Audience Participation

Thanks everyone for the supportive comments about my quilt top! =)

And now, my dear blog readers I have a favor to ask. Please help me decide what kind of quilting pattern to use for my flying geese quilt.
1. Outlining the columns, and a zig zag along the big triangles.
2. Long diagonal lines

3. Diamond pattern that follows the big triangles but crosses over the flying geese columns. (I forgot to outline this one... but you get the idea)

4. Curvey lines.

(for this one, I actually have a template for crossed curves, so I won't be free-handing it like I did on the picture) ;)

I really like #1, but technically you're supposed to cross the quilting lines, or put them really close together to keep the batting from bunching up.... but modern batting holds together fairly well on it's own. So I might risk it. What do you think?

What a difference a day makes!

Check it out - a finished quilt top.

Of course it is now officially Too Damn Big! Not too big for my bed, in fact it just covers the top of my queen sized bed, with only a little overhang at the head & foot (it's sideways on the fence... length-wise it drags on the ground). As planned it should be 66" x 90", but I think it's more like 63" x about 85", my seams were *not* a consistant 1/4". But, it is Too Damn Big for my apartment. If I move some furniture around, I can get enough space to lay it out on the floor - but just barely (oh, and will involve vacumming, so you know how likely that is!). So I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to get it all attached to the backing.

Well, I'll leave that problem for another day. I still need to figure out what kind of quilting I want to do on the top. Any suggestions? Until I figure that out, I'm going to set it aside for a bit (someone please kick my butt if I don't post anything about it for the next month or 8 - pleeeaaase!), and maybe work on an embroidered label for it.

This is not the end...

It is not the beginning of the end, but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. (Bet you didn't know Winston Churchill was a quilter. ;)




If I stopped here & backed it, it would be the pattern from the book. But this seemed really unfinished to me. So I added a bit to make mine bigger. I still have two rows of big triangles to attach, at the top & bottom (one of which needed to be unsewn & resewn - the other just needs to be sewn up), then of course I have four borders to add and the top will be done.

I've been trying to figure out how to calculate how much more work there is to be done. After cutting out all the pieces it always feels like a huge chunk has been done. But then of course there's the sewing together (and ironing!) all of the individual blocks and that feels like the biggest part. Until you start putting together all the pieces and the top comes together, which feels like - oh it's all done *all* I have to do is add the backing & quilt it. But as anyone who quilts knows full well.... a finished quilt top does not equal a finished quilt. In my case a finished quilt top stayed hidden in my closet for a good two years before it was finally quilted up and finished once & for all - and I didn't even quilt it by hand!!!



So I guess the best way to divide up the process of making a quilt is in quarters. The first quarter of the work is the designing, picking out fabrics, and cutting everything out. The second quarter would be putting together individual blocks - with all the pinning & ironing that goes with it! Putting together the quilt top means you're only 3/4 of the way done. The backing & quilting part is just as much work (significantly more if you hand quilt) as any of the other parts.

Anyway you cut it up though - QUILTING IS HARD!! And it takes a freakin' long time! Every time I start sewing it up I hear my voice echoing from when I made my first quilt- "Never again!" I said. It all seems easy and fun when I'm wandering through the fabric store.... what was I thinking????

Caturday at the vet.

"Oh she's so pretty." says the veterinary tech looking into Sally's carrier. "Let's start by taking her temperature." Poor woman, she has no idea.

"She doesn't like getting her temperature taken.... you'll need help - she fights" I tell her, giving her fair warning.

"What if I just sneak it in?" She asks. She is after all the expert, she deals with cats all day long.

"Um, you'll need help." I warn her again... she's new, she's never seen the likes of Sally.

You're going to put that where???

I don't blame them, the vets. She's so pretty, a bit pudgy. Who would know, just by looking at her, that under her feathery whiskers hides a mouth of pearly-white daggers?
Who would think that her four fluffy little white paws were merely sheaths for 20 machete-like claws?

Poor vet techs... they didn't stand a chance. They still don't know what her temperature is.

Garden update

My little garden is in full bloom, and looking really pretty.

I got pretty lucky with the lighting - check out the angelic looking roses.

That's all... not much else to say, just wanted to show off the flowers.

