Brazzle Dazzle Day!

Weather has been awful around here recently. As a result, I've been staying in all day, bored out of my mind. I'm thinking about going home to my parents' later tonight, but it will more than likely be just as boring there. This weekend should be fairly eventful, though. Both my Mom and Dad are entered in the MS150, a 150 mile road bike race around Charlottesville and Crozet to raise money and awareness for multiple sclerosis. They've done it for several years, and I always try to go and cheer them on. It always amazes me how athletic they both are; it makes me look horrible in comparison, but I'm very proud of them, especially my Mom. The big story this weekend is my Uncle Michael, a colonel in the army, is retiring. There's a big ceremony at the Pentagon Friday and a party at their house in Woodbridge on Saturday. I have a very big family (Irish Catholics...) and I hear that entire side of my family will be in town (just to make a point, there will be 4 aunts, 4 uncles, and 10 cousins). I'm quite nervous; I haven't been around that entire side of my family together for probably 15 years. I don't fit in at all; them being conservative christians and me the outcast black sheep liberal atheist with *gasp* tattoos and piercings! Not to mention the fact that my Mom divorced my Dad and married another woman. I should return with a few interesting stories...

As I said yesterday, I recently purchased my first sewing patterns, and a beginners sewing book. My first attempt was a pattern from the book; the "easy breezy wrap skirt." Not so terribly easy breezy for me... It was definitely good practice, and I did a few things right. Sewing from a pattern actually kind of reminds me of organic chemistry; you have to be able to visualize a 3-D image from text, and how it exists in space. On that point, I had quite a bit of trouble understanding the instructions regarding the ties of the skirt where it says to make a hole to pull the tie through. After reading the step probably 50 times, I gave up and completely ignored it. Also, the tension on my sewing machine was odd, and adjusting it didn't seem to help so the seams are a bit puckered. All in all, though, I don't think it was a complete disaster as I deem the skirt to be wearable (even though someone a bit more girly would probably disagree with me on that point).
The yellow gingham fabric is a bit see-through, so I'll have to get a slip. Also, note the fabulous new shoes I just ordered from PLASTICLAND.



I doubt anyone recognized the reference to the Disney movie Pete's Dragon in the title of the post. This was my absolute favorite movie when I was a kid. At least partially responsible for my love of nautical things, it takes place in Passamaquoddy, fictional town in Bar Harbor, Maine, a place where I vacationed when I was very very little. After looking around town for a long time, I decided to order an old VHS off of amazon. I watched it last night with my boyfriend, John. I even remembered parts of the songs! And it still melts my heart when Helen Reddy longingly sings "Candle on the Water" from the top of the lighthouse, waiting for her true love lost at sea to come back to her.

A few fun facts from the movie:
- It was the first Disney film to be released on VHS
- The song "Candle on the Water" received an academy award nomination
- The movie was actually filmed in California and the crew had to get special permission from the Coast Guard to use the lighthouse so it wouldn't confuse passing ships.
- There's an episode of Family Guy with a parody of the movie (involving Ben Stiller)

Also, I want this------>Terribly Tasteless!
Here's the Pete's Dragon drinking game (created and tested by me)
Drink whenever:
- Someone breaks into song
- Someone CORRECTLY says Passamaquoddy
- You see someone reeaally ugly
- Every time a dragon completely appears/disappears
- Every time the dragon does something clumsy
- Every time someone falls into water/mud/tar
and finally, CHUG when you hear a foghorn

Enjoy!!