tangle

2012-01-28T07:20:00.000-04:00

January has been full of up and down days. I'm having trouble getting into the swing of things. 'To do' lists largely remain undone. But I am a fan of the list, so here's a list of things I'm liking this week that are worth sharing:

This interview with artist and illustrator Lisa Congdon.
This chocolate bar. Avoiding refined sugar is a great excuse to sample different dark chocolate bars. This Camino bar is currently my favourite.
The Hunger Games. I've only read the first book and I'm eagerly awaiting the second one from the library. It's been a while since I read any YA (I read a lot when I worked at the bookstore). This is a smart book with a strong female protagonist. I'm even sort of looking forward to the movie.
Opinionated, a podcast from Samhita Mukhopadhyay and Amanda Marcotte.
Nuts to You almond butter. Slightly spendy, but even better than peanut butter. I'm going to try it in this soon.

Have a great weekend.

Catching Up

2012-01-15T08:04:00.000-04:00

I'm slowly working my way through a backlog of film that needs to be scanned. These are from Thanksgiving weekend. Somewhere in the pile are a couple of rolls from July. Like I said, catching up.

The last months, year really, have felt like I'm always playing catch up. A 'to do' list that's a mile long and always growing. Never quite feeling present, mind always racing for what's next. Then I get completely overwhelmed. And usually fall asleep. I'm working on finding energy again. It's a slow process.

12 Goals for 2012

2012-01-08T14:23:00.000-04:00

I'm a sucker for an excuse for a fresh start, but I'm useless at resolutions. In many ways, the dark of winter seems like the worst possible time to give up or start anew. But, like I said, I find something hopeful in a new year, especially after one that was difficult. And, I'm a sucker for a list. So, I've come up with 12 goals for 2012. (That worked itself out nicely, didn't it.)

Buy more (Canadian) music. Between youtube, podcasts, and streaming music on CBCR3, I haven't been buying as much music as I used to. But there are so many artists that I love, especially youngish Canadian musicians. Going to make it a priority to buy more music.
Read 24 books. This was a goal for last year as well, and I maxed out at 20, but some of those were quite long, so I think I can hit 24 this year. (I see some people doing 50. At one point that would have been no problem for me, I'm a fast reader, but knitting kind of gets in the way of that.)
Sew more. I don't think my sewing machine made it out of the case at all in 2011. I've been meaning to get back to it for ages now. I'm thinking I'd like to sew two pieces of clothing for myself.
Knit 3 sweaters for myself. Fairly self-explanatory. My ravlery queue is a mile long so I've got lots to choose from.
Deepen yoga practise. I've been doing yoga regularly again for the past four months. It's time to branch out from the DVDs, change it up and create my own programs, maybe finally tackle the 8 weeks of yoga program.
Send more mail, encourage friends and family to do the same. Letters, postcards, notes, little gifts.
Buy more local and handmade. We've got a nice little farmers market here that operates seven months out of the year. I need to go there more.
Write more. Here at least once a week.
Plan more meals. I've been doing this a lot the past month or so as the naturopath put me on a restricted diet. I'm almost through the month, but I definitely want to keep planning meals. It's a lot of work, but really helps with better eating. Ideally, I'd like to be able to take a day or evening, even, to make mulitple meals that can be refrigerated or frozen for meals throughout the week.
Bake more, buy less candy. I've got a sweet tooth. I never thought I'd get through the month with no sugar, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. (The no bread, mushrooms, or potatoes on the other hand...) So, the sweet tooth. It's still there and I need to work at eating less pure sugar. Misguided as it may be, I think that if I bake more and eat less candy this may solve the problem a little. A cookie versus a whole bag of sour patch kids. That has to be more nutritious, right? Going to give vegan baking a try, too.
Clear out the clutter. I've been trying to do this for months and months. It's slow going. But it's really time. I've got messes all over the house. Most of the kitchen table is covered with my stuff.
Save money. This is difficult to do when paying off a sizeable student loan, but I'm going to try to sock away a few dollars here and there.

What are your plans for 2012?

happy new year

2012-01-01T11:07:00.000-04:00

murmuration

2011-11-06T06:16:00.002-04:00

I shared this on twitter, but it's so beautiful that I thought I'd put it here as well.

