October 3, 2007 at 9:43 am · Filed under spiritual
Tonight, SpiritMan and I are going to a kickoff session for the Voluntary Simplicity study program at our church. We’ve joined a discussion group, which ought to be fun. Our Medicine Wheel study group last year was an interesting way to get to know other people and explore our beliefs.
This topic is a little different for me, though, because we were all over the simplicity movement around 7 years ago. I had picked up this book out of curiosity, and it was truly eye-opening. SpiritMan read it when we were on vacation and began his spiritual studies in earnest after that.
The thing is, I’ve fallen off the wagon in so many ways. We used to be debt-free, and that’s not the case anymore. My year of self-employment set us back quite a bit. Besides that, I am not the purist I was at the beginning. There’s more clutter in my life, and some of it I want to keep. I never would have guessed I could ever become so attached to TV shows. I’m eating meat again. It’s okay; I think I have more balance now.
But there’s plenty of room to grow, and I think I’ll learn a lot in the coming weeks.
Blogged with Flock
October 2, 2007 at 9:15 pm · Filed under fitness, spiritual
Turbo and I went to see a medical intuitive a little over a week ago. She had done a remote body scan on each of us, and we went to her lovely country home to go over the results in person and experience some chakra healing.
And it was rather amazing. I wasn’t sure what Turbo would think of the whole thing, but he was very open to it all. It helped that her observations were absolutely right on. She identified conditions that we already were aware of. During the healing session, Turbo fell sound asleep. Snoring and everything.
I think I got even more out of the visit. It wasn’t like she “saw” anything alarming – in fact, some of the insights she received had seemed almost not worth mentioning. But I’m glad she doesn’t edit herself, because there were things I needed to hear.
The main one being that I need to breathe. That statement set off all kinds of recognition ‘hits’ in me. I instantly remembered my massage therapist friend pointing out to me a few weeks ago that I hardly breathed. She was helping me with a stiff neck, and apparently I kept holding my breath. She told me I needed to remind myself that I deserved to take in the atmosphere. I deserve life.
So… deep breaths for me, consciously, daily. Oxygen is my friend.
Blogged with Flock
Tags: health
October 2, 2007 at 11:53 am · Filed under x365
My favorite high school teacher carried an afro pick in his back pocket; its handle was a Black Power fist. He made us band geeks feel like we might be cool, even though we had to march wearing those polyester uniforms and tall furry hats.
[I am participating in x365.]
October 1, 2007 at 5:01 pm · Filed under x365
With his thick glasses and unruly blond hair, he was a perfectly cute 5-year-old. But through my kindergarten eyes, I saw him as tormenter. All because he kept tagging me with quick kisses, especially when we were seated in tidy rows awaiting storytime.
[This is my first of, hopefully, 365 daily 45-word posts about people that I have met over time. One word for each year of my life. I found out about the x365 project through Schmutzie, and thought it might jump-start my writing. Check it out – you might just want to join in.]
September 30, 2007 at 8:54 pm · Filed under moon (rachel)
Moon passed her road exam with flying colors. Not that she was perfect, but even the DMV guy said that she did much better than average. So she’s already way ahead of me if there’s ever a worldwide Good Driving Olympics.
I still remember my first driver’s test. The car stuck between gears, and I panicked. It seemed like the only thing to do was to jump out of the car and get my dad from the waiting area. Except the car was still moving (slowly) in reverse. The examiner yelled at me to GET BACK HERE AND PUT THE CAR IN PARK. After he put me through my paces, he informed me that I had failed before I had even started, what with the panic and the jumping out.
“NEVER get OUT of a car when it’s MOVING,” he emphasized repeatedly. I slunk over to my dad and told him it was time to go. Outside, I refused to get back into the car, announcing very dramatically that I would forthwith be swearing off all vehicular activity. Because cars were evil and didn’t like me. And I was 16 years old and full of drama.
Not like Moon, who is 16 and has a better attention span than I do at 45.
