Archive for 2007

1977

Friday, December 28th, 2007
hizKNITS

What is that compels us to collect evidence of past experience? Do we not trust our our feeble memories? Time robs us of yesterday, while firmly shoving us toward tomorrow.

Being here at my parents’ home in PA, a house I’ve never lived in and only visited a handful of times over the past five years, takes me far away from my West Coast present. Rifling through mildewy boxes of my childhood momentos allows flickers of forgotten time: that Clowns for Christ weekend, those high school SAT and AP test scores, the notes from my fifth grade girlfriend and myriad Boy Scout badges and patches.

I’m surrounded by everything they’ve collected in their years together. The stuff that survived the 10 moves I made with them during my first 18 years has now been joined with new relics of three other moves. What’s going to survive this next one, as they prepare to go to western New York next week?

Watching my dad sort through tons (literally) of magazines and books—theology and religion, magic, writing, origami, role-playing games, science fiction and fantasy, storytelling, cycling—shows me how defined he is by his pursuit of knowledge, or at least the acquisition thereof. Seeing my mom wade through recipes, both handwritten and torn-out from magazines, underlined her connection to people and places across time through food. Some are tried and true (with stains to prove it), and others just symbols of hope for a future sidedish, culinary adventure or inspiration for another idea.

For my crap, it’s all being thrown away, even the seven years of art school drawings and paintings. At least the student loans are paid off. What good would these objects serve me now? Back in San Francisco, they’d just sit in storage, never to be seen until a move or a cleaning purge. Their demise is inevitable.

If I had time, I’d take a picture of every item and write a little bit about where and when it was aquired, a memory blog of sorts. Better yet, I could start by capturing everything that comes into my life right now, so I wouldn’t have to look back and think and wonder what I’m forgetting.

But that would be a fruitless and endless practice. One that would get in the way of they real day-to-day of living. Besides, I’ve never organized any of my photos and I’ll be darned if I start scrapbooking now. I’d focus on the what’s happening of right now, of the bread I baked for dinner and the pea soup I made with my mom.

There’s so much of my own past that I want to hold onto, even seek out and find those long-lost friends. And to do that means a little less time at work and more time creating new memories with people I love. (A New Year’s resolution, perhaps?)

In the meantime, I’ll enjoy the rare gem the pops onto my radar screen, like this clipping from the Uniontown, PA paper’s article on the changing lives of minister’s wives. I may no longer have that towheaded mop-top or that killer bike race tanktop, but I know that once I did, and it made me smile.

happy boxing day

Wednesday, December 26th, 2007
hizKNITS

It’s the day after, and I haven’t been too good about spreading the holiday cheer here. Just a lot of dog photos.

The past few weeks have seen three pairs of Ysolda’s garter stitch mitts, inspired by this photo by Christina. Two got away without photos, as did one of the two Noro K1P1 striped scarves I’ve spat out since Thanksgiving, as inspired by Jared. (However, mine alternated a solid with the Noro, as I worked through yarn already owned.) Perhaps a picture will appear here after I charge the battery to the lovely camera I received, thanks to the man (his photo above, my assisting and animal handling).

I hope you and yours have had a lovely December, whether you celebrated yesterday, earlier in the month or on the solstice. I’m headed to Pennsylvania tonight to help my parents pack up their house for the next four days. If anyone’s going to be in the vicinity of Bedford or Harrisburg, that’s where you’ll find me.

Just pray that there’s no bad weather to prevent my 12/31 flight home, via DC.

Silly Wilfredo

Monday, December 10th, 2007
hizKNITS

This is how my weekend ended. In the gaze of a sweet little puppy, while having dinner at Lisa’s house. This little bambino who looks like bambi is a fourth of Janie Sparkles’ size and twice as eager to snuggle. (and, yes, that’s a cameraphone picture!)

It was the perfect end to a super-duper busy weekend, between swim practice, hanging out with Mike (where this happened… more on that later), a swim team holiday party, cooking a bunch of cabbage and kale, a drive-by pop-in to Sabrina of KnitKnit’s book signing put on by Sile of Knit One One fame.

I can tell it’s the holidays, as almost every night there’s a party or a concert or a project to do. If only my day job would let up and allow me to get my social on… or at least return to knitting.

Let sleeping dogs lie

Friday, December 7th, 2007
hizKNITS

Pardon my blog nap.

Work’s been exhausting lately, so nothing much left over to devote to writing or knitting. It may be this way through the end of the year…

However, I wanted to say a great big “thank you” to Vickie Howell for the mention on her podcast, CRL: Craft | Rock | Love.

I’ll write more when I wake up from my long winter nap.

