Spey Valley, Bird Boy

New sock on the needles (for my Sock Project):

Spey Valley - WIP

Spey Valley from Knitting on the Road, knit in Plymouth’s Happy Feet. I got this yarn at Rumplestiltskin in Sacramento. The Yarn Boutique has a ton of it right now (and they JUST got a huge shipment of Dream in Color Smooshy, y’all – if I wasn’t all sock yarned up the wazoo post-Stitches, I’d be all over that!). I don’t know that the pattern + yarn = perfect fit, but I like it so I’m going to roll with it. I think the pattern needs a non-variegated yarn, but whatever.

I also drew a picture:

Birdboy

It’s a bird boy. (Um, duh?) It was in the news this last week or so, that some poor kid in Russia was pretty much raised with birds by his mother, who never spoke to him or anything. These kids are generally known as “feral” or “wild” children. You know, like kids raised by wolves or bears or whatever. They almost never grow up and have normal lives, and are lucky if they even learn to speak. I was thinking about what a literal bird boy might look like and this is what popped out.

It’s funny because just before this news story came out, I finished a book called “Magic Hour” by Kristin Hannah that was about a feral child found up in Washington. A stupid name for a good book – not really a subject that you read about too often (or even come across), and there was romance and a minor murder mystery. A smidge contrived towards the end, but easily overlooked by the quality of the writing and story.

In conclusion: I drew a bird boy. I’m going to try to draw at least something once a week. Can’t let the ole degree wither, now can we?

Twilight, et al

Last week I read the Twilight books by Stephanie Meyer.

Yes, all three.

I’m not a huge fan of vampire books. I suspect I overdosed on the Anne Rice vampire books in high school, and ever since then have not been particularly interested. Also, I’m sorry, but a happily ever after does not, to me, usually entail the hero having to kill the heroine in order to be with her forever. I don’t find vampires to be particularly romantic or inspiring.

Give me a post-apocalypse any day.

So when I tell you that I LOVED the Twilight books, you know where I am coming from.

They don’t strike me as traditional vampires – in fact, Edward and his family only drink the blood of animals, and can go outside in sunlight. They don’t sleep in coffins – they don’t sleep at all.

So, hey, I like some vampires. Mark your calendars.

I really like the haunting writing – it sucks you in and before you know it, you’ve read three five hundred page books in two days. And most importantly, Stephanie Meyer has written, for her first adult novel (the Twilight books are YA), a sci-fi story based on the alien body-snatcher idea.

That kind of falls into a perfect category for me – kinda post-apocalyptic with zombies, kinda. I’ll be there.

Also, for the Twilight movie, they totally cast the guy who played Cedric Diggory in the Harry Potter movies as Edward, and that is pretty perfect casting, if you ask me.

ANYWAY, they were good books, and you should read them, even if you have a serious case of vampire ennui like I do.