Rock Star: INXS

A few questions: What do you do if you love watching television, but can't afford cable or a satellite? What if you can only pick up one television station with your antenna? What do you do if that one station is CBS, and their programming mostly consists of crime dramas and reality shows? What if you never liked crime dramas or reality shows?

My answer: You watch CBS and learn to enjoy crime dramas and reality shows. Okay, well I still don't like crime dramas that much (too many cheesy lines) but I have started to enjoy reality shows. My favorite at the moment is Rock Star: INXS, in which a group of young rock star hopefuls compete to be the next lead singer of the band INXS. Right now the show is about halfway through its run, and there are only 7 contestants left.

At the beginning of the show, my favorites were Jordis (female, the youngest contestant, with very distinctive dreadlocked hair) and Ty (male, a theater performer with a mohawk). After a few weeks I lost interest in Ty, and started to root for Marty (male, a blonde who sang great but didn't stand out at the beginning) and MiG (male, the only Australian, and who is apparently friends with Brian May from Queen!). Jordis is the only female performer who stands out to me; the others just don't get me excited.

Of my top 3 at the moment (Jordis, Marty, and MiG) I think I want Marty to win the most. I like his his voice and he seems to fit the best with INXS's style of music. Good luck, Marty!

The Brothers Grimm

"The Brothers Grimm" movie is to be released August 26. I haven't heard much about it so far, but the premise sounds good. Two medieval brothers, who make a living by harassing villages with fake demons and then charging to "exorcise" them, find themselves confronted with a real supernatural mystery. It's direct by Terry Gilliam, who has made some strange movies over the years. The only one I can remember watching is "Time Bandits"; as far as I can remember I enjoyed it. I've only found one review of "The Brothers Grimm" and they sounded pretty positive about it (the review is here, on another blog - warning, the rest of the blog may be too liberal for some tastes). I wonder how the blogger was able to see the movie so early. Most big-name reviews aren't released until the day of the movie release.

I'm not sure exactly what I find appealing about "The Brothers Grimm." Maybe I'm just a sucker for fantasy (especially fantasy that doesn't take itself too seriously). Hopefully this movie will be good - I really need it to be, after suffering through such a disappointing summer for movies.

Prudence and "No problem"

In the August 4, 2005 column of "Dear Prudence" (available at http://slate.msn.com/), Prudence rails about the use of "No problem" instead of "You're welcome" as a response to "Thank you." She seems to be most annoyed when "No problem" comes from someone who is being paid to serve you, such as a waiter or a sales clerk. Since they are being paid, it shouldn't matter whether anything they were being asked to do was a problem. I disagree with Prudence. I think that "No problem" is just as valid an answer to "Thank you" as "You're welcome."

First of all, I consciously began to use "No problem" instead of "You're welcome." I started doing this while I worked as a student assistant in an office at a university. As part of my job, I was constantly helping people with their computer problems over the telephone. When the problem had been solved, the person would usually say "Thank you." I started out saying "You're welcome" in response. However, this felt awkward to me. It seemed as though I was taking the credit personally for doing something that was part of my job. So I began to respond with "No problem" - as in "It's not a problem; it's part of my job." I don't think that, in the context of doing something that is part of your job, it is rude or inappropriate to respond with "No problem."

I would also like to point out that "No problem" is much like the Spanish statement "de nada." While "de nada" is usually translated as "You're welcome," it's literal translation is "It is nothing." How is saying "It's not a problem" different from saying "It's nothing"? If it's good enough for Spanish, it's good enough for me.

I take comfort in the thought that Prudence probably won't be able to stop people from using "No problem" just by complaining about it. If people who dislike the phrase "No problem" are seriously concerned about rudeness, then they shouldn't respond by saying "I don't care if it was a problem for you!"

(By the way, I really enjoy reading "Dear Prudence." That doesn't mean I can't disagree with her every now and then!)

"Sky High"

I just went to see the new Disney movie "Sky High." I went by myself; the theater, though a little nasty, wasn't crowded. Before the movie they played the "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" and "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" previews. Even though I've seen the latter preview before, this time I actually started to cry a little. I can't wait for the Narnia movie to be released! The made-for-television Narnia movies that were made about fifteen years ago were good, but they definitely aren't on the same level as this new movie.

Anyway, "Sky High" was pretty good. It was a cute story about kids with super powers that go to a special high school that floats in the sky. Ever since "Spiderman" and "The Incredibles," it seems a lot of movies have been made about superheroes. I guess "Sky High" stands out because it's funny and has the high-school/puberty angle (lots of "will you go to the big dance with me" stuff). My favorite character in the movie was Warren Peace (Steven Strait), a loner/bad boy who throws fire. He reminded me a little of the character Lex from the television show "The Tribe" (see www.tribeworld.com). Strangely enough, on the Internet Movie Database it said that Steven Strait was the leader of a band called Tribe. The only thing about that character that confused me was his name. Yes, it's a cute joke (War-and-peace) but when they showed an old year book photo of his father (a villain), it said his last name was "Battle." Maybe he changed his last name to "Peace" to distance himself from his father.

