12.30.06
Posted in Anything goes, Uncategorized, knitting and crocheting at 2:24 pm by Administrator
It appears that the week has zipped by again! But before any more of it slips past, Brian and I would like to wish you all a happy, healthy 2007! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Ours was very nice. We had a small family gathering, but I always enjoy them no matter what size. The cooking was done by my sister and brother-in-law, and Brian and me. Practically everything was organic from the turkey and roast to the breads and desserts. Speaking of desserts!, 
my sister and brother-in-law made some yummy macrobiotic shortbread cookies! Ummmm! As you can see from the picture on the right, some of them were dipped in chocolate and decorated with an occasional pine nut. Not only were the cookies organic and macrobiotic, they were also gluten-free. I think they used either maple syrup or molasses in place of sugar, but I’ll have to find out. The person who came up with that recipe is a genius! I wish her my best! My tastebuds thank her, and so do my tummy, skin, and diabetic mother! Ha! I’m gonna have to get that recipe! My youngest son called them “antibiotic” cookies, ha! Eh, I’m still trying to figure that one out. . .
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the scarves I made were adopted into new homes at our Christmas gathering. And here I thought I might be stuck with eight scarves that no one wanted, but it turns out that I need to make another one for myself. But first. . . I remembered a couple special people who live in a much colder climate for whom I thought might like a warm scarf. So I stopped off at the yarn shop and inquired about their wool selection. I learned something new. I was told that “alpaca” is actually five times warmer than “wool.” 
So I picked up a few hanks of 50% wool and 50% alpaca. I found a conservative stitch and color. The stitch I found that I liked is called a brioche knit and is worked up in two colors. So I picked out two colors. The picture doesn’t really show the colors well as the darker one actually has some green hues but look more like dark brown in the picture. I have found that there are various versions of brioches, not all using two colors, but they are a thicker knit because it uses up more yarn to work up. So, I’m hoping that with the combination of thick knit and the wool and alpaca blend, this will be a nice warm scarf. What I like about the brioche stitch is that it is reversible so that both sides look good. There are a lot of knit stitches, especially if you use cabling where one side looks nice and decorative, but the back looks like, well. . . the back. But this stitch looks good on both sides and is not just the usual rib stitch, and the color even switches from one side to the other. 
Here’s a picture of what I’ve worked up so far in this yarn. I’ve flipped it so that both sides can be seen. Maybe you can tell that on one side the light color dominates, but on the other side, the darker color dominates. It looks almost like an ordinary rib stitch, but it actually has more depth to it. I’ll attach a close up of both side to get a better look at it. I’m holding it a little stretched out to show the stitching more. The first one has the darker color on the top of the rib while the second picture has the lighter color on the top of the rib.
All well, both sides look almost the same in these pictures, but I assure you the difference is much more noticeable in person, ha! I’ll see how these finish up, and maybe I’ll try making some matching caps to go along with these.
Oh, as a side note, I know the brioche knit looks simple, and it really is. . .once you get the hang of it! But when I first was trying to follow the instructions, I couldn’t believe what trouble I was having! UNTIL. . . I found a YouTube video showing how the brioche stitch is done. . . Whew! Gives me a new appreciation for the saying, “a picture is worth a 1000 words. . . “Okay! Happy New Year to all! May 2007 bring much joy and happiness!
Marlakins 
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12.23.06
Posted in Anything goes, Uncategorized, knitting and crocheting at 11:37 pm by Administrator
Just in case I don’t get any computer time tomorrow or Christmas, I wanted to make sure now to wish everyone a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!
After my friend, Helen, gave me the bright idea of using my old yarn stash to make baby hats and blankets for preemies, my old knitting and crocheting addiction was aroused. . . and while out shopping, I found some really fun looking scarves, which inspired me to make some scarves this year. Originally I was just going to make one for my sister since she liked some that we saw, but I managed to whip out eight of them. From the picture of them below, you may deduce that I have very casual taste (with a bit of hippy, ha!)
I knitted the three on the left and the cream one around my neck. The four on the right are crocheted. I still need to finish the tassels on the green one on the far right. And since I have a lot more yarn left over, I want to make one with those little granny squares. Maybe I’ll start making plans for socks for next Christmas. . .
Instead of my stash of yarn getting “smaller,” it has grown bigger! As I mentioned above, my old knitting and crocheting addiction was re-kindled, so just as I started using up my old yarn, I bought more! Sigh. . . I don’t think I’ll ever be without a stash of yarn somewhere. So below is a picture of “some” of the new yarn that I haven’t gotten to yet, but am itching to get to. I’ve already got an idea of what I’m gonna do with it, hehe.
Since our family starts celebrating Christmas on the 24th, I likely won’t have time until after Christmas. Tonight I have to start wrapping, so I can have all the stockings stuffed before the festivities begin tomorrow. I’ve already got my Mrs. Santa hat on, so I’m off! Merry Christmas to you all! May it be wonderful!
Marlakins
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12.16.06
Posted in Anything goes, Historical Trivia, Hmmm Moments, Uncategorized at 6:16 pm by Administrator
Bao and Yao have reminded me of my childhood fascinations with human giants. Stories like Jack and the Giant Beanstalk, Paul Bunyun, and David and Goliath were among my favorites. And for those of you in my age group, do you remember the TV series Land of the Giants? I loved that! I know I took a picture next to one of Universal Studio’s giant phone props when I was a kid. Wish I had that picture to share, now. I had always thought that “giants” were stuff of fairy tales. But where did those stories originate? Could those stories really have been inspired by real giants?
