a southern gal in the north

Aren’t they GORGEOUS!!!???

check out spillyjane knits.
and on Ravelry
i may never knit anything else again (not but really…!)

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there are days when i HATE microsoft. 
i am sure many of you can relate.

about a week ago all hell broke lose on the new computer (its a year old in march) – a vista HP desktop. 

at first the internet connection would be down – but it wasn’t as it was fine on the other desktop and wireless to the laptop was fine.  a reboot solved that but then things got wonkier  (a very technical expression).   the mouse would freeze on switching between the desktops (kvm problem? no the other desktop was fine).
the speakers stopped working, the usb hub with the two external hard drives was acting strangely – and worse, the computer would not boot up IF the hub was attached – it tried to mount the two external drives.

sigh.

after many hours of troubleshooting – including two system restores and COPIOUS windows updates and much trolling of forums and reinstalling ALL the usb drivers  and MANY reboots – [FINGERS CROSSED and WHISPERING] – we seem to be back in calm waters.

however, the two external drives and their d-link hub are now attached to the very old xp desktop (which is essentially acting as a server).

there is a lot of talk in fora about MS updates and vista and the shitty interaction with usb 2.0 ports.  as of now tho, i am not convinced the problem is MS updates (there is documentation towards that line) and Vista and/or the hardware of the cpu.

this computer was purchased feb 26 09.  in april 09, the ethernet port died.   instead of returning the cpu – found a usb/ethernet adapater and all has been well since then.

however, i am really beginning to think the usb/ethernet ports are bad and even if they are working now, i really am annoyed that the network port is bad and who knows if and when the rest go bad and i should send this baby back for a new one before i lose that one year warranty window.

of course that means copying everything off and deleting all personal infor etc. 

not to forgot that <wonderful> phone call to India, oops, i mean HP support.  oh joy.

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Summer Crochet is Rowan’s first brochure solely dedicated to the craft of crochet. A historical and richly atmospheric fishing harbour provides a stunning backdrop to this ultimately feminine collection of 12 modern and easy to wear garments.

The Curious Case of Peter Gelb | The New York Observer

Peter Gelb, the general manager of the Metropolitan Opera, is not a man given to self-revealing gestures. In interviews he comes across as studiously bland—undramatic and unconfessional. He is soft-spoken, and while he is by all accounts an exacting, detail-oriented boss, he’s not a performer, nor does he wear his heart on his sleeve.

He’s not the kind of guy, in other words, who would give The New York Times interviews detailing his insecurities about his working-class background. He’s not the kind of guy who would also tell The Times that to get things done in an opera house, you sometimes have to act operatically. Both of those insights came from his predecessor, Joseph Volpe, who started at the Met as a carpenter, rose over the course of three decades to the house’s leadership and left in 2006; and whom Mr. Gelb hired last week to lead upcoming contract negotiations with the company’s three major unions. The hire, an uncharacteristic and surprising move, reveals more about Mr. Gelb, and about the state of his company, than any other moment since he came to the Met.

It seems to be the very opposite of what Peter Gelb would do. He may be quiet and unprepossessing, but he clearly revels in exercising his power, and he has an inflexible, almost messianic sense of his mission, telling the New York Post last November, regarding opera fans displeased with the Met’s offerings, “If they still hate what we’re doing, I’m going to be trying my hardest to continue to do what I am doing, because I believe it’s the only way to go.”

Power-sharing wouldn’t seem to come easily to him, particularly not when Mr. Volpe is involved. The transition from one administration to the other, in 2005 and 2006, was a rocky one. Mr. Volpe bristled when Mr. Gelb described the Met he was inheriting as “coasting,” and Mr. Gelb, then and since, has seemed uninterested in reaching out to Mr. Volpe for advice.

read rest here

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From my cousin, Alafair’s blog:

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

With each book, I cross my fingers and hold my breath as I wait for the influential Publishers Weekly review. I’m delighted to report that 212 has PW’s stamp of approval:

Burke’s third white-knuckle thriller finds NYPD Det. Ellie Hatcher (after Angel’s Tip) and her partner, J.J. Rogan, investigating the murder of NYU student Megan Gunther, who’s the target of threatening posts on a college gossip Web site. The death of bodyguard Robert “Robo” Mancini, whose bullet-ridden corpse turns up in a swanky new building, the 212, built by Sam Sparks, the high-powered Manhattan real-estate developer Robo worked for, ups the ante. When Sam makes it clear that the police won’t have access to any company records, Ellie’s interest is piqued. As she and J.J. try to piece together Megan’s life, they discover a link between the student and a recently murdered real estate agent. With her usual tenacity, Ellie pursues leads that put both her career and her life at risk. Burke expertly weaves real-life headlines into her plot—particularly the Craig’s List Killer and the slew of recent political scandals—without ever sacrificing originality.

