Monday, Monday…
It’s a rainy Monday here in the DC suburbs, good day for curling up and writing a good book…or reading one! To that end, I think we should give away a free book! Whaddya say? SOME LIKE IT SCOT hits the stands a week from tomorrow, and to celebrate, the winner of this week’s Free Stuff Friday contest will win a signed advance copy! Just send an email to donna@donnakauffman.com with “I need a rainy day read!” in the subject line. I’ll draw a name from all entries and announce it here in Friday’s blog. Good luck!
Many of you have been asking about the basketweaving photos I posted awhile back. The new “Hot Scot” trilogy is centered around the ancient tradition of waxed linen weaving, and — totally in the name of research, of course! — I’ve been learning how to do it myself. Special thank you to Joanne Howard, my basket guru and reed pusher. Below is a picture of the current work in progress. This is a small tray, the pattern was designed by the fabulous and talented Judy Wilson, with a definite American Indian influence. My series is set in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, where they have their own Celtic pattern influences. And just as soon as I get better at this, I’m going to try my hand with their more complex designs. The puckering in the tray is intentional and caused by the beads that are slid onto the spokes and woven into the tray pattern. That black band inside the outer edge is actually all beads. All that is left to do with this tray is braid the remaining tan spokes into a woven, finished edge. And just as soon as I work up the nerve to do that, I’ll post the final result!
I’m also currently working on a small waxed linen woven basket, which is a vase-like shape when finished. The trick to this one is that you have to hand form the shape of it as you weave. Yeah. We’ll see how that works out for me. I’ll be sure to post my results! The photo below is the newly started vase/basket formation.
On to Monday Morning MAC news! Yes, the best season ever of Survivor is over. No, Russell did not win. Neither did Parvati. Both made the final three, Jerri and Colby did not. And I’m okay with that line up. The ones who played and schemed the hardest made it to the finals. In fact, all three players to make it to the finals have been there before. Two of them have won before! (Can you believe anyone who won the game before was allowed to get to the end? Seriously.) But they did, and for that alone, totally earned. In the end, it was “lippy” Sandra who went home with the dough. Again. I wasn’t too happy when she won her first season, but I was okay with this win. It looked like an under-the-radar/coattails game, but it really wasn’t. She was a shrewd manipulator and despite never winning a single immunity challenge, she and her one, lone immunity necklace pulled out a victory. I wasn’t all that invested in any particular person winning…so I was good with that. Plus, I know she’ll do something good with the money for her family, and community. I don’t know that the same could be said of Parvati, and you damn well know it wouldn’t be said of Russell. Next fall? Nicaragua. I’m on board!
Tonight we get dancing, tomorrow night is singing, and in a week, all of our shows will be over. Good thing their bringing on the dancing in So You Think You Can Dance. And did you hear? Castle has a summer season. Mmmmm yummy! AND! Over on Top Chef, which was filmed here in my lil’ ol’ city, Eric Ripert has joined the judgery. Eye and ear candy. Mmmm, yummy indeed!
What say you, Blog Babes? Hate the Survivor finale? Love it? Surprised Russell didn’t get a single vote? Again? But he did get Fan Favorite! (Did you see Rupert’s face? Yikes.) Who are you rooting for on Idol? DWTS? Or are you past caring about winners at this point? I’m kind of on reality burnout. I’m up for SYTYD and Top Chef, but otherwise, I think I will catch up on all the fabulous movies coming out this summer (saw Robin Hood this weekend and, unlike many critics, I totally LOVED it. Can’t wait to see where it leads…) Also going to catch up on my reading this summer. Okay, so it might take the next three summers, plus all the other seasons, but hey, it’s a start! Next on my pile is Jane Green’s Dune Road. Have any of you read it? I’m looking forward to it. And you? What’s on your must read/must see/must watch list? DISH!!
THANK GOODNESS RUSSELL LOST, MAD THAT HE GOT FAN FAV THOUGH, HE SICKENS ME. SANDRA WAS RIGHT THOUGH THE HEROES DID THEMSELVES IN. EVERY TIME THEY LISTENED TO RUSSELL THE LEFT. JT THE STUPIDEST OF ALL,LOL. SORRY FOR THE CAPITALS, JUST REALIZED AND DONT WANT TO REWRITE. HAVE A GREAT WEEK.
Poor Russell he just doesn’t get it. He may play a good strategic game but his social game sucked. I was ok with Sandra winning. Poor JT LOL on his reward.
On DWTS It seems pretty much a shoe in with Nicole. I feel bad for Chad, he is the only one with no training. There is no way he can compete with them girls.
Yes, happy about a Castle Summer Season.
Hate Parvati - what a phony, when she puts on that fake smile and laugh, it really irritates me and Russell is a disgusting weasel; so very happy Sandra won. I still can’t get over the fact that Parvati won a few seasons back.
Also was unhappy that Russell won the $100,000 and I cannot believe that so many people were manipulated by him. I beleive Sandra tried to warn the Heroes.
Lone dissenter here. I was happy Russell won fan favorite. Yes, he’s a weasel, but I’ve seen far worse on Survivor (hello, Johnny Fairplay!), and see, here’s the thing. He must not have been that annoying to live with day in/day out, or else he would have been sent packing in the early stages both seasons based on unlikeability (is that a word?) alone. So, yes. I enjoyed watching him squirm out of what I saw as surefire reasons to put a target on his back. On Big Brother (and/or another sort of Survivor season not stocked by a jury with so many “heroes”), he might have gotten more votes (hell, A VOTE) and even WON. Sometimes the bad guys win, after all. Especially the ones who do it with brilliance. Where he fell down was his closing argument. Both seasons. I dunno…either it was arrogance…or maybe they edited the hell out of him…but he didn’t put forth any reason to vote for him. I truly believe that if he’d presented a cogent argument, detailing the moves he’d made, the strategies he’d employed–and maybe pointed out where Sandra and Parvati had exhibited “bad behavior,” he would have had a chance. That said, I’m not unhappy Sandra won. (Side note: I barely recognized her on the reunion show!) Oh, and one more thing: if Russell had taken Jerri instead of Parvati, I think he would have had more of a chance. They both played kinda “neutral” games and might have cancelled each other out, leaving the possibility of just one vote for Russell to take the win. Sigh…on to Nicaragua…hope they cast it well!