the hounds of ulster

so, mom and i have returned to the US, against my wishes, mind, but i haven't yet been able to finance a move to killaloe.

anyway, the first day we were there, we came across a band practicing. they were very good, and i bust out my super fantastic camera, and took a bit of video!


they are called the hounds of ulster, and they are a band out of belfast, and though it was very hard for me to understand what the guy was saying, we managed to learn that they were playing at Glor for the Fleadh Nua that evening, and mom and i went to get tickets.

they are very good, very polished, and if you find yourself at a music festival this summer, especially if it's an irish festival, do yourself a good turn, and stop in to see them. they are very good.

ships in a bottle

a few years ago i posted about going to see butch walker at the paradise. At the risk of seeming like a crazed lunatic fan, i implore you; dear readers, run on over to itunes and get one of his albums and if he stops in your town, do make a point to get yourself some tickets.

here is what i love about him- he is inherently creative and truthful. For good or for bad, his stuff is true to himself, and is a true window into his personality and the lemons life is squeezing at him at the time of writing the song. At a time when real creativity and musical experimentation is not terribly fashionable, he's a refreshing oasis in a desert of my chemical romance, fall out boy and repackaged fleetwood mac and dave matthews band.

Depending on his mood at the time of writing, He's unapologetically crass and hopelessly juvenile; other times he's hair-raisingly candid and self-doubtful. He sings of break ups and new first loves, of drug abuse and recovery, of sunny days and crummy days. He sings about his grandparents, his friends and himself; when it's pretty and when it's ugly. he even makes videos that might even be called thought provoking.

Butch Walker "Ships in a Bottle" Music Video


If everyone should get to know the bouncing souls, they also should get to know butch walker!

one, two three, four, five, six seven eight nine!

in just nine short days me and me mam will be on the big metal bird over the big blue ocean, on our way here:

(incidentally, this fab photo came from a flickr member, go see the rest of his great photostream!)

We're going to go to ennis for the fleadh nuah, cork city and dunmanway, and we're going to go to the rock of cashel and end the trip in limerick. I say end the trip, but what i really mean is that if i find a single guy or a job, or hopefully both, i'm going to stay on!

hoo hoo hoo! one, two three, four, five, six seven eight nine!

the springtime snap

over the past year or so, i've taken a few snaps of the wood square park, and here is the spring time snap!

I love the trees in bloom, the pretty pink flowers and the leave just beginning to unfurl. i just love this park. if i ever move away from hudson, there will have to be alovely park like wood square!

everone should get to know....

the bouncing souls.



It's been 20 years of rock n roll mayhem, and all of it good. It's been about nine years or so for me; and you guessed it, all of those were good too.

Tonight i came from the show at the paradise. it was jumping, for sure! truth be told, i think the souls are a bit too big an act for the paradise. Though they did graciously agree to play two shows to accommodate all us crazy fans, they're well beyond the days of house party antics and drunken dudes jumping on stage. There was a tiny skirmish at the end, but all in all it was a fantastic night.

They played a fair few new songs (which i rather groove on) but the very best is when they hopped in the wayback machine for some real gems. No Rules, Quik Chek Girl, Here We Go, and Single Successful Guy. I don't know that i ever heard Single Successful Guy in concert. There were a few notable missing pieces, East Coast F*ck You was not part of the show, and i would have liked to hear Lamar Vannoy, but there were some edgy replacements- Lean on Sheena was in the set- interesting Ah Ha! and a gem of all gems! these are the quotes from our favorite 80's movies!

It's true, they're approaching middle age, but methinks that when i get there, that i would like to be as good at my job as they at theirs. Clever as Greg, solid as papillion, smooth as Rockabilly silk as the pete and rumbly rockin as mike mcD. I also hope I'm as hardworking as they are. there was a nifty article about them in the globe a few days ago, all about their hard work over these 20 years.

So i implore you, dear readers; run on over to itunes and download yourself a Bouncing Souls album. Any one of them; new or old, studio or live, you'll be glad you did.

