August 29, 2005
Is It Possible To Disinfect Your Own Brain?
The Moment When You Realize You Are Dipping a Toe in the Loser Pond: When you and your partner find yourselves at home at 8pm on a Sunday night watching “Attack of the Killer Shrews.”
In our defense, we were actually watching a documentary about shrews, and scenes from the movie were cut in with the documentary footage in an artistic effort to compare the Myth of the Shrew with the Truth About Shrews, but we cannot deny that about 75% of the movie was actually shown, that we know who lived and who died, that we know how Our Hero and his Buxom Swedish Blonde Love Interest escaped the Mysterious and Remote Island (duck walking under metal barrels. They even used the phrase “duck walk,” as in, “Quick! Get under the barrel! We can duck walk off the island before the shrews know we are gone!”), and that the “giant killer shrews” were actually dogs in shrew costumes, which, in black and white, actually looked more like small saber tooth tigers wearing coats made out of linguini.
Also in our defense, we had spent the earlier part of the evening watching an episode of “Going Tribal” in which Fearless White Adventure Guy immerses himself deeply and completely in the Mongolian nomadic lifestyle, so we had actually added information to our brains before it all got sucked out again in a flurry of B-grade acting, huge, fake shrew fangs, and weirdly animate piles of pasta.
CafePress for Dulaan is open for business!!
As I mentioned when I first floated the CafePress idea, all of the profits from the sale of the mugs, t-shirts, buttons and insanely adorable Dulaan Bear will go to F.I.R.E. to help offset the $40,000 it takes each year to ship and distribute the clothing and supplies and to provide medical and humanitarian services.
Just so’s you know, the way CafePress works is they charge a base price for the items we sell and then we charge a little bit more on top of that to make a profit. We have increased the cost of our items by $2, $3 or, at most, $4 but every cent will make a difference to F.I.R.E.
Go! Visit! Shop! Own something with TMK’s unique Dulaan 2006 logo on it, proudly identify yourself as a member of the Brigade, and help us get the word out about the project by waving that logo around. Personally, I’m jonesin’ after the tote bag and, again, that snookum-wookums bear. Time to check my credit card balance.
In the meantime, I started on my first Dulaan Project, one of these. After a couple of hours of steady work, all I can say is, what’s wrong with this picture? (Note: This sweater is knit in one piece from side to side, so you are actually looking at it face on with the neckline up where it should be, and the armhole shaping...um...well.)
You are knitting for a giraffe and there aren't actually any giraffes in Mongolia? (Although I bet the cold would really bother them if there were).
Killer shrews. . .and I missed it, bummer.
You are making a poncho - the hard way?
Posted by: Childe on August 29, 2005 12:04 PMPS. Just ordered totebag. Yea CafePress!
Posted by: Childe on August 29, 2005 12:48 PMHey ... I had my toe in the same Loser Pond last night!
Already have one hat ready to go to F.I.R.E! Gonna shop the stash for vest yarn next. =)
Posted by: Nannette on August 29, 2005 01:18 PMI must say that reviews of something as fine as that almost make me wish for TV...way cool.
Going to make you/them a hat, Lord willing and the creek--oh dear, it's raining _again_...
The frogs send their love.
Posted by: Laura J on August 29, 2005 03:34 PMplease add me to the Dulaan list! I went and got my yarn yesterday!!!
Posted by: morgan on August 29, 2005 05:17 PMWhen, oh WHEN will my mind be pure? Glancing quickly at the last photo, I thought it read, I swear, "Decrease for arsehole."
While you were involved with pretend killer shrews, we were just involved with real killer hedgehogs. Full story of new Gobi adventures on DODR starting Wednesday, with said hedgehogs putting in an appearance probably Friday.
Oh, of interest to ya'll. My Gobi mama, Tangulag, very proudly showed me her new hand-crank carding machine for processing their camel wool. I asked if they spun the wool. She said no, they mostly felt, but would like to learn, and I thought, hmmm...
Posted by: Cuzzin Tom on August 29, 2005 06:24 PMOh my god! That movie sounds great!
Did MST3K ever pick it up?
Cause that would be awesome.
Posted by: Anne on August 30, 2005 04:54 AMOh my God!! I saw that movie when I was about 12 on "Shock Theatre". It's kind of scary when your 12.
Posted by: Cheryl on August 30, 2005 05:43 AMWent and ordered my Dulaan tank top for stylin' on the treadmill!
Posted by: CarolineF on August 30, 2005 06:54 AMPS to Cuzz: spinning camel is h**l on wheels compared to wool, in my experience - I say tell them Felt Away!!!
Posted by: CarolineF on August 30, 2005 07:10 AMIt could have been worse...it could have been "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" or even better, "Killer Clowns From Outer Space". Count yourselves lucky.
Posted by: Cambria W on August 30, 2005 09:28 AMI pledge one hour of knitting time a week until the deadline, which means a lot of mittens. Thanks again for organizing us, Ryan.
Posted by: julia fc on August 31, 2005 02:39 AMRyan, I just finished reading your entire archives so I would have a point of reference to read your blog from here on out. It took me almost a month (on and off, while at home, work and on vacation in Vegas, where I paid the stupid DSL fee to log onto the hotel network to read my blogs at 3 in the morning..) and now my left eye is hurting, so I think I must go lie down.
A couple of things before I go though - it's almost time again for you to bring up the "Don't be a Moron Clyde" saying, I want to know how to join the Guild (and Feral Knitters!) and I think you guys live right down the street from my boyfriend, as there was a shooting where the bullet richocheted around and exited the house just down the street.
Plus, I am very VERY jealous of your Safari Room :)
I'm going to go lie down and see if I can knit a Dulaan Hat whilst doing so.
Posted by: Libby on August 31, 2005 11:22 AMhttp://www.mst3kinfo.com/--scroll down to Killer Schrews - well just in case, you know, you didn't tape it or anything...
Posted by: tanya on August 31, 2005 11:22 AMI LOVE that show "Going Tribal"! That guy is sooo insane...I watched one where he went into the jungle to live with the cannibals!! (Is that how you spell it?) Anyways, I would like to be put on the list for Dulaan....I want to learn how to knit and knit a hat for the children. I will talk to TMK to find a time to meet you (YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!) and then you can also become Obi-Wan to me. (Ima big dork with the Obi-Wan reference!) Well talk to you later Ryan!
Posted by: Courtney on August 31, 2005 09:59 PM