Short film by Liberty Smith and Sophie Windsor Clive. More information on their website.

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

february, the other f word

2011-02-06T08:12:00.002-04:00

It's 7:30 on Sunday morning and I've been up for two hours. Drinking tea and catching up on my google reader feeds. Wrapped in wool, trying to get/stay warm.

I've started a handful of posts in the past week or so, all about how sick I am of winter, about how I've had enough of the snow and the cold, about how annoyed and anxious I feel these days. But those posts have all been abandoned, because I can't even finish writing them without getting sick of myself.

Needless to say, winter is starting to take its toll. There's so much pretty -- freshly fallen snow, striking sunsets -- but I'm having difficulty getting over myself long enough to appreciate any of it. I've got ideas rolling around in my head, but am having trouble with the follow through.

A few weeks ago, I started a major clean out of my apartment. I decided that over the coming weeks (and months, if necessary), I would go through each room, each nook and cranny, clearing and cleaning out, organizing. I made a valiant start (it was going as I'd planned) and somewhere along the line I got sidetracked. Now I'm surrounded by piles and piles of ... stuff. Which, of course, the cat sees as perfect mischief making material, much to my annoyance. So, I need to get back on track with that. I think that working my way through all the clutter will help settle my brain a little.

Also, I feel like I spend so much time online between twitter, flickr, ravelry, google reader, and now pinterest (which I love, but can lead you down the rabbit hole). In many ways, these online spaces have kept me relatively sane the past few years, but recently I'm feeling overwhelmed rather than inspired, more often than not. Instead of knitting, taking photos, sewing, or reading a book, I'm only making my to do/knit/read list longer. At the same time, I'm completely intimidated by all the talented people out there, and often think to myself that I'll never take photos as beautiful as X, knit as well as Y, or write like Z. It's a vicious cycle I tell ya. So, hand in hand with the organization of my physical space is the realignment of my virtual space. Trying to figure out a way to enjoy all of these great platforms without getting lost in them. We'll see how that goes -- I have a feeling that it might be more difficult than the work of getting my apartment straightened away.

Well, it's past eight now, and it's time to get the day properly started (though the sleeping cat on my lap might disagree). I think I've talked myself into diving back into the cleaning, so today might just be productive.

happy holidays

2010-12-24T10:04:00.002-04:00

For me, a huge part of the holidays is about the tree. I can do without the stress that's often a huge part of the season, and I can take or leave many of the other traditions, but there has to be a tree. A balsam fir to be precise.

When we were kids, our whole family would trek out to my uncle's tree lot in the woods and pick out and chop down our trees. This process could take a while. Finding the perfect tree for three or four families can be a challenge. Especially when there's a foot of snow on the ground. But it was also more fun that way. Afterwards, we would go back to my aunt and uncle's house for hot chocolate. Some of my best and favourite childhood memories are from those annual trips to the woods late November or early December to pick out the tree.

As years went by, as the tree selection diminished and as everyone was more dispersed, the annual trek to the woods just wasn't possible. This year, for the first time in recent years, I was happy to get out to the woods in early November to pick out a tree.

When December gets a bit too stressful, as it always does, I like to sit with only the glow from the lights on the tree. And, for a few minutes at least, all seems right with the world.

Oh, and it smells divine.

***

Happy Holidays if you celebrate. Hope you have a safe and peaceful week.

my ears are open

2010-11-02T18:12:00.001-03:00

Folks, I need your suggestions. I've been on a podcast kick lately and I'm running out of episodes of my current favourites. So, if you could share some of your favourites to guide me through my walks to work and marathon crafting sessions, it would be much appreciated. Currently getting play are Nerdist, Spilled Milk, Q, and Wire Tap. I'm open to anything, really, but would especially love to discover new-to-me craft, humour, photography, or generally geeky podcasts.

Sound off in the comments.

soundtrack for a sunday

2010-10-31T10:45:00.002-03:00

There were some flurries earlier (the first of the season), but it's rainy and chilly here now. Perfect weather for a Sunday. I think it's time to do some baking.

Enjoy your Hallowe'en if you're so inclined. Me, I'm going to read a book and hide.

massive night

2010-10-22T10:28:00.005-03:00

Very excited to be heading to the city this afternoon to see The Hold Steady tonight as part of Halifax Pop Explosion.