Making progress

I finished the PJs that I planned to make with the tie-dye fabric. I ended up using a below the knee-length split-skirt pattern (culottes-gaucho pants... whatever you want to call them), just to see how it would end up. Well, it ended up horrid. I kinda think tie-dye is a no-no for the chubbier among us. They are not flattering in the least - but I wore them last night and they are comfy, so I'll keep them. They'll be designated my painting/gluing/crafting pants because it will be impossible to tell if they get stained.
I also took out the pattern for the chili-peppers apron, but couldn't bring myself to cut out the fabric, it's telling me it wants to be something else...but it hasn't told me what yet. Oh... wait, it might be telling me it wants to be a quilt back. Not sure which quilt yet, but I'm just going to wait and figure it out.

So rather than cutting out the apron, I actually opened up the hat box containing my flying geese quilt top strips and started sewing them together. I only put four of the strips together. I'm a bit bummed because the ends just aren't matching up. Some are too long, some are too short, and I've got to find a way to even them out so they don't look so bad. If I were just working with squares or rectangles, it wouldn't be as bad... but with triangles, you can tell if I cut off the point! Dang, I want it to look good, but I also want it *done* - this is my eternal frustration with big projects. I'm not a perfectionist, in fact I probably err in the direction of 'it's good enough' but then I'm not thrilled with the end product. I'm not a very experienced quilter, so I guess I have to accept that I'll make mistakes as I learn, and not really expect things to look fantastic until I've got a few more under my belt. And you know, I need to stop going to quilt shows! Looking at the ones from Sisters just made me feel so inferior!

Two down...

I finished up my sister's quilt. I stitched in the ditch and then quilted diagonally in one direction (echoing the pattern).

The backing is a 'period appropriate' pink & white stripe-floral. ;)

So in theory, I only have two more projects to finish before I'm allowed to buy more fabric. But, what would a diet be without some cheating?

Obviously Kaffe Fassett fabrics on 50% off sale don't count!

And uh... more Valorie Wells fabric because... well, she's from Oregon and I feel strongly about supporting local economies... yeah. ;)

But I'm cutting out the shorts that were on the list tonight, so I'm still actually getting things done. Just still taking in fabric fast than I'm using it. Oh well, I'll catch up over the winter right? =P

The Deathly Hallows

I decided I didn't want to give out any spoilers here. But I wanted to say that my imagination is so limited. JK Rowling is an amazing story teller. I kinda suspected a few different things that happened, but only got one of my predictions completely right. I laughed out loud - LOUD, I cried, sobbed, and cheered. It's a great ending to a great series. I'm sure it will become a classic. So I'm glad I got to be a part of the phenomenon before it was over.

Now I need to get back to reality, which is not nearly as epic or exciting.

Off to Hogwarts...

Tomorrow night I'm going to hopefully pick up a copy of Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows. I say hopefully because although I pre-ordered a copy, I did so through Borders... and Borders is requiring people to show up a 9am in order to get a wristband for the midnight release party. On the one hand I understand the need for crowd control etc. etc. But on the other hand.... dang it, what are people supposed to do if they work during the daytime???

So rather than skip work to go to Borders to stand in line to get a wristband so I can come back and stand in line again , I'll go to the much less restrictive Hawthorne Powells in the Peoples Republic of SouthEast Portland, and just hope they ordered enough copies for the masses.

Don't expect to hear much from me for the next few days. I'll be hiding out until I finish the book! OH but before I go - here are my predictions:

- Snape is good, he'll get redeemed, and then promptly killed off. It will be tragic and everyone who hated Snape (including myself) will cry.

- Ginny's love for Harry (and Harry's love for Ginny) will cause a major crisis. But will also save them in the end.

- Vampires show up and do bad things.

- One of the Weasleys will die, but I kinda think Molly's going to kick some ass.

- Harry's scar will vanish, and he'll get to be normal for the rest of his life.


Here's hoping for a very happy ending!

One down...

Pattern: McCalls 4306 view A

As expected, the skirt didn't take that long to make, there are only two pattern pieces (no waist band). The hardest part was putting in the zipper. You do *not* get a close-up of the zipper. ;) I wanted to wear it today, but the dang weather is not cooperating!

Next on the sewing machine:

Anyone want to come over, fold my laundry, vacuum, empty the dishwasher & pay the bills so I can keep sewing?

Quilt Show part 2.