Also in "Sky High" were Dave Foley and Kevin McDonald (from "Kids in the Hall"). Dave played a teacher for sidekicks ("hero support"), who was formerly the sidekick of "The Commander" (Kurt Russell's character). Kevin was the "mad science" teacher and wore a huge prosthetic cranium. It's always great to watch these guys.

Lucy's Vet Visit

On Wednesday I had to take Lucy to the veterinarian's office for her annual vaccinations. Unfortunately, Lucy is allergic to the feline leukemia vaccine. She gets sick (nausea, vomiting) for two days. The vet gave her a shot 30 minutes before her vaccine that was suppose to keep her from getting sick, but it didn't really work. She was sick in the car on the ride home (only about a 7 minute drive) and was sick 30 minutes later. I was worried that she might be sick all night, so I called the vet back. She told me to go ahead and bring her back. It was already 5 minutes before closing, so I felt bad about keeping them late. However, they were really nice about it and gave her a steroid shot and a nausea shot. Lucy was a little messed up for about another hour, but she finally perked up. She wouldn't have anything else to do with me that night and slept under the couch. The rabies tag they gave her is a huge gold Texas (not pictured). It almost drags on the ground when she walks. I hate to say it, but it kind of looks like she's wearing some "bling bling." Hopefully I can find one of those machines that makes pet tags so I can get her a smaller one - and soon.

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

I want something I saw on your site. How can I get it?
Can I have the pattern for/will you make me a Harry Potter / I.T. Crowd / South Park / etc. doll?
Can I sell items I made using your pattern?
Can I link to, repost or sell your pattern?
Why can't I comment on [insert post title here]?
How do I contact you?

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I want something I saw on your site. How can I get it?

If you want something you see on my site, here are your options:

1. Make it yourself. That's the reason why all my patterns are online for free, so people can make this stuff for themselves. If you have questions, contact me. I can't teach you to sew, knit or crochet (I learned how to do all those things from the internet so I bet you can too) but I'm more than happy to offer you whatever advice I can. Heck, I'll walk you through an entire project if that's what it takes to get you to try to make it yourself. I BELIEVE IN YOU!!!
    
2. Find someone crafty (besides me) and pay them to make it for you.
    
3. Meet me in real life, spend several years building a friendship with me and then ask me very nicely to make it for you.
    
4. Become famous, star in my favorite TV show/movie or write my favorite book, send me a message proving that you are who you say you are, ask me nicely to make it for you and offer me money plus something I can't get from anybody but you, like a set visit or a character named after me in your next novel. If you're not sure whether your TV show/movie/book is my favorite, feel free to ask. ;)

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Can I have the pattern for/will you make me a Harry Potter / I.T. Crowd / South Park / etc. doll?

No, I do not post patterns or sell items from licensed properties. I don't like the thought of profiting from someone else's work without compensating them and I also don't want to open myself up to trouble with the owners of those licensed properties. So unless you are the owner of the licensed property in question, the answer is no.

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Can I sell items I made using your pattern?

Yes, provided you:

1. Make the item yourself by hand. I'm not giving permission for my patterns to be used for mass production.
    
2. Give me credit as the designer of the item. When you sell the item, include a tag with the item stating that the pattern is from CraftyCattery.com. If you are selling your item online, the item description should also state that the pattern is from CraftyCattery.com and include a link to www.craftycattery.com if possible.
    
3. Use your own photographs when selling the item. Do not use my photos to sell your item.

I do this for fun and I don't make any money from this blog or my patterns. If you're going to be making money from my work I ask that you consider donating to my favorite charity, the Humane Society of Uvalde, via the Paypal button on the donation page of their website. If you want to let me know that you've donated feel free to contact me - I won't have any other way to know.

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Can I link to, repost or sell your pattern?

Linking to my patterns from another website is fine. You may not reproduce or repost any part of my patterns or any instructions from CraftyCattery.com without my permission. You may not sell my patterns under any circumstances.

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Why can't I comment on [insert post title here]?

To help combat spam, I've turned off comments on all but the most recent posts, plus a few popular older posts. If you have a comment or question about a post which doesn't allow new comments, please follow the instructions below to contact me privately.

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How do I contact you?

To contact me privately, scroll down to the bottom of this page, click "Post a Comment" and leave a comment with your name and email address. If you do not leave me your email address I will not be able to respond.

Comment moderation is turned on so I am the only one who will see your comment. It will not be posted online and I will delete it after I get your information. If you have a question or comment that does not require a private response, I urge you to leave it as a comment on the relevant blog post so I can respond to it there.

If you're thinking about asking me to make something for you, please see the first FAQ above, "I want something I saw on your site. How can I get it?" Unless you fall under #3 or #4 on the list, I won't be responding to your request.