Taking a Holiday
Sorry about the lack of posts lately. Now that I'm back at work - and fulltime again as of yesterday - it seems that the amount of stuff that I can squeeze into one day has exceeded the limit of hours available. Kind of the way that your computer tells you've exceeded the limit for saving data, and you have to start jettisoning something. Blogging is my discard, these days.
Here's some of what I've been doing with the space available:
I've been reading again, which is great. Being home for several weeks gave me the time to get back into the habit of lying on the couch and just reading. Because I am a Very Competitive Person, especially with myself, I keep track of the titles of books I've read in a little notebook that sits on a shelf under my husband's night table. (why under his night table and not mine? not sure, and I didn't even think about how odd that was until the other night, some five years after I started storing it there) Last year I read less books than in any of the previous five years,and that's including all the half-started ones that I decided to list, just in case I ever needed to remember a title or author. But in January of 2008, I've already read 5 or 6 books, so I'm on track to beat my record this year, and spend some quality couch time reading.
And yeah for the public libary! It's one of the few places that you can go, when you're home on sick leave, without spending money. I am now on an almost first-name basis with one of the librarians. Almost, because I have a bad habit of going deaf when someone tells me her name, because my brain is drowning out the person's voice with the sound of me telling myself: I NEVER REMEMBER PEOPLE'S NAMES. If I could quiet that inner commentary, I'd be much better at the name thing. Still, we enjoy saying hello and chatting, and even those little social interactions were beneficial when it was just me and the cat home all day.
I've also returned to weaving: I'm about 18 inches into Pillowcase #2 for my neighbor, and hoping that the warp will be long enough to get the right length out of it. I'd love to finish this project before the next decade opens, and move onto something with a painted or dyed warp, or those napkins that I promised my daughter two or three years ago.
And listening to Children of the Storm, read by Barbara Rosenblatt. After that, Northanger Abbey or Mansfield Park. What was the BBC thinking in trying to compress Austen into one hour on Sunday nights? The whole point is the chance to get lost for long amounts of time in a different world.
And knitting. Despite the guffawing the other night by someone about how long it takes me to finish a sweater, I'm almosssst done with the Snap Cardigan. Just need to do about 4 more inches on the collar, sew in a few ends, and finito. That my friend Joyce bought a pattern and yarn last week after I left her at the knitting store and is already done with her entire sweater is bothering me not a whit.
And working. And cooking. And making actual social engagements to have lunch or coffee with friends. And talking on the phone to my sister or mom or teacher. And baking: cornmeal-blueberry muffins and awesome buttermilk scones and brownies with almonds and No-knead Bread. Next time, I'll post the scone recipe. It's one of those platonic ideals of a recipe: perfect in its own self.
Here's some of what I've been doing with the space available:
I've been reading again, which is great. Being home for several weeks gave me the time to get back into the habit of lying on the couch and just reading. Because I am a Very Competitive Person, especially with myself, I keep track of the titles of books I've read in a little notebook that sits on a shelf under my husband's night table. (why under his night table and not mine? not sure, and I didn't even think about how odd that was until the other night, some five years after I started storing it there) Last year I read less books than in any of the previous five years,and that's including all the half-started ones that I decided to list, just in case I ever needed to remember a title or author. But in January of 2008, I've already read 5 or 6 books, so I'm on track to beat my record this year, and spend some quality couch time reading.
And yeah for the public libary! It's one of the few places that you can go, when you're home on sick leave, without spending money. I am now on an almost first-name basis with one of the librarians. Almost, because I have a bad habit of going deaf when someone tells me her name, because my brain is drowning out the person's voice with the sound of me telling myself: I NEVER REMEMBER PEOPLE'S NAMES. If I could quiet that inner commentary, I'd be much better at the name thing. Still, we enjoy saying hello and chatting, and even those little social interactions were beneficial when it was just me and the cat home all day.
I've also returned to weaving: I'm about 18 inches into Pillowcase #2 for my neighbor, and hoping that the warp will be long enough to get the right length out of it. I'd love to finish this project before the next decade opens, and move onto something with a painted or dyed warp, or those napkins that I promised my daughter two or three years ago.
And listening to Children of the Storm, read by Barbara Rosenblatt. After that, Northanger Abbey or Mansfield Park. What was the BBC thinking in trying to compress Austen into one hour on Sunday nights? The whole point is the chance to get lost for long amounts of time in a different world.
And knitting. Despite the guffawing the other night by someone about how long it takes me to finish a sweater, I'm almosssst done with the Snap Cardigan. Just need to do about 4 more inches on the collar, sew in a few ends, and finito. That my friend Joyce bought a pattern and yarn last week after I left her at the knitting store and is already done with her entire sweater is bothering me not a whit.
And working. And cooking. And making actual social engagements to have lunch or coffee with friends. And talking on the phone to my sister or mom or teacher. And baking: cornmeal-blueberry muffins and awesome buttermilk scones and brownies with almonds and No-knead Bread. Next time, I'll post the scone recipe. It's one of those platonic ideals of a recipe: perfect in its own self.
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