Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Knitted Christmas Trees

Here are some easy ways to move past the stress of the holidays:

And of course there is always knitting.


I am working on a pair of socks and trying to finish seaming Sunrise Circle jacket. I always blow seaming out of proportion. It’s really never as bad as I think it’s going to be. And it is one of the most rewarding parts of a project – bringing all of those extraneous parts together to make something wearable.

I love these knitted Christmas trees! The Crafty Modster is very clever.

It’s worth a trip to NoVa to visit the craft store to buy some cheap, tacky yarn. Hey, this would be fun to make for my Secret Santa at the office, depending on who it is.


Am I getting old, or is there really nothing on TV? Programming is so lame. The same shows are on every network channel, just repackaged and on different nights.

So how do you get rid a guy that won’t go away?

A while ago I was seeing Chris. His behavior warranted not seeing him anymore, but I still get these random emails from him. “I was thinking about you….Hope you are well…” crap. Sounds nice, I know, but no, he’s not. I want to reply and tell him to leave me alone. Corey tells me to just ignore him.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

I hope you caught Charlie Brown tonight


For me, A Charlie Brown Christmas puts me in the Christmas mind-set. I guess it harkens back to watching it as a kid. It was a special occasion, I think my mother even made us popcorn, when Charlie Brown, Rudolph, the Grinch, the Little Drummer Boy, Heatmeiser, and all the rest came on.

I hope you didn’t miss it this year. Yes, you can watch it on DVD, at any time of the year, but that doesn’t make it special.



Rethink your holiday gift giving:

http://www.yogajournal.com/views/1443_1.cfm?ctsrc=nlv233


Friday, November 24, 2006

Knitting and Retirement

My parents are contemplating retiring with in the next year. That is such a scary thing – my parents are getting old. They are in very good health, they drive, get around just fine, but it is sobering to know that they are getting old. My role as daughter is going to be changing.

Part of my current daughter-role is Reality. This summer I gingerly, because I never know what kind of reaction I am going to get at any given moment, asked my mother, what she had planned for retirement.

Oh I don’t know. I would like to learn how to knit.


This of course both excited me and scared me. Knitting is a great hobby, she must see how much I like it, her mother and sister were big knitters years ago, she lives in a cold climate so knitted wool stuff will come in handy, she has 6 grandchildren, and me, to make things for.

And then I though, how many scarves and sweaters will she be knitting with all of this free time? Egad.

What else do you have planned? What have you always wanted to do but couldn’t because of time, kids, whatever?

Oh, I don’t know. I am happy here.

I stressed the need for some kind of plan to fill the days and left it at that. The tension in the room was rising which was my cue to change the subject.

Luckily my father’s doctor frowned on the idea of retirement when he had his last appointment. She explained to my father that he needs the daily mental and physical stimulation to keep young. I was glad that a neutral and trusted third-party spoke up because they will listen to her. And now my mother is bringing up the topic which means she is thinking about it seriously.

So this Christmas I am going to give them a few books about how to retire. Surprisingly there are a lot of them! I can understand their lack of creativity. Their generation (they are the Veterans generation among demographers) so they worked to provide for their families, that was their identity, and they enjoy it. When we talked this summer about work and retirement they told me they enjoy getting up everyday and going to work. I am the opposite. I like my job, but I don’t look forward everyday to going to work. I can’t wait to retire!!

They really don’t have activities they do regularly for fun. Hobbies are so important! So hopefully they can develop some things they want to do for what the French all the third chapter. (Isn’t that a great expression?)

And I am going to start collecting patterns for sweaters I would love to make but know I will never have the time.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Knitting and Yoga

In the past few months I have noticed a change in my overall well being. I feel good all the time, even when I am bothered by things like work or family or boys. I have been working on my “things” in my own way, with my attitude being the number one adjustment. And I think it is all coming together, after years of work.

My entire adulthood has been a series of ups and downs that I had gotten used to. In my twenties I knew when things were going well that soon enough that would change. I have had periods of mild depression that I recognized and dreaded when they would come on. But it wasn’t anything serious and I knew it would pass like all the times before. It was mainly triggered by my hormones – I definitely suffered from PMS (as did the people around me!).

Over the last few months I have had a lightness that I have attributed to my ongoing yoga practice and a couple of chakra workshops at Spiral Flight.

And the light bulb just went on a little brighter when I read this:

http://www.yogajournal.com/dailyinsight/112206.html

So now I can add knitting to probable cause for my new lightness.

It’s hard to describe and when I try to tell people what yoga has brought to my life it starts to sound hokey and new-agey. I am not that AT ALL. But I really believe that yoga has taught me to remain centered and opened up my energy centers. This has not happened overnight and it is gratifying to know that all my inward focus is paying off.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

New rule

Metro voice

I had to ride both the subway and the bus home this evening because of meetings across town. Man, I don’t know how people ride the subway every day. I guess you develop a bubble to insulate you from all of the rude, inconsiderate, clueless people out there. Give me the bus any day!


Nothing protects you from inane conversation, though.


I think the new guy in charge of Metro should introduce the practice of using “Metro voice” when riding public transportation. That way we ALL don’t need to hear about the boy who is courting you and all your friends are asking about and why hasn’t he asked you out yet (giggle giggle) and we spent all of Saturday evening together and no, nothing happened and I am not going to ask him out first and it would be nice to bring a date to my office holiday party that is coming up on December 8th.


Ugh. Tone it down.


Here’s how Metro voice works.

Picture in your head the one person in your life you do not want to know anything about your personal life. This could be a boss, parent, landlord, freak you see at the Starbucks every day.

Now, when you start up a conversation while riding Metro, or any other form of public transport, either in person or on your &*^@! cell phone, picture that person sitting right next to you and alter your volume so as not to share every painful f*cking detail with that person and all of the hapless victims of your boundary-less life. (Must have been a millennial sitting there. It will take me a lifetime to gain even an ounce of patience for that group.)

Got it?

As a child you learned “inside voice.” Look how handy that has become in your adult life.

Monday, November 06, 2006

digital photography for dummies

I wish I could take better pictures with my digital camera. I was going to share my finished sock but the pics were lousy. The colors weren’t doing the yarn justice and the angle of my foot wearing the sock was a little weird.

I have also started my holiday knitting. I am being realistic with it being November already.

And I bought some pretty nice yarn for cheap at AC Moore for the Red Scarf Project. I think I will get 2-3 scarves done by January.


Now Norma Knits has created the Red Scarf Project blog. She puts it beautifully:

This is a project that touches my heart in a very big way.

The Orphan Foundation of America sponsors this project if you want to read more.


So instead of knitting projects, here is a pic from yesterday. I took a walk along the C&O Canal, I think it’s called the Capital Crescent Trail. I picked it up in Georgetown and walked to Fletcher’s Boathouse (and got to pee in the woods, yay!).

Lovely day.