Keebles World

Here it is in all it's glory...patched right now: I've got it over-patched right now. I've never put a hole in material before, but I've never not bought a professional kit or made my own before either. It has definitely put me off buying full kits from strangers. I worked a bit more on Wednesday night and got this far: And not much farther tonight:

Yea me! Up to the top three pages now then all done! Problem with page 1 is that is where the hole is. I don't know whether to pull out the patch and hope the actual stitch will bind it, or stitch over the binding. I don't even know if I can stitch over the binding at all. Plus, the creator of the kit trimmed the material way too close to the pattern. I only have about an 1.5 inch of a border around the whole thing! Doesn't make well for keeping itself in the scroll! Also finished Midsomer Murders 12 and only one more to go! Back to work tomorrow...Birthday vacation over and done with. Definitely not looking forward to it. Vacations are good for me to relax the blood vessels in my brain (I have only had one migraine on a weekend since they started (my migraines, not weekends)...things that make you say hmmm?), but vacations do make me quite disassociative (like I need any help with that). The more I'm off, the more I want to be off. If I did ever win the...

Well, another B-day down the tubes. I spent it the way I usually do, not working and sitting on my tail-feathers. I bought my own cake (as I usually do) and ate it alone (as I usually do), but I got an amazing amount of work done! Here's Monday night: And Tuesday: Also got series 11 of Midsomer Murders done: Since I finally got series 13 in, I can breathe a sigh of relief on that front! Thing about birthdays, the older I get, the less I care about celebrating them. Just another reminder of another year gone and nothing to show for it. Rather sad actually. That's why I always take off work on my birthday. I at least want to enjoy the most miserable day of the year in my favorite ways...sloth, envy, (I was born prideful, so that is inherent), and my all time favorite sin, gluttony! I don't have access to the materials for greed or lust and it's hard to be wrathful when you're home alone, so, I guess I'll have to be happy with four out of seven! ...

Friendship for an Asperger is a strange thing because we don't like people much. But there have been a couple of occasions throughout my lifetime when someone has actually gotten through the barricades (to quote an old Spandau Ballet song). But they never last long. Why you ask? Because they play by the normal rules of friendship and I don't. They want to hang out all the time, and talk on the phone, and do things together. Problem is, I get bored with people quickly and they start to annoy me. But I typically don't handle it well and instead of explaining the situation to them, I just run them off. Which doesn't really upset me...saves me the trouble of an explanation, and the annoyance is gone. What did a very wise woman once say? "I don't want people to be agreeable as it saves me the trouble of liking them". Could Jane Austen have been an Asperger too? Look at the facts, excellent imagination, no close relationships other than her sister. ...

I love this show and not just because of Jack Davenport and Ben Miles! It was accused, at the time of it's airing, of being a knock-off of Friends. I tried to watch Friends years ago and hated it. Coupling was nothing like Friends IMO. Written by Steven Moffat (the new Doctor Who writer and also the lead writer of Sherlock) and loosely based on his life, Coupling is the story of Steve and Susan, who pretty much fall in love at first sight. Along for the ride are Steve's weird best friend Jeff (who leaves in series 4 and is replaced by equally weird Oliver-a Doctor Who freak BTW...prolific maybe?), and Steve's ex Jane who is dingy and over-sexed. On Susan's side is her ex Jack, who also happens to be an over-sexed womanizer, and her crazy neurotic best friend Sally. The show goes through the ups and downs of their relationships and the relationships of their friends. I guess I also need to add that I don't like comedies...don't even like the word actual...

I've also caught up on series 9: And series 10: All these people getting killed, how is there any people left in these little villages? Plus my series 13 still hasn't come in yet...I'm really getting worried about it! I get so attached to these shows and then I'm done and it's all over. But it is all still great fun!