There were so many quilts at the show, there's no way I could take pictures of all of them, let alone post them all here. But there were a couple that I wanted to comment on.

I really liked this one because it uses the traditional techniques of peicing and applique, but I think it breaks a lot of the stereotypes about quilts being 'girly' or 'grandmotherly'. It's also pretty modern - it's called "Surfing the Web."

Now clearly I don't have a problem with things being girly, and I love hanging out with grandmas. But it's nice to be able to point to specific examples that illustrate the broad range of quilts & quilters out there.

And this one... well first it caught my attention because it's almost exactly what I was planning on making for my nephew - the colors, the fabrics, the pattern etc. Although, I was going to line up the triangles so that the upward and downward pointing ones would make diamonds, and I was going to do something different with the boarders. I did enjoy seeing an example of the quilt I want to make, and really it's beautifully done.

Here's a close up of the quilting. I'm like 99% sure it's all machine peiced & quilted. It's a lot higher quality than anything I've made to date.

But honestly, it's not that spectacular, it's not even that original. Not only is it a pattern a novice such as myself could figure out without much inspiration - the quilter mentions that she got the pattern from a quilting magazine. The triangles are 5" a side - pretty large compared to a lot of quilts. I bring up these criticisms only because it was for sale... for $1,200. Yes, one thousand two hundred dollars US.

Which brings up the eternal issue in crafts - how much something costs to make vs. how much it's actually worth. Calculating in a profit - I can believe that $1,200 worth of time, effort, skill, and materials went into this quilt. It's not an unreasonable price. But is it worth it? It's machine made, it's not an original design, and the quilting is nice, but doesn't add too much to the design (IMHO). I just don't think anyone would pay that much for it. And as of the time I was looking at it, no one had purchased it. Many other quilts had been sold, very early in the day, and I'd say the average price was somewhere between $300 & $800. This quilt was the highest priced quilt I saw, but it was far from the most impressive.

Is it overvalued? Were other quilts undervalued? Are there buyers willing to pay that much for a quilt of that quality? I don't know. I do know that I won't be quitting my day-job to stay home & quilt any time soon!

Low Fiber Diet

So I'm officially on my fabric / yarn diet. I actually haven't been buying much yarn lately (well since Black Sheep which was what... two weeks ago. ;) ) but I figured I'd put that on the list too.

I'm not allowed to buy any more fabric until I finish the following projects:
- my sister's quilt.
- my flying geese quilt top.

- sew one of two floral skirts for which I bought fabric yesterday
- sew tie-dye PJ shorts for which I bought fabric last month.
- sew red-hot peppers apron for which I bought fabric LAST YEAR!

I'm not allowed to buy any more yarn until I finish the following projects:
- Montego Bay Scarf
- Feather & Fan shawl for my niece.
- weave in the ends of the Ripple baby blanket


It really shouldn't take me that long to finish the sewing. I made a pair of the PJ shorts in an evening, and I think I made that skirt pattern in one Saturday, and I really don't anticipate the apron taking much time at all. It's just a matter of sitting down and doing it.

As for the quilts - the one I got from my sister, again, all I need to do is to attach the batting, backing and quilt it, then bind it. I was able to do that much work on my patriotic quilt in about a weekend. Flying Geese will take longer. I have actually gone back and corrected all the mis-sewn strips and it's ready for the strips to be sewn together now. It's just that every time I work on it, I have to clear all the blankets & pillows off my bed & put down my cardboard surface, so I can pin it without pinning it to my bed!

The knitting tends to take longer for me, because I have to sit still for a longer period of time, and there hasn't been anything good on TV because it's summer. I anticipate those projects, along with the other projects I have on the needles & in the planning stages will take me through the end of the year easily.

So these are not unreasonable goals. I have enough fabric & yarn to last me a good long time, and if I work steadily, I should at least be able to finish my sewing goals this summer, the knitting goals by the end of the year.

Quilters do it all over town!

Especially in Sisters!

I like to take the Fabric Depot bus to the Sisters Outdoor Quilt show, it cost less than a tank of gas, and I get to hang out with a bunch of super excited quilters there & back. It was really funny, as we were boarding the bus the bus driver said “We know how to get to Sisters, but where *in* sisters is the quilt show?” Which made the quilters laugh and someone told her - “Sisters *is* the quilt show.” There’s really no way to fully explain it to someone who hasn’t been there.