For your holiday shopping

Monday, November 19th, 2007

Be cool for just $10. Or make your friends cool. Or, as my mom suggested, make your friends’ kids really, really cool.

Threadless is having a sale.

Paper Cranes - Threadless, Best T-shirts Ever

NaNo no-no

Sunday, November 18th, 2007

For the lack of posting, you’d think I had forgotten how to write at all. ‘Tis not the case. It was a productive blog silence, as I attempted my fourth NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month.

Sadly, at about 18K words in, I pulled the plug last week. It’s further than I’ve ever gotten, so that makes me happy. But with trying to launch a site at work, two nights at the office past 11pm and a trip to the outlaw in-laws (outlaws only because my relationship isn’t legally recognized) in Eugene for the upcoming Tofurkey day, it wasn’t going to happen without a lot of pain. And I want to do NaNo in a spirit of fun and joy. There’s enough hurt in the world without scooping some more on myself.

That said, my newfound free time means a return to knitting, a chance to clean out some email inboxes, a truckload of Ravelry friend adds and hopefully more opportunities to be social. I’m back in the pool, too. As soon as that darn redesign launches, it will be a full return to normalcy.

My crack addiction

Thursday, November 1st, 2007
hizKNITS

Smarties are crack. No, not the Canadian Smarties, aka Nestle’s M&M’s (with a better quality chocolate).

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved the good ol’ fashioned, pressed powdered dextrose discs. And it has to be from Ce De Candy Inc., not some cheap imitation.

I prefer to eat them by color, after separating them into piles. Typically, I can’t just eat one. Sometimes I become so overwhelmed by desire I forgo the segregation step and cram a whole roll in my mouth. I know; it’s a problem.

Back in the late mid-90’s, I had a much worse problem with them. Around Halloween, I’d buy a 2 or 3 or 5 lbs. bag and horde them in my desk at work. I’d gorge myself on the bag for weeks. Usually, it was only one bag a year, however, there a few two-bag binges.

It’s been years since I bought a bulk bag. I’ve been able to eat a couple of rolls, here and there, when they cross my path. Yesterday, I found myself fantasizing about those days of yore, having a seemingly never-ending stash at an arm’s-length.

Thus far, I’ve remained steadfast and in control. No drugstore visit last night to the candy aisle. Yet, coworkers brought in their kids’ candy today, and I cherrypicked eight rolls which are sitting next to me on my desk. I can smell them, but haven’t opened one.

I’m using them as motivation to get stuff done today… yet I’ve just wasted 15 minutes writing this panegyric lauding them. Obsessed?

Boo!

Wednesday, October 31st, 2007
hizKNITS

Tis’ the season!

Janie Sparkles looks a little frightened my modification of Knitty.com’s Jackyll and Hide in chunky yarn (Crystal Palace Iceland).

Maybe she’s just scared of the kerchief we’re forcing her to wear today?

Happy Halloween!

Bran____ 2.0

Sunday, October 21st, 2007

Just finished grafting the toe and weaving in the ends of the first Brancusi 2.0 sock. Sadly, I don’t have a picture to share with you, so you just have to trust me. Halfway there, hence the post title.

With more stitches and finer yarn, the pattern has changed a bit. The diamonds are isolated between twisted stitches columns. This is the third Brancusi I’ve knit, not counting the one and half “sketch” socks where I began playing with the pattern. As such (and with a little Cat Bordhi advice), in this one I was able to solve some of the tightness at the ankle.

All that remains is getting through the second one, just to make sure there’s enough yarn in the skein to enter in the Hill Country Yarns sock pattern contest. If there’s not, I’ll figure out a way to share the pattern with y’all.

Although I’m a few weeks out, I’m already looking forward to a much more stockinette sock. I’m thinking Cat’s Coriolis or perhaps Yarnissima’s Firestarter or Stephanie’s Earl Grey.

Maybe all three?

(and a very happy 40th to WonderMike! today’s the actual day.)

By candlelight

Saturday, October 20th, 2007

We’re making spaghetti and meatballs for dinner tonight in the dark. No, there hasn’t been a power outage. It’s Lights Out SF. Six tealights are burning on the coffeetable, next to a chunky make-it-yourself candle I make’ed years ago that’s burning for the first time. The only other light in the apartment is the dull glow of our computer screens as I’m typing and he’s on flickr.

Today was the surprise 40th birthday party for Michael, put on by his adorable and loving boyfriend Anthony. I assume someone will post pictures. Other than surprise Mr. Socktopus himself, a highlight was hanging out with Kate (who just heard about these new-fangled computers) and Tammy (of her own bad-ass tattoos fame). I have the feeling that these three (along with Elaine who couldn’t make it) could be my future BFF’s.

At least, that’s what I’m hoping.