Haven't made much progress past few days. Had to work a double shift on Friday (on top of my normal 10-12 hrs) and ended up with a bad headache and slept completely through Saturday. Got back to stitching today, but work was slow. This was Tuesday's work: This was Wednesday's: And here was Sunday's: Also discovered a bit of a gaff that's got me stumped. Apparently there was something I didn't notice. There is a ' and a `, only on the pattern, it's barely discernible, and I didn't discern it and now it's way to late to correct. It explains why Donald is so pink (although even if I could fix it, it would only make him a bit more purple). It's driving me nuts! Between the hole in the material and the weird colors of the pattern, I'm just ready to chuck it in. I think I could create this pattern way better than what it is. I just hate to give up months of work. And I know that if I start it over again, I'll absolute...

Many moons ago, on a planet far, far away, in another lifetime even, I did something at the age of 19 that changed my life. I left the comfort of my apartment (by that time I had already moved out of my parents house and had been living on my own for a couple of years), the only job I had ever had since I was 16 (a big deal to a 19 year old), even left college, to trek the 55 some-odd miles to the town of my birth and to the home of my Father, who I worshipped (and unfortunately, still do although we haven’t spoken in years), just to live with him for the first time in my life. I was shy, inexperienced in life and people, completely anti-social, and quite frankly, extremely immature. It was also when I first started showing signs of OCD. I know now I’ve had mild Asperger’s my whole life, but back then no one really even knew what it was, or would have even guessed that I had it, I just knew I had bad problems and tried to hide the worst of them as best as possible, but I’m digressi...

Having mild Asperger's my emotions are what most people would call cold (which is probably putting it mildly). I have a general lack of feeling for others and towards others especially when it comes to sympathy, empathy, or attachment to them. One day I'll do a post dealing with being an adult with Asperger's and what it is like. I've learned to social conditioning how to control certain behaviors and what emotions to keep to myself (just because the embarrassment factor of certain behaviors with Social Anxiety Disorder outweighs the need to express certain feelings). What I do have, however, is internal emotions attached to myself and my immediate surroundings, most of which are extremely overpowering (hence the OCD - I'm more of an obsessive than a compulsive). Darren Hayes is one of the few artists that get inside my shell and make me feel. I think the reason why Darren moves me so much is because his lyrics "get me". They strike cords in me th...

I absolutely LOVE Dawn French! And Vicar of Dibley is what introduced me to Richard Armitage! I started eating up every square inch of him I could find after this, then I found North and South and I was a gonner! I never even associated him with Guy of Gisbourne on Robin Hood even though I own the first series (I never bought the second series because, well, for those who have seen it, you know why - another review for another day!). This is one of the first British sets I bought, and I bought it American. It cost me a small fortune!! Now there is a newer set and I've been considering getting the newer set and giving the older one (since it's region 1) to my Mother because I know she will love it too, if she would give it a chance. The set contains the complete three series, plus all the specials and the Holy Wholly Happy Ending (which I watch all the time - I actually have it on my ipod!). The complete series spans about 10 or so years, they weren't filmed in se...

I'm starting with Bodies first because: A) it's a bloody good show, both literally and figuratively; and B) Beesley, as in Max...need I say more! Bodies is not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. I work in the medical field, so a little blood and guts doesn't bother me. But Bodies is graphic, and that is, quite frankly, an understatement! So I'm really not kidding when I say you better have a strong constitution when you watch this. In a nutshell, it's four series (although the last is a movie finale) about a new OB/GYN (the absolutely gorgeous Max Beesley who I worship, adore, love, drool over...sorry, got carried away), and his trials and tribulations being put under an incompetent consultant, his relationship with a married nurse, and dealing with being a new doctor and trying to get ahead in a field that is more about business than patients. The births are realistic looking, you see va-jay jay's up close and personal, blood is everywhere,...

I talk a lot about watching British television shows, but I never really explain how I do it. Trust me, I do it legal! I spend a fortune it seems on Amazon UK! I have an all region DVD player (a couple, in fact, but one isn't very good). In case you don't know about region codes, I gotta give you a little education first. Different countries have different region codes for DVD's. There are technically 9 region codes for DVD's and then there is 0, which is all region. The US and Canada uses code 1, 2 is Europe, 3 is Asia, 4 is Mexico and South America, etc, etc. Ever bought a DVD outside the country that wouldn't play on your DVD player when you got it home? Region codes are why. An all-region DVD player uses the 0 code (which plays all 1-9). I bought my player from Amazon US for about $30. It's a Philips (but it now lists for about $70 for some reason, but every now and again Woot has it for $30). One other caveat I forgot to mention, there are two...