Quilts are EVERYWHERE, hanging from the sides of buildings, inside the shops, inside the library, in tents outside, in side alley-ways, there are quilts everywhere you look. People come from all over the country to see it. I overheard one Southern quilter say as she exited a shop “It’s the most overwhelming experience of my life.” It’s not like being a kid in a candystore, it’s like being a kid walking into a candy-town.

I love the turtle quilt here. So beautiful.

Here is the Mother Ship:

Jean Wells owns the Stitchin’ Post, and is also the founder of the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. Her daughter Valorie Wells designs fabric for Free Spirit fabrics. You can get them at Fabric Depot, but it’s more fun to get them here, surrounded by all of her quilt samples… but more on that later.

One of the things I got a huge kick out of was finding 'my' fabrics. The white with blue pattern here is the same fabric my mom used to make me a sundress in High School, the darker blue above it was the fabric I used to make a dress for myself! Both of those fabrics, and the blue on the border were all used in my rail-fence quilt!

And the blue spirally fabric here is what I used to cover my chairs - and also found their way into the quilt I made for my friend's new little boy.

I love this quilt, btw, the label says "Made by: Spencer Smith, age 11. (quilted by his mom) 'This is my first quilt and I designed it myself!' " How awesome is that! It's a heck of a lot better than *my* first quilt, and I was 20!

The Instructors Tent was amazing as usual, more amazing than I could ever imagine. These little owls are machine embroidered... and some of the leaves on the tree are raw-edge applique. Really amazing.

And what kind of crazy-cat-lady would I be if I didn't take a picture of at least one of the cat-quilts there. This one was adorable.
This I-Spy quilt was one of the first that I saw when I got off the bus. I really love it, so many different character prints, a really fun layout. I really want to make an I-Spy quilt for my nephew and this really inspired me.
At the end of the day as I was going back to the bus I stopped by this one again. There were a couple of women standing there talking about it and I said "You know, I think this one is my favorite" and one of the women responded "Thanks" - it was her quilt! So we chatted about it. She made it for her grandkids, who of course love it. That was fun, getting to talk to one of the quiltmakers.

Now you know there was no chance of me getting out of Sisters without bringing home a few souviniers!

These are some Valorie Wells prints. I don't really have a plan for what to do with them. But that's okay, they'll let me know.

I also bought a pretty little canvas bag. And then, there were these cute little fat-quarter bundles. How could I resist the pink one? But what to do with just the pink... not enough to make a whole quilt... let's get some black to go with it! I think together they'll make a cool pinwheel quilt, but I'm working out the particulars.

Honestly I showed a great deal of restraint! There were two other shops selling fabric & quilt kits that I didn't buy anything from. ;)

However, now that I have a bunch of free fabric, all of the batiks I bought for my nephew's quilt, several yards from the Fabric Depot outdoor sale, and the sweet little fat quarters from Sisters... I really can't justify purchasing any more fabric for a while.* Not until I finish at least two quilts - the one my sister started, and my flying geese quilt.

*Of course, this fabric diet starts.... tomorrow. =P

Lets talk about SOCKS!

I was tagged by Bezzie to disclose the contents of my sock drawer. Prepare yourself to discover perhaps the most boring aspect of my entire life.

My Sock Drawer!

It's exactly what it looks like, a stack of identical white socks, a stack of identical black socks, and a tiny little stack of "other" socks, which surprisingly enough contains a small stack of identical beige socks. And quite visibly - my one and only pair of hand knit socks!

The white socks on the left are my best fitting socks. I got them in the little girls section. They are actually the size between toddler socks and 'big girl' socks. I am soooo not joking. They do have to stretch to fit my feet - but they're very comfortable. The black socks are "womens size 5-10" I would honestly like to meet the person who decided that a woman who wears size 5 shoes should wear the same sized socks as a woman who wears size 10 shoes. It's insane. The black socks super baggy and fall down all the time. If you're keeping track of the sizes... that makes the hand-knit socks on the right essentially big enough to wear over a pair of keds.

And if you look closely you'll note that bit of light blue at the toe. I ran out of yarn right as I was trying to kitchner the toe. I hate these socks. I mean, I loved them when I made them because they do really look like socks. But I didn't enjoy making them, and they're really not that comfortable. I wear them to bed when my other socks are in the laundry.

