Saturday, February 14, 2009
You breathed infinity into my world
Two beautiful glimpses into the complexity of a favorite subject in honor of this Day of Love.
Wishing you a happy St. Valentine's Day.
I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.
I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.
I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way
than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.
- Pablo Neruda
But oh, now... my world is at your feet.
I was lost and I was found, but I was alive and now I've drowned.
So now I will be waiting for the world to hear my song
So they can tell me I was wrong.
- Missy Higgins "They Weren't There" (The Sound of White)
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Like ripples on a blank shore
A man who keeps a diary, pays
Due toll to many tedious days;
But life becomes eventful--then
His busy hand forgets the pen.
Most books, indeed, are records less
Of fulness than of emptiness.
- William Allingham
This certainly holds for me re: this blog... and every other bit of writing I could be working on instead of dealing with the ins and outs of this life. :)
I'm still mourning the loss of so many beloved trees due to our recent ice storm. I find this video oddly fitting. The song is possibly my very favorite of 2008; the band is in my all-time top 10.
I had a busier, wilder week than usual, which ended with a distressing yesterday. Today I'm spending a quiet day by myself (intentionally), walking around my city with my camera and iPod, both of which are choke-full of new gorgeousness. Tonight after my workout, I'll curl up with my book while dinner simmers on the stove. Then I think I'll light a candle and remember and ponder and plan.
I'm craving pickles and peanut butter on toast. Strange.
Due toll to many tedious days;
But life becomes eventful--then
His busy hand forgets the pen.
Most books, indeed, are records less
Of fulness than of emptiness.
- William Allingham
This certainly holds for me re: this blog... and every other bit of writing I could be working on instead of dealing with the ins and outs of this life. :)
I'm still mourning the loss of so many beloved trees due to our recent ice storm. I find this video oddly fitting. The song is possibly my very favorite of 2008; the band is in my all-time top 10.
I had a busier, wilder week than usual, which ended with a distressing yesterday. Today I'm spending a quiet day by myself (intentionally), walking around my city with my camera and iPod, both of which are choke-full of new gorgeousness. Tonight after my workout, I'll curl up with my book while dinner simmers on the stove. Then I think I'll light a candle and remember and ponder and plan.
I'm craving pickles and peanut butter on toast. Strange.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
I don't always feel lucky, but I'm smart enough to try.
I don't think it's much of a secret to anyone who knows me even in passing that I'm almost always up for some Ani DiFranco tuneage. I particularly haven't been able to get this "song"/poem out of my head after a notably difficult week of co-occurring illness and the worst ice-storm to hit my area in recent memory. Our electricity and heat were out for days on end, and in the end we have a fridge + two freezers of spoiled food (a wasteful hassle for us rather than a deep financial blow, blessedly), a damaged roof (relatively minor, but stressful nonetheless) and a devastated yard full of century-old oak trees (deeply heartbreaking beyond what I would have expected).
I've been very lucky. This storm has claimed dozens of lives. My household and I -- and my local family and friends -- are safe, sound and, all told, only minimally scathed. Now, I've been known to take myself too seriously on more than a few occasions, but the accumulated weight of dealing with all this while trying to keep on living my life conscientiously has gotten a little heavy, and I found myself seeking out some reference points to make it all feel manageable once again. Enter Miz D.
Another favorite.
"I'm cradling the hardest, heaviest part of me in my hand
The ship is pitching and heaving, my limbs are bobbing and weaving
And I think this is something I understand
I just need a couple vaccinations for my far-away vacation
I'm going to go ahead and go boldly because a little bird told me
That jumping is easy, that falling is fun
Right up 'til you hit the sidewalk, shivering and stunned"
- Ani DiFranco "Swandive," Little Plastic Castle
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Summon a congress of angels dressed in riot gear
"Knit on with confidence and hope, through all crises." - Elizabeth Zimmermann
Today is the day that I've been waiting for, that so many of us have been waiting for. Election day here in the States. A chance for a new start. A desperately-needed change in the direction of our country -- bettering its relations with the rest of the world and resolving the war in Iraq; tackling the strangling debt wrought by 8 years of W; improving our economic situation and implementing a more sensible tax structure; reducing our collective footprint on the earth and committing to substantive, comprehensive alternative energy plans; bettering public education; closing the gap toward equality for persons with disabilities and who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender. Wow. All priorities. So much to do. But so much for which to be hopeful.
I've been knitting on through all of the divisive campaigning. Today it ends and we choose the leadership to take us forward for the next four (eight?) years.
I've voted and now, I'm channeling EZ in anticipation of the returns this evening. How about you?
"Summon a congress of angels dressed in riot gear.
We've got a serious situation down here."
- Ani DiFranco
Today is the day that I've been waiting for, that so many of us have been waiting for. Election day here in the States. A chance for a new start. A desperately-needed change in the direction of our country -- bettering its relations with the rest of the world and resolving the war in Iraq; tackling the strangling debt wrought by 8 years of W; improving our economic situation and implementing a more sensible tax structure; reducing our collective footprint on the earth and committing to substantive, comprehensive alternative energy plans; bettering public education; closing the gap toward equality for persons with disabilities and who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender. Wow. All priorities. So much to do. But so much for which to be hopeful.
I've been knitting on through all of the divisive campaigning. Today it ends and we choose the leadership to take us forward for the next four (eight?) years.
I've voted and now, I'm channeling EZ in anticipation of the returns this evening. How about you?
"Summon a congress of angels dressed in riot gear.
We've got a serious situation down here."
- Ani DiFranco
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
I just have this secret hope.
That's it, I'm clearing the cobwebs. After nine months without update, I'm suddenly and strongly compelled to knit-blog on this rainy, relaxed evening. (I wonder, can "knit-blog" be used as a verb? Well, I suppose I just did.) What was it I said I wanted this blog to be? With due credit to Ms. Woolf, of course: "...So elastic that it will embrace anything, solemn, slight or beautiful that comes into my mind."
