Autumn

This fall isn’t as pretty as last year, mostly because its been so dry lately.  The weather has been lovely though, so can’t compain too much.

Working on getting two quilts ready to hang in the upcoming Bloomington Quilters’ Guild show, which means sewing a sleeve on them.  Something I’ve never done before, and because it involves hand sewing, something I am dreading.  Where’s Mom when you need her?

I also made a half assed attempt for my teen anime club tonight by purchasing some vampire teeth.  And?  They don’t fit at all.  They are also made in China, so its probably a good thing as they might kill me anyway.  I did buy apples and caramel dip though.

Civic Duty

I took advantage of being off on a Friday to early vote at the Curry Building.  I got there at 11:00am and waited for about 35 minutes, which isn’t too bad.  Despite the conspiray theorist behind me, it was fun and I saw lots of people I knew in line too!

Oh, and did I mention that we got a new camera!  A new SLR that we have just started trying out.  Very cool…

MTV Nostalgia

So I’m watching VH1′s best of the 90s and it is taking me back, way back, flashing my life, my memories, and my relationships before my eyes.  Seriously back.  Back to the days of MTV.  Of good MTV, before boy bands took over, and before continuous reality television.  Do you remember?  Really remember?  MTV used to be the place we went to to learn about new music, new genres, to see what our favorite bands looked like, to learn about music news, to relate, to celebrate and to grieve.  I watched the premier of Thriller on MTV, swooned over George Michael, and pretended to understand when Freedom hit.  We watched John Norris on MTV continuously when River Phoenix died in 1993.  And we mourned 6 months later by watching Kurt Loder on MTV when Kurt Cobain died.  I was a freshman in college.  I also was watching MTV years earlier with my brother when I first heard Nirvana  and their video for Smells Like Teen Spirit changed music forever.  Even earlier, I watched 120 minutes with Matt Pinfield, who told us about new alternative bands, and watched MTV Raps that got me dancing with early rap, before Eminem, Tupac, Coolio (remember him?), and Dr. Dre took over.  Kevin Seal, Adam Curry, Martha Quinn…they were early, funny, music smart, and influential.  The serendipity of videos and therefore music that you were introduced to was wide, strange, annoying and awesome.

When my dad had to go in for an emergency appendectomy when I was in elementary school,  we had an ever ending line of babysitters for three days solid, but one constant (much to my mother’s chagrin) during a hard time…MTV.  Just ask Andrew.  I won’t say it got us through a hard time, but it was there.

Pop music.  Huh.  It has shaped my generation, shaped my life.  And really, MTV was there for me though much of my adolescence up to about my sophomore year in high school.  The next generation, our kids, what will they call on for their music memories?  YouTube?  MySpace?  Do I lament, or do I celebrate the new media?  MTV and  Unplugged created some of the best music ever.  What is the impetus for groundbreaking music these days?  But maybe music these days is freed from the confines of MTV.

I’m sure I am not the only one to write about the nostalgia and demise of MTV, and surely not the best.  I admit that my music preferences aren’t the most sophisticated, and I understand and credit the critics that derided MTV as glamorizing music and focusing on everything else besides the music, even in the heyday of the mid 90s.  But to misunderstand the impact it had, is to underestimate.

Once upon a time I wrote about songs that reminded me of friends.  The list is endless, forever swirling memories of good times and bad…but mostly good.  My memories are tugged harder by music than they are by almost everything else, more than movies, more than tv.  Remember a good/bad time and think of the song that goes with it.  You know what I mean.  I hope you also think of me when you hear these songs. Here we are now, entertain us.

Fabrics, Finally

Back in May, I decided to make a quilt for my mom for Mother’s Day.  I wanted it to be just right, but couldn’t figure out colors and pattern.  But in the past few weeks, I’ve found a pattern and today with the help of Bonnie at Shiisa Quilts, picked out fabrics to compliment the large floral on the right that I knew I wanted to use.  Also to go with it is a very pretty cream colored not pictured.  I don’t want to show any more pics until it is done!  I am very excited and think that it will be beautiful.  I hope to have it done by early November, when I head out to Colorado for a vacation.

**Baby Isa couldn’t wait out Hurricane Ike and was born at home in Houston early this morning!  Hope everyone in the Meouw family are doing well.  Good thing there were two doctors there!    Can’t wait for pictures.