And that ladies & gentlemen is my sock drawer, and the sum total of my hand knit socks. I'd like to tag Stariel, Babbling Stacey, Batty & Magatha - I think they'll have much more exciting sock drawers!

That's all for today - tomorrow... Quilt-O-Rama!

I need a vacation.

Oh man, I'm pooped. I made that whirlwind trip to Tennessee and got back late late Saturday night. Then I had the shower for my friends' new little boy. Then work, then tutoring, then I stayed up late to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I was going to meet up with some friends tonight for knit-night but I just don't have it in me. I still have luggage in my living room! (I unpacked... I just haven't put them away yet). And on Saturday I'll be going to the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. It's all very fun, and so far my summer has been great. But man! I would so love to just stay home and relax for a week.

Whatever happened to getting all summer off to play?

Adventures in Nashville.

It's not the heat... it's the humidity! It really is. I've never visited TN in the summer before, I usually only go for Christmas. Anyway, it was both hot & humid, but there was sweet iced tea a plenty. I swear I drank at least two gallons in my short trip! YUMMY!


It was a bit of a whirlwind trip to Tennessee. I got to see my nephew and tell him how proud I am of him. We had a nice cook-out to celebrate him and that was nice.




I also got to see my (almost) 8 yr old neice, and 5 year old nephew - the children of my other sister. They are the cutest kids ever, and no, I'm not biased. ;) We went to the YMCA - which was all hooked up with no fewer than 4 pools! One indoor, one big pool outside (with two adult-sized slides!), a 2' deep kiddie pool, and a slightly deeper kids pool with a frog slide & some water falls. Seriously - this is a cool place. Well my little nephew was exited to show me how he could jump into the pool, *and* put his face underwater. What a brave little guy. And my neice could not be sweeter if you dipped her in honey. Every five minutes she was saying "I like you.", "I like spending time with you", "I'm having a blast with you." Talk about positive affirmations!

On Saturday my mom and I spent some time together just the two of us. Priorities in order - the first thing I did was to raid her sewing room. ;) She has a couple of old quilts. One pink & green pinwheel quilt was given to us by a friend from church. It had been given to that person by an older relative. I'd grown up with it, but now it's really quite threadbare. I think one more trip through the washing machine and it'll completely disintigrate. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture - I ran out of batteries. But I sketched a draft of it, and fully intend to make a copy of it.

There was also a lap-quilt that my sister had started years ago, but never finished. At some point, my mom even bought some batting for it, and yet it's still not finished. I brought that one home and intend to finish it! It will give me a chance to practice quilting something I'm not deeply invested in.

I also scooped up some more free fabrics. Nothing fabulous, but nice stuff. I'm building quite a stash here!

Later, we went to the Hermitage - home of President Andrew Jackson. It's really beautiful, with most of it's original furniture and wallpaper, some of it is restored, like the linens, but from what they know the original peices looked like. So we go and watch the orientation video that conveniently skims over some inconsequential historical details - like how Andrew Jackson was responsible for sending the Native Americans (Including my great- great-grandmother) on the Trail of Tears from their homes in south to new territory in the west, and the fact that he was a huge slave owner.

From there we went through the museum and onto the house. There were quite a few people there so we waited in line outside under the huge shade trees. A few guides in period costume were talking to the people about to enter the house. As we got near the front of the line there was a man discussing slavery. By 'discussing' I mean, walking up and down the queue listing a number of patriarchical and economic justifications & excuses for slavery. As he was standing right in front of my mother and I he actually said "Even if Jackson were to line up his slaves and say 'you're free', they wouldn't understand what he was saying - they all just spoke African."

At that my mom and I just turned and stared at each other. Neither of us are much for making a scene but I flat out could not believe he'd said that. As soon as he moved on a bit down the queue my mom was like "I'm pretty sure they would have known what 'freedom' meant." There was a couple from England ahead of us and we wasted no time explaining that not all Americans would agree with what he'd been saying. In the end we concluded he *must* have just been in character and voicing the opinions of that era. The alternative was a bit too disturbing!

So that was my trip, a nice visit with my family, and a nice reminder of why I don't live out there. ;) It's nice to be home.