It's been a very intense whirlwind of a year. It's gone by with such speed, I just cannot believe that we've put another academic year on the books. I'm fast approaching my first anniversary at my job -- which has been, far and away, the single biggest factor keeping me away from my needles and from blogging. My nephews (all four!) are growing like weeds; the youngest turned one last month! My sister and brother-in-law have moved back to the area, and it's wonderful to have them nearby once again. Plans are in place for some more home remodeling. The Garden v. 2.0 is well on its way, and I have much ambition for it this year.
Perhaps biggest of all... in March, I happily became the mama of a darling rescue puppy! Maris is the ten month old, 67-pound, half-chocolate lab/half-weimaraner sweetheart that a friend of mine found abandoned in a shopping center parking lot. I knew she was meant to be part of our family the moment I met her. Just look at this face:
Well, I could keep gushing on about how sweet and charming and funny she is, but I'll stop at gorgeous. ;)
I've been knitting, of course, in the space since my last post. Even when I'm exhausted from keeping marathon hours in my office, the knitting blogs I read and the phenomenon that is Ravelry have been plentiful sources of inspiration. There never seems to be any shortage of wonderful things to make and think about. I wish there were more hours in the day...
"Sometimes all we do is cope."
When things like the Burmese cyclone hit on the world stage, wiping out tens of thousands of people in a blink and leaving millions more in the wake of devastation, it never fails that a wave of guilt hits me. I get that queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach reminding me again just how grossly ungrateful, startlingly protected and extravagantly spoiled I am -- that I'm not pulling my weight. Then such magnificent tragedy is followed by the Chinese earthquake just days later...
I've been trying to wrap my head around how to respond to all this assaulting news for days. I was in a particularly reflective mood on my commute home yesterday when I caught a segment on NPR's All Things Considered which really turned my head. The piece profiles a musician/artist named Meredith Monk. Hearing it and later contemplating what I'd heard made me feel increasingly relaxed and centered -- so much so that I want to share it with as many people as I can. Please take six and a half minutes to listen to this.
Monk speaking about her latest work, the CD aptly entitled Impermanence:
"How do you convey a sense of change? How do you convey that everything in our lives, everything is constantly changing? And that one can not hold onto anything? You know, and certainly the impulse was coming from the sense of the preciousness of life and that every moment is only, is the only moment that we have."
Certainly, there is much to be done to ease the suffering of the people affected by these events, but a little regrouping as I listened to the beautifully haunting "Mieke's Melody #5" was just what I needed in the moment. I hope you find it worthwhile, too.
Well, so, hello again. I'm glad to be back at this. I'll return with a proper update and some knitterly pictures later this week!
"I just have this secret hope
Sometimes all we do is cope
Somewhere on the steepest slope
There's an endless rope
And nobody's crying."
- Patty Griffin, "Nobody's Crying" (1000 Kisses)
It's been a very intense whirlwind of a year. It's gone by with such speed, I just cannot believe that we've put another academic year on the books. I'm fast approaching my first anniversary at my job -- which has been, far and away, the single biggest factor keeping me away from my needles and from blogging. My nephews (all four!) are growing like weeds; the youngest turned one last month! My sister and brother-in-law have moved back to the area, and it's wonderful to have them nearby once again. Plans are in place for some more home remodeling. The Garden v. 2.0 is well on its way, and I have much ambition for it this year.
Perhaps biggest of all... in March, I happily became the mama of a darling rescue puppy! Maris is the ten month old, 67-pound, half-chocolate lab/half-weimaraner sweetheart that a friend of mine found abandoned in a shopping center parking lot. I knew she was meant to be part of our family the moment I met her. Just look at this face:
Well, I could keep gushing on about how sweet and charming and funny she is, but I'll stop at gorgeous. ;)
I've been knitting, of course, in the space since my last post. Even when I'm exhausted from keeping marathon hours in my office, the knitting blogs I read and the phenomenon that is Ravelry have been plentiful sources of inspiration. There never seems to be any shortage of wonderful things to make and think about. I wish there were more hours in the day...
"Sometimes all we do is cope."
When things like the Burmese cyclone hit on the world stage, wiping out tens of thousands of people in a blink and leaving millions more in the wake of devastation, it never fails that a wave of guilt hits me. I get that queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach reminding me again just how grossly ungrateful, startlingly protected and extravagantly spoiled I am -- that I'm not pulling my weight. Then such magnificent tragedy is followed by the Chinese earthquake just days later...
I've been trying to wrap my head around how to respond to all this assaulting news for days. I was in a particularly reflective mood on my commute home yesterday when I caught a segment on NPR's All Things Considered which really turned my head. The piece profiles a musician/artist named Meredith Monk. Hearing it and later contemplating what I'd heard made me feel increasingly relaxed and centered -- so much so that I want to share it with as many people as I can. Please take six and a half minutes to listen to this.
Monk speaking about her latest work, the CD aptly entitled Impermanence:
"How do you convey a sense of change? How do you convey that everything in our lives, everything is constantly changing? And that one can not hold onto anything? You know, and certainly the impulse was coming from the sense of the preciousness of life and that every moment is only, is the only moment that we have."
Certainly, there is much to be done to ease the suffering of the people affected by these events, but a little regrouping as I listened to the beautifully haunting "Mieke's Melody #5" was just what I needed in the moment. I hope you find it worthwhile, too.
Well, so, hello again. I'm glad to be back at this. I'll return with a proper update and some knitterly pictures later this week!
"I just have this secret hope
Sometimes all we do is cope
Somewhere on the steepest slope
There's an endless rope
And nobody's crying."
- Patty Griffin, "Nobody's Crying" (1000 Kisses)
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Did I, did I lend a hand to hold you down, or just a hand to hold?
