YET ANOTHER SWIFFER COVER

There are dozens of patterns out there for reusable Swiffer covers. I like the idea of a washable cover, but because I press really hard when I use them, they tend to slid off the Swiffer, thus defeating their purpose. This seems to fit most standard Swiffer type, rectangular mops.



I’ve been knitting for 18 years, but am still very new to crocheting, so this is an easy, beginner level pattern.



SUPPLIES:



*I-hook

*3 strands of yarn you hate

*Yarn needle

*Swiffer

*Dirty floor





With the I-hook, and the three strands held together as one, ch 17 st, (work 16st) in sc for 33 rows (about 11 inches). Break off yarn.



Ch 34 st (work 33 st) for 4 rows. Break off yarn. Make 2.



Ch 9 st (work 8 st) for 8 rows. Break off yarn. Make 2.







CONSTRUCTION:



Line up the long edge pieces with the bottom and sc (or whip stitch if you prefer) the pieces together along the outside edge, using the three strands of yarn as one.











Do this all the way around for all 4 of the edge pieces.







Once the outside edges are in place, the short inside “flaps” will still be open. With the needle, whip stitch the short edges to the long inside edges.



Whip stich the yarn along the tops of the short pieces to finish both sides with the same thread.







Once the short edges are attached, you’re done!









Getting the cover over the mop head will be a tight fit, but that’s want I wanted. Just stretch the cover a little, it will fit.



Remember to use yarn you hate, as this will turn black after you use it the first time, and will never return to its original shade, even after being washed.











Happy Cleaning!

2009 CPAC Speech

I love Rush! On March 3, 2009, he made a very good speech that explains what many Conservatives believe. It is a long speech, nearly 2 hours, but it is well worth a listen.

Rush Limbaugh CPACH Speech

When your done watching this, run, do not walk to the bookstore and get Mark Levin's new book "Liberty and Tyranny." It has been a NY Times Bestseller going on 14 weeks now, and is well worth a read.

Daniel Hannan MEP: The devalued Prime Minister of a devalued Government

Daniel Hannan is a Conservative MEP (Member of the Europen Parliament) from the South East England. He gave this speech during Gordon Brown´s visit to the European Parliament on March 24, 2009. It. Was. BRILLIANT!! Where are the people like this in American politics? Visit Mr. Hannan's blog at Daniel Hannan.

Just some random stuff

Since I no longer have to update this blog for school purposes, my updates will be a bit sporadic, but I don't want to delete all the hard work I did to put this together.

That said, there will be times that I may have random entries that have little to do with the main topic.

So here's the first bit of randomness:


I like a South Korean actor by the name of Bae Young Joon. I've got way to many pictures of this man, and I watch the dramas and movies he's stared in a lot, and then today, I found THE cutest commercials EVER!!!

I have to share them. They are commercials for eyeglasses, that Yon-sama (as he is affectionately known in Japan), did for a Japanese company. Part of his appeal is the fact that he has to wear glasses. It makes him nerd-cute and more approachable, in my humble opinion.


MEGANE ICHIBN CF (Design version)

I have a poor grasp of Japanese, but I'll take a stab at translating the parts I understand. The writing at the bottom of the screen is: あなたが出会う、1本 のために。Anata ga de oo, iipon no tame ni.

This translates to: You only encounter (あなたが出会うAnata ga de oo), 1 good version.(1本 のために。iipon no tame ni.)

I can't understand the announcer, but Yon-Sama's lines are: "All in one price, megane ichiban."

That's the brand name, but it can also be a play on words meaning 'these glasses are number 1. (i.e. the best)' or it could be alluding to the company's one price policy for all their frames.

Then, after he gets the glasses designed:


MEGANE ICHIBAN CF WINTER 2007


KAWAII!!!!

The writing at the bottom of the screen is: 新しい眼鏡, 新しい自分。Atarashii megane, atarashii shinbun. This translates to: New glasses (新しい眼鏡 Atarashii megane), New you.( 新しい自分。atarashii shinbun.)

I still can't understand the announcer, but Yon-Sama's lines are: "効の一目に, 眼鏡一番。Ki no hitomi ni, megane ichiban."