Lightening Bug

Phew.  I know, its been a month since we’ve been back but I finally put up all the photos from our trip that are fit for public consumption on my flickr.  The last day in Amsterdam, there were only two pictures involving Tim and a Cary Grant film ad in Vondel Park, that you just sort of had to be there to understand.

Tim and I haven’t really gotten into any tv shows lately, but we got the first season of Heroes on DVD and have been enjoying them in marathon fashion.  There are about 46 episodes from the first season, and we are almost done.  I don’t love the violence, and I am totally confused about who is on what side, but the characters are great.

I am fearing the worst for Ike.  I hope my friends and family in the area are all safe!

Wood Block Print

Maybe its because my mom loves Gustav Baumann, or that I had just seen M.C. Escher’s early wood block prints at the museum in the Hague and loved them.  But I went to the 4th Street Arts Fair here in town and was drawn to the two booths selling wood block prints.  One of the artists was doing goofy prints, but the other one had fun but also beautiful ones.  I told Tim I actually bought something and he didn’t believe me until I got home and had proof.  I NEVER just up and buy something.  And?  I don’t even have buyer’s remorse.  I love it.

Worked 1 out of the past 4 days, which has been nice.  Still hot here though, but thinking of those affected by crazy storms.  Even though it didn’t turn out too bad, I’m glad Mitch evacuated.  Hoping everyone else is safe.  Working on a quilt for baby girl Meouw.  Here’s to hoping that she likes, no wait…that she loves purple!

Tim starts back at school tomorrow with a stats class.  At least it isn’t with a certain SLIS professor, but still wish him luck anyway!

Birthday Moon

I was lucky enough to have a beautiful day spent with Tim and my brother for my birthday during our trip.  We went to Ghent, did our favorite things, a canal cruise and climbed up many steps in a Belfort and ended up on the coast of the North Sea for beers on a pier and a yummy sea food dinner.  I can’t believe I am 33!

Greenwich

Yeah, we’re travel dorks. We met Rick Steves in a chess bar in Brussels called Greenwich. He wasn’t disguised in all khaki, or wearing his glasses so AJ and I were slightly thrown off, but Tim called it right away. He was really nice, and even though he was on the end of a 6 week trip to update his guide books, he stopped to chat with us.

I know Cynthia will be sooooo jealous.

::NOTE::

Be sure to check out YouTube for a few videos of our trip, especially the musical show that accompanied the Flower Carpet in Brussels. I will try to upload the videos throughout the week. Flickr only supports 90 seconds of video, so YouTube is it.

http://www.youtube.com/user/sarahstim

–tim

Low Countries

Returned last night from our two week trip to the Low Countries.  Together with Andrew, we hit 10 cities in three countries: Brussels, Luxembourg City, Brugges, Ghent, Oostend, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Haarlem, Den Haag and Delft.  We met up with Brad and Sarah in Amsterdam too.  We had a grand time, ate sea food, frites with mayo, tostis with kaas, omlettes, pancakes, waffles, croissants and drank lots of sweet sweet Belgian beer.

We are working on uploading photos, so check the flickr throughout the week.  Wishing the trip could be longer, but happy to be back!  Loki missed us, but was well taken care of.

And, welcome to the world Malcolm!

Tuesdays

On the first Tuesday of the month, I usually have quilt guild.  Then on the second and third Tuesdays I have teen programs at the library (book discussion and anime club).  So its easy enough to say that my Tuesday nights are pretty wrapped up.  My city decided to add a mid-week early evening Farmer’s Market at the Westside Bloomingfoods that I walk by every single day (or ride, as of late) on my way home from work.  Guess what night they picked?  Yep.  Tuesday.  So I can almost never go!  Tonight, however I was free!  It was pretty quiet and although my favorite tomato guys weren’t there, I scored some beans and fresh eggs.

Despite having a chipped bone in his wrist (fricking noon ball), Tim has been working on creating a drainage system for our basement.  Tonight that involved creating a cement hump in our so-called driveway.  Guess who can’t mix a wheelbarrow full of concrete with a broken hand?  Guess who got to do it instead?  Why the big rush?  Because it is supposed to RAIN.  AGAIN.