It's a first: I'm knitting a pair of socks for myself. The lovely Wildflower Socks in some gorgeous Koigu KPPPM. I really love this pattern but alas, the pooling of color that I thought might get better after the cuff seems to be worsening. So it's decision time. Would you keep knitting, or frog? I can't quite decide...
Exhibit A:
Exhibit B:
In non-knitting news, work has been very, very busy the last few days. I'm definitely earning my salary, right out of the gates. I can't talk about any of it for ethical reasons, but one of the sessions I had this afternoon is among the most challenging ones of my career to date. But I love what I do and I've got some fun things coming up to balance the stress -- planning a party, a weekend with my sister and then a trip to Chicago at the end of August. How I adore Chicago, my favorite U.S. city.
I'll leave you with a few pictures I took the day of the Ani DiFranco concert.
The view from my seat, overhead of course:
And behind me:
But here's the real draw -- and it's one of the best excuses ever for a roadtrip, in my humble opinion:
Did I, did I lend a hand to hold you down
Or just a hand to hold?
Did I, did I pull the wool over your eyes
Or keep you from the cold?
And in the look upon your face
There was an element of grace
Did I read between the lines?
-- Jump, Little Children "Hold You Down" (Between the Dim and the Dark)
Exhibit A:
Exhibit B:
In non-knitting news, work has been very, very busy the last few days. I'm definitely earning my salary, right out of the gates. I can't talk about any of it for ethical reasons, but one of the sessions I had this afternoon is among the most challenging ones of my career to date. But I love what I do and I've got some fun things coming up to balance the stress -- planning a party, a weekend with my sister and then a trip to Chicago at the end of August. How I adore Chicago, my favorite U.S. city.
I'll leave you with a few pictures I took the day of the Ani DiFranco concert.
The view from my seat, overhead of course:
And behind me:
But here's the real draw -- and it's one of the best excuses ever for a roadtrip, in my humble opinion:
Did I, did I lend a hand to hold you down
Or just a hand to hold?
Did I, did I pull the wool over your eyes
Or keep you from the cold?
And in the look upon your face
There was an element of grace
Did I read between the lines?
-- Jump, Little Children "Hold You Down" (Between the Dim and the Dark)
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
I'm gonna need you to be patient with me
Long time since I blogged last. Way, way too long.
I won't even pretend to offer an excuse aside from generally being very busy. Busy vacationing (fun!)... celebrating my birthday (not bad on the whole, actually)... busy transitioning to my new job (exciting!)... busy reading (relaxing)... busy cooking (necessary ;) but fun too)... busy actually knitting (bliss). But I'm still around here somewhere, and I hope you are still with me.
I got my Ravelry invite last week, but have had absolutely no time to get it started. I LOVE getting to snoop around and see what everyone else is working on. Great for lots of inspiration. I'm Fireball over there, so give me a hello.
What I'm Knitting:
Icarus -- with new yarn. That Cashwool is lovely, and the color is beautiful, but it is cobweb (or very darn near it) and I'm just not accustomed to working with yarn that fine. I think I'll pass it on to someoene who'll appreciate and use it. Anyway, Chart 1 of Icarus is slow-going and kinda boring, frankly, but I know it'll be beautiful.
Wildflower Socks -- in Koigu. Been working on these at lunch and my colleagues have been getting a kick out of the fact that I knit. Pattern is mindless, so it's easy to carry on a conversation and manage not to screw it up.
Adagio Stole -- in Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool. This was supposed to be for me, testing out the pattern before I knit it up for my mom for Christmas in a beautiful beige silk/alpaca blend, but the vintage pattern is unclear. I need to either take it up to my LYS and ask for help or beg Theresa for some of her wisdom. :) Either way, nothing's happening on it for now.
I finished my Hallowig a few weeks ago. :) It's adorable, but no, I don't have pictures of it yet... yes, I know I'm a terrible knitblogger. We'll see what the weekend holds.
Though however relaxing it turns out to be, I doubt that it'll top last weekend. I drove up to St. Louis for an outdoor Ani DiFranco concert, held on the banks of the Mississippi, directly under the St. Louis arch. The weather was absolutely perfect -- light breeze, low 80s with the sun shining, but dipped to low 60s once night fell. I got a little sun and some knitting done as we sat around waiting for the music to get started. Anais Mitchell opened, then Ani played for about an hour and a half, and the night concluded with a huge fireworks show, shot from a barge out in the river. It was a pretty amazing night, all told. I'll post up some pictures when I get my stuff together.
Hrmph.
How can I warn you when my tongue turns to dust
Like we've discussed?
It doesn't mean that I don't care
It means I'm partially there
You're gonna need to be patient with me
-- Wilco "Please Be Patient With Me" (Sky Blue Sky)
I won't even pretend to offer an excuse aside from generally being very busy. Busy vacationing (fun!)... celebrating my birthday (not bad on the whole, actually)... busy transitioning to my new job (exciting!)... busy reading (relaxing)... busy cooking (necessary ;) but fun too)... busy actually knitting (bliss). But I'm still around here somewhere, and I hope you are still with me.
I got my Ravelry invite last week, but have had absolutely no time to get it started. I LOVE getting to snoop around and see what everyone else is working on. Great for lots of inspiration. I'm Fireball over there, so give me a hello.
What I'm Knitting:
Icarus -- with new yarn. That Cashwool is lovely, and the color is beautiful, but it is cobweb (or very darn near it) and I'm just not accustomed to working with yarn that fine. I think I'll pass it on to someoene who'll appreciate and use it. Anyway, Chart 1 of Icarus is slow-going and kinda boring, frankly, but I know it'll be beautiful.
Wildflower Socks -- in Koigu. Been working on these at lunch and my colleagues have been getting a kick out of the fact that I knit. Pattern is mindless, so it's easy to carry on a conversation and manage not to screw it up.