I'm ignoring the part of my brain that keeps thinking about what a mass of people will be at the show tonight (have I mentioned that I'm not so big on crowds and I have some not so fond memories of getting jostled about in this venue's previous incarnation). Instead, I'm going to focus on the joy of getting to see one of my favourite bands. I figure beer will help even it all out.

Now I must go ingest some sugar and caffeine since they don't go on til midnight and that is past my bedtime. And perhaps I'm spending too much time on twitter since I wanted to end this post with #Ifeelold. What does one wear to a rock show these days...

fall. finally.

2010-10-09T07:49:00.002-03:00

After a stretch of abnormally warm days, the weather quickly turned cool again last Saturday afternoon. A proper welcome to October.

All of a sudden my brain is filled with thoughts of knitted items that need to be made (shawls and sweaters soon, mitts and hats soon enough). The heavy comforter has made its way back onto the bed and a wool blanket is within reach for evenings of reading or knitting on the couch. Baking can be done without having to decide whether the finished product is worth suffering though an hour or two in an oppressively hot kitchen. Slowly the clothes in the closet shift from linen and cotton to wool and corduroy. My mind seems to clear a bit in fall, everything seems like a little bit less of a chore. One of these years, I'll even get my act together enough to do some canning and jam making.

I think that I'd be hard pressed to name something that I don't like about autumn. Sure, eventually the heat will have to be turned on (thoughts of exorbitant electrical bills help to spur on the knitting of socks, shawls, sweaters), the crisp, colourful leaves will fall and leave bare trees, and the sparkleyness of the first snow will be dulled by seemingly endless storms and subzero temperatures. And ultimately I'll complain that I can't get or stay warm. But while it lasts, fall is worth celebrating and enjoying.

Oh, and I started that sweater I've been nattering on about. More soon.

(I hate to have a photo-less post. Need to scan some more film. Haven't been shooting any digital lately.)

for your further consideration

2010-08-31T20:12:00.002-03:00

Because I'm apparently a crazy woman who can't choose a sweater pattern for the life of me, I've spent the better part of the last two evenings re-searching Ravelry for the perfect sweater. I liked all of the sweaters in the first set of patterns, but I'm having trouble picturing any of them with the dark walnut-y yarn. So, here are my latest choices:

Essential Cardigan (rav)
Maude Louise(pdf) (rav)
Acorns (rav)
Acer Cardigan (rav)

I think my pick is going to be Maude Louise, but I haven't quite convinced myself yet.

Help.

about that sweater

2010-08-24T17:11:00.002-03:00

Remember the sweater I was planning a month ago? Well, as I mentioned, it's still in the planning stages. I was going to swatch for Chiral this week but haven't gotten to it yet. Today my Ravelry friend activity brought this new pattern to my attention. My plan had been to go with a pattern that was already in my library, but this pattern might have just jumped to the top of my queue. I mean, it's called Shiraz. Me and this pattern, we might be meant for each other.

Thoughts? I should probably swatch for a couple of different, like I said I would and see what happens, right?

Damn. Too many choices.

two-thirds

2010-08-22T12:38:00.002-03:00

So here we are, nearly two-thirds of the way through the year. Hard to believe, isn't it? Not surprisingly, I'm looking forward to fall. My only complaint is that I haven't had any good beach swimming days. There have been some great trips to various beaches, but early in the season there were too many jellyfish and the later trips fell on days that weren't quite warm enough to get me into the water. Maybe I'll get a day in yet, but the first hints of fall and other end of summer plans make me unsure.

It feels like it's been a busy summer, but looking back I think I've done less summer-y stuff than in previous years. Happily, though, I did get in a weekend trip to PEI. I'm still scanning those photos, so I'll have a separate post on that trip soon. I've also got two trips to Halifax planned in the next couple of weeks, which I'm very excited about, and hope to get a chance to get out with Penny and shoot some film.

Oh, and that sweater I've been planning. I still haven't started it yet. I'm trying to finish up a couple of other projects first, but might get a swatch or two done this week.

sweater > sweat

2010-07-18T11:34:00.002-03:00

I suppose that since in the dead of winter I find myself longing for warm summer days, it seems only fitting that in the middle of a heatwave I cannot stop thinking about cool fall breezes and layers of wool. About knitting and baking. About a peaceful night's sleep without the low hum of the fans working overtime.