I'm not totally sure, but I think this translates to: For my best look(効の一目に Ki no hitomi ni), Megane Ichiban.

He's wretchedly adorable.

I just had to get that out of my system.

Thank you for your indulgence.

World AIDS Day

In 2007 the AIDS pandemic killed an estimated 2.1 million people, including 330,000 children. An estimated 33.2 million people lived with the disease worldwide, with an estimated 2.5 million people newly infected in 2007.

泥だんご Hikaru Dorodango

I've been working on my research paper these last few days, and watching TV for the first time in over a year since it's Thanksgiving Break Week. I was watching Mythbusters today, which is often funny, but today, they were doing something gross; polishing poo.

Yeah, they were polishing poo. The method they finally settled on to get the shine they were looking for is from Japan and is used by school children to polish mud. It is called Hikaru Dorodango and some of the efforts are fantastic! With the mud. The children played with the mud. Adam and Jamie, who are grown, played with poo.



Bruce Gardner lives in my old stomping ground of New Mexico, and has an awesome gallery of dorodango that he has made from the native soil there. He even has a page to show you how to create a dorodango on your own.


I personally love mud, I always have; but I've never heard of this craft before. In the anime Witch Hunter Robin, a little girl that the main character Robin is babysitting is making one of these dorodangos, but I assumed that the mud was shiny because the child was a witch. The little girl drops her ball by accident and starts to cry.


Now that I've seen how much work goes into making just one of these, I'd probably cry too.


Anyway, here's to an interesting new craft I'd love to try.

DANCE SHOW

Well, I took Irish Step Dancing over six years ago, and only for a year. But I loved it, and when I got to school, I had an opportunity to start doing it again! Well, here is the collective efforts of the Lyco Irish Step class yesterday at the end of semester dance show.

The theme was TV channels, and we were PBS. Much thanks to my friend Jana for the video!

***

LYCO DANCE SHOW

YOU CAN’T SEE ME, I’M A NINJA!

Ninjas or Shinobi were serious warriors in ancient Japan, with skills that were obtained through long years of serious, dificult training and discipline. They were reviled and loved by their peers. They are no more, though Ninjitsu is taught as a serious martial art around the world.

But, they have also become huge pop culture icons, especially in America, a place where shinobi never were. There are videos:




Ninja Parade



How to be Ninja



Mythbusters - Ask A Ninja!

There are pictures:

Ninja inspired crafts like this felt ninja:

This one is crocheted:






And there are hundreds of movies, video games:







Anime and Manga such as Rurouni Kenshin, Basilisk, Naruto, Ninja Scroll, Ninja Nonsense, and Puppet Princess that feature ninja or they are the main characters. There are shirts, pants costumes:





Everyone wants to be a ninja!!


There is even a debate in the anime internet community about who is better—Pirates or Ninja?







Silly though all of this maybe, I still think it is carried out with a modicum of respect for what these highly trained man and women were capable of.

I am a ninja.

DAILY LIFE OF NINJAS

The two most famous locations for shinobi were Iga and Koga regions of central Japan. The two provinces shared a common border and they prospered until Oda Nobunaga’s attack in 1581. But what about the daily grind for a shinobi you might ask? What was a typical day like—get up, sharpen your throwing stars, kiss the wife and kids, assassinate a few people and come home to a hot meal? Well, no not quite.

THE NINJA VILLAGE

The average shinobi village had a ridged hierarchical structure. At the top were the Jounin, who depending on their wealth could live like a minor daimyo or an upper-class village headman. Some of the most famous jounin were Hattori Hanzo, said to be one of the handsomest men of his day, Momochi Sandayu, and Fujibayshi Nagato no kami, who some suspect to be Sandayu.

Either way, these were the big guys, who sent other people out on assignments. The next rung on the shinobi social ladder were the chunin, who were the executive officers and leaders. They were also in charge of hiring mercenary shinobi for temporary duty assignments. On the final rung were the genin, not to be confused with gaijin. The first one is your work-a-day shinobi, and the other is a foreigner.