Adagio Stole -- in Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool. This was supposed to be for me, testing out the pattern before I knit it up for my mom for Christmas in a beautiful beige silk/alpaca blend, but the vintage pattern is unclear. I need to either take it up to my LYS and ask for help or beg Theresa for some of her wisdom. :) Either way, nothing's happening on it for now.
I finished my Hallowig a few weeks ago. :) It's adorable, but no, I don't have pictures of it yet... yes, I know I'm a terrible knitblogger. We'll see what the weekend holds.
Though however relaxing it turns out to be, I doubt that it'll top last weekend. I drove up to St. Louis for an outdoor Ani DiFranco concert, held on the banks of the Mississippi, directly under the St. Louis arch. The weather was absolutely perfect -- light breeze, low 80s with the sun shining, but dipped to low 60s once night fell. I got a little sun and some knitting done as we sat around waiting for the music to get started. Anais Mitchell opened, then Ani played for about an hour and a half, and the night concluded with a huge fireworks show, shot from a barge out in the river. It was a pretty amazing night, all told. I'll post up some pictures when I get my stuff together.
Hrmph.
How can I warn you when my tongue turns to dust
Like we've discussed?
It doesn't mean that I don't care
It means I'm partially there
You're gonna need to be patient with me
-- Wilco "Please Be Patient With Me" (Sky Blue Sky)
Sunday, June 10, 2007
No, I just can't sit still. Are we there yet?!
Just a quick photoless blog for me today. I leave for my vacation in the morning and thought I'd put up a little something before I went. I haven't been knitting very much lately -- too busy with other things. When I have picked up the needles recently, it's been to work at finishing up my sister's Broadripple socks. I just finished the heel flap and picked up stitches for the gusset of sock #2, so with that much completed, I'm hoping to be able to finish them on the plane. According to what I've read and been told, I shouldn't have any trouble getting my metal double points on the plane, but I'm going to switch over to bamboo just in case. This will be my first in-flight knitting. Wheee!
My garden has been taking up some of my time. It's looking verdant and lovely. I have a few dozen tomatoes on the bushes and 15 or so jalepenos as well. My basil and rosemary are nice and tall; the mint's taking over as mint is wont to do. It's so very nice to walk out on the deck and snip off a bit of whatever herb I'm needing for dinner. The flowers and coleus are really starting to fill in too. That Miracle Grow stuff is amazing. I'm fully convinced that it's largely responsible for this greenification of my black thumb.
I've finished a few books lately too. Eat Pray Love (click on the image in the sidebar) was interesting and a fast read. It's the memoir of a writer who takes a year off from her life to travel the world following a very painful, messy divorce and then a crushing breakup with the man she believes to be her soulmate. In four month stints, she travels around Italy, then lives in an Ashram in India, and finishes her journey in Indonesia (Bali). I don't share her devotion to Yogic practice or Hinduism myself, but have done a fair bit of reading and study on the subject. It was fascinating to read about someone else's spiritual struggles -- the moment in the book where she first reaches out to God, knelt on her bathroom floor sobbing at three in the morning was especially powerful. There were flashes in the book, though, where I didn't buy that she wholly believes what she says she does. I suppose we all have those faltering moments. In any case, it was nice to read an autobiography after four and half of the Harry Potter books read back-to-back. I'm still enjoying them very much and hope to finish Order of the Phoenix next week. There's not much time left until The Deathly Hallows is released and I need to get 1 through 6 finished up.
But I can't seem to read just one book at once. Here are a few new titles I've picked up in the last few days:
I hope you all have a fantastic week. I'll be somewhere in the Southwest... I think. :) I'm flying into Las Vegas to meet my sister. We'll spend a few days there and then she's wisking me off to some surprise location as an early birthday present. I have no clue where; I just got a list of things to bring and the assurance that I would love it.
And she never really lets me down.
I can't wait
To be with you
No, I just can't sit still,
Are we there yet?
Takes me back
I remember
Such a magical place
It was all you...
Closing in, I hope that you make it
Closing in, I hope that you find your way
- Imogen Heap "Closing In" (Speak for Yourself)
My garden has been taking up some of my time. It's looking verdant and lovely. I have a few dozen tomatoes on the bushes and 15 or so jalepenos as well. My basil and rosemary are nice and tall; the mint's taking over as mint is wont to do. It's so very nice to walk out on the deck and snip off a bit of whatever herb I'm needing for dinner. The flowers and coleus are really starting to fill in too. That Miracle Grow stuff is amazing. I'm fully convinced that it's largely responsible for this greenification of my black thumb.
I've finished a few books lately too. Eat Pray Love (click on the image in the sidebar) was interesting and a fast read. It's the memoir of a writer who takes a year off from her life to travel the world following a very painful, messy divorce and then a crushing breakup with the man she believes to be her soulmate. In four month stints, she travels around Italy, then lives in an Ashram in India, and finishes her journey in Indonesia (Bali). I don't share her devotion to Yogic practice or Hinduism myself, but have done a fair bit of reading and study on the subject. It was fascinating to read about someone else's spiritual struggles -- the moment in the book where she first reaches out to God, knelt on her bathroom floor sobbing at three in the morning was especially powerful. There were flashes in the book, though, where I didn't buy that she wholly believes what she says she does. I suppose we all have those faltering moments. In any case, it was nice to read an autobiography after four and half of the Harry Potter books read back-to-back. I'm still enjoying them very much and hope to finish Order of the Phoenix next week. There's not much time left until The Deathly Hallows is released and I need to get 1 through 6 finished up.
But I can't seem to read just one book at once. Here are a few new titles I've picked up in the last few days:
I hope you all have a fantastic week. I'll be somewhere in the Southwest... I think. :) I'm flying into Las Vegas to meet my sister. We'll spend a few days there and then she's wisking me off to some surprise location as an early birthday present. I have no clue where; I just got a list of things to bring and the assurance that I would love it.
And she never really lets me down.
