Thirsty Thursday Numero Dos: Vacation, Sherlock, and Kickball

Thirsty Thursday's back again! This is through Jenn at Going the Distance and Trish from Tales from Trish.

What's In My Cup?

My virtual drink of choice: Cupcake Moscato, given to me by the Lovely P!nky for my graduation from law school, enough for everyone to toast and join the celebration!

What's On My Mind?

Vacation, all a ever wanted, vacation had to get awaaay! 

Even though it's no place tropical or exotic, staying at my parent's house for the last week since post law graduation has been so nice! My grandparents were in town the first couple days this week.  I help Momma make dinner at night, I get lots of sleep, I FINALLY finish the book I started reading last summer, I go for nice jogs, oh yeah, and I do goofy things like this:

I'm also updating my vlog but am having trouble converting the files from RealPlayer to windows media for editing (supposedly RealPlayer does this but EVERY TIME I hit "Go" all I get is an advertisement to upgrade for $50, NOBUENO!), if anyone knows how to do this please let me know!

I am SHERLOCKED!

Image from Otters that Look Like Benedict Cumberbatch 

So we all know I'm an admitted anglophile, but don't think I'm only endorsing this based on my general love of  British things.  Not sure if any of you have seen the BBC production of Sherlock which is currently airing on PBS but it is FANTASTIC!  I watched last year's episodes last fall and was hooked.  Now they're not in a traditional format: three 90 minute episodes is all you get each season, but each mini-movie is so SPECTACULAR.  

While I enjoy Robert Downey Jr.'s action hero period Holmes, this one feels truer to the original books, partly because the mysteries are based on actual Sherlock Holmes plots.  What is REALLY innovative is that the whole thing takes place in modern times so they use text messages, skype, and instead of recording everything in a book, John Watson writes it all ON A BLOG  (and here I am blogging about it... woah this is getting meta)!  

Cumberbatch does a GREAT Holmes and Martin Freeman plays Watson just how you would like since Watson is the main way we experience and befriend Holmes in the books, he's kinda a projection of the audience, and I'd like to imagine myself as this Watson. The last episode to air, A Scandal in Belgravia, was seriously the BEST storytelling I have experienced in the last two years!

The next episode airs tonight at 8 and is based on the Hound of the Baskervilles, so be sure to catch it (or DVR it) tonight!

Kickball Kraziness

So tonight I brush the dust off my kickball cleats and take the field for the first time in 2012.  I'm not really nervous but I don't want to look too uncoordinated in front of people who have played a bunch of games already this year.  Wish me luck!

Family Visits Violin Shop & A Banjo Dream Comes True

This Christmas my grandpa Tony came to visit, which was awesome in itself, but we also got another adventure out of it, a super-special-spectacular Christmas Eve Adventure!

On Christmas Eve, my family had the wonderful chance to catch up with some extended family who lives super-close.  Tony's 'lil sis, my Great-Aunt Aggie lives in Fredricksburg now, and just a few blocks down the road, my Aunt Elaine (who is really I guess my second-cousin once removed, but who's keeping track of that) lives with her husband Bill.

We had a great lunch together and then went to visit Elaine and Bill's home, which happens to be above his violin shop...

The store-front

where he sells violins... some of which he makes himself, AND WE GOT TO SEE HOW SOME IF IT'S DONE!

Molds for making violins and bridges to go onto them

The equation for making a violin, it's all math and physics, how cool. Also, the quote beneath the drawing is:

"NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP" SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL

They throw glitter on partially carved backs and fronts and then place them above a special sound machine where he adjusts the tone.  The vibrations move the glitter and there are pictures of what pattern should emerge to know where more carving or shaping is needed.  Knives, glitter, sound-making-machines, and physics: what more could a girl want?

Partially completed violins with the molds still attached

Bill showing off wood he is carving into a mandolin neck

A mother-of-pearl inlay that will go into the neck of a mandolin

Making/repairing bows

I'm sad because I thought my hair was long, obviously this horse had me beat!

More supply things and a mandolin

Electric guitar in for repairs

Their home was so lovely!

A beautiful flower-piece for old bows

Even the storage room was photogenic for crying out loud!

A teeny violin for the young prodigy 

The corner where banjo, guitar, violin, and mandolin lessons take place

We even got to play some instruments:

A $10,000 Violin, Rah got to pluck a string... apparently the "E" string is gold

Big sis on the mandolin!

We sight-read a couple christmas carols, I feel a new up-and-coming band!

AND A DREAM CAME TRUE: 

Finally I get to play a banjo: dream come true... although unlike in my dream, I'm not very good

Although being horrible is not stopping a smile creep over my face...

In the groove baby! BEST BANJO EVER!

It may be wrong but I judge people based on their ability to appreciate the sound of a banjo.

I'm gonna get really sappy here and say the best part of the whole visit was reconnecting with family over the holidays, I couldn't imagine a better  Christmas Eve Adventure!  than with these people!