Another page bites the dust! I am now more than halfway done! Further thoughts on Torchwood: You know, I thought more about it today, and it wasn't just the Americanization of it that bothered me. By being on Starz, it reached an audience that had never before seen it, and had the potential to not only bring in future viewers of it, but of Doctor Who as well. But my over-analyzing brain kept coming to one conclusion over and over...anyone that had never seen an episode of Torchwood before, after watching the Miracle Day series, walked away knowing absolutely nothing about Torchwood, specifically: what had happened in the past; why Jack is immortal (great back-story BTW) what the purpose of Torchwood was; Ianto was the only older character that was mentioned, but they never told who he was or how he died or even that he was a member of the team, all you knew was that he was Jack's old lover; why Gwen and Rhys were in hiding in the first place; what happened to the old h...

So while stitching on Saturday night, I finally broke down and watched Torchwood - Miracle Day. It's been in my Tivo cue forever and I've been putting off watching it. Not because I don't love Torchwood, because I do, but because of another reason. This series of Torchwood was not a full BBC production, but a joint production with Starz. Now, anyone that knows me personally, knows I love British television. I can't get enough of it. I'm also very protective of it. I don't understand why American television producers feel the need to "Americanize" or even re-make for American audiences British television shows. It drives me crazy! Do they think that we are too stupid to "get" British shows? Yes, you can read DVD reviews on Amazon and see where Americans ask for subtitles to be put on British shows because they can't understand the speech (I particularly love it when someone comments back that the Brits do actually speak English ...

My hands hurt, my wrists hurt, my arms hurt, even my back hurts! But wow! What a difference a task makes thanks to the International Hermit and Stitch Weekend! I made it through a lot farther than I thought I would! Here's Saturday's work: And Sunday's: Plus I made it through series Eight of Midsomer Murders today: I've started series Nine and I'm a bit miffed they didn't explain DC Scott's leaving (at least so far). At least the new DC is on the rest of the covers (through Twelve - I still don't have Thirteen, but I did get word it's shipped).

Here is Thursday nights work: My goal for the International Hermit and Stitch Weekend is to finish all of page 6! In reality though, I figure I'll get Donald's face done, his hand, Mickey's pants, and maybe part of Mickey's belly. But it never hurts to aim high! But in very non-typical fashion, I'm going to bed early tonight, and start early on Saturday! I've had some excellent suggestions from both Vickie and Anne for my possible Persuasion letter project, and I'm really getting excited about it! And Anne's link to the patternmakercharts blog literally makes my mouth water! I can't wait to be able to spend time searching the site! So while I'm busy with the IHSW, and for my non-stitching friends, here's a little something for ya that you'll love if you'll give it a chance...this is Adele (who you probably know) putting her own twist on a Cheryl Cole song (who you probably don't know) on the BBC1 Live Lounge.

I don't have much to give today because I'm still reeling from today's blessed headache. One thing I can say, another trial drug is biting the dust today. My lab rat days of testing different meds are about to come to an end, I'm about sick of it! But anyway, not much stitching today, I couldn't focus. I'll post pics with Friday nights work, before the International Hermit and Stitch Weekend Starts...which I am really excited about! Thanks to Joysze over at the Random Ramblings Blog for letting me be a part of the IHSW! I also really need to give thanks to Vickie over at the Reading and Stitching Blog. I met her through the DisBoards, and if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have started my own blog! I need to go to bed, but "Dead Again" is on and I don't want to turn it off! It's one of my all time favorite movies and another one of those probably not too many people have ever seen. I have it on VHS, but I really need to replac...