I can't wait
To be with you
No, I just can't sit still,
Are we there yet?
Takes me back
I remember
Such a magical place
It was all you...
Closing in, I hope that you make it
Closing in, I hope that you find your way
- Imogen Heap "Closing In" (Speak for Yourself)
Monday, May 28, 2007
'Cause I love my guitar*
Live music just does it for me. The only thing better than seeing one of your favorite acts playing an all-stops-out show is seeing one of your favorite acts playing an all-stops-out show with great friends. I've made some of my most favorite memories in just such circumstances and got a chance to wax nostalgic about a few of them this past weekend with a friend I hardly see anymore. During this great conversation we were having, he and I both agreed that being surprised by an unknown opening act or seeing an impromptu performance can be just as exhilerating and gratifying (and sometimes moreso) as the big anticipated concert. Case in point. One of the best guitarists I've ever heard was a busker on the corner of North Michigan Ave and Monroe in Chicago. I stood in the cold for 20 minutes just to hear him play and he never missed a beat, despite the bitter March wind that was whipping off the Lake that afternoon.
This line of thought reminded me of a website I stumbled onto a few weeks ago -- a French blog called La Blogothèque that is dedicated to capturing what they call "Takeaway Shows" to film and releasing them on the web. Essentially they contact bands/musicians who are touring through Paris, and then follow them around the city as they perform a few songs for whomever they happen across. There are some really great bands that have been a part of this little phenomenon (The Arcade Fire entry is both chaotic and fascinating; Andrew Bird's is understated and charming; Sufjan Stevens' is quirky and dizzying.), but far and away, my favorite is The Shins.
Click below for 23 minutes of truly great music. It's worth it to go back to read the text at the link above, as well.
I wonder if the French folks who heard The Shins playing that day had any idea what they were witnessing?
This video captures why I chose to learn to play the guitar over the piano. The portability, as well as the range and versatility of the instrument make it ideal for the kind of music I like to make. I'm reminded of what I love about guitar, even this morning when the fingers of my left hand are raw from too much playing yesterday.
For me, with summer always comes the thought of lightening up and eating lovely fresh produce from the Farmer's Market and friends' gardens. This year, I've jumped headlong into the adventure of caring for a wee garden of my own -- a risky prospect given that I have had, in the past, a terrifically black thumb. No matter! We're going with "the triumph of hope over experience" perspective here. And to that end, I've turned my back deck into what is at the moment a lush and verdant container garden, with overflowing pots of basil, oregano, mint, thyme, rosemary and such. A few tomato plants and some jalepenos have made their way into the mix, as well as some flowers and coleus. It's really lovely. I find myself feeling oddly excited about harvesting my own tomatoes in the coming months, if I can manage to keep them alive in the interim.
So in anticipation of my future tomato bounty and upon requests for it, I'm going to share my favorite summer pasta recipe here. It's quick, easy and light (only 335 cals and 9.8 g of fat per serving) but best, tastes divine and is improved even more by a nice salad, a glass of crisp wine and good company, shared al fresco.
Greek Spaghetti with tomatoes and feta
2 teaspoons olive oil
Small bunch (1/8 c) fresh oregano, chopped roughly
Small bunch (1/8 c) fresh basil, chiffonaded
2 large cloves garlic, minced
3 c. diced fresh tomatoes
1/2 c. sliced green onion
1/4 c. choppped fresh parsley, divided
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 c. hot cooked thin spaghetti (cooked in lightly salted water)
1 c. (4 oz) crumbled feta cheese, divided
Freshly ground pepper
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oregano, basil and garlic; sauté 30 seconds (don't let this go too long else you'll scorch the garlic and it will taste bitter). Add tomato, onion, 2 tablespoons parsley, and juice. Cook 2 minutes or until heated.
Combine tomato mixture, spaghetti and 3/4 c. cheese; toss gently. Top with remaining cheese and parsley and sprinkle with pepper.
Yield: 4 servings (Serving size: 1 1/4 c.)
Abbondanza!
I'd like to see you out one night
Dressed up like a race car driver
You'd push the engine all the way
Then I know I'd love you
But if I see you out somewhere
You might think that I don't care
'Cause I love my guitar
I love my guitar
We always stay up late at night
Up in my bedroom
Sometimes we get carried away
Banging the wall, banging the floor
Burning both ends of the midnight oil
-- Jump, Little Children "My Guitar" (Magazine)
This line of thought reminded me of a website I stumbled onto a few weeks ago -- a French blog called La Blogothèque that is dedicated to capturing what they call "Takeaway Shows" to film and releasing them on the web. Essentially they contact bands/musicians who are touring through Paris, and then follow them around the city as they perform a few songs for whomever they happen across. There are some really great bands that have been a part of this little phenomenon (The Arcade Fire entry is both chaotic and fascinating; Andrew Bird's is understated and charming; Sufjan Stevens' is quirky and dizzying.), but far and away, my favorite is The Shins.
Click below for 23 minutes of truly great music. It's worth it to go back to read the text at the link above, as well.
I wonder if the French folks who heard The Shins playing that day had any idea what they were witnessing?
This video captures why I chose to learn to play the guitar over the piano. The portability, as well as the range and versatility of the instrument make it ideal for the kind of music I like to make. I'm reminded of what I love about guitar, even this morning when the fingers of my left hand are raw from too much playing yesterday.
For me, with summer always comes the thought of lightening up and eating lovely fresh produce from the Farmer's Market and friends' gardens. This year, I've jumped headlong into the adventure of caring for a wee garden of my own -- a risky prospect given that I have had, in the past, a terrifically black thumb. No matter! We're going with "the triumph of hope over experience" perspective here. And to that end, I've turned my back deck into what is at the moment a lush and verdant container garden, with overflowing pots of basil, oregano, mint, thyme, rosemary and such. A few tomato plants and some jalepenos have made their way into the mix, as well as some flowers and coleus. It's really lovely. I find myself feeling oddly excited about harvesting my own tomatoes in the coming months, if I can manage to keep them alive in the interim.
