  In the end the success is all about the eyes.  I have tons of buttons in all sizes, but currently I have no idea where my buttons are packed.  So I was scrambling for 2 matching buttons of any size..  My friends at Kirkwood Knittery gave me the buttons to finally make my little owl look great. Lesson learned, owls need BIG eyes.