The houses that the shinobi lived in were small, typical Japanese style houses. The shinobi jounin’s house may have had special “ninja upgrades” to make it difficult to attack him in his home, such as “disappearing” staircases and secret room with double entrances. One leads to the stairs, the other to a horrible death on spikes embedded into the floor.

The children went through the rigorous training I mention in the last ninja post, but they also had to farm to feed the village, care for life stock and the other daily activities of a typical Japanese village.



NEXT: NINJAS IN POPULAR CULTURE or YOU CAN’T SEE ME, I’M A NINJA!

College Life Article

See, I've gone and done it agian. I promised you ninjas and then I get something else published. This will be the last time, I really, really promise. This is from the Nov. 17, 2008 ed. of the Williamsport Sun-Gazette, Education section.

****
Life in a college town: CONFESSIONS OF AN OLDER COLLEGE STUDENT


By Cristina Sorrells
Special to the Sun-Gazette


When one thinks about it, going to college really is not all that difficult. You get your books, you got to class, you study, take a few tests, rinse, lather repeat for seven more semesters then, graduate. But then, you have to throw in—just for fun mind you—all of your teachers’ and fellow students’ varying personalities, bias, dependencies, habits, tics, and influences and suddenly, you are slogging through mud in improperly fitting hip-waders.

All that said, I really love going to college. I do—the mental challenges it provides me are sorely missed when I am not in school and I am not talking about summer or winter breaks. I am 27-years old, and before I came to Lycoming, I worked full and part-time at various jobs to pay for community college in New Jersey to get my basic classes out of the way so that I could start working on my major as soon as I arrived at a four-year school.

That process should have taken a nice neat two years, just as it did for my elder brother when he took his community college classes, before moving on to a four-year school. In my case, it took almost five years.

However, I made it to Lycoming. In August, I left my full time job with the State of New Jersey Health Department and became a “real” college sophomore.

To say the least, it has been a most interesting and entertaining experience. Even before I arrived, I began to realize that most college life is designed to accommodate and cater to the immature 18-year-old mind set, and I sometimes find myself arguing against the rules —“Can you make an exception in my case?” or “Are you sure I need to do that; I am a little past that stage.”

I still go to class, the same as my younger fellow students, but unlike many of them, by the time Friday evening comes, and my classes are finished for the week, all I want to do is sleep, not go out. I think my age is showing — go to bed early or stay awake and watch the 11 o’clock movie?

I admit, I will more often than not stay up — I am intimately familiar with the wrong side of 2 a.m. and I have found out that the view from my desk is amazing! It is also, as it turns out, a comfortable place to sleep.

I understand that Williamsport is full of fun things to do downtown, though the first time someone mentioned ‘First Friday’ to me, I had no clue what they were talking about.

I fully intend to look into First Friday and many other stores and events during the 2 ½ years that I am expected to be in the city.
Who knows, I might even go out every now and then and I might make an acquaintance or two. But I think I need a nap first.


***
NEXT: EVERYDAY LIFE OF A NINJA!

Rice Cooker (Temp.)

Rice Cooker
Enjoy my humiliation for media class. This won't stay here long.




NEXT: THE DAILY LIFE OF A NINJA !

Shinobi 忍者

This is most peoples' idea of a ninja. A man dressed in black, scaling castle walls, silent as the night.

And they are partly right. This image is proably closer to what a real ninja looked like.

Many Ninja or Shinobi as they are properly called belonged to the lower classes and were despised by the samurai nobles for their low birth and secretive and underhanded methods.

ORIGINS

Many of the shinobi originated in the Iga and Koga areas of central Japan. Shinobi really got their start during the Sengoku Jidai—or Warring States Era. This was a time of great civil war in Japan and the spying skills that the shinobi brought to the various factions was often exploited. It should be noted that there were two kinds of shinobi—the experts who trained and passed their skill on to their descendants like those of Iga and Koga, and the ones who were little more than brigands or ordinary samurai who were hired for temporary secret operations.

The famous Iga and Koga shinobi were active between 1485-1581. They were hired by rival lords or daimyo for spying operations and assignations. Oda Nobunaga attacked them in 1581 and the survivors scattered into other provinces, including Mikawa where they found refuge with Nobunaga’s enemy, Ieyasu Tokugawa. Tokugawa became the shogun in 1603 and the Iga and Koga shinobi fell under the auspices of the new shogunate.

