Wednesday Mutterings....

So I was finally able to get a hold of Close Range: Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx. (I love working in a library, has it's perks dontcha know?) She's the author who wrote the original short story, "Brokeback Mountain," and it's in this collection.

What a creative mind she has. I'm confessing, I've not read all the stories, many are written "in dialect" and I'm no good at it...ever try reading Trainspotting? Or any of Irvine Welsh's other novels/short stories? I had to get my Scottish friend to read a few paragraphs out loud to me to get me going. And not just out loud, mind, but putting on as much "Scottish" as possible so I could understand what a "bairn" was, or how "doesna matter" could work in the word pun Welsh was playing...tangent girl strikes again...

I don't have anyone from Wyoming handy at present, and I MUST return the book today as there are few copies and many requests for it, but I did read "The Half-Skinned Steer" and it was brilliant. "55 Miles to the Gas Pump" was fun, in a twisted kind of way. Then "Brokeback..." I'm really glad Larry McMurty (he wrote the screenplay) didn't veer far from the story. It's easy to, what with it being a short story and all. The important part, for me, is that it answered my question. 'member back, I saw the movie and was left with the confusion presented to me when the "quiet one" is talking in the telephone booth? (I don't want to ruin it for anyone so I don't mention character names and leave it nice and vague :).)

Well, in the story, what you may have missed cuz Movie screens aren't TiVo, you can reread and see that, yessir, Larry didn't get rid of certain important dialog. Not all movies have narrative monologues the way a story does, and it is rather hard to read an actor's facial expressions some times. I've been told it was left vague on purpose. A repeat of the vision would have cemented it in the hearts and minds of the viewers...but maybe a Hamlet-esque soliloquy would have worked...I dunno, anyone wanna share their thoughts?

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So I took a couple days off the computer. My shoulders are killing me. Typing hurt, knitting hurt. I'm just not all right. I am better now, sleeping far longer hours than when visiting the family, but still sore. Might this be due to my own personal knitting marathon? It is rather hard to knit for small, growing, children. They have this tendency to, well, grow. So if you're making socks or something...well, hurry it up auntie, cuz my feets ain't gettin' any smaller...(Okay, maybe too much Annie Proulx for one morning...) Though these little sockies aren't for my niece and nephew, I've got a cousin whose wife is due in a couple weeks. She's got the newborn gifts from Baby...whatever, what store did I end up dumping all that money in??? I didn't know baby's were so "in." They have so many stores dedicated to them now, it's wow, it's kinda weird. These sockies will do well for when the baby is a wee bit bigger.

As I just learned how to make little people sockies, I thought I'd send her a pair maybe, and maybe a hat...but I wanted them done and ready before I made any final decisions. These are my FIRST sockies, and really people, some things should just be photographed, noted, then frogged saying, "well, that was a valiant attempt."

Of course, as perfect as you can make anything, I guess I'm also at the "will they be appreciated or just thrown away" point in my gift giving. It's been said hundreds of times, thousands, I'll bet, "Give handmade gifts only to those who know how to appreciate them." Generally that's other crafters, knitters, sew-ers, quilters, etc. I think I've already been introduced to the negative aspect of it...I mentioned it when I commented on someone else's' blog the other day. I was kinda hurt the night of my niece's birthday party. It got cold enough that beanies were brought out for the kids. Nowhere did I see the ones I made for my little ones. I said nothing. There are many reasons for them not being there. Unfortunately, in my head it triggered something, something very negative, something that kinda went, "never again."

I want to think I'm over-reacting. These kids have hundreds of clothes, so my handknit beanies were somewhere else...(my "negative Nancy" self adds, "yeah, at the bottom of the pile.") Maybe if I'd gotten pictures of the kids wearing their hats? Or my brother wearing his? Something that said, "look, see, we at least tried them on once!" I dunno, too sensitive. I'll just stop with that train of thought...but it is coloring what I'm doing. I'd love to give my cousin-in-law the socks and hat cuz well, that's what I do, I make things and then give them away. I should just get over it and not be hurt if people don't like what they get. After all, these people all live in LA. There are fashions to be followed. You can't just put anything on a baby now-a-days, what would babygap/r-us/etc. et. al. say about that! Okay, little bitter.

I'll try to manipulate a camera today and snap some pics...there's a great "meme-esque" kinda thing over at Knits & Grits, this entry, and those socks of questionable quality to commemorate.

Happy February 1st everyone!