Domestic Geek

I think I'm going to join Marcus in his boycott of NBC. I hit the NBC site today trying to find out why they aren't showing Law & Order: Criminal Intent anymore. I figured since they're showing L&O: SVU twice during the week that it must've been canceled. Nope, they're showing it "exclusively" on USA now. Why? How freaking stupid. They don't show any of the L&O shows on their site. Since Marcus and I downgraded our satellite to basic and since NBC/Universal (including the USA Network) is no longer putting content on iTunes, I don't have the ability to see it. I also can't get new Psych or Monk episodes once their contract with Apple expires. We can't complete the library of The Office episodes we were buying. We can't torrent everything because Comcast is cracking down on that. This is so lame.

One more reason why this country needs ala carte cable and satellite programming. I'm willing to pay for USA, Comedy Central, perhaps The Discovery Channel. I DON'T WANT Spanish-speaking stations, shopping channels, religious programming or the rest of the crap that gets bundled into the available packages. I would have gotten TBS, too, so that I could've watched the Rockies sweep the Diamondbacks these last four games instead of listening on the radio and watching the Gameday window on MLB.com. Does TBS have the exclusive contract for the World Series, too?

On a related note, I'm getting sick of network television in general. The only four shows so far this season that I'm digging is Ugly Betty, The Ghost Whisperer, The Big Bang Theory and The Office. Of course, an NBC boycott will drop The Office from my schedule. They're ruining the Vegas CSI and CSI: Miami by putting too much relationship crap into the story lines. Two and a Half Men is just pathetic. The dysfunction was funny for a couple of seasons — now it is just tired and sad. The same can be said for How I Met Your Mother. Caveman just sucked. I can do without Heroes this season, too. I did kind of enjoy that show Pushing Daisies last week, but I'm not sure if I could stomach that style every week, though.

The good news is that our PVR doesn't fill up very fast anymore. I'm certainly spending a lot less time camped out in front of the television.

The Colorado Rockies are in the World Series!!!

That's something I never thought I'd get to post here.

Denver's Mayor John Hickenlooper proclaimed today "Purple Tuesday" in honor of the Rockies. Sadly, I own absolutely nothing purple, so I couldn't participate.

The Denver Post has been releasing cute little Rockies Player Paper Dolls. I've downloaded them all and even made Helton and Tulowitzki for my monitor at work. I'm going to try to make them all before the World Series begins next Wednesday. Marcus used to work with the guy whose reader submitted photo is in that story.

We're waiting to see who the Rockies' opponents will be: the Boston Red Sox or the Cleveland Indians. Cleveland is currently ahead in the series.

I can't believe I'm excited about baseball.

There are tons of ways to cast on. Here's a cool visual reference to a lot of them: Knit Picks Knitting Room » Casting On.

I was over at Knitty.com and found the neatest pattern I want to try in the next bag I just started knitting. It's called Little Slip of a Thing (designed by a woman named Diane at Felted Handbag Workshop) and has an interesting contrasting square pattern. I think I'll try that technique in the very center stripe. We'll see.

My first bag is done and I'll get around to posting pictures later this evening after I take some.

I had to stop by the yarn shop last week because I didn't know how to finish off my icord I was making for the bag handle or how to start the 2nd one. The shop owner showed me again how to cast on so that I could start my 2nd bag that I want to make into my knitting bag, too. I spent a good portion of last evening casting on, knitting a few rows, taking it apart and starting over again, just for the practice. I'm getting better at it.

Now I have finished both icord handles, so now I need to go through the process of felting the bag. It involves putting it in a pillowcase in the washer in very hot water and high agitation. I was going to do it today after work, but I was in a rotten mood when I came home, so that will have to wait until tomorrow.

It takes a couple of days to dry stretched over a cereal box and then I take it back to the store so that I can be shown how to attach the handles. With any luck, there will be pictures of the completed bag this weekend!