TRAINING

A boy of a noble samurai family will begin training early in his childhood to be a warrior. They learn to ride, swim, use a sword, spear, and bow. Before the closing of Japan in the early 1600’s, they learned to use a gun as well. A child born into a shinobi tribe, boy or girl also began martial arts training. Besides learning the same skills as a samurai child, they also learn to make explosives, blend poisons, and fieldcraft and survival techniques. They may also need to learn to read, write, and pull off a convincing disguise or alternate personality.

NEXT: THE DAILY LIFE OF A NINJA

My Lycourier Article

Today's main topic was supposed to be about ninjas, but something else has happened. I am a published writer. Granted, it was in a free, weekly college paper but published is published. That said, here is my article.

***

November 6, 2008

WILLIAMSPORT TAKES CENTER STAGE IN ELECTION

Both V.P. cadidates make last-minute stop in Williamsport to win over undecided voters

By Cristina Sorrells
The Lycourier Staff

Both vice presidential hopefuls, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Delaware Sen. Joe Biden were hosted by Lycoming County last Thursday.

Both were in the state, considered a major battleground with 21 crucial Electoral College votes to give away; aiming to motivate their base of supporters to vote on Election Day, Nov. 4.

According to the web site, http://www.electoral-vote.com, Pennsylvania has been split nearly evenly between Democrats and Republicans in the last four presidential elections, starting in 1992.

Biden spoke in Lycoming College’s Lamade Gymnasium on behalf of Democratic presidential hopeful, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, and Palin later spoke at Historic Bowman Field, for the Republican hopeful, Arizona Sen. John McCain.

Biden spoke about four years of “failed economic policies,” and “restoring the middle class, and reclaiming America’s respect in the world.” He called for a timeline for a military drawdown for the troops in Iraq. The senator promised tax cuts and “the creation of 82,000 new jobs in Pennsylvania.”

He told the crowd of about 450 supporters that the American people cannot wait until January for change, when a new president is sworn in, and that he and Obama would return to Washington after the election and propose a three-month moratorium on all foreclosures to give people a chance to renegotiate their mortgages.

Despite the thin crowd of mostly older people, Biden proposed to the young people in the audience that “If you serve your country in the military, in public service, in a nursing home or senior center . . . you will get into college.”

Palin’s rally at Bowman Field drew a much larger crowd, according to Williamsport Mayor Gabriel Campana, who said about 13,000 people attended. Republicans on hand to address the audience prior to Palin’s arrival were State Senate hopeful Gene Yaw; State Rep. Matthew E. Baker, the John McCain campaign chairman for Tioga County; and Campana and his family.

Yaw, the first speaker, spoke about needing tested leaders and less government. Baker disagreed with the Obama campaign’s promise of change saying “A promise of change espoused by higher taxes does not stand.” He was pleased to announce to the cheering crowd that the local newspaper, the “Williamsport Sun-Gazette,” endorsed McCain and Palin.

Then Palin and her husband, Todd, arrived to an enthusiastic greeting. The governor thanked the veterans in the crowd. Addressing the people in general, she spoke about cutting spending, reducing government, and about military spending, demanding “Let’s not retreat from a war that’s almost won.”

She emphasized Obama’s lack of experience. “The rousing speeches of our opponent can fill a stadium, but cannot make this country safe,” she said.

Palin called for more domestic drilling. “There is more coal and natural gas in this country than there is oil in Saudi Arabia,” she said. “We have to use it and stop the flow of money to countries that don't like us.”

The crowd was delighted and began chanting, “Drill, baby, drill.”

Palin responded, “You betcha. Drill, baby, drill. And mine, baby, mine. We need to develop a clean coal technology.”

She discussed one of her core issues, expanding the funding for special needs children.

After the rally at Bowman Field, Palin, and her husband, Todd, and Biden at Lycoming College, mingled briefly with the crowd, signing autographs.


PLEASE NOTE:
Election results were not available as of press time.