So in anticipation of my future tomato bounty and upon requests for it, I'm going to share my favorite summer pasta recipe here. It's quick, easy and light (only 335 cals and 9.8 g of fat per serving) but best, tastes divine and is improved even more by a nice salad, a glass of crisp wine and good company, shared al fresco.
Greek Spaghetti with tomatoes and feta
2 teaspoons olive oil
Small bunch (1/8 c) fresh oregano, chopped roughly
Small bunch (1/8 c) fresh basil, chiffonaded
2 large cloves garlic, minced
3 c. diced fresh tomatoes
1/2 c. sliced green onion
1/4 c. choppped fresh parsley, divided
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 c. hot cooked thin spaghetti (cooked in lightly salted water)
1 c. (4 oz) crumbled feta cheese, divided
Freshly ground pepper
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oregano, basil and garlic; sauté 30 seconds (don't let this go too long else you'll scorch the garlic and it will taste bitter). Add tomato, onion, 2 tablespoons parsley, and juice. Cook 2 minutes or until heated.
Combine tomato mixture, spaghetti and 3/4 c. cheese; toss gently. Top with remaining cheese and parsley and sprinkle with pepper.
Yield: 4 servings (Serving size: 1 1/4 c.)
Abbondanza!
I'd like to see you out one night
Dressed up like a race car driver
You'd push the engine all the way
Then I know I'd love you
But if I see you out somewhere
You might think that I don't care
'Cause I love my guitar
I love my guitar
We always stay up late at night
Up in my bedroom
Sometimes we get carried away
Banging the wall, banging the floor
Burning both ends of the midnight oil
-- Jump, Little Children "My Guitar" (Magazine)
Sunday, May 27, 2007
But you're the light on my shoulder*
Well, it's been a busy start of summer, and here again, I find myself in a state of not having blogged in ages.
There's been knitting, of course, in the last few weeks, but I've spent a fair bit of my free time playing my guitar, Stella. Stella is a G-series Takamine which I was gifted for my birthday last July. She's a beautiful instrument with a lovely warm sound and great sustain, but after nearly a year of piddling around with her, I'm still quite a mediocre guitarist. Well, that's not really fair; I'm still learning is all, but the net result has been that no one outside of my immediate family has yet heard me play. I'm a confident vocalist, and was at one time quite accomplished, so I'm not used to struggling musically. Adding an instrument has been a great challenge, but one that's loads of fun. Most importantly -- and this was the reason I wanted a guitar in the first place -- it's gotten me to sing more frequently.
So why all the practicing lately? I have a batch of friends who will be getting married in the next year or so (don't they always seem to come in waves?) and I've already been asked to sing and play for three of these weddings. So, I've been excitedly learning new songs and getting used to the idea of playing in front of audiences of a few hundred people. One song I've chosen is Susie Suh's "Light on My Shoulder." I love this piece so much. It's very simple and unpretentious, sentimental but not cloying. The lyrics are a bit spare and perhaps predictable, but somehow it seems to really work with the melody. I've not yet mastered the fingerpicking, but I've made the vocals my own, and I think it's going to come together very nicely.
The second song I've learned is Leslie Feist's "The Park." This one is even simpler to play: just three chords with minimal fingerpicking. My picking is not perfect yet, but I managed to get the pulloffs to sound quite nice as of this evening. Rather than the guitar, it was the similarity of Feist's voice to my own and a friend's (very correct) suggestion that I would love the song that originally attracted me to "The Park." I might tweak the somber lyrics on this one to make it more wedding-worthy, but it's a beautiful melody and will play to my strengths to good effect, I think.
Now the challenge is to knit something beautiful to wear to these weddings that will stay on as I strum. Maybe an elongated Clapotis...
Broadripple Socks: one complete, the second at about the 2/3 mark. Should be able to finish these this week sometime. I'm very happy with how they are turning out! The colors have pooled a bit, but I so love the combination of this colorway and pattern that it's not bothering me too much. I think my sister will adore them and can't wait to see her face when she opens the package. I think I'll wait to surprise her until we're around the fire with marshmallows in hand.
It's really hard to photograph socks when they are on your own feet. I'll get some better shots of them on my sis's feet in a few weeks.
The toe:
A little (unfocused) leg detail:
My weekend has been great. I went to a friend's house for game night with the girls on Friday... which involved the consumption of some of the best brownies I've made in ages and then devolved into fits of laughter and ultimately a broken dining room table. No irreparable harm was done (aside the ruined table) and our hostess was thrilled to be able to go buy a new dining set. Saturday, I joined a big group of friends in congratulating a favorite twosome from our gang on the happy occasion of their engagement! Lots of dancing around to 80s music... lots of silly toasts... lots of great food in even better company. And today, we took a boat outing with a small clutch of friends and enjoyed a fabulous dinner of grilled pork loin with my marbled mashed potatoes and steamed asparagus. The whole weekend was very chill and precisely what we all needed.
Some fun moments:
More soon. I hope these few electrons find you all happy and healthy.
It's easier to fall and harder to stand.
It's easier to cry and harder to laugh.
And I don’t know how, I don’t know why
But you’re the light on my shoulder
When I'm tired.
It's easier to run and harder to be still.
It's easier to think and harder to feel.
And I don’t know how, I don’t know why
But you’re the light on my shoulder
When I'm tired.
It's easier to hide and harder to trust.
It's easier to hate and harder to love.
And I don’t know how, I don’t know anything
But you’re the temper in my voice
When I sing.
