sprite writes
broodings from the burrow

June 25, 2008


read all about it
posted by soe 3:27 pm

The New York Times reviews root beer in today’s paper.

One question: How do I get to be a taste coordinator for such an event?

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socks
posted by soe 1:57 am

No need to send out a search party!

The Summer of Socks has commenced and I’m spending lots of time with fine wool and pointy sticks.

Apparently having two socks on the needles and a third sock in need of a mate is not enough to prevent my browsing through my yarn stash to think about what else I could begin.

(There has also been movie watching, swimming, gardening, and reading, just in case any of you were worried I’d become a one-track gal.)

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June 22, 2008


my d.c.: chocolate
posted by soe 1:28 am

Attention to DetailMove over San Francisco. Watch your back, Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Washington, D.C., would like you to know it plans to be known for its chocolaty goodness now, too.

Earlier this month, my friends Sarah and Amani and I decided to investigate the new downtown chocolate restaurant Co Co. Sala.

The Wednesday afternoon had turned rainy, and periodically the skies would pour forth water as if someone were wringing the clouds out like a washcloth. We each arrived separately, me first and Amani soon after. We’d heard that Sarah was waiting for a bus, so we headed to the bar to take in the scene.

The room was decorated in dark wood and red chairs and booths with lots of modern cube shelving on the walls and with chocolate encased in the bar to accent the hip quotient of the place.
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Category: dc life. There is/are 4 Comments.

June 19, 2008


loud, look out the window!, and lovely
posted by soe 4:03 pm

If it’s Thursday, it’s time to share three beautiful things from the past week:

1. Yesterday, The Killers’ “Somebody Told Me” came up on my iPod just as I was getting to work and I had to resist dancing down H Street with it cranked up all the way. (Please note: I only resisted the dancing part. When I’m totally deaf by the age of 50 it will be moments like these and from back in high school when I’d blast Eponine’s lament or the penultimate song of the musical from Les Mis at full blast.) The song had four seconds left on the song when I paused it and so came up again this morning. So I played it again and skipped and danced a little on my walk to the Metro. I wonder what those Moroccan diplomats thought of me…

2. Yesterday evening, just after Rudi IM’ed me to say it was raining again, Suzanne called to me from down the hall: “There’s a rainbow!” In fact, it was a double rainbow glowing over the eastern part of the city. The bottom rainbow had some funky coloration issues going on with repeats of its purple and blue bands. I can’t believe I’ve seen double rainbows twice this spring!

3. Allison Krauss has a hauntingly beautiful voice and she and Robert Plant clearly enjoy performing together. She sang “Down in the River” a cappella and it was enough to make one weep with joy.

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June 18, 2008


i knit in public
posted by soe 10:43 pm

Okay, so that’s not terribly impressive, since I knit in public all the time — in the lunchroom at work, at the ballpark, on the Metro, at cafés.

In D.C., it takes a lot to impress people so while someone might ask what I’m making, it’s rare for them to seem surprised by it.

Sock with RomaniansSaturday was Worldwide Knit in Public Day, where knitters are encouraged to knit in public places to promote the hobby to “Muggles.” One of the groups on Ravelry that I belong to, Sock Knitters Anonymous, decided to take it a step further and host a photo scavenger hunt. So on Saturday afternoon, Rudi and I set out with some needles and yarn to build a sock to show in various places.

There was a set list of various elements you could show with your sock and you were awarded points for each one that appeared in the ten photos you were allowed to submit. These included an endangered animal, a height of more than 100 feet, other sock knitters, a calendar, under water, foreigners, dancers, and a Pogo stick.

Sock with Endangered Kori Bustard

Knitting while Awaiting Pizza SliceMy new sock met an endangered Kori Bustard, a family of Romanians, and two waitresses. It dangled over several bridges and got wet in the rain. It was held by a cat — and by a cyclist.

(Thankfully, Rudi took most of the shots for me. By the time I was taking the shot of the cyclist (Rudi on my bike in our apartment) shortly before midnight, I was a little tired and sort of forgot to include the bike in the frame. Oops.)

I managed to rack up 56 points over the course of several hours, allowing me to come in fifth in the event.

Surprisingly few people around the world (there are several people in this group) took advantage of the game, so everyone who did won a prize. I won an honorable mention prize, which gives me two skeins (enough for a pair of socks) of Shibui Knits Sock yarn in my choice of color. Any suggestions of which one I should pick?

What Do You Have There?

Category: knitting. There is/are 3 Comments.

June 17, 2008


into the stacks 19
posted by soe 12:42 am

By all rights, I ought to be telling you about five books I’d finished in May. There is no excuse for why I haven’t finished The Book Thief, except that it takes place during World War II, we’ve reached 1943, and I’m afraid. It’s hard not to be worried when your book is narrated by Death. So, instead, I keep plodding along, a few pages at a time, and offer you my reviews for the books I *have* finished.

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