***

NEXT: NINJAS!

Bow your heads and pray for America. It's going to be long, long, long four years and we're going to need it. Badly.

The flag's at half-staff in mourning for the loss of my country.

Do you Feel Lucky?

People in every culture want to have good luck. Some people believe that they make their own luck, while other people believe that it doesn’t exist and still others think that a symbol will help you get it or keep it if you already have it.

The objects do not have to be anything major or even anything big. Most people think of a rabbits foot, or a horseshoe, or a 4-leaf clover, or a Maneki Neko 招き猫.

"A what?" you ask.

This is a maneki neko—a waving cat. If you have ever eaten in a Japanese or Chinese restaurant, you have probably seen this. The web site The Beckoning Cat, quotes The Cult of the Cat (Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1963) by Patricia Dale-Green. She says:

“. . . the Beckoning Cat is associated with an ancient cat-shrine on the grounds of a temple known as Gotoku-ji near Tokyo.

This temple was originally a very poor one, no more than a thatched hut run by poverty-stricken and half-starved monks. The master-priest had a cat of which he was fond, and shared with it such little food as he had.

One day the cat squatted by the roadside and, when half a dozen Samurai appeared on splendid horses, it looked up at them and raised one of its paws to its ear, as if it were beckoning to them. The noble cavaliers pulled up and, as the cat continued to beckon, they followed it into the temple. Torrential rain forced them to stay for a while, so the priest gave them tea and expounded Buddhist doctrine.

After this one of the Samurai—Lord Li—regularly visited the old priest to receive religious instruction from him. Eventually Li endowed the temple with a large estate and it became the property of his family.

Visitors who pass under the temple's gateways, walk through its broad avenues of towering trees and enjoy the beautifully laid-out gardens, discover, near the cemetery of the Li family, the little shrine of the beckoning cat -- which, it is said, still draws pilgrims from all parts of Tokyo.

Because the Beckoning Cat had lured a wealthy patron to the poor temple, images of this cat soon became talismanic emblems and were particularly favored by shopkeepers. . .”

When you see it in store windows and in restaurants, it is supposed to attract customers into the shop, thus growing the owner’s business, and bringing them luck.

In the Western world, many unusual objects are considered good luck charms. On Good Luck Symbol, they mention several that I have never heard of.

During the Norman Conquest, the English carried dried acorns to protect themselves from the brutalities of the day. They were considered to be an emblem of luck, prosperity, youthfulness and power; it also represents spiritual growth.

This is called a caduceus, and most of us know it as a medical symbol. It was used as a good luck symbol in Egypt, India and ancient Greece, this emblem was said to ward off sickness, quarrels, and bring peace to any situation. The wings represent those on the feet of Mercury who was the messenger of all the Greek gods. The snakes represent the balance between good and evil.

Most Americans are familiar with the horseshoe as a good luck symbol. I was told that when the horseshoe is place over the door or elsewhere in the house, it must be in the upright “U” so that the luck doesn’t drain out. I was never told exactly how it was supposed to get in the horseshoe, but never mind.

***

Let’s jump back into the East for a moment, and talk about another interesting good luck symbol: a daruma.

A Daruma is supposed to represent the 5th century monk, named DARUMA - Father of Zen Buddhism – who obtained enlightenment after he sat for nine years against a wall. His arms and legs withered away, which is why the doll is round. Similar to a

weeble, when tipped, the daruma pops back up.

When you buy a daruma, there are no eyes on it.
You make your wish, and paint in the RIGHT EYE only.

Then you put it in your house and when your wish come true, hopefully within a year, then you paint in the LEFT EYE.

Then you take the finished daruma to your local temple at New Years, where it is burned, and you buy a new (and bigger) one.

Jade turtles, like this one, can be very cute. The ancient Chinese used to use turtle shells for fortune telling and since jade was considered a precious stone, jade turtles, in Chinese belief, came to symbolizes good luck, health and a long life.

This symbol is also Chinese, and it is called SHOU. The October 14, 2008 ed. of the ShanghaiDaily.com says “ . . .Shou, meaning longevity and prosperity, is a traditionally lucky Chinese character.

