Record, edit, take a break, repeat...

I have managed to take a few breaks from recording and editing.  You know what they say about all work and no play...  Linda and I celebrated Duane's birthday last Sunday with a cake, presents and some shopping.  I gave Duane some jewelry and I made her a pincushion in the shape of a cup of tea.  It's an Amigurumi pattern and I was pleased with how it turned out.  Duane sews so this is actually something she can use.  The pattern can be found here.  It didn't take very long and was fun to make.  Linda made Duane a gorgeous shawl from a beautiful variegated yarn.  I know it took her awhile to make it and she did a fabulous job.  She also made a shawl for me for Christmas.  Mine was knit from a very fine black yarn with a thread of gold running through it.  It's so delicate that it can also serve as a scarf.  I love it.

Yesterday, Linda and I attended an antiques fair in St. Petersburg.  Duane couldn't make it because she's in the middle of a home improvement project in her bungalow.  The show was nice and neither Linda or I had ever been to it before.   But it was really crowded and the booths were pretty small so maneuvering wasn't always easy.  Although there were all sort of items, including types that both of us collect, the prices weren't particularly good.  I told Linda that I was mentally comparing what you would pay on eBay and other online auction sites for some of the items and online still wins.  Neither of us ended up buying anything from the show but
it was fun to go.  We were both pooped after making our way through
every booth including some extra ones located on the second level of
the venue where it was held.  We stopped for a treat at a bakery Linda
knew about nearby and that was definitely worth it.

I've finished watching all of season 3 (unedited episodes) of 'Downton Abbey' from a website my friend Shirley sent to me.  Got my fix but I'm already jonesing for series 4.  I'm actually glad I already knew about the sad parts beforehand.  Spoilers don't bother me and I was prepared.   While watching the episodes I began working on this year's Valentine goodies for my three young nieces.  I'm knitting instead of crocheting and will post later on with pics and the pattern when I have more accomplished. 

And, finally, I've begun another solo for LibriVox to work on besides my paid work.  It's "an adventure story for girls" and is called The Secret Mark by Roy J. Snell.  This author was a prolific writer of books for boys and girls.  Besides his "adventure" stories for girls he also wrote a series of "mystery stories for boys" along with "The Radio-Phone Boys' Series."  I'll be sure to post here when it's been uploaded to LibriVox.  Have to squeeze in dinner and a shower before the season premiere of 'Girls' tonight on HBO.  Been looking forward to this show, too!

Shame on PBS

I'm so annoyed with PBS after discovering that they cut 35 minutes from the recent premiere of season one of Downton Abbey.  Apparently, some newspapers in the UK were insinuating that the program had to be 'dumbed down' for an American audience. Long-time Masterpiece Executive Producer Rebecca Eaton is quoted in this week's TV Guide  admitting that the 35 minute cut was made in order to fit the series into the PBS format over four weeks because that was all the time they had available for it.

Considering the unending pledge drives that PBS stations hold, I would expect to be given the courtesy of viewing the entire program. The DVD for Downton Abbey advertised on the PBS website even states that the DVD is the 'original U.K. version.'

This is certainly not the first time that cuts have been made to Masterpiece and Mystery programs. Several years ago when I missed an episode of the excellent Foyle's War, I purchased the DVD in order to see it. That's when I discovered that the Foyle's War episode ran 1 hour and 40 minutes. However, the episode had been cut to 90 minutes to 'fit' into the PBS time slot. I've reached the point where I'd rather purchase the DVD for a program or series that I really want to see. At least this way I can view the entire episode(s) uncut and uncensored AND I don't have to worry about a local change in viewing time due to another interminable pledge drive.