Really, Everyone should get to know the Bouncing Souls!

whshew! it just gets worse and worse!

little wonder they had to close HCHS! they've got a million in payroll expenses! oh, and lest you think that's for the entire archdiocese, Au contraire mon frere! that's just for four people!

$1,125,000 for four employees.

Now i'm no economist, nor am i an HR coordinator, but that's kind of a lot. Here's the thing, how can the diocese possibly think that their parishioners are going to be ok with that? I rather thought the entire archdiocese ran as skinny as my own parish has done for the 33 years i've been a member. I thought rather thought ALL the employees of the archdiocese made the same financial sacrifices to benefit the greater good. Much the same as when the HCHS faculty agreed to teach for the paltry salary. If i worked for a diocese school and i saw that salary, i'd be hacked, that's for sure!

Now i see i was wrong, i see that even in the Boston Archdiocese there are haves and have-nots. At first, i thought it was simply a power struggle; some have power, and some have not, and those that do have the power simply can't cope with the thought of reliquishing even a smidgen of it. But now i realize that it also involves money. Those who have the money are LOATHE to share it; how bout this? this is a time of raise freezes, furloughs, pay cuts, and even layoffs. A million dollar payroll for four employees is EXACTLY the same as million dollar payrolls for AIG- criminal.

The whole thing just gets worse and worse. This is exactly why there is attrition at catholic parishes, and increased membership at presbyterian and episcopalian churches. Because people are TIRED of being treated like shit.

Hey Hold Up!

A steal of home, and it works! Jacoby Ellsbury Has Stole Home!



That is so good, Jon Miller declines the use of correct grammar! And on top of it, he'd already stolen off pettitte that night. And! he even stole second on friday night, and then came around to score on a wild pitch! be sure to make a special note of how silly joba chamberlain looks, and how ellsbury is modeling his heisman trophy pose. (Hey, why not football too?)



hoo hoo! Whomever says baseball is boring clearly doesn't watch the same games i do!

where did all this come from?

I'm just a family of one and a cat! We live in a one bedroom apartment! I've only been here for five years! How did i get all this stuff? I try not to be a pack rat, I really do; but alas, I guess being sucessful is much easier said than done. Can you believe- this isn't even the stuff form the closets, or the sewing center, or from under the bed! This is only the stuff from my bedroom and dresser drawers!

So tomorrow all this stuff is going to the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Then, I'm going to start all over again, and do my best to unload yet more stuff. I mean geez, if I haven't used it or worn it since I moved in, what's the sense of keeping it?

Some say that he can hear the sound of colour...

And if you give him a really important job, he'll skive off and play croquet. All we know is...he's called The Stig


i'm really sorry, but i cannot keep it to myself any longer. I think i've got a crush on The Stig. it's preposterous, but i cannot help it. he's like a mystery, but he's the best part of a mystery man- he can drive any sort of car, he has a fab outfit, that makes him look all slim and tidy, and he never really says anything aggravating, because; well, because he never says anything at all! Perhaps it's the arms folded in complete omnipotence that i love most, perhaps it's when he was driving the diesel beemer in the 24-hour race. i don't know. but if he showed up to drive me home from work, i would swoon!

Ride along here!

what a great night tonight!

After last week's moderately unhappy post about HCHS, i'm so pleased to post this one tonight! Tonight was our fifteen year reunion, and i hate to admit it, but i think that the last time i saw many of my classmates was at the ten year.

We had such fun. the interesting thing is that any clicks we might have been in at school were totally gone. As a mater of fact, we hardly even spoke of high school, we really focused on today, on now, and the future. it was such a great night. Any petty grudges we might have held have simply melted away, and we could focus on having a laugh with each other (and perhaps at each other a few times!). After all these years I've finally realized that people don't have to be close friends to be dear friends.

I'm so pleased i went, and Big Props go out to Dave for organizing the whole thing.

What a great night.

can't save the Wave, Sniff!

So here it is. It's about a week and a half or so since we heard word that my high school alma mater is closing. My reaction has been a strange amalgam of emotion, running the true gamut from indignation, to sadness, wistfulness, nostalgia and back again to anger.