It hardly feels right to complain, but extremes at either end are difficult to tolerate. So, I patiently wait for a break in the heat and humidity, dreaming of wool sweaters.

I've barely touched my knitting in the past couple of weeks. When the heat came, it came with a vengeance and promptly pushed any desire to knit out of the way. That hasn't stopped me of planning, though. I realized that I don't have enough (any?) winter cardigans in my closet. Since I'm cold from late October until early May, this seems like a ridiculous situation for a knitter. So, I spent a couple of hours browsing Ravelry, finding options for a new sweater. I already had a specific yarn in mind (both for its price range and its wide colour range) and knew that I wanted a fairly fitted sweater that would be versatile enough to wear to work or with jeans. I wasn't completely satisfied with the last sweater that I made for myself (a good thick stay warm in winter sweater that doesn't fit well), so I want to be more careful in my choice this time. After much looking, I narrowed down it down to five potential patterns (there are a whopping 1,697 women's worsted cardigan patterns listed in Ravelry!).

Here's my shortlist, in no particular order:
1. February Lady Sweater by Pamlea Wynne
2. Que Sera by Kirsten Kapur
3. Minimalist Cardigan by Ruthie Nussbaum
4. Girl Friday by Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark
5. Sienna Cardigan by Ann E. Smith
6. Chiral Cardigan by Coralie Meslin (a last minute addition to the list after seeing the Fall Interweave Knits preview)

I have 5 skeins of Cascade 220 7822 (Vandyke Brown), which should be a sufficient amount for any of these sweaters knit in one of the smaller sizes.

My initial thought was to pick a pattern from those ~~five~~ six (I am leaning toward Que Sera or the Minimalist Cardi). I think instead I will swatch for each one and see which pattern I like best with the yarn. I figure it will be a while yet before the heat subsides and I can actually bear to have a pile of wool in my lap, so going through the process of swatching and blocking might be the best option (and I might actually come out with a sweater that I'm pleased with).

You must chill.

2010-07-10T20:36:00.001-03:00

You know in Say Anything when Lloyd asks Constance, "Why can't you be in a good mood? How hard is it to decide to be in a good mood and be in a good mood once in a while?" That's the question I kept asking myself the past few months. Felt like I was stuck under a dark cloud. Since Lloyd Dobler optimistic I most definitely am not, and deciding to be in a good mood is rarely a viable option, I wait it out. Sooner or later (days, weeks, months), the bad mood abates, the dark cloud drifts away.

I'm not sure where I'm going with all this. Just that I plan on getting back here more, I guess. That I'd like to be writing more. Creating more.

We'll see.

have had this song stuck in my head for days

2010-05-03T19:17:00.001-03:00

may day and a request for advice

2010-05-01T08:42:00.003-03:00

I could not be happier to be saying hello to May. April was a long, dreary month with not enough happy to balance out the sad. So, welcome May, I sincerely hope you bring better things.

*****

Last weekend, I went on a hike with my brother and some of his friends. It was a beautiful, though chilly, day and I shot three rolls of film. I'll share some more of them soon (most of them are already on flickr), but for now I wanted to post these since I need some feedback. A few of the shots on this roll had the film imprinted on them, for lack of a better description, and I'm not sure how that happened. It didn't happen on all the shots, and the affected shots weren't all in sequential order. I quite like the result, but I just wanted to see if anyone might know the cause.

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

exhibit a

2010-04-12T17:55:00.002-03:00

I'm very happy to say that I successfully loaded and shot a whole roll of film. It only took me five tries, but I finally learned my lesson. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the results. I've still got a lot to learn, but for now I'm excited that the film actually advanced and shots were captured.

Here are a few of my favourites. As always, there are more on flickr.

meet penny, and a long overdue thank you

2010-04-10T10:52:00.004-03:00

Meet Penny*:

She and I have gotten off to a bit of a rocky start. I got the K1000 in the mail almost two weeks ago, took a cursory look at the manual, and set off. I had pretty low expectations to start with, since figuring out an SLR and shooting with film for the first time in years meant a big learning curve. But, hey, I was enthusiastic. So enthusiastic, in fact, that I shot five rolls of film over the next week. You see what's happening here, don't you?

