Just Life | Keep Calm And .....

Carry on.

I love this phrase.

Apparently, this message was commissioned by the British government to turn in to posters during World War II to boost moral in case of " crisis or invasion."

Thank Heaven that Hitler wasn't able to invade England and the crisis was averted. These posters were unearthed years later and became a catch phrase.

Today, there are many versions of this motto out there.
 
My favorites are the following :

• Keep calm and eat a cupcake

• Keep calm and love me 

• Keep calm and go shopping

• Keep calm and join the dark side

• Keep calm and eat chocolate 

• Keep calm and pray hard

• Keep calm and just graduate (Already)

• Keep calm and never give up

• Keep calm and smile

• Keep calm and call Batman

• Keep Calm and be yourself

So how do you finish this phrase:

Keep calm and ..............

Signing off until next Monday- Panteha

Books On FIlm | The Nutcracker

The Nutcracker that we all know and love is almost two hundred years old. The Nutcracker and The Mouse King, a novella by German author E.T.A. Hoffmann, was originally published in 1816. It's the story of a young girl who meets a nutcracker prince and discovers a secret world of toys. 

Since it's publication, the book has been adapted on stage and film. The world famous ballet, which premiered in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1892, was based on Alexander Dumas adaptation of Hoffmann's story. The version my child-self is fond of is from 1986, designed by Sendak, with Macaulay Culkin as The Nutcracker.

If you've never seen The Nutcracker before you can catch it at San Joaquin Delta College on December 21st. 

The Wanderlust Librarian | I'm on a Boat!!

It's been a pretty calm month for the bloggess... save for the adventure I had on the USS Hornet in Alameda. If you've read my blog regularly (or even if you haven't... WELCOME!), I like to visit places nearby and report back on some of the great things you can do within a 1-2 hour drive.

My friend Lizzie, found a deal on Groupon for an overnight on the USS Hornet (regularly $100/per person but reduced to $50 per person with the deal!). Like Costco, you have to snatch up the deal right away before it's sold out. I'll be honest, when she sent it to me, I only saw "overnight in Alameda" and agreed. When I found out it was on a military ship, I was a reluctant.  When I saw that I had a list of things to bring, I was hesitant.

The USS Hornet from the outside! 

Here's what I had to bring:

• sleeping bag
• pillow 
• blanket (for cold nights)
• small toiletry bag (no showers on board)
• flashlight
• a padlock for the locker

It was like camping but on a warcraft! My poor sleeping bag hadn't seen the light of day since an adventurous camping trip in May 2012. Luckily, I had all of the things needed AND was able to pack everything I needed in a small bag. I'm horrible at packing so this was a gigantic feat, indeed!

I had to remind myself that I had to be adventurous and try new things. So what, that I hadn't been on a naval ship before? The fun was in the new adventure and not in the fear of the unknown. 

(L) The bunks are 3 high
(R) My friend and I slept head to head on the bottom bunks
(so we could talk summer camp style!)

We were on the ship with about 120 additional overnight guests. There were Cub Scout groups, veterans, teens and adults. It was great to see such a mix of people together. 

We were sent to our berthing areas (sleeping quarters) where Lizzie and I discovered...COTS. We shared our area with about 50 other people! To respect the men who served on the ship and to keep our cots clean, we had to take off our shoes to get on them. There are covers on the cot mattresses called.... fart sacks. (I'll let you get your giggles out now, because I giggle just reading it!). 

Step over those doors! 

They fed us, military style (with no metal trays (much to Lizzie's dismay). After a dinner of chicken teriyaki skewers, rice and veggies, the groups were together again to meet their tour guides for a night walk around the Hornet. We were warned to keep with the group and to be mindful of the doors. Since the doors in a water-bound vessel were meant to keep water out, the steel doors were higher on the bottoms to help seal them when they closed. For me, they were a tripping hazard. I was careful because in a ship made of steel versus a person, the guides said "the ship wins every time". 

The tour took us to many places on the ship.
The war room was, by far, my favorite! 

*sidenote* I hit my arm on a door and it hurt like the dickens for about a week. No bruise, but dang... I was in pain!  *end of sidenote* 

The tour of the ship was a ton of walking along with going up and down stairs. It was amazing to see the different parts of the ship and how they fared without modern technology. In the war room, the shipmen had to learn to write backwards behind the boards so the officers could read the boards from their vantage points. It was cool when our guide was telling us about it... but jaw dropping when he turned the lights off and the entire room glowed (check out my pictures above!

Walk in an astronaut's footsteps! 

Did you know that the USS Hornet captured the Apollo 11 capsule when it landed in the ocean? Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took their first steps out of the capsule IN the Hornet! There was an Airstream trailer that doubled as a  Mobile Quarantine Facility that the astronauts were to go in when they left the capsule. The Hornet has a replica of the capsule and the Quarantine Trailer on site. 

For the military buff in your life or for a trip back in time, go and visit the USS Hornet. If you have a library card, your admission to the USS Hornet museum is free. Just visit the Discover and Go website through our library page, choose a day to visit and print out your ticket! Keep in mind, the Live Aboard / overnight program on the Hornet is an additional cost and needs to be booked ahead of time. 

Military adventures are out there!

She's Crafty | Yarn On The Big Screen

Have you seen Catching Fire yet?!

I haven't, but already I'm in love with all the beautiful yarn pieces Katniss wears throughout the film.

After flipping through a copy of the Official Illustrated Movie Companion for Catching Fire at the library, I came across at least three pieces I had to search the internet to see if any original designs were available yet or any fan-created inspired patterns.