September 4, 2007 at 9:42 pm · Filed under family
- I’m posting from Flock, which is my new favorite browser. It’s based on Mozilla but has a whole lot of social networking functionality. Plus, it’s pretty.
- Speaking of pretty, I bought a pink cover for my Razr phone. I’m not usually rocking the pink, but it’ll make me smile when Pete needs to borrow the phone and I can picture him with all that girliness next to his ear.
- First day of school tomorrow. I think we’re ready. I told Peter last week that if he manages straight A’s, I’ll get him a laptop. And holy cow, if I had known how much that would motivate him, I’d have come up with it sooner. He’s definitely smart enough; we’ll see if the follow-through happens.
- The four of us went to see Superbad yesterday and barely got to the theater in time. When we pulled into the driveway afterwards, we were surprised to see Foxxi standing on the front porch. She had somehow gotten out as we were leaving, and faithfully stood by the front door for over two hours. I’ve been freaking out thinking about it, because she didn’t even have her collar on. We owe a debt of gratitude to her guardian Corgi angels.
August 12, 2007 at 2:43 pm · Filed under knit/crochet
The socks I made for my pal are long gone (mailed Aug. 2) – but here they are.
My own socks arrived from Lucia yesterday. So fun to get a package in the mail! She had put some extra goodies in the toes of the socks.
She worked on them on vacation in Maine, which is why she selected the postcard (as she doesn’t live in Maine). The crystal heart is really pretty, and a favorite shade of green/blue. Of course, you need a close-up of the socks in action.
Can I just say how much I like these? Not only are they an original design, but they feature awesome ripples that create a really neat effect around the toes. I’m in awe. A perfect fit, and it looks like she used smaller needles than I usually do for socks. (To me, that’s a sign of great skill.)
This was my first Sockapalooza, and it was a lot of fun. I just hope my sock recipient likes the socks I made as much as I like the socks I received.
August 9, 2007 at 8:08 pm · Filed under blather
So, the Mugglecast event? Absolutely worth the 5 1/2 hour round trip. For one thing, Moon’s favorite wizard rock band, the Remus Lupins performed. And this picture says it all:
Yes, that is one happy 16-year-old. I got to be the coolest mom in the world for a day. As we were leaving Borders, a few girls even said to me, “Bye, awesome mom!” Because not everyone will miss a day at the spa to drive a few hundred miles for a Harry Potter event.
In other news, I mailed two pairs of socks last week. One to my Sockapalooza 4 pal, and one to Terry in Quebec. I’m working on another pair of Monkey socks because I like the pattern so much, and I’ve finally started a black Chickami for my mom.
Speaking of which, this is the week that my parents and kids are together at my brother’s house in Seattle. Pete and I have the house to ourselves, which is an odd experience indeed. Kind of a preview for when the nest is empty. It sounds like the Seattle crew is having a good time, and I’m fully expecting the kids will complain loudly about having to come home, where it’s 85 degrees instead of 65, and we eat the same boring stuff all the time. (My sister-in-law is doing things like setting up a tailgating lunch in their driveway, which is way too fun.) Today they went to the Space Needle and Pike Market. Am I envious? Maybe a little.
(Someday I want to make a pilgrimage to the first Starbucks, I admit it.)
July 28, 2007 at 7:56 am · Filed under blather
Moon and I are taking a bit of a road trip today, about 2 1/2 hours to a Borders store in LaGrange, IL. We’re seeing the MuggleCast folks and the Remus Lupins. Should be fun! (I’ll have you know, I’m missing a spa day at Sundara in order to do this for her.)
July 23, 2007 at 9:34 pm · Filed under blather
Moon had it on Saturday, stayed up the entire night reading, and I took over on Sunday morning. I finished at 1 a.m. Monday. And it did not disappoint. That is all.