Must be something in the water lately! I've been really moving along! Tuesday night: and Wednesday: I decided since the marking pencil kept fading out, I'd try the pen on this section, and so far so good. I can definitely see the lines better and it's not fading (yet). And thanks so much to the The Crafty Princess for all her kind words! I absolutely love her blog!! Since I've been reading blogs, I've learned more about cross-stitching than all my years of actually doing it! And I love seeing everyone else's progress! Once I finish Mickey and Friends, my next project will be my first HAED, which just so happens to be the same artist as The Crafty Princesses first HAED, Jasmine Becket-Griffith, only mine is A Walk Through The Highlands: I fell in love with this picture the moment I saw this, and not because it looks a little tiny bit like me, same color hair (when I get my hair done, anyway), same eye color, pale skin, same small hands, and it...

Yeah!! Between last night: and tonight: Donald is just about done and another page is finished! Only five more pages to go! I'm really dreading the upper last two though, all that boring yellow ocre...ugh. But maybe because there won't be so much confetti and I won't be switching colors so much, it will go quickly. A girl can hope! After doing the breast cancer project and going back to this one though, I have noticed something, 18ct aida goes a lot faster than 14ct. Since my next one is on 25ct, I should fly through it!

OK, so I've gone through their list...and critiqued it accordingly, now it's my turn! I'm also gonna add links to the videos so you can judge for yourself, or walk down memory lane, take your pick. Oh, and I'm only doing 10 instead of 20 simply for size constraints. 1) My number one all time favorite video/song, not only from the 80's, but of all time (excluding Duran) is the Cure's "Just Like Heaven". Yes, I know it can't be unsung, but in my last post I explained, I live in bum-fudge Arkansas..."Just Like Heaven" may have been The Cure's first American hit, but trust me, no one in my high school cared less. The year was 1987 and without further ado, I give you the hottest man in rock (and trust me, under that make-up and hair, the man IS a total hottie)...Robert Smith and The Cure: 2) Still swooning, but moving on to #2 and it's a close second (and also on the other list...Depeche Mode - "But Not Tonight". ...

I was about to go to bed, but I thought I'd check one of my usual haunts, and they had a list of the 20 most "unsung" videos of the 80's. Unsung for them maybe. But it did get me to thinking (and keeping me from going to sleep apparently) about what my 10 most defining (not unsung, because, where I come from, all my music was unsung at the time) videos from the 80's were. Now, of course you'd have to exclude all Duran Duran, or they'd take up the whole list...so for the sake of Duranie fairness...I am going to leave them off my list (although they were on their list, although not the obvious choice of "Hungry Like The Wolf", but "Is There Something I Should Know?"). I think if I could choose just one, and although it is not my favorite now, I would probably choose "Careless Memories", or maybe "Lonely In Your Nightmare", but then again maybe...well, you get my point...Duran has to be left out for sanity's sak...

Here is the work from Wednesday night: And here is Saturday's: Donald is really beginning to pop! I was originally very happy with the pencil grid marker, but the more I work on it, it's fading away to nothing. And I was afraid I wouldn't be able to wash it away! I've had to re-draw the lines. When I move to the new section, I might try the pen. It's a much darker area (except for Donald's hand) so it might hide the marks better if it doesn't wash well. I've rearranged it on a different set of stretcher bars to better reach the bottom of the project. This was a project I bought off of Ebay years and years ago from a seller who created them from software. I won't name the creator, but, the further I go, the more disappointed I am. I am too far in the project to quit it, but the color matching is horrible...Donald is pink for heaven's sake! I began to run out of thread after the first section. The aida cloth is terrible! I have NEV...