Yet in a way, the anger is not really from the fact that the school couldn't survive, its financial viability has been uncertain for many years. No; for me, the anger stems from being the last one to know; from having the rug pulled out from under me (and especially from my sister and my mother). I'm rather aggravated that the Church in general and St. Michael in this case have not learned from recent upheaval and reconsidered some operational procedures.

One would think that that this ship didn't sink overnight, nor did it sink over a period of a few months, more than likely this ship has been sinking for several years. I mean going beyond the general "one sheet of paper per art project" budget. So why are we, the parishioners, the people who are supposedly the focus of the parish, the point of the parish (the people who are the best source of capital) the last ones to learn about it? And why have we found out about it after the decision has already been made? I have a feeling it's because generally, the parishioners point of view is still largely irrelevant.

Perhaps this is the latest in the long line of perpetual punches in the gut. Perhaps the Church is banking on parishioners to turn the other cheek again and concede to the mandates and dictums, regardless of how it affects us. Adding insult to injury is the fact that any attempt for St. Michael's parishioners and HCH students to make their jumble of emotions known, have fallen on deaf ears; not just deaf ears; plainly dismissive, and outwardly aggressive and hostile ears. How is it possible that the spiritual leader of the parish might close the door in the face of his parishioners? And how is it possible that the layperson principal of the elementary school might punish a student for clinging to the hope that their school might be saved. Is that actually Christian? Is that actually practicing the concepts you teach?

My anger over this entire thing is how poorly it's been handled. How poorly parishioners, students, current faculty, and alumni have been treated. I'm equally upset that some of these injured parties have resorted to unseemly letters and comments, but that being said, much of the reason for this entire episode spiraling out of control, can be laid at the feet of the pastor and the group he selected to handle PR.

Hudson Catholic High School is immensely important to me. Much of who I am, and most of my values can be attributed to both the school and the parish with which it is associated. Much of how I behave and act toward others can also be tracked back there. How interesting that a parish that instilled Kindness, Patience, Compassion and Service as core values in me can seem to throw them by the wayside when situations most demand them.

HCHS is closing. It is unfortunate. But even more unfortunate is how parishioners; no, people have been treated during this episode. At this rate, no one is going to come out of this without injury, and that is what never had to happen.

Generally I don't say things like "I'll pray for them." That's not really my style. But really that's all that can be done right now.

p2tbl

so, i am not a filmmaker, as you can see. i will never have a project greenlight. this is how i purl 2 together through the back loop.

you guys have to have a look

at this great sweater!

if i were a better colorwork knitter i would make one, but i'm crap at colorwork, so all i have is to be jealous.

Zig Zag Tweedy Sweaterlet

so, last weekend i did this sweaterlet. it's mad easy, and super quick. I've worked up a pattern for it, but i can't post it's link yet, because i'm not sure it's ready. My intention is to make it available for free, but I need testers. Are you a knitter? Would you be interested in testing it out for me? send a message to kmsmaverick AT yahoo DOT com to let me know.




it's got a button closure at the top only, the bottom is unfastened, so it behaves a bit like a capelet.

it's also got a nifty zig zag border

this just in!

How utterly serendipitous! boston.com is running this article about shopping bags today.

my hannafords offers a 5¢ rebate for reusable bags, and a 2¢ rebate for recycling plastic bags. I'm pleased that massachusetts is making an effort to be less wasteful, and i'm glad the supermarkets are partnering on it too.

I'm working on some way to make a few of my bags (Say two flat bags and five or six singlet bags) available as some sort of raffle prize in a fund raiser. for food pantries, probably; i just have to work out in my head how to do it. An ebay auction? perhaps i'll do the auction, and then the funds raised can go to the food pantry of choice for the winner. i.e, for me, it would go to my town's food bank, where my friend molly might rather it go to one in the twin cities.

I think the first one will be bags made of stash fabric, so they may be a bit of a jumble. If it's successful, I'll make future fabric purchases with the intentions of having them be a matched set. Though, i wonder, if they are a jumble, d'you think people would be less likely to bid on them?

