Stix on the Beach: Tales From The Happiest Hooker!

Cast-On With Crawford

Joan Crawford remains — without a doubt — a controversial  personality. My negative opinion of Joan has changed in the thirty years since I first saw Faye Dunaway in clown face shriek,  "NO WIRE HANGERS!"  — and later when at nine-years old I read Christina Crawford's revenge-for-being-disinherited Mommy Dearest memoir. In the past couple of years — thanks to Turner Classic Movies — I've become a  fan of this fiercely beautiful and talented screen legend's work.

It was while peeking around looking for a photo of another Hollywood Golden Age knitter that I discovered Joan's lifelong love for knitting. She was always stitchin' away on something while on set. In fact, she was known for clicking her needles loud off-camera to piss off a director or co-star. I LOVE this about her!

She did, however, adore Ann Blyth — her daughter in Mildred Pierce  — and taught her between takes how to stitch. In the movie Ann portrays Veda — a mean bitch!

Joan continued to be an avid knitter late into her life. Check out the 1972 Lady's Circle Magazine interview in which she chats about knitting and the Joan Crawford afghan pattern.

When she decided the time wasted on movie sets was idiotic she took knitting lessons. "With my hands busy," she explains, "I found I could concentrate harder on what everyone else and I had to do."

Owl 'bout That!

I'm just about to write July off. For over two weeks I was sick. First week I had a high fever; second week I was sick from being weak with the week-long fever. I have no idea why I was illin'. I lost almost ten pounds, probably 'cos I was freebasing NyQuil in substitution for meals.

I did manage to attend Harry Potter and The Half-Ass Attempt at The Half-Blood Prince on opening day. I still don't have enough strength to rip David Yates apart; however, verbally he has been torn to shreds. The actors, however, absolutely shine in their performances.

Midnight Sun
Standing in line for the 7PM showing of Harry Potter at Big Newport.
First time in years that we did not attend an opening midnight show.
July 15th, 2009 ~ Newport Beach, CA.

With so much sickness surrounding me, I planned to stay outside for hours this past Sunday in hopes the solar power would decontaminate me. Late on Saturday night, I fired up the iron and transferred a vintage owl image onto a pillowcase.

It took me hours to accomplish the above...and I don't mind at all. It is so relaxing, yet so fun. If you have read my blog for a long time (before I had my mid-midlife crisis and deleted four years of blog entries -- of which I am slowing recovering - the deleted posts, not my mental state - and reposting) you may recall that I find repetitive stitches serene.

I sat on our deck for most of Sunday afternoon deliberating color floss, advancing one back stitch after another, listening to the summer traffic on Pacific Coast Highway and remembering a time when Marissa and I were a daily constant in the lives of many in the village of Corona del Mar.

Still contemplating if I'm ready to embrace a return to routine. It's going to take more embroidery time to decide.

More Than Meets The Eye

I don't go to the movie theater too often; in fact, I can go an entire year or two without ever going to see a movie on the big screen. Why spend the money, when four months after the release, I can buy the DVD for nearly the same price as admission - and watch it endlessly?

I am, however, really big on seeing anticipated blockbusters on opening night! And by opening night, I mean midnight!

Big Newport Edwards Theater is basically a mile up the street from me, located on Newport Center Drive - across the street from world-famous Fashion Island, the beautiful outdoor shopping center with ocean views and breezes and a Betsey Johnson boutique - how much better can it get?

Midnight showings here are always a lot of fun because of the die-hard franchise fans (i.e., Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings). And there is always a hugely diverse audience lined up hours before: celebrities, high-profiled peeps, senior citizens, families with small kids, college students - and there is always a damn beach ball being bounced around once inside while waiting for the projector to start up.

There are two midnight showings we're attending in as many months:
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince!

On Sunday, Marissa and I went over to Big Edwards to get our advanced tickets for Transformers II and saw that we had a choice:

We could buy a ticket or snow.

Considering we are in Newport Beach, I could not help but wonder what kind of snow.