Adventures

Sofia + Lego = Feminist Pirate

Okay, so it's been a while since i wrote anything here, but, you know, life happens. I have to tell you guys about Sofia's Lego purchases today, though. She had an old Toys R Us gift card for $50, and she said the other day that she would really like some more Legos, especially more people. I suggested she actually use the card to buy more Lego (crazy, i know). So, today we went to Toys R Us, and she bought:

Sports Car (City Collection)

Camper (City Collection)

Cannon Battle (Pirates Collection)

Kraken Attackin' (Pirates Collection)

At lunch, Sofia took out the Camper and Cannon Battle boxes and proceeded (i thought) to put together the people from the sets. When i looked again, however, she had taken the woman's head from the Camper set and put it on the pirate's body from the Cannon Battle. This female pirate was wielding a sword and being attacked by piranha.

Sofia later explained that the red shirt worn by the woman in the Camper set had a little bow and a heart on it, thus deeming it unusable in Sofia's eyes. I love that she specifically sought out better (non-girlified) clothing for this Lego person.

Sherlock Holmes

With an unexpected day and evening free of child on Monday, we decided to go see Sherlock Holmes. It was definitely worth seeing: a lot of fun and a lot of Guy Ritchie's trademark slow-mo (see Lock, Stock, & Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch).

While playing down Holmes's drug use, Ritchie definitely alludes to it; at one point Jude Law's Watson says to Robert Downey's Holmes, "Do you know that what you're drinking is for eye surgery?" The two make a good pair, and Law gets across Watson's
reluctant compliance in Holmes's escapades. I also liked the inclusion of Irene Adler, the only woman Holmes could truly admire (according to Conan Doyle).

If you go, be prepared for some squirm-inducing bone-breaking violence along with some real laughs.

Up in the Air

With Sofia at a friend's house overnight on Sunday, Andy and i took advantage and went to see Up In The Air. The movie wasn't completely predictable (a few plot points certainly were), and we both enjoyed it.

I can not watch George Clooney these days, however, without thinking his teeth look false. Have they always been that way? Even on The Facts of Life?

Jump in to make your own judgement...

Scarf knitted in two days!

I knitted this scarf for Sofia last week; it's from Knitting New Scarves by Lynne Barr. The ends are wider than the center, an effect accomplished with short rows, and it is knitted on a long circular needle to allow the entire length to be knitted all at once (there are only about 50 rows).

Sofia had been complaining about her current scarf while we were in Chicago, so i figured this would be a good one to start with out of the book (i.e., the easiest). The others look significantly more difficult :)

An Early Christmas

We spent Dec 12-20 in Crystal Lake, IL, visiting my parents and my brother and attending a wedding of one of Andy's good friends from college. The visit was an early Christmas/Solstice celebration, so we got our presents on Dec 14. Yea for early gifts!

Sofia had a great time playing in the snow, learning how to weld (from my brother Rob), and learning how to make lace (from Mum). She had so much fun, in fact, i think she will be disappointed if we don't make it out there again next winter (as will i).

On Dec 17, my parents, Andy, and i went to downtown Chicago for a taping of NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, leaving Sofia in the care of Rob and his partner Rob. This was when she welded, and they also sang karaoke! The adults in the family were well entertained by the hosts of the radio show, Carl Kasell and Peter Sagal, along with the guest panel that week: Roxanne Roberts, Tom Bodett, and Paula Poundstone. After the show, they all hung around talking to audience members and signing autographs. Andy bought Paula Poundstone's latest book and had her inscribe it to Mum, since the comedian is one of Mum's favorites.

We did other stuff, too, like going to the Field Museum of Natural History to see Sue, the T-Rex, or playing with Mum's new Wii, or packing and shipping boxes of my books to Seattle. I think everyone had fun while we were there, and it's nice to have my books again ;)