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A WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY EVENING THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

SNOW IS EXPECTED TO OVERSPREAD THE REGION STARTING LATE TUESDAY EVENING. THE SNOW MAY BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES ON WEDNESDAY…BEFORE SLOWLY TAPERING OFF WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

THE POTENTIAL FOR 6 TO 12 INCHES OF SNOW ACCUMULATION EXISTS. AT THIS TIME THE HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE NEW YORK CITY METROPOLITAN AREA AND LONG ISLAND.

AS THE STORM INTENSIFIES…EAST TO NORTHEAST WINDS WILL BECOME STRONG AND GUSTY DURING THE DAY ON WEDNESDAY…WITH GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH POSSIBLE ESPECIALLY IN COASTAL SECTIONS. THIS WILL CAUSE BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF SNOW…WITH NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS AND POSSIBLE POWER OUTAGES.

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Super Bowl is most watched TV show ever

NEW YORK (AP) – The Super Bowl was watched by more than 106 million people, surpassing the 1983 finale of “M-A-S-H” to become the most-watched program in television history. The Nielsen Co. estimated Monday that 106.5 million people watched the New Orleans Saints upset the Indianapolis Colts. That beats the “M-A-S-H” finale, which had 105.97 million viewers in an era when there were fewer television sets.

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Veteran British actor Ian Carmichael, seen in films including I’m All Right Jack, has died at the age of 89.  Carmichael, who also starred on TV as Bertie Wooster in the BBC’s World of Wooster, had fallen ill over Christmas.

He died peacefully on Friday at his home in the Esk Valley on the North York Moors.

He made his name in films for the Boulting Brothers including Private’s Progress (1956) and I’m All Right Jack (1959) alongside Peter Sellers.  During the 1960s and 1970s, he was successful in parts where he was cast as a loveable buffoon.  On television, his role as Bertie Wooster was particularly popular with audiences.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/entertainment/8502006.stm

Published: 2010/02/06 14:24:50 GMT

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go marching in!

“Louisiana . . . and New Orleans is back,” Mr. Benson said last night. “And it’s showed the whole world.”  (NOLA.com)

Coach Sean Payton said it best as he hoisted the Vince Lombardi trophy: “Everybody back in New Orleans gets a piece of this trophy.”  (NOLA.com)

it was an emotional game especially from that crazy second half opening play!

by the time Porter intercepted the Manning pass… tears began and there may have been a bit of screaming and hollering in this wee apartment in a state above the Mason Dixon line.

can only imagine what the Quarter is like right now – pretty unbelievable and boy, do the citizens of New Orleans deserve this win.

and coming the DAY after the Mitch Landrieu win as mayor!

New Orleans, for the first time since Katrina, has hope for unified invigorated governance and, finally, a sports team that lives up to their supporter’s faith and belief in them.

congratulations Saints!

We are trav’ling in the footsteps

Of those who’ve gone before,

And we’ll all be reunited,

On a new and sunlit shore,

Oh, when the saints go marching in

Oh, when the saints go marching in

Lord, how I want to be in that number

When the saints go marching in

And when the sun refuse to shine

And when the sun refuse to shine

Lord, how I want to be in that number

When the sun refuse to shine

And when the moon turns red with blood

And when the moon turns red with blood

Lord, how I want to be in that number

When the moon turns red with blood

Oh, when the trumpet sounds its call

Oh, when the trumpet sounds its call

Lord, how I want to be in that number

When the trumpet sounds its call

Some say this world of trouble,

Is the only one we need,

But I’m waiting for that morning,

When the new world is revealed.

Oh When the new world is revealed

Oh When the new world is revealed

Lord, how I want to be in that number

When the new world is revealed

Oh, when the saints go marching in

Oh, when the saints go marching in

Lord, how I want to be in that number

When the saints go marching in

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Keep Calm and Carry Yarn poster 12 x 18 red by jenniegee on Etsy.