Well, on Tuesday I dropped of two rolls of film to get processed (incidentally, I think only one, maybe two, places in my town still do film processing). I waited the three days, and went back on Thursday to pick up my photos. I was anxious to see how the rolls turned out and was eager to see if I got any good shots.

If you follow me on Twitter, you already know that those two rolls of film were blank. I was so upset. I hadn't been expecting perfection, but was disappointed that nothing had turned out. I didn't know if the camera wasn't advancing the film or if I'd loaded the film incorrectly. The shots I thought I'd taken were lost.

And for a moment I wanted to condemn film to a fiery hell.

Instead, I gave the shop two more rolls of film that I'd shot and the lovely woman told me to check in the next day to see if they turned out. Yesterday after work I went back, holding on to a sliver of hope that something would have worked out. Not surprisingly, they were blank as well.

In the mean time, after the first two rolls, I did some googling on the K1000 and loading film (something I should have done from the beginning, evidently). I really hoped that the blank films were a result of my own stupidity and not some problem with the camera. Being out $20 or so on film, while still frustrating, would be way better than being out the $90 I spent on the camera. So, after said googling and YouTube watching, I'm 97% sure that I loaded the film incorrectly. It wasn't clear to me earlier that the leader end of the film has to go in the slit on the right hand side. Doh.

So, I reloaded the camera (correctly this time, I think) and shot through a roll to see what would happen. After wasting five rolls of film, I figured what's one more if it helps me figure out for sure what I'm doing right and wrong. After shooting the full film (it actually stopped when it was supposed to), before rewinding, I opened the back (I didn't care about these shots, I was more concerned with making sure the film had advanced). Miracle of miracles, the film had advanced and wound properly. Then I rewound the film, which also worked. Hooray!

Now that I've conquered the film loading issue, I'm going to put a new roll in and shoot it properly. At least now I'll know if it turns out blank there's also an issue with the camera. But fingers crossed that the blankness was all my fault.

Penny, can we please be friends?

*************

I also wanted to say a proper thank you to the lovely and generous Anjali. After listening to me ~~moan~~ daydream about wanting an SLR, she sent me the kick-ass squirrel camera strap (seen in the photo above) and a nudge towards getting a DSLR. It's going to take me a while to save up for the DSLR, but after a few months of stalking eBay, I found a Pentax K1000 that I think will be a great introduction to the world of SLRs. And now that I hopefully have the film issue sorted out, I'm ready to have fun. Thanks Anjali!

*************

*Very original name, huh? It also makes me think of this Penny, too, which is kind of awesome.

sometimes you just have to put the chores on hold

2010-03-21T14:51:00.002-03:00

hibernation

2010-02-28T11:09:00.003-04:00

While I've been in hibernation mode, I've managed to get a little knitting done.

And some new project planning (I've actually already started with this).

I also finally taught myself how to crochet (with the help of these videos. I spent hours trying to decipher directions from a book to no avail, and then finally decided to turn to the internets for help. Lo and behold.

What I really want to be able to do is crochet a hexagon or granny square blanket, but I figured I should start with the basics.

Crochet is fun and pretty quick, and a nice alternative for when my knitting mojo goes out the window, as it does at times. I can't see me doing much more than small items and using it in detail for knitting projects, though. After working on the stripy cat blanket for a few days, I went to cast on for a new knitting project and something in my brain went haywire and for the life of me I couldn't remember how to do a long-tail cast-on. After dozens and dozens of cast-ons, I had to dig out a book to jog my memory. So strange.

february

2010-02-28T10:34:00.003-04:00

February sucks. There's just no getting around it. Does anyone really, truly like February? Alright, maybe that's a bit harsh, and I'm sure that lots of folks really love winter and February in particular. I'm just not one of them. Not even close. I like winter well enough at the beginning, and sometimes January turns out to be not half bad. But February, well February never fails to deliver a hard sucker punch right where it hurts.

So far this winter, the weather has been relatively gentle in our end of the province. Makes me feel a little guilty complaining about it all, when we've managed to miss out on the huge snowstorms and bone chilling-cold for the most part. And yet, I'm so very glad to be saying goodbye to February today.

