November 20, 2010

Saturday. So maybe I should just make these weekly two sentence journal entries...

So the holiday is coming. I really don't care. I think I've decided that holidays are kinda phony. If you don't really spend time with your family all year, then why get all sentimental about them at the holidays? I have completely done away with christmas. No more gifts from me , because I'd rather send gifts when I want, when they are needed, and not when someone else tells me that I have to. My two sentences have become a paragraph, and not what I intended, so....

1. Some people thrive on drama, and have the capability to self manufacture in case of a shortage.

2. I loathe drama.

two line journal three? four? whatever!

So I'm supposed to remember crap? Is this three or four or seventy seven? Who cares...

today's journal

I saw a junco and downy woodpecker discussing feeder protocol when I came home from work. Then a chickadee flew in and made a final judgement.

Birds are smarter than humans.

more one line two line journals

today- November 11, 2010

Many things are ending, short term projects, longer term projects, and soon, the biggest project of all, and I'm feeling relief, no stress, and very calm.

This is wonderful.

two sentence journal last three days

Tuesday- 11/2 This was election day.

Most people are reasonable, but there are those for whom being right is more important than being gracious.

Wednesday- 11/3 day of preparation

if you have a lot to do, and are very tired, you can get everything done if you break everything down into very small steps.

Thursday- 11/4 it all pays off.

Getting everything done means I can attend a conference with people I like before I even meet them, with no stress or worries, and true relaxation can start.

One sentence journal

I was poking around online and found something called the Happiness Project, or some such thing.

One way they said to have a happier life was to journal every day, but only do one sentence. I don't know how this can make you happy, unless you focus on the best thing that happened to you each day. I doubt I'll focus on the best each day, but I think that I'll try some kind of two sentence journal. Sentence one is just he one thing that I did that day. Kind of a reference point for me. The second sentence will be how I'm feeling because of it. I don't think happiness is ignoring what makes you unhappy. I think happiness is learning to deal with the bad things without it ruining everything else about your day.

And two sentences aren't much. Life is going to be getting very busy for me very soon.

so here the first two sentences:

1.) I traveled to Iowa for Uncle Fred's 90th birthday party today, and got to visit with family for a few hours.

2.) I am truly grateful for my friends in my life, who have become my real family over the years.

à bientôt!

This old guitar

I play the guitar. This might be news to my friends, but probably not too surprising. When I was 14 my Dad bought me cheap guitar, used, for Christmas. It was black. I played it until my fingers bled. I played it so much, every waking hour, I wore the wrapping off the strings. I learned everything John Denver wrote, then moved on to Neil Diamond, and then started writing my own very bad songs. I used to fall asleep playing that guitar, wake up with it in the bed, and play again. I could play both parts of Dueling Banjos. My boyfriend (now husband) could play all of Stairway to Heaven. He still can. I played into my twenties. Then I got busy working, paying bills, getting old.

I still had that same old guitar. It got old too. The varnish cracked. Bits fell off. Strings broke and were never replaced. I asked my husband to fix it for me, but it really wasn't worth it. He bought me a new one, all shiny and blond, like a trophy wife. I played it, we played together sometimes. He played it. It's a good, nice guitar.

Then for some reason known only to him, my Dad bought himself a guitar. Dad used to have a gorgeous Martin Archtop guitar and I picked on it when I was about 10. Learned my first song on that Martin. Proud Mary. It had only two chords. That's good, because that's all I knew. I have a tape of my Dad playing and singing that Martin and he sounds like Hank Williams. That's Senior, the really good one. At 70, he bought a new guitar so I could teach him how to finger pick. Dad had arthritis in his hands, but was determined. He had lung cancer, and I think this was on his bucket list. I never heard him play the new guitar, or sing "I'm so Lonesome I Could Cry" in a way that always made me cry.

Now I have Dad's guitar. I'm still very busy paying the bills, running here and there, but sometimes I have to pull out that guitar. It usually starts with a song on the radio that I used to play. Tonight it was "Mr. Bojangles" and Dad's guitar had to come out, get dusted slowly, like a gentle waking caress with a my hand, and it had to sing me another song. My fingers are getting a bit stiff, and I don't have the calluses anymore, but the fingers and the guitar still remember. After a tune-up, a few plinks to warm up, that opening riff for Mr. Bojangles was still there.

Dance, Mr. Bojangles, Dance.

And my old, broken guitar? I see it every day, in the corner of my bedroom. I know the music is still in there, even though it sits silent. I'll probably never play it again, but I don't have to. I can still hear Dad being so lonesome he could cry. The music lives in my heart.

This old guitar taught me to sing a love song

taught me how to laugh, and how to cry.

It introduced me to some friends of mine, and brightened up some days,

and helped me make it through some lonely nights.

What a friend to have on a cold and lonely night.

-This Old Guitar by John Denver

Thanks John. Thanks Dad.

Stitches Midwest

We left home with all the glee of schoolchildren on a snow day. And it only has gotten better so far. After a fast drive up with only the minimum amount of road construction allowed by law, we first stopped at Inspired Needle in Lemont. We weren't planning to, but we were a bit early for lunch, so why not? I found some new scissors and a black sheep measuring tape. Seems very appropriate somehow... baaaaa.