Ah, but who is Bao and Yao? While rummaging through the news online I came across an article of Bao Xishun, a Mongolian herdsman. If you saw his picture, you may understand why he caught my eye. It would be hard to miss him actually. Take a peek.
Bao Xishun is officially the tallest man alive according to the Guinness Book of World Records. He stands at 7′9″ tall, is 54 years old with an arm’s length of 41.7″ long. It was those long arms which russelled up news-worthy media coverage. The full story can be read here.
In 2005 a movie called Year of the Yao caught my eye for the very same reason Bao did, one very large man! Basketball fans know him as Yao Ming. He stands at 7′6″ tall, imported to Texas U.S.A. from China to play for the Houston Rockets.
Is it possible that the childhood stories I had loved so much were really based on real life giants? On the left is an old National Geographic photograph from 1922 depicting another giant Mongolian standing at 7′5″. Some say that there really were giants in the past even taller than the ones we see today. This site claims that Maximinus Thrax, the Tracian Emperor of the Roman Empire from 235 to 238 A.D. was 8′6″ tall (that same site contains the 1922 Mongolian shot).
Other sites claim the skeletal remains and mummies of giants have been discovered. 
The picture below is claimed to be the fossilized remains of an Irish Giant. He is believed to have been 12′2″ tall! As the caption states, “notice that the giant is leaning up against a railroad car.”
From the Biblical point of view, it appears that Goliath is not the only mention of a giant in the Bible. A few links regarding Biblical references to giants can be viewed here and here and here.
Some have claimed that these unusually tall people were like that because they suffered from a condition known as acromegaly wherein the pituitary gland releases too much growth hormone resulting in larger hands and head, etc. But that is a diseased condition, which eventually could result in death, from my understanding. These giants, however, don’t appear to be in a diseased condition. Their proportions “look” appropriate for their height, and as the BBC article above on Bao Xishun states, he is already 54-years-old. He appears healthy. Other websites indicate that human giants have been found in many other parts of the world including the U.S. Two more sites regarding that can be found here and here.
I wonder how they got so tall? And what do they eat? Probably not the same amount as tiny people like me! In the movie, Year of the Yao, Yao’s parents are shown (at least I remember the father). As far as I could see, his parents look like they are normal height. Recessive genes, perhaps? Such a curiosity. . .
Marlakins 
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12.15.06
Posted in Anything goes, God, Uncategorized at 9:57 am by Administrator
On November 2, I posted a link to a light-hearted YouTube interview with Richard Dawkins by Stephen Colbert. I still have not read Dawkin’s book, The God Delusion, but I did find an interesting review of it on this forum. For those interested in the debates between atheism and Christianity, you might find the critique interesting particularly since this one seems to be from the viewpoint of an athiest. I know that the writer uses atheism vs. religion, but I believe that atheism is also a religion (a system of beliefs not based on scientific proof), so I think it more appropriate to discuss the topic under atheism vs. Christianity and other religions since there are many others, which are not technically Christian, but still fall under the religion category. I believe stating atheism vs. religion is erroneous like saying religion vs. religion, although I’m sure atheists would argue that atheism is not a religion, but science. Science does not prove there is no God, a fact that atheists just don’t seem to understand. Physics and chemistry are true sciences unlike the “theory” of evolution.
In a nutshell, Christianity has commonly been attacked by atheists saying that religion (especially Christianity) has been the cause of much of human suffering through religious wars and other rigid religious belief systems. On November 9, I posted an entry I titled “No Vacancy for Violence” wherein I briefly discussed mass murders and included a link to an article by George Koukl titled Real Murderers: Atheism or Christianity. I think his article gives an example of the debates regarding the accusations atheists have made towards religions, particularly Christianity.
Marlakins
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12.10.06
Posted in Anything goes, God, Uncategorized at 11:52 pm by Administrator
I haven’t had much blogging time since Thanksgiving, although I still take the time to visit my usual sites just to see what’s going on. Today I checked out the MDS forum, and the topic of “grief” left me with an impression particularly since I know that this year quite a few people who have been struggling with various illnesses have passed away. This Christmas is a hard season for many due to the loss of loved ones–husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters. Although I’m not looking forward to it, I know that with time all of us, including I, will have to experience the loss.
Today I ran a few errands on my own. That’s not so unusual, but I don’t usually go down to Chinatown on my own, and Brian usually likes to accompany me to the Central Library if I happen to be going that way. So whenever I go down to those places, Brian always drives and helps me carry all the goods like ceramic casserole pots and books and such. But today it was just me, and I had to drive and find my own parking and carry all my booty myself. It wasn’t such a big deal, really. But, it was a quiet time since he wasn’t there to talk to, and with the extra time to myself, it felt like everything was farther, and of course things were heavier, heh. I missed Brian. And I thought of all those newly widowed this year. I knew that when I got home in the evening, Brian would be home, and I could talk with him and show him all the stuff I got. But those newly widowed don’t have that anymore. And it made me sad, and I thought of the Bible and what comforting advise might be in there.
The Bible tells us that, “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” I need to remember that and make sure to leave room in my life to do those things. How many of us bother to care for orphans and widows? Perhaps that should be on my New Year’s Resolution list for 2007 and beyond. It would be even nicer if more people took it up for their New Year’s Resolution, too.
Fifteen days until Christmas, and 21 days until New Years!
Marlakins
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