SuperEggplant

Mrs. H sent me a great package:

Sushi fabric and the Donut Book! I think I had the original edition of this book, but it disappeared (I think maybe Megan has it?). I became ravenously hungry for a donut as I looked through this book. I wanted to catch the first plane to NYC so I could get a jelly donut* at the Doughnut Plant**. You can also get Green Tea donuts at some restaurant in NYC (I’m too lazy to go look it up). There’s also supposed to be a great donut place in Westport, CT, which of course made me think of Major Knitter. Ahhhhh, DONUTS!!!!!!
*I usually don’t eat jelly donuts, but I read an article about the Doughnut Plant’s jelly donuts. They are square and injected in different corners so that each bite will be filled with jelly.
**Please, you New Yorkers. If you go to the Doughnut Plant, will you write to me and tell me how it was? And I think you should try to go there. Soon. Or now.

I got tagged TWICE with these meme thingies that have been going around the blogosphere, once for the music meme by Carolyn and the movie meme by little Miss Gidget. Did you know that “meme” is not in the dictionary? Well, it’s not. Anyway, I can’t imagine too many of you would be that interested in what I watch or listen to, so you can stop reading now if you wish.
Before I answer the questions, here’s who I’m tagging!
The Music Meme:
– Action Hero Melissa: Cuz she and I have been swapping music, and she just got a brand new rockin’ iPod.
– My wacko brother: Because don’t you want to be able to say you know a 40-year-old who proudly admits to being a big fan of the Pet Shop Boys and Journey? I wouldn’t be surprised if he has Rick Astley, too.
– My friend Andrew: Because he doesn’t post enough to his annotated blog! He’s also interesting, and back when he was a poor slacker, he was a musician.
The Movie Meme:
– Carolyn: Because she tagged me for the music thing, so I want to get her back. Ha!
– Jessica: Cuz her husband IS a filmmaker, and she is always seeing interesting films and sharing insightful and honest information about them
– Marie: Because she and I like to talk about television shows, so it will be interesting to hear about her movie tastes
THE MUSIC MEME
1. Total amount of music files on your computer: Uhh, Just under 4GB. I only started loading music onto my laptop since I got my iPod mini a month ago. Since the mini only holds 4GB, I am almost out of room, and I don’t have that many of my CDs loaded! Now I am feeling stingy about loading CDs onto the computer.
2. The last CD you bought was: “The Golden Hum” by Remy Zero, though it hasn’t arrived yet, so maybe it doesn’t count. I recently bought a Stereophonics CD, the new Ken Stringfellow, and the new Luna on iTunes (I am not very good at remembering titles).
3. What is the song you last listened to before reading this message? Errrr, I think it was Paul Westerberg’s “Stereo” CD. I listened to the whole CD, so I don’t know what song. If I can’t remember CD titles, do you really expect me to remember song titles?
4. Write down 5 songs you often listen to or that mean a lot to you: Yeah, this one is a toughie. I usually don’t listen to songs over and over for fear of wearing them out. There are many bands (XTC, REM, Crazy 8s, Poi Dog Pondering) that have been influential throughout different time periods, but whatever. I have decided to list 5 songs that I may or may not even own but that always make me really happy when I hear them:
“We Walk the Same Line” Everything But the Girl
“Mayor of Simpleton” XTC (I know that this is XTC’s top 40 song and their most accessible, and that they have millions of other great songs, but dang it, this one makes me happy)
“I’ll Follow the Sun” The Beatles
“Train in Vain” The Clash
“My Everchanging Moods” The Style Council
And a bonus sixth: “More Than a Feeling” Boston (I can’t help it, but I still love that Boston CD with the spaceship on the cover!)
THE MOVIE MEME
1. The Last movie you went to see in a theater: Man, I honestly don’t remember, it’s been so long! Maybe I shouldn’t admit this, but ever since we got our dog, I don’t really like to go to the movies. She has abandonment issues! But anyway, I *think* it was Open Water.
2. The last movie you watched at home: Uhh, I believe it was Holes. Before that we saw Battle Royale. Oh, I tried to watch that Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever movie on TV last weekend, thinking it would be kind of campy and funny, but it was HORRIBLE.
3. How many movies do you own? I’m not really into watching movies over and over, so we only have about 6. The only reason we have those is because I signed up for one of those Columbia House deals.
4. What was the last movie you bought? It’s not a movie, but the last DVD I bought was the first season of The Office. I tried to buy the Poseidon Adventure, but Columbia House doesn’t have it. I think that’s a crime.
5. Got Netflix (or a similar service?) We have Greencine, which is very similar to Netflix. I think it is a bit more indie than Netflix. We probably end up paying a million dollars per DVD, though, because we rarely watch the DVDs.
What are the next three movies in your queue?
Well, I have “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” and “Better Luck Tomorrow” next to the DVD player, and I think “Garden State” is first in my queue.

6. List five movies you adore/mean a lot to you:
“Ikiru” by Kurosawa – The first time I saw this was on Halloween my 2nd year of college. I was so affected by the movie that I had to just sit in my room and avoid the Halloween party that was going on in the house
“Diner” by Barry Levinson – This has the best one-liners, and Kevin Bacon is really at his best
“Blue Velvet” by David Lynch – Such a brilliant film
“Repo Man” – Can you even believe that is Emilio Estevez?
“Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure” – How I love this movie
A few more I have to sneak in: “Five Corners” – I really loved this film and was moved by it. For a long time it was the only film I owned (I had to buy it because I wrote about it for a Film Semiotics class). I remember loaning it to some friends, telling them how great it was, and they watched it, and, well, they thought I was nuts; “True Stories” – okay, so I just love love love David Byrne, and John Goodman was really great in it; “Rushmore” – can you tell that I have a soft spot for quirky little slice-of-life films?
7. Name your guilty pleasure movie (or genre): Well, guilty pleasure genre would definitely have to be action/adventure. I adore those Hong Kong kick-people-in-the-head movies. And one of my guilty pleasure movies is “Big Trouble in Little China.” I don’t know why, but I could watch that movie over and over. It is hilarious!

So I was going to talk about chocolate muffins today, but instead I am going to share something that has no relation to cooking or crafting! The horror! Anyway, I sometimes talk about Mrs. H, who is responsible for getting me hooked on sewing. I have known her since I was 6 years old, when I became friends with her daughter Alice. She has 3 daughters in all, each incredibly accomplished and interesting. If you listen to NPR, you’ve probably heard her daughter Emily reporting from Europe and, yes, Iraq. In this week’s Willamette Week, Portland’s free weekly, the lead story is about Emily’s experiences in Iraq. She and the Willamette Week’s editor have been corresponding, and the story shares excerpts from their e-mails. I cannot believe what she has been through. You can read the story here.