- Susie Suh "Light on My Shoulder" (Susie Suh)
There's been knitting, of course, in the last few weeks, but I've spent a fair bit of my free time playing my guitar, Stella. Stella is a G-series Takamine which I was gifted for my birthday last July. She's a beautiful instrument with a lovely warm sound and great sustain, but after nearly a year of piddling around with her, I'm still quite a mediocre guitarist. Well, that's not really fair; I'm still learning is all, but the net result has been that no one outside of my immediate family has yet heard me play. I'm a confident vocalist, and was at one time quite accomplished, so I'm not used to struggling musically. Adding an instrument has been a great challenge, but one that's loads of fun. Most importantly -- and this was the reason I wanted a guitar in the first place -- it's gotten me to sing more frequently.
So why all the practicing lately? I have a batch of friends who will be getting married in the next year or so (don't they always seem to come in waves?) and I've already been asked to sing and play for three of these weddings. So, I've been excitedly learning new songs and getting used to the idea of playing in front of audiences of a few hundred people. One song I've chosen is Susie Suh's "Light on My Shoulder." I love this piece so much. It's very simple and unpretentious, sentimental but not cloying. The lyrics are a bit spare and perhaps predictable, but somehow it seems to really work with the melody. I've not yet mastered the fingerpicking, but I've made the vocals my own, and I think it's going to come together very nicely.
The second song I've learned is Leslie Feist's "The Park." This one is even simpler to play: just three chords with minimal fingerpicking. My picking is not perfect yet, but I managed to get the pulloffs to sound quite nice as of this evening. Rather than the guitar, it was the similarity of Feist's voice to my own and a friend's (very correct) suggestion that I would love the song that originally attracted me to "The Park." I might tweak the somber lyrics on this one to make it more wedding-worthy, but it's a beautiful melody and will play to my strengths to good effect, I think.
Now the challenge is to knit something beautiful to wear to these weddings that will stay on as I strum. Maybe an elongated Clapotis...
Broadripple Socks: one complete, the second at about the 2/3 mark. Should be able to finish these this week sometime. I'm very happy with how they are turning out! The colors have pooled a bit, but I so love the combination of this colorway and pattern that it's not bothering me too much. I think my sister will adore them and can't wait to see her face when she opens the package. I think I'll wait to surprise her until we're around the fire with marshmallows in hand.
It's really hard to photograph socks when they are on your own feet. I'll get some better shots of them on my sis's feet in a few weeks.
The toe:
A little (unfocused) leg detail:
My weekend has been great. I went to a friend's house for game night with the girls on Friday... which involved the consumption of some of the best brownies I've made in ages and then devolved into fits of laughter and ultimately a broken dining room table. No irreparable harm was done (aside the ruined table) and our hostess was thrilled to be able to go buy a new dining set. Saturday, I joined a big group of friends in congratulating a favorite twosome from our gang on the happy occasion of their engagement! Lots of dancing around to 80s music... lots of silly toasts... lots of great food in even better company. And today, we took a boat outing with a small clutch of friends and enjoyed a fabulous dinner of grilled pork loin with my marbled mashed potatoes and steamed asparagus. The whole weekend was very chill and precisely what we all needed.
Some fun moments:
More soon. I hope these few electrons find you all happy and healthy.
It's easier to fall and harder to stand.
It's easier to cry and harder to laugh.
And I don’t know how, I don’t know why
But you’re the light on my shoulder
When I'm tired.
It's easier to run and harder to be still.
It's easier to think and harder to feel.
And I don’t know how, I don’t know why
But you’re the light on my shoulder
When I'm tired.
It's easier to hide and harder to trust.
It's easier to hate and harder to love.
And I don’t know how, I don’t know anything
But you’re the temper in my voice
When I sing.
- Susie Suh "Light on My Shoulder" (Susie Suh)
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Cast me gently into morning, for the night has been unkind
Preface: I should have realized this blog had no prayer of staying "just a knitblog."
My sleep has been a trainwreck the last week and a half or so -- partly because of the 71 page monstrosity and partly because of a fight and partly because of a string of really vivid, distressing dreams. I won't dissect the dreams here (In truth, it always amazes me when people talk about their dreams openly on the internet -- feels a bit like uploading one's unconscious for all to sift through. No thanks.), but the most disturbing one involved my being tied to a huge tree and attacked by an army of poisonous snakes. Oh, font of neverending joy.
So what do you do when you can't sleep and you're hungover from excessive caffeine consumption, writing into the wee hours and feeling frustrated that the one knitting project you want to be working on (Icarus) is feeling impossible? Crank the tunes and cast on a sock, of course! Well, this one was prompted by the epic phone conversation I had with my little sister on Saturday. As sisters are wont to do, she made me feel about 6000% better, so I decided to take she-whose-feet-are-eternally-icy a pair of handknit wool socks as a surprise next month. Enter Broadripple. Isn't this yarn (above) just precious? It's KnitPicks Memories in S'mores, which happen to be one of sis and my most favoritest treats ever. I love this pattern too: slightly lacy, easy to memorize, works up fast. It just works on so many levels. I hope she loves them, but I really wouldn't mind if she doesn't, because I'll just keep them for myself. Bonus on sockknitting for her: our feet are almost exactly the same size (mine are shorter, but hers are narrower). ;)
“Creativity arises out of the tension between spontaneity and limitations, the latter (like the river banks) forcing the spontaneity into the various forms which are essential to the work of art or poem.” -- Rollo May
I've really never considered myself to be "crafty." I can't really explain why, but I think I just have a negative association of myself to that word. I think somewhere along the line, someone I respected must have equated "craft" with idleness and wasted energies, and the (preposterous) notion got stuck in my brain that one must avoid such things. But nonetheless, I've always liked to create things. When I was told in the eighth grade that I had to take either a woodshop class (no way) or "personal living skills" (e.g. home ec), I was mad that those were my only options. I wanted to take another science class or maybe drama, but not cooking and sewing! I think I probably scowled for a week straight, but ended up absolutely loving the class. So much so, in fact, that in ninth grade, I took both the advanced cooking and sewing courses. It's funny to me that now, as an adult, those kinds of things are among my favorite things to do.