March can be rough, but ever so slowly it begins to offer milder days, more sunshine, patches of green. Sure there will still be snow, cold wind, and the need for layers and mittens and raincoats. But those brief hints of spring are usually enough to get me through what remains of winter.

Soon spring!

you say goodbye, i say hello

2009-12-31T13:08:00.002-04:00

Hello, hello...

I always seem to find my way back to this space sooner or later. And, the end of the year has me feeling a bit reflective, so here I am.

New Year's Eve has never been my favourite of holidays, at least not the big drunken party mess that it is for many. I do, though, appreciate any excuse for a fresh start, to assess the current state of things, and make some plans (er, lists) for the future. While New Year's can also be a big set up for disappointment and failure type deal, if I keep expectations low, I figure I'm okay.

So, instead of the brouhaha, I'll be knitting, cleaning, reading, list making, plan hatching, and doing a wee bit of merrymaking of the quiet kind. Sounds a bit boring, but good to me.

Oh, and I'll be giving 2009 a kick in the arse on the way out, because, despite some great bits (December ponied up with a great new job for me, and September brought some additions to the family), well 2009 kind of sucked. But 2010, it's gonna be great, I just know it.

Have a safe night, whatever you have planned.

musical interlude

2009-11-07T18:00:00.003-04:00

This album has been out since the beginning of the year, but I heard it for the first time today, and I'm smitten. So, I thought I'd share (though I think that this is my favourite song).

happy thanksgiving

2009-10-12T17:35:00.002-03:00

It hasn't really been the easiest year, and it's easy to forget that I've got a lot to be thankful for.

I'm grateful for loved ones near and far.

I'm thankful for walks in the woods on a crisp fall day.

And for no shortage of good, homecooked food. And so much more.

In our family, we generally have our Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday, so today I've been cleaning and eating leftover tofurkey and cranberry tart. Hope you've had a nice weekend. Happy Thanksgiving to Canadians home and away.

friday::red

2009-10-02T18:15:00.003-03:00

Red was the hardest day for me. I'm not usually drawn to red, and I find it a really difficult colour to photograph. Even today, the red I managed to find probably veers toward orange.

The leaves here seemed to change early, despite the relatively warm temperatures, and many of them have already turned brown. I need to take a walk in the woods before they're all gone. Hopefully next weekend.

wednesday::orange

2009-09-30T19:06:00.001-03:00

Autumn Colour Week

tuesday::green

2009-09-29T20:10:00.002-03:00

Okay, so technically none of these photos were taken in fall, but they are green (I just didn't get my act together enough to get a green photo today). How I *heart* green (I was surprised that I had to go back a few weeks to find green photos in my flickr stream).

More here.

fallin' for fall

2009-09-28T19:23:00.002-03:00

At the beginning of each season it's easy for me to convince myself that that season is my favourite. The first snowfall? Winter and me are BFFs. The first day it's warm enough to swim at the beach? Summer and I will never get sick of each other. And spring? Well, after those long, cold months with far too little day light, spring is embraced with wide open arms.

Maybe I'm just fickle. And maybe it's that first blush of a new season. But I'm going out on a limb and declaring autumn as my favourite season. I love wool, and baking, and Thanksgiving, and the smell of wood stoves in the air. I love not sweating as I walk down the street, I love sweaters and hot chocolate. I might not be so crazy about the dwindling daylight, but I sure love the change in the tones of light in the fall.

So, to celebrate my crush on fall, I've decided to join Poppytalk's Autumn Colour Week. I can't promise to make it to this space every day, but I'll add my contributions to the flickr pool.

In case you couldn't tell, Monday is yellow.

Hello fall!

where to begin

2009-09-15T15:55:00.002-03:00

It's been a hectic summer -- sometimes sad, sometimes happy, sometimes just so. And I've been feeling sort of quiet and reflective, dealing with the good and not so good on their own terms. But, autumn is most definitely in the air, and I'm feeling a bit refreshed, so hello!

While a lot has happened over the past couple of months, for now I want to share a few photos from our trip to PEI a couple of weeks ago. I was honoured to get to take part in my lovely cousin's wedding, to visit their beautiful home, and make a long-awaited return one of my favourite provinces (we used to go every summer, but it's been at least fifteen years since I was last on the Island). The couple was lucky enough to have a weekend of sunshine, mild weather, and showed us all one hell of a good time.