Post a comment, and pass along to people for their thoughts as well.

weeknight sewing

When one is stricken with the productivity bug, one must seize it, right? even if the end result is yet more crafty goodness, and still fewer clean dishes? well, that's where i'm at. I've gotten this urge to sew like crazy lately, even though i don't actually need any of the things i've been making, it doesn't make sense to have the fabric on hand unused.

In the past i've made some of those singlet shopping bags we all know and love, but those look best if they are fully lined.


This makes them very sturdy, durable and really nice to look at, but they aren't really Fold-up-able, so they are a bit bulky. They take up some space in a person's handbag. Enter the Hodges and Figgis Souvenir bag, which me mam so selflessly gave me; (every so often i call her up and say "Ma! guess what! I've gt a Hodges and Figgis bag!) and which i have meticulously reproduced!



anyway, that is a fab bag, because it's flat, and it's only a single layer of fabric, so it's foldable takes up very little room in one's pocketbook. so it's always ready if you need it!

The things that i don't like about single layer bags are the raw seams. They generally look- well raw. they fray and pill, and just don't look very nice. So, i looked around, and found the answer to my problem, the Flat-Fell Seam!

This makes the bag look fantastically finished and very tidy. plus it makes for a pretty sturdy seam, so the bag will be a bit more useful.

I added on the little pink tag to make it look more clever. the only thing i'm not really over the moon on this bag for is the handles- all i had on hand was flannel. I would rather have used the same weight percale as the yellow and blue; but you know how it goes, needs-must.



I'm going make a few more of these, i might give them away, if you know anyone who can use a few shopping bags in surprise fabric, send a message!

saturday sewing

Over the weekend i got busy with the little-engine-that-could. I do like that sewing machine, and it does me pretty well. One thing i learned how to do is button holes. they are so easy, once you get a few done on practice scraps.

And here's the thing, once you get a little good at them, they are SO MUCH LESS WORK than snaps! i wish i would have given them a try ages ago!



Now i'll be trying to think of ways to work them into all my new projects. look out!





This is a new dress i made for kristin. it might be a teeny bit too short, because i was trying to stop the stash, when i remembered that a half yard was enough when she was still a littlest googie, but now she's a toddler googie, so i needed to punt. this one is totally reversible too, thanks in large part to the great new buttonholes! yay!

spaceman shirt!

so, i had this idea that i want to get back to sewing a bit more. I do love to sew, as much as i love to knit. but i really neeeed to use some things that are already in my stash, there is nothing more aggravating than having a shelf full of fabric unused.

then i saw someone's craftster post, and thought, well, those look really great, i bet i could do those too. so, i looked for a pattern, and settled on simplicity 3856. I shopped the stash and found this space man flannel i purchased for a duffel bag project that didn't pan out.

now, clothing is not without challenges, and the only way to get good at it is to have a few pancake pieces. (pancake, because they are much like the first pancake off the griddle; they generally go to the dog) But this one is only a little bit wrong. Just the collar in the back. the rest of it is totally correct! yay! even the button holes came out perfect!

cast on a few extra stitches

so when you get to where you need to cast on, in this example, it's a button hole.


you loop it around your thumb, like so


then you slide the right hand needle in front of the yarn, and behind your thumb, pull the working yarn tight, and zip your thumb out.


pull the loop tight-ish, and close to the working stitches. you'll have to finesse this a little bit, you don;t want the stitch to strangulate the needle, but it shouldn't be too loose.


you keep repeating it until you get the number of stitches you need.


now, a word about the number you'll need, i like to cast on two stitches more than the number i'll need, then on the subsequent row, i knit two together one on each end, to make the fabric a little neater.

latest crafty crafts

so, i've been lamenting my recent frivolous purchases of fabric. i really should stop buying fabric without a project in mind, but alas, i have no self control. but that's ok, today i made these nifty change purses!

The orange one is the prototype, so there are a few mistakes on it, the blue one is better, and the black one is the best of the three, but there are craftsmanship flaws with all three. i wish i was better at finishing. those snaps look really crummy. i'll have to go to tallpoppy.com to see if there is a better option than the snaps.

the black one is a little bit larger than the other two, it's large enough for the ipod that i purchased in another bout of poor self control.