I've been cross-stitching since I was 12 (and I still have that first project locked away in a trunk).  My Step-Granny got me started because she couldn't teach me to crochet or knit (I just couldn't get it - whether it was the teacher or student we may never know, I never tried to crochet or knit again).  But needless to say, cross-stitching stuck and I'm still doing it.  I did also try embroidery (which my Mother used to do), but it was too hard with all the different kinds of stitches. Most people find it funny that I can cross stitch because I'm such an impatient person.  I think there is actually a very easy explanation and it's the explanation that defines me...OCD.  Cross-stitching is all about counting, counting the number of little colored X's you make in a row, and what are OCD's known to do?  Count.  I catch myself doing it all the time in my head.  Yes, I know, my math skills may suck, but numbers constantly run through my head, but ...

http://search.knightfrank.com/rvr100231 Ok, so I do fantasize about winning the lottery...a lot!  And...I spend a lot of time looking at real estate, in both Florida and abroad.  So I decided to give you a peek into my little fantasy world...Keebles style! This property has had my eye for a couple of years now.  One, because of the purple cabinets, of course!  But, also, because of the amazing views down the river!  As a huge Spooks (MI-5) fan, it's also cool to be right next to Vauxhall Cross (MI-6 headquarters for those that don't know) and cross the river and a perfect sightline of Thames House (MI-5).  And look kids...it's Big Ben and Parliament, and Big Ben, and Parliament...(if you don't get that reference then you are either too young or too culturally deprived!).  It has massive balcony space overlooking the river and huge open spaces.  I don't normally look at properties on this side of the river...I do tend to lean toward the Kensi...

Since my life is kind of screwy right now...thought I'd share a bit of my mantra song with ya'll in it's purest form, unplugged and raw. Ain't Markie cute?

After an even longer day and an awful neurology visit, I decided to read a book instead of stitch tonight. I have a huge weakness for Jane Austen (as most of you know), but I also love modern re-tellings of her stories. I have dozens of them and seem to be buying a lot of them lately, which leads me to this review of Sass and Serendipity by Jennifer Ziegler. It's a modern twist on Sense and Sensibility , so there's no need for me to rehash the storyline, but this particular novel does veer more toward the teen-set. I also found that the male leads where a bit hard to match-up to their Austen counterparts because the storyline does alter quite a bit from the original (which in some cases works, in some it doesn't). But overall, it was a good read and I'm not disappointed in it!

Another two series down...and have to admit I am a bit miffed! Sergeant Troy kissed Cully in ep 7, but no other mention of it was made! Seriously pisses me off! And of course my OCD brain wouldn't let it go since Daniel Casey (the actor playing Troy) doesn't appear on any of the other series dvd covers and sure enough, no other kisses and no other get togethers and no more Sgt Troy! Ugh! Why even bother have them kiss if you are never going to mention it again! I was in the mood for a bit of romance after all that murder! Other than that, excellent series and I'm ready for Seven! My thirteen better come in soon, or by the time I get there I'm gonna be upset! I did get a bit confused when I saw Celia Imrie (Auntie Una in Bridget Jones for those unfamiliar) for what I thought was yet another episode, but I think I'm confusing it with the Dalziel and Pascoe episodes I watched weekend before last since I can't find any reference that she was on more than ...

So, this is the progress for Monday night... And here is Tuesday! It's amazing how much difference graphing the actual aida has done! I used the pencil instead of the pen because the point was much finer and I could keep it sharp. I really wasn't expecting this much of a difference, but it really makes it easier to see, not only where I am, but where I'm going! I'm still a bit too scared to try parking the stitches, and I'm not sure that on 18ct I even need to at least not till I get to the next project and move up (or down as the case may be) to 25ct (and trust me I'm terrified of it and hope at least somebody gets me my magnifying light for my B-day so I don't have to (on my Amazon wish list peeps), although since no one reads my blog but me, I guess I'm on my own with that HA! - but public consumption of my thoughts and work aren't the purpose here...I'm digressing again). On a serious note, having three days off in a row really ma...

I finished the secret project! Now to get it framed! And back to the project at hand armed with some new tools and tricks! And, on top of that, I've finished Midsomer Murders Series Three and Four! Definitely an interesting two series! A very young Orlando Bloom (before he had a chance to hone his acting skills apparently) taking a pitchfork to the gullet! An even younger Tobias Menzies before he got his teeth altered better, Peter Penry-Jones, father of my beloved Rupert, and even Rupert's little brother Laurence...definitely tops Stephen Moyer from series 1! Now on to series Five and Six!