July 14, 2007 at 9:30 am · Filed under blather
Yes, I’ve been a bad bad blogger. The thing is, I spend so much time in front of a computer for my job that sometimes my creativity begs to be channeled into other things. (See: knitting.) After finishing my sockapalooza socks, I started another pair, made a too-big Latoya sweater, an awesome Wheelie steering wheel cover (haven’t uploaded my own pictures yet) and continue to make mitered squares.
Plus, I’m eyeing the Harry Potter knits (after getting Charmed Knits for my birthday on July 1) and of course I’ve seen the new movie. We all went on the day it came out — Sis #3’s birthday. My verdict? Best movie yet. Loved it.
In other news, Moon and I celebrated our week-apart birthdays with her best friend Brooke’s family by dining at Sabor, which was a delicious experience and very non-vegetarian. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but Brooke and Moon were born two days apart, and live two houses away from one another. Brooke has been to Brazil, and her dad took Portuguese in college. His professor is a close family friend of theirs and joined us for dinner — it was fun hearing her Brazil stories and listening to her interact with the wait staff.
More later, and I don’t mean a month later, okay?
June 13, 2007 at 8:29 pm · Filed under knit/crochet
I haven’t written much about it, but I’ve been hard at work on my Sockapalooza 4 project. My pal says she has big feet, so I’m doing lots of repeats of this pattern. Which is actually quite fun. (It’s Monkey. A truly addicting sock.)
Anyway, I’ve been bringing Monkey Sockpal Sock with me everywhere I go. I might actually finish it before the deadline in August! The yarn is lovely to work with. Cherry Tree Hill. Yumm.
June 13, 2007 at 8:20 pm · Filed under peter
I’m having a hard time getting a decent photo of those teeth we spent so much money straightening, but trust me, they look pretty good. But check out the other change that took place over the past year and a half…
Dude kinda grew. When did that happen?
The full set is here. I’m still working on capturing an actual smile on film.
June 10, 2007 at 8:27 pm · Filed under family
But after this week, things will settle down a bit. Last week was craazy. We were all involved with a concert at church on Tuesday. Rehearsals had been going on for about a month, and the dress rehearsal was Monday. Moon and Pete were both among the instrumentalists, and I was a backup singer (one of the 9 “Dreamtime Singers”).
The concert itself was on Tuesday. We all wore pajamas, as the theme was Lullabies and Dreamsongs. Very comfy! We had a good sized crowd — maybe 100? — and my parents even came up for the event.
Moon’s school had its annual Pops Concert on Wednesday (rehearsal was Tuesday, before the other concert, so we rushed from one side of town to the other). It went until 10:30 p.m., and I teared up during “Pomp and Circumstance” like I always do. Two more years until I have good reason.
Friday was awesome fun, because we met JM and Nichole for a visit to one of my favorite restaurants. They’re eating at every Madison restaurant in alphabetical order, and this week they shared their dining list. Friday’s choice was one I didn’t want to miss. (My review wasn’t exactly unbiased, but hey.)
Yesterday, Pete and I took the car to have an iPod player installed — it was going to take two hours, so we decided to take a walk. I remembered there was a Starbucks nearby, but it ended up being about 2 1/2 miles away. The good news is that we passed the time and burned whatever calories are involved in walking 5 miles. The bad news is that there was trouble with the installation, so we left without our new player. I’m hoping for good news Monday, when the installers can call the manufacturer.
Today I mowed. And mowed. We’ve been borrowing a gas mower from our excellent friend Vicki, because Pete has had shoulder problems and I’m not keen on letting him use the old-fashioned reel mower. I’m also not keen on using it myself, because I don’t like spending 3-4 hours on the lawn. After I finished our yard, I went over and mowed Vicki’s while she was at work.
This week Moon has finals, and Peter has a few short days. I’ll be playing chauffeur, but at least our evenings will be fairly sane.
In other news, I’m working on socks for my sock pal, but that’s another post.
May 30, 2007 at 10:03 pm · Filed under career
I’m loving my new job.