It can be found on inscriptions of ancient bronze objects, royal seals, paintings, books, coins, chinaware and epigraphs, according to the dictionary's editor-in-chief, Wang Rongtai. "The earliest forms of the character date back to the Shang Dynasty (17th century-11th century BC)," Wang said.

Shou is also widely used in modern decoration and art, including sculpture, calligraphy, seal cutting, miniature gardening and paper cutting.

The shou character can be presented in numerous shapes, each one with their own meaning. For example, a round shou suggests complete and perfect life and health. . .”

***
It is interesting to look at the things that various cultures attach meaning and symbolism to. They are usually innocuous, simple things that were common in everyday life and were simple passed down to us, though the meaning are being lost to time.

And remember to keep your keys handy. Three of them worn together open the doors to health, wealth and love.

Kimono 着物 or Thing to Wear

In my last post, I talked about Anime and a very little bit about the samurai. Today, I’d like to talk briefly about another aspect of Japanese culture that I find so interesting and that many people love: Kimono.

In Japanese, the word simply means “a thing to wear,” and only in the last 140 years has it come to denote traditional Japanese clothes, as opposed to Western clothes.

One of the nice things about kimono is that there is so much information about the wearer built right into the garment.Look at this young lady and this doll. Both of them are wearing a style of long sleeved kimono called a Furisode. Furisode are worn by young unmarried girls.



The fancy stytle of the obi or belt on the girl also indicate that she is unmarried. Their obis have fancy names like Butterfly bows, Fukuro Tsuzume or Fat Sparrow.

A kimono for an older or married woman has shorter sleeves, and is called a Tomesode. They also wear a simpler obi tie called a Taiko or Drum Knot.

There is also a scarf called an obi age that is worn in the front of the obi, at its top. The more of the scarf that is showing, then the girl is unmarried.

Men’s kimonos are much simpler, as you see here, with a simpler obi. For formal dress, men add a pair of pleated, pants called hakama.

Finally, a yukata is a simple, unlined kimono that is worn in the summer and in the past, the plain ones were warn as pajamas.

Yukata are easily distinguished from regular kimono by the fact that they have simpler obi, and don't usually have an under kimono with them.

Here’s how to put on a modern Kimono.


6 minute　Kimono dressing with English　explanation

***

The kimonos that we all know now are actually period. This style came into fashion during the Edo Period (1601-1867).

During the Heian Period (794-1185), kimonos for women were called Junihito, or 12 Layers.

Yes, 12. Until the sumptuary laws were passed in 1074, some kimonos had as many as 15 to 40 layers, and were so heavy that the women spent most of their days lying down.
Junihito is derived from a story about a lady-in-waiting who drowned trying to save the Child Emperor. It was said that her ‘twelve unlined robes’ weighted her down." Exactly where this story came from is unknown. But this legend gave name to the style of court dress, even if it was a bit of a misnomer. . . After 1074 CE, this number was reduced to five. . . (from Here)

Regardless of the number of layers, wearing colours was important, and the order of the colours was also important. Some colours were associated with certain seasons—for instance wearing yellow, a fall colour in the summer would be see as a sign of vulgarity and bad taste. You can see the colours and layers in this in this picture and in the video.

Dressing KIMONO Juni-hitoe 十二単

The kimono that the model is wearing has some red in it. Why is that important? Well, red was a colour that could only be worn by a woman who was shown favour by the Empress. Here’s a list of the layers needed for a Junihito kimono:

Juni-hitoe Glossary:

*Kosode: An under-kimono with small sleeves

*Hitoe: A chemise or unlined first layer

*Itsutsu-ginu: The 5 layers of lined uchigi or kinu robes

*Uchiginu: A stiff-silk garment worn between itsutsu-ginu and uwagi that provided stiffening for formal gowns

*Uwagi: Formal over-robe that trailed the floor in varying lengths due to each woman's position in the Imperial Court

*Karaginu: Short Chinese Jacket that could be brocaded, embroidered, or painted

*Mo: An apron-skirt that was worn on the back to act as a cascading train'

These kimonos are indeed beautiful, but it is no wonder they spent so much time sitting around and not walking!