Lunch was outstanding at Old Town cafe in Lemont- an amazing Black Forest Schnitzel, spaetzel and sauerkraut for me. On to Knitche in Downers Grove and some pre market yarn fondling. I got something specifically for a couple projects. And started a new pair of socks tonight.

We got to Schaumberg, checked in, and started exploring. We found the check-in for our conference- we are at Stitches Midwest. Bought some conference bling- and decided out Knaughty Knitters mascot- "tink" was going to be a kangaroo. There are way cool T's here with a knitting kangaroo on the front, and Tink sounds a bit Australian, don't you think? G'day, Tink!

So it's getting late, and everyone else has gone to bed. I'm in this awesome lobby, with music, a fireplace, artwork, fountains, and not a soul in sight. Yeah, it's about 1:30am, but even so....

I'll be tweeting from the conference with a #stitches hashtag. If you have no idea what that is, then don't bother- you are probably not reading this either....

First class at 1:30 tomorrow. Backwards Stitching.

Knitting badges

thanks to Cast-on.com I have earned some Knitting badges:

The McGyver 1 badge for using an unusual object while knitting. Bread ties as stitch markers was probably my first.

The McGyver2 badge for using knitting objects in unusual ways. Yup haven't we all used knitting needles to get at something that needed poking, finding or scratching? And not to mention using yarn as dental floss? Oh yeah.....

Proselytize Knitting Badge- for representing knitting in a good light. Well- I do what I can, but typically knitting represents me in a good light.

Can be an Asshole When it Comes to Knitting Badge. I have only one thing to say--Don't even start with circular needles- okay! Oh yeah, and American style may not be as fast as continental, but it is the RIGHT way.

Knitting Under the Influence Badge -Nuff said...

I Will Crush You With My Math Knowledge Badge. Math I know, gauge I can figure, and if I can't I'll just have another drink.

Knitting Has Caused Me To Seek Medical Attention 1 Badge.- Ok- I probably should have had that needle in hand from car accident thing looked at, but I'd like to think the doctors would still be laughing at me, and it healed OK.

Sizzling Sixteen- spoilers!

I only have a few minutes, but I just wanted to get a new blog post in. I just finished Janet Evanovich's Sizzling Sixteen. I liked it better than fifteen. Good plot, lots of hot Ranger action, and I love the threesome of Lula, Connie and Stephanie working together. There;s just one problem. I feel a slight unease. Maybe it's because Stephanie is feeling the same thing. I wouldn't be too surprised to see this series end soon. With the office being firebombed, everything is up in the air. I could easily see Steph going to work for Ranger, Morelli getting jealous, she finally makes a choice one way or another, and either way, the tension is gone, life finally gets down to business and Stephanie grows up and moves on. The required car gets destroyed, Grandma goes to a couple funerals, there is a few chases, laughs, and I had to read it in one sitting. It was still compelling and funny. not as good as those middle ones 7-10, but well above 15.


And in knitting world? The socks that were on the needle that went into my hand in the car accident are done. It seemed like they took forever! A new pair is well on the way to being done.

And in the world of Craig Ferguson? I continue to be truly infatuated with the sexy scot. I know all my friends are getting tired of hearing about him, but I can't help it. Lucky for me, I'm not alone. There are a few hundred thousand of us who follow him on twitter, and you can find several of us tweeting together every night while we watch the show. I keep my lusty thoughts in the volcano.

Hot! But it's only June

It has been hot, hot here. June isn't typically over 90 degrees, but we've already it it. Bleh!

Haven't finished any books recently, haven't finished any knitting or stitching recently, although I have a scarf, socks, and about three cross stitch pieces all being worked on. Summer school started and time is now a luxury I don't have. Good and bad crap has been happening but then it always does, and I usually come out the better in the end so let's just say fertilizer has been added and with luck a healthy crop will come of it. But for whatever or whomever is delivering said fertilizer- I have enough now, thank you, and you can stop delivering.

For some reason, I've been swearing more lately. Well, I blame Craig Ferguson's cussing bunny, Sid. OK- It's not Sid, it's me. I have to be careful because if I drop an F-Bomb in class, well let's just say that that particular garden has had a bit of over fertilization last week and doesn't need any more. (Yeah, in trouble again...) I really don't know why, but a good swearing has been feeling really satisfying. I stopped swearing when the son-child was born, and never really took it back up, but now...#(%($&^#()$*+!#$(*!+ is becoming commonplace.

Along with that, I've been having trouble sleeping. That's because I'm becoming a Woman Of A Certain Age and I guess insomnia is part of that. I cut out the Dew for about a month, and it didn't help. So here I am, after midnight,hanging out on the Interweb, knowing I have to be at work tomorrow grading papers at 8:00 for my 10:00 class that should be going hiking, except the forecast calls for rain. I really don't care- I'm going to take them anyway.

Oh well, I'm going to try to go to sleep, and maybe I'll dream about swearing and get it out of my system for the day.