Enter the Katniss cowl. Probably the most popular piece from the movie if you listen to the internet buzz. The original is woven, which you can read all about in this interview with the designer herself, Maria Dora: Catching Fire Fashion: The Story Behind Katniss' Cowl. 

With a bit of searching, you can find plenty of patterns so you can knit yourself a fashionable Katniss cowl inspired, vest...cape thingy. My favorite so far lives on Ravelry. It's a free pattern created by Lauren McClain, known on the site as LollyKnits. If you're interested in making your own, you can find that pattern here.

The cowl is cool but I'm actually in love with a sweater she wears during the Victory Tour. It has a high-low hem, flattering color-block panels, and trendy thumb holes.

I haven't found a pattern for the sweater yet, but I'm determined. Maybe I'll even try my best at making my own inspired piece. Then again, I may not have to wait long for an official (or unofficial) Catching Fire knits book of patterns. The rumor is, the demand for patterns is HIGH.

This isn't the first time I've gone gaga over a piece of needlework in a movie. After watching Elf for the thousandth time I wondered if there was a pattern for the slouchy white hat Jovie wears while singing outside Central Park. I haven't found the right one yet, but I look whenever I think about the movie.

And, of course, you can't speak about cozy knits at the movies without discussing Harry Potter. House scarves, fingerless gloves, cowls, capes, hats...the movies are a treasure trove of fantastic knits. You can channel your inner wizard or witch with a cozy pair of house socks from Charmed Knits: Projects For Fans of Harry Potter by Alison Hansel, which you can check out from Link+.

So, tell us, what are your favorite big screen cozy pieces? Have you ever made one?

Let us know how you added the ear-flaps to your Jane hat from Firefly. Or how your stripey Tom Baker, Doctor Who scarf turned out. We want to know how efficient that Spock sweater is at keeping you warm.

Kaye & Malia

Just Life | Ice Ice .....

Nope, you guessed it wrong. 

I am not talking about the "Ice Ice Baby" song. 

ICE stands for "In Case of Emergency" on the contact list of your cell phone. 

Lets say that you were in a car accident and you are unconscious. What is the easiest way to contact your next of kin? Your cell phone. Right?(Assuming that your phone isn't passworded.)

So, take a minute today to put your emergency contact info on your phone so paramedics and other first responders can contact your family fast.

Picture from www.swfe.org

 
Here is an example of how to enter it in your cell phone contact list:

ICE Husband
ICE Mom
 
You can even put an ICE sticker on your cell phone informing the first responders that you have your emergency contact info on your cell phone.

You can purchase an ICE sticker from the following website:

http://www.icesticker.com/store

Here are a few facts from this website:

• Millions of teenagers and pre-teens leave their houses every day without ID but most of them carry cell phones.

• According to CDS, in 2006, 1.6 million patients came to emergency rooms and couldn't provide their contact information because they were incapacitated.

ICE might save your life...or the lives of your loved ones.

Baby & child emergency first aid

Infant & child CPR [DVD] : what every parent should know

First aid and CPR  

Signing off until next Monday- Panteha

The Wanderlust Librarian | Thanksgiving Time

The big day is here with lots to eat

and after the feast, you'll be tired and beat.

But now, my dear readers, I think you should know

that I'm writing my blog (and I hope it doesn't blow)

I'm off to the City, the one by the Bay.

Not THAT one, the other... the one called San Jose.

The meal will be small, a decent repast

if you read my previous blog post....it won't be a turkey blast.

Potatoes, sweet corn, pumpkin pie and prime rib

It's simple and delicious (I don't want to be glib).

I can't wait to relax after cooking all day

My boredom will be quelled, "Let's play video games", I'll say!

Of course, it won't jibe with the family dynamic,

my brother will whine for football...it'll be awesome fantastic!

This holiday is one that is dear to my heart,

I'll spend it with my family, not shopping at a mart.

I'm thankful and happy for everything so dear.

To my readers, thank you for reading my blog for over a year! 

I wish you the best of your eating endeavors.

And from the Bloggess to you,

Have the Best Holiday Ever! 

:) 

The Library Bloggess

Learning | Natchitoches

Did you ever see the movie, Steel Magnolias? If you saw the original 1989 version, starring Julia Roberts, you saw a cameo of my niece, playing a newborn baby in the hospital--because she had just been born in the building they were using as a movie location.

I'm in northern Louisiana visiting family this week, in a city called Natchitoches; that's where Steel Magnolias playwright Robert Harling was born and raised.  Julia Roberts' character is based on the tragic story of Harling's sister, Susan. 

I've been thinking about that movie, because I always seem to be passing the house that was featured in the film. I hear it is a bed and breakfast now. It's just a few blocks from the Natchitoches Parish Library.

The city of Natchitoches is the setting for the motion picture, but its name has been disguised as the city of Chinquapin. For many years, it was believed that the word Natchitoches meant the same thing as chinquapin (chestnut tree,) or perhaps eaters of chinquapins.  

Just like the fictional Chinquapin, Natchitoches has a Christmas festival that draws visitors from great distances.  If you have a taste for Christmas light displays, you might consider putting a visit on your bucket list.

Facts about Natchitoches:

It is the oldest continuous settlement in the Louisiana Purchase. It's 300th birthday will be celebrated throughout the year 2014.

Its name is hard to pronounce, because it's a French transliteration of a Native American word.  Residents pronounce it either NACK-a-tish or NACK-a-dish.

The city was established on the banks of the Red River, but the river changed course, leaving behind a long, skinny lake that is now known as the Cane River Lake.

Natchitoches is famous for its meat pies.