May 24, 2007 at 9:13 am · Filed under blather
Awesome:
- My Mother’s Day presents. I had my pedicure this morning (my first ever! and the lady said my feet weren’t all that repulsive or anything!) and I used my gift certificate from Lakeside Fibers last week.
- Ravelry, the site I never knew I was always dreaming of until it was invented. I can keep track of my projects, my yarn stash, needles, and so much more. Very satisfying to the OCD (which is under control, thankyouverymuch). You can see my projects here.
- Seeing friends during my last week at home. Lunch today, a road trip tomorrow.
- The Monkey socks pattern at Knitty. (No, they don’t have monkeys on them, nor are they sock monkeys.) I’m making a practice pair, because I’m thinking of making them for Sockapalooza 4.
Not Awesome:
- Pete has been suffering from neck/back/shoulder pain for about two weeks. He’s been to the chiropractor and urgent care, and he’s scheduled for physical therapy in another two weeks. (Such a long wait!) It appears to be something called Double Crush Syndrome, which is related to carpel tunnel. We all feel a little helpless as we watch him tough it out. But every now and then we are able to get him to laugh.
Oh, one more awesome: Starting my new job in five days.
May 21, 2007 at 7:56 am · Filed under heroes
Coolest Flickr group ever. Now I’m going to want to do my own self-portrait, I just know it. Hmm, what’s my superpower?
May 17, 2007 at 9:35 pm · Filed under career
Changes! I’m starting a new job May 29. And I can’t wait. Just 11 months ago, I was eager to try out self-employment … working at home, making my own hours, wearing pajamas until noon, all that stuff. What I discovered is that while flexibility can be great, being a free agent wasn’t as fulfilling as I had expected. Even with the internet to keep me connected, I missed “face time.” My creativity, believe it or not, suffered. I also felt like I needed to be more of a homemaker than I did when I was working away from the house.
I thought I’d have time to visit friends, hang out at coffeeshops and other such lollygagging — but it never happened. (Hi, ALF! I’m finally going to see you next week!)
What I realized about a month ago is that working from home wasn’t my dream after all. I wanted it because it seemed like I should want it.
Fortunately, the perfect job came along — and I was lucky enough to be hired. I don’t blog about work stuff generally, so just trust me that I’m a happy camper.
I don’t regret the past year. If I hadn’t given it a try, I’d always wonder if I should have. I’m also happy I was able to spend so much time with my kids — they kept me company last summer during my transition to the home office, and it was great picking them up from school and being able to hear about their day while it was still fresh. They’re being very cool about my new job. Peter is already scheming to have us pay him to make dinner for us during the week. (I’ll go for it if he cleans up, too.)
So, yay!
May 10, 2007 at 2:36 pm · Filed under blather
Mr. Bennet
You scored 62 Idealism, 50 Nonconformity, 41 Nerdiness
Are you on the list?
Congratulations, you’re Mr. Bennet! You are one mysterious person with mysterious motives. Despite all the mystery, it’s clear that you believe what you do is for the greater good, and you are obviously a well-educated person in your field.
Your best quality: Dedication to your work / organization / etc.
Your worst quality: Keeping too many secrets
My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
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You scored higher than 99% on Idealism |
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You scored higher than 99% on Nonconformity |
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You scored higher than 99% on Nerdiness |
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Link: The Heroes Personality Test written by freedomdegrees on OkCupid, home of the The Dating Persona Test
May 4, 2007 at 8:47 am · Filed under blather
Yes, I’ve been super quiet. Yes, I’ve been knitting without posting photos of my finished work. Yes, the regular boring stuff is still going on. Yes, there’s other stuff I’m not writing about because I’m not ready — mostly, my insights about working at home and being self-employed, and what I’m learning from all that.
Gripping, compelling insights. (Wink.)
In other news, I have a new vice. Starbucks venti soy green tea lattes. The soy isn’t the best for me, but green tea is healthy, right? It’s got to be better for me than coffee was. Unfortunately, it’s also a heck of a lot more expensive.
I have a ton of work to do, so it’s back to the silence for now.
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