Independence Day

This is a big day. I have a lot to say… bare with me.

The Fourth of July has always been my favorite holiday. On Christmas I had to wait for my parents to wake up before I could open presents – and now there’s the stress of finding the perfect gift for friends and family while attempting to stick to a budget. Thanksgiving often involves a whole day of cooking and baking for a feast that’s devoured in 20 minutes. New Year’s Eve has it’s merits, but it loses some points when you don’t have someone to kiss at midnight.

Independence Day however is a fantastic holiday. It doesn’t matter if you’re single or coupled, with family or friends, if you’re in the US on July 4 – you can celebrate. Christian, Muslim, Jew or Atheist, no one’s going to be offended if you wish them a happy 4th of July. Everyone loves a barbeque, even vegetarians can participate - feasting on corn on the cob & veggie burgers is perfectly acceptable…(try serving a Tofurkey next Thanksgiving and see what kind of reaction you get). Then there’s the music, although I won’t be trying out for American Idol any time soon… I love singing. I love folk songs… America the Beautiful is one of my all time favorite songs and I sing it regularly in the car, or sometimes walking to work (I have a fantastic view of Mt. Hood – and some mornings it is quite a magestic purple mountain.) The second verse is, however, my favorite.

America the Beautiful – Katherine Lee Bates 1913
O beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

America! America! God shed his grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet

Whose stern, impassioned stress

A thoroughfare for freedom beat

Across the wilderness!

America! America! God mend thine every flaw,

Confirm thy soul in self-control,

Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for patriot dream

That sees beyond the years

Thine alabaster cities gleam

Undimmed by human tears!

America! America! God shed his grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

God mend thine every flaw. I love my country, I do. I love our immigrant heritage, I love our diversity, I love the land and our independent spirity. But yes, we have flaws… many many many many flaws… both as citizens of this country and the government. I still love my homeland. I do. This year, I’m really excited to get to share this holiday with my student – an immigrant – who like so many countless others who have come to America hoping for a better future. I have a few books about Independence Day I want to read to her, and I fully intend to subject her to my heartfelt & off-key rendition of the National Anthem. If I get my act together, I might even make an apple pie for her family.

I will not, however, get to stay up to watch the fireworks. Tomorrow I will be flying out to Tennessee to see my family. In particular, this little guy – my nephew.

Yes, that's a very young me with him - please no comments about the glasses!

Who of course doesn’t look like that anymore (even though that’s how I still think of him)… while I wasn’t looking, he turned into this.
Now I’ve always felt that my nephew kinda got the shaft. My sister is not the maternal type… nor is she the responsible type… nor is she… well, let me just stop there and just say she and my nephew lived at home until way past when I left for college, and he still lives with my family now in Tennesse. But for all the drama he’s had to endure growing up, he’s managed to avoid jail time & drug use, and although it was doubtful right up to the end, he did manage to graduate High School. I cannot overstate how much of an accomplishment this was!


And now that he has graduated High School, my little baby nephew has decided to join the Marines. He ships out to basic training on July 8th. I didn’t fly out for his graduation, because honestly I wasn’t sure if he’d make it. But now that he’s going to be leaving if only for basic training, I would like to spend some time with him.

I also want to give him something. One of the projects I’ve been planning is a blue & green batik quilt for him. I picked out particularly ‘manly’ colors and was planning on a ‘manly’ geometric pattern… nothing fancy or frilly. But I haven’t actually gotten around to cutting any of it out. So when I got the call last Saturday telling me that my nephew would be joining the Marines afterall, I knew I wouldn’t have time to finish it before he left. But I did have an appropriate quilt in progress I could give him.

The red and white fabrics are a bit girlier than I would have chosen had I intended to give this quilt to him from the start. I made up for it with the backing though.



And here's the finished quilt.

Happy Independence Day!

I love LeVar Burton!

Reading Rainbow was one of my favorite shows growing up and I thought LeVar Burton was really cool. Then of course he went on to be Geordi Laforge on Star Trek the Next Generation - wearing that absurd banana-clip over his eyes for years. That was another favorite show of mine.

I recently added the mini-series Roots to my Netflix queue, having heard much about it over the years but having never read or seen it. I had NO idea LeVar was Kunte Kinte! So now I'm excitedly watching Roots and think I'll read the book next.