My friends from undergrad call me MiniMartha (of the Stewart variety) for my knack of pulling together parties "out of nothing" -- like a MacGuyver of Entertaining or some such thing. There's a good reason I've been Maid or Matron of Honor in nine weddings. Well firstly, I have great girlfriends who've really honored me by asking me to stand beside them on their wedding days, but I think they also know that I'll do all the bridal things well. I tend to go all out. So, for whatever reason (most likely offender? the half decade I've spent doing little aside from grad school), I've been flying my Crafty flag a lot lately. It was beyond time to redress the deficit, friends.
Other than knitting, I've also beaded a few things in the last few months. My favorite is the amethyst and pearl fob I made for my embroidery scissors. Now, no matter how far they've slipped to the bottom of my knitting bag, I can dig them out in a snap.
I whipped up a few (dozen) stitchmarkers, too.
Hmmm, maybe I'll find some cool beads and make mi hermana a pair of earrings too. She's worth it.
Before I go back to struggling with Icarus and the ridiculously beautiful, but ridiculously fine yarn I've chosen to work with, I have finished objects that keep slipping my mind to photograph, most likely because they've been on my feet since I finished weaving in all the ends. I present... le fong du moi! Erm, but look past my swollen, allergic toesies and my less than perfect pedicure.
Pattern: Fong! by the inimitable Kathy.
Yarn: Regia Cotton Color #5408
Needles: Size 1 Clover Bamboo DPNs. When I make another pair of these, I'm gonna use 0s I think. My finished Fongi are a little loose, but they work beautifully and I love them to bits.
Mods: I added a single garter stitch on either side of the... flossy part, which I also knit in reverse stockinette so the curl would match the curve of my... toe cleft. Okay, I feel horribly dirty writing about this. Is it just me?
"I will be the answer at the end of the line
I will be there for you while you take the time
In the burning of uncertainty, I will be your solid ground
I will hold the balance if you can't look down
If it takes my whole life, I won't break, I won't bend
It will all be worth it, worth it in the end
‘Cause I can only tell you what I know, that I need you in my life
And when the stars have all gone out you'll still be burning so bright
Cast me gently into morning
For the night has been unkind."
-- Sarah McLachlan "Answer" (Afterglow)
Thursday, May 3, 2007
So I need some fine wine, and you, you need to be nicer
It's finally here! The yarn order I've been waiting on for over two weeks.
I'm normally a very patient person, but I've been itching to get this stuff in my hands since the moment I placed the order. You see, I could not begin my beautiful Icarus shawl until I received this package. And since it's a KnitAlong, I'm way behind! Oh well, it's probably for the best... a larger plan at work since I've been so busy this week that I couldn't have knit much on it anyway and having it around would have only enticed me horrendously.
But no matter! It's here now!
The complete haul:
- Five balls of beautiul luscious Peru DK Luxury in Imperial Purple (70% Fine merino, 20% alpaca, 10% silk). Mmmmmm, this stuff feels amazing.
- One hank of Lane Borgosesia Baruffa Cashwool in Plum Wine (100% extrafine merino laceweight). Also very very soft and yummy. The color is a little off in these photos. It's actually more purpley than it shows up here on my monitor.
- And lastly, three balls of stretchy Cascade Fixation in Calypso.
And after a spin on the swift, we're all balled up and ready to knit! Maybe I'll get some time later tonight to cast on.
And now, along with the beauteousness of my yarn, I present the sad, ugly spectacle of a very drunk David Hasselhoff being begged by his 16 year old daughter to stop drinking. What a sad, sad scene. This man needs professional help, yesterday. I hope he gets it and is able to get his act together. How embarrassed he must be to have had his daughter see him in this condition. I'm resisting the temptation to email this to a few people I know...
"So I need some fine wine, and you, you need to be nicer
For the good times and the bad times
That we'll have
Sometimes we talk over dinner like old friends
Till I go and kill the bottle,
I go off over any old thing,
Break your heart
and raise a glass or ten."
- The Cardigans "I Need Some Fine Wine, and You, You Need to be Nicer" (Super Extra Gravity)
I'm normally a very patient person, but I've been itching to get this stuff in my hands since the moment I placed the order. You see, I could not begin my beautiful Icarus shawl until I received this package. And since it's a KnitAlong, I'm way behind! Oh well, it's probably for the best... a larger plan at work since I've been so busy this week that I couldn't have knit much on it anyway and having it around would have only enticed me horrendously.
But no matter! It's here now!
The complete haul:
- Five balls of beautiul luscious Peru DK Luxury in Imperial Purple (70% Fine merino, 20% alpaca, 10% silk). Mmmmmm, this stuff feels amazing.
- One hank of Lane Borgosesia Baruffa Cashwool in Plum Wine (100% extrafine merino laceweight). Also very very soft and yummy. The color is a little off in these photos. It's actually more purpley than it shows up here on my monitor.
- And lastly, three balls of stretchy Cascade Fixation in Calypso.
And after a spin on the swift, we're all balled up and ready to knit! Maybe I'll get some time later tonight to cast on.
And now, along with the beauteousness of my yarn, I present the sad, ugly spectacle of a very drunk David Hasselhoff being begged by his 16 year old daughter to stop drinking. What a sad, sad scene. This man needs professional help, yesterday. I hope he gets it and is able to get his act together. How embarrassed he must be to have had his daughter see him in this condition. I'm resisting the temptation to email this to a few people I know...
"So I need some fine wine, and you, you need to be nicer
For the good times and the bad times
That we'll have
Sometimes we talk over dinner like old friends
Till I go and kill the bottle,
I go off over any old thing,
Break your heart
and raise a glass or ten."
- The Cardigans "I Need Some Fine Wine, and You, You Need to be Nicer" (Super Extra Gravity)
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