The Candy Man

Who can take a sunrise, sprinkle it with dew… 
Cover it with chocolate and a miracle or two 

Yawn. If I go to bed now I can get a full seven hours of sleep. Or I can play Candy Crush for a few minutes first and still get enough rest. Sweet! Delicious! Oh, Candy Crush, how do I loathe thee? Let me count the ways. Wait, is it how do I love thee? Sometimes. Maybe. Once in a while.

Who hasn’t heard of Candy Crush? Not many I’m sure. If you watch TV or have a computer you’re bound to have seen an advertisement. It’s one of the top games today. Remember when it was a big deal if a song would crossover from the country chart to the rock chart or vice-versa? This is the techno version I guess, but it’s the first ever to be number one on iOS, Android and Facebook, all at the same time! Candy Crush is available and a bit addictive.

There are a few flaws however. It’s obscene to think that I will pay to play their game. They have no idea the patience I have. After all, I’ve just spent a year on level 125, so I can endure any level they throw at me! Maybe not a full year, but if I thought of the things I could have been doing instead of playing this silly game, well, I’d be embarrassed. Thankfully, I only have five lives and they pass quickly. That’s the part that’s supposed to make you spend money. You can buy more lives. Not me. I look at it as a relief. That’s done so now I can go on to something productive.

I’m a Tetris fan from way back. Little falling pieces of color navigated into place to form a solid structure, all while being timed. It was mindless fun for me and I spent many hours, days probably, placing the pieces together to form a block. Maybe it’s hereditary.

My Grandmother played something called Hexed. It was a box of plastic pieces that formed a rectangle when they all went together. She would complete the puzzle, carefully take it out and trace around each piece and keep the recorded solution in a notebook. That’s probably why I like office supplies too!

Pre-historic Tetris!!

When I finally got past level 125 the other day I got to the challenges, completed two in a row and was getting to the third one when I ran out of lives. (“Challenges” is for cheapskates who won’t pay to play the game.) I was doing so well I didn’t want to wait the 24 hours before the next time I could attempt the third challenge so I decided to try a trick. Actually, I decided to cheat. I set the clock on my phone ahead so that it looked like 24 hours had passed. I played, didn’t win and felt guilty for cheating so I set the time back as it was. I went back to Candy Crush and what the heck? Is said something like I had to wait 1400 and some hours to play again. Really? Isn’t that like a couple of months? Desperate, I went to Google to see what I had done wrong. Apparently the CC gurus had figured out the cheat and ‘fixed’ it. The only thing I could do would be to delete and reinstall the game. If that happened it would take me back to, gasp, level one. Or, I could give them money.

I won’t pay. Delete and reinstall? I couldn’t do it! I had to figure out something else! I’d spent too much time to throw all my efforts away. More research said if you back it up to Facebook then you delete and reinstall it saved your history. I don’t play on FB because I never want some abstract random message popping up when I am at work. But I figured I could back it up, delete, reinstall and then delete from FB. It worked. My history was saved! I was still on the last challenge which I quickly conquered.

It’s been said that desperate times call for desperate measures. That’s what happened. There was a contest between me and the game. The game won. It doesn’t know but when I get tired of it I’ll delete it for good. But in the meantime I still have five lives. Gotta go.

Who can take a rainbow, wrap it in a sigh.
Soak it in the sun and make a groovy lemon pie...

A long time ago I had a pattern for a “Knitted Scarf” my friend Debbie gave me. It was a copy of a boutique scarf that was a hot item back then. I made many and even sold them. The yarn cost so much that I sold them at $20.00 each. And nobody batted an eye.

Of course I lost the pattern for years. It’s a simple triangle scarf, and I could figure it out but there were a couple of little things that made the drape better. Then I found it again! I have a bunch of thin novelty yarn that I thought might be perfect so I got out the needles to make some new ones. It’s quick and fun. I like these because they are versatile. They fold up or spread out. They are light and airy. Just right!

An old scarf, red with black fun fur.

A new one. Green rayon yarn.

Orange rayon and ribbon. Squishy!

Just ribbon.

Other than that I’ve been working on quick things. I wound yarn around this heart, just because and will hang it on my deck.

I finished the mohair cape. It’s cute. Even if I didn't like it what a pain it would be to rip out! I think it would be good over a tank top or in a chilly office.

Cowl, capelet/poncho, skirt??

I’d get a lot more done if I’d keep my hands on the needles and off Candy Crush!! Believe it or not there are some patterns for Candy Crush items out there. Hmmm....

The Candy Man can 'cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good!

Pretty Paper

Pretty paper, pretty ribbons of blue… 

Have you ever played one of those ‘dirty Santa’ games at Christmas? You know, the kind where you can pick a gift then someone has the option to take it away if they like it? I don’t even think its fun. In fact, they can become brutal!

All the presents are there, waiting for the first person to pick. After serious scrutiny, the package that is wrapped the prettiest is chosen. But unwrapped, the gift inside is less than ideal.

There have actually been studies showing that nicely wrapped gifts set high expectations and magnify disappointment when the gift is less than perfect. It’s even been recommended that unexceptional wrapping can improve the joy of receiving even a wonderful gift because the wrapping won’t build up any false hope. Who knew? I’ve been wrapping correctly for years!

A long time ago we actually thought it was fun to go shopping the day after Christmas. We seldom had a specific article in mind but rather went for the amusement of finding a bargain. One of the things we usually picked up was wrapping paper. There was some kind of warped thrill in finding $4.00 a roll wrapping paper for fifty cents.

One year we found “Space Jam” paper at an after Christmas sale. “Space Jam” was one of those movies that combined cartoon characters with real people. Bugs Bunny and Michael Jordan were the stars. By the time we got around to using it, “Space Jam” was available on tape (back then) and the kids didn’t even know who the man with Bugs was on that paper!

So you’ve probably gathered, I don’t spend a lot of time and money on the outside of the gift. But it’s not a bad thing, especially since it becomes trash the minute the present is opened! Not only do I usually not have the time but I don’t have the skill. Enter one of the best ideas ever. Besides my odd collection of wrapping paper, I now pick up gift bags and printed boxes on sale! It’s the greatest thing yet! Put whatever you want inside, stuff in or wrap tissue paper around and voila! It’s done!

Next time you get your choice of the wrapped presents don’t turn up your nose at the one that’s mediocre looking. It might be the paramount of surprises!

Wrap your presents to your darling from you…

I told you about the knitting Secret Santa exchange. I finally got all mine together and got it sent off. She liked it! Here’s what she said: 

"My box included Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's Free-Range Knitting, Mary Beth Temple's The Secret Language of Knitters, a skein of Manos del Uruguay in the most wonderful variegated reds with a little purple and brown. You could not have picked a better color to send me if I'd been with you when you bought it. I also found note cards, a list pad and cupcake cups from Mary & Co., a lovely tape measure from Vintage Impressions in an antique silver finish, a clip-on OttLite with 12 LED's with a peacock feather in purple on the cover, 3 patterns for fingerless mittens, a hat pattern, and the tiniest sweater from Lantern Moon...a key chain. There was also a lovely pumpkin spice candle which I know we will enjoy. Every item was wrapped in glittery tissue paper and tied with red ribbon." 

Secret Santa package going out.

It was fun and sounds like a lot more when it’s listed, but I’ll have to admit I went overboard. Did you notice she said every item was wrapped? ;)

Pretty paper, pretty ribbons of blue.