Yurt Sweet Yurt and Other Stuff

1.  I want one!

2.  The Thomas Crowne Affair (the 1999 version), I've mentioned before, is my all-time favorite fantasy movie.  I want to be Rene, and I want my Pierce.  I'll take that one to my grave.  Yesterday Cookie asked me, "Yes, but what happened after the plane landed?"  Easy:  They continued to live in mad passionate love, engaging in their high-risk hijinks 'til they died. Rene's character, sadly, is working on cirrhosis of the liver, but I've decided that she continues with her green drinks and gives up her alcohol, so they live happily, dangerously, and hotly ever after. Cookie said I'm such a romantic.

3.  I don't know what took me so long.  I've been searching for the "right" gym music for such a long while.  In a "duh" moment, I ran across my collection of Broadway Musical CDs and started loading them on my iPod.  They're perfect!  Up-tempo music that I like, and that tell a story, and since I know the plays and the song lyrics by heart, they keep me engaged and the time flies.  Yesterday was The Lion King.  The day before, The Man of La Mancha; the day before that, Les Miserables.  I've got Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Phantom of the Opera in the lineup.  I have lost or misplaced Chicago.  I have to get my hands on that one, because it's one of my favorites and has just the right attitude for kicking butt at the gym (and in life).   

4.  I'm making good progress on the little 2- and 1- and 3-pound weights that I'm restricted to right now because of my injury.  It turns out that a couple of the macho guys at my gym have injuries, too, and so we can work out together with our cute little pink weights and our isometric exercises.  I can hold the plank position (as per Cindy's instructions) for about three hours.  Not really.  But it seems like it.

5.  I'm also making good progress on the first sleeve of La Boheme.  Loving the increases. I took several photos, but they're all blurry, so fuggedaboutit. Anyway, I'm doing the knit into the stitch below, like I would for a mitten thumb gusset, and it's the best-looking sleeve increase I've ever tried. This sweater is a super-simple pattern, and it is becoming my simple little masterpiece. The best news is that after the wash, the body of the sweater did indeed return to exactly the right size when it dried. Phew. 

 

Comments

[Betsy]

I'm thinking that two of the smaller units linked together would be PERFECT for year round living...wow...what a neat find Norma...

[Seanna Lea]

I use musicals a lot for workout music, especially Wicked and Rent. The Cirque du Soleil music is also very good for working out (I love using Alegria, because the moving notes in the main piece work really well to keep me flowing from one exercise to another).

Yurts make me think of college, because we always maintained that was how the college was going to fix their housing crunch!

[gayle]

That's always been my favorite increase - nearly invisible.

West Side Story has been stuck in my head for many many years (we did it as a high school play) - lots of fun songs in that one!

[AnnaMarie]

The Thomas Crowne Affair is my husband's favorite movie because it *always* gets me in the mood. That yurt is cute but I want one made out of felted wool *LOLOL*

[margene]

A member of our spinning guild made a yurt of felted wool! It was gorgeous. I want one, too. Just for me. ;-)

[Jean]

I always wanted to know what happened after the end. Thanks for clearing that up.
You know, we're flying down to Texas to buy a house next month...maybe all we really need is a yurt!

[Anne]

I do hope you have the Donny Osmond version of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. It's the best one, IMHO, not just because Donny is great but I also prefer the narrator.

And as a Physical Therapist myself, it is wonderful to hear that you are continuing to workout while following your PT's advice. It is so disheartening as a PT when patient's ignore my expertise.

[a simple yarn]

So glad to see the link to the yurt! We've wanted an outhouse, erm, let me re-phrase that, an outbuilding and that fits the bill. They have such things in Ireland, a shomera, and glad to see such things are in the US too.

[Bex]

I really love the idea of living in a yurt. But, I can't imagine how much wool it takes to make one!

[Carole]

You sound downright upbeat today.

[naomi]

I rather like the idea of one of the 30' ones with a loft...

[claudia]

Plank is one of my favorites. I can hold it for 60 sec. but I'm going for 90 sec. next time. Personally, I think that is the most challenging ab exercise.

[Ann]

I love the house and the price is right! I have Ravels bolero. i used to have a cd from circuit city that had only 4 songs the last being bolero and it was the perfect length of the workout. It died. I cannot replace it. I can't even lift any weights, I hurt my back and Im fat. No wway I will lose those 20 lbs by my 50th-LMAO just like the commercials. And yum yum on the movie. We own it and watch it often

[Mel]

David used to be really interested in the idea of a yurt. I still think it'd be an excellent idea to set up in our field and live in when we can finally afford to do the major reno this house needs.

[Cheryl S.]

I used to listen to "Les Miserables" when I cleaned the house. I'd crank it up on the stereo have at it!

Great news on the sweater - whew!! I've just been swatching with that yarn. Did it grow at all? My swatches grew slightly.

[Marcia]

I've wanted a yurt as a fiber studio for years! There is a spinner/dyer on the west coast who has one and it's awesome. They have a yurt as an exercise room at Sundance (you were there!) and I think there is a yurt/restaurant at the top of The Canyons that you get to by horsedrawn sleigh. Or something. I want one 'cause it would piss off the dirtwad who lives behind me.

[Jasmin]

The new cast of "Xanadu" is oddly compelling.

[Cookie]

I still think she breaks him because he's just a dried up twig of a man. Then she moves on to bigger and better. Just sayin'...

I'm so glad the sweater turned out the right size!

[--Deb]

Any music written to be tap-danced to is going to be good to exercise to!

And, I'll watch almost anything with Pierce Brosnan, but I still love him best as Remington Steele.

[Sarah]

That is a nifty home.

Three cheers for continued healing.

I'm glad the sweater dried the way it should.

[Renee]

Sarah Richardson (Canadian Designer with a few tv shows) did a whole episode on decorating a yurt. Who knew??
Good to hear your're still healing and the sweater is behaving.

[sil]

Re: #3--I just flashed to you at the gym running merrily on the treadmill incorporating step ball change and jazz hands into the run. I shall cling to this vision of you doing this in some sort of Jane Fonda-esque leotard.

[acai berry diet]

"The Thomas Crowne Affair" is my all time favorite movie. Really a nice one.

[Adelaide]

Since I'm a tad older than you are, Norma, I'd have to go with Steve McQueen as Thomas Crowne, although I can also appreciate Pierce Brosnan.

[Adrianne]

Congratulations on the sweater, the baby weights, and the workout music. Yurts are pretty cool. I work for a woman who is a partner in a two-woman yurt-making business, www.blueridgeyurts.com, here in SW Virginia. It's really neat to see them going up as once enough rafters are put into place they then support the center ring and it's all held together under tension.

[Chris]

I wanna go to Mongolia to learn how to felt my own yurt the traditional way.