Most of these photos were taken on or near their property, which they've transformed since moving in late last fall. They've encouraged us to come back and next time I definitely won't wait so long to visit again.

I did take quite a few photos of the wedding itself, but with my aunt's camera (as the mother of the bride, she asked that I make sure she had lots of photos of the ceremony). When I get some copies from her, I'll see if there are any I can share.

Congratulations again, A&B.

saying goodbye sucks. a lot.

2009-07-28T06:52:00.001-03:00

Molly
October 1997- July 2009

(photo from May 2007)

easing in

2009-07-01T19:18:00.002-03:00

It's been a while, huh? June kind of blew past me and knocked me back in the process. I'm starting to get things together and hopefully will be back in this space more often, with more to share.

After much thought, and wavering, I decided to do another year of Project 365 over at flickr. It feels like a bit of an insane decision, but I miss the excuse to be taking pictures. Since I finished the first year back in February I haven't really taken many photos and I really want to be. So, a second year of 365 it is. My thought is to make it more of a documentary type project. Thus far, I haven't really been doing this, but the next year is going to bring a lot of changes, big and small, so I thought this might be a good way to mark the beginnings and endings. Really, I'm just trying to be more flexible about the whole project this time around. I'll edit photos if I want (last time I decided to have everything be SOOC). I'm still in the early stages, but if you're interested you can check out the set here.

Now, if it would just stop raining already. I'm ready for more days at the beach.

I'm ready for more photos with sunshine.

I'm ready for more days of sitting outside with a good book.

I'm ready for warm evenings with a cold drink.

I'm ready for summer.

smart girls have more fun

2009-05-27T08:23:00.001-03:00

lion-esque

2009-03-31T19:46:00.002-03:00

Winter just won't go away. After a lovely spring-y weekend (when the above photo was taken), we've been hit with more winter weather these past two days. And I just want it to end. On the bright side, the next few days are promising more appropriate spring weather and warmer temperatures. I know that winter will end eventually, right now it's just wearing me down.

Anyhow, I don't really have much to say tonight, I guess. Feeling a bit antsy and unfocused this week and not getting much done.

Also, I've been refusing to join faceb00k for forever, despite ~~threats~~ ~~arm-twisting~~ cajoling from friends. So as a sort of compromise, in an act of what I still think might be madness, I signed up for twitter. I'm still getting used to it, but it's pretty fun and fairly non-evasive in terms of personal information, etc. (which is something I was wary of with faceb00k).

So there's that. I also have a photo project in mind, but more on that if I actually get my ass in gear and start.

Adios March.

should

2009-03-19T19:52:00.002-03:00

Right now, I should be working on a self-assessment for work that's due tomorrow. I really suck at self-assessments. Not great at saying good things about myself, but pretty darn good at being overly critical. Hence, the avoidance.

I want to tell a bit about our trip to the sugar bush last week to see how one local company produces maple syrup, but I think I'll save that for another day.

I'd love to be able to tell you that I saw a great movie, but since the damn theatre in this town refuses to show any of the new releases that I want to see, and instead produces some rather questionable offerings, I have no recommendations to pass along. I'm bitter about this, yes. One of the most frustrating things about living in a small town is the lack of options.

Anyway, I don't really have a point, I guess. I haven't done much knitting during the past few weeks, but I feel the need to clear a few projects off the needles. I'm also itching to break out the sewing machine. Last weekend, after dropping M. back at the airport, I was feeling sorry for myself and decided that maybe a little pick me up was in order. I indulged, perhaps a little too much, and bought the Alabama Stitch Book, which I've been coveting for some time. All of the projects in the book are stunning, and their beautiful website offers all sorts of inspiration.

Spring is definitely in the air and I'm eager to start some new projects.

But first to finish this darn assessment, because somehow I don't think saying, 'I'm awesome,' will cover it.

awesome

2009-03-18T18:38:00.001-03:00

Neil Gaiman on The Colbert Report.

Not sure when I became such a fangirl, but there you go.

caution to the wind

2009-02-27T18:08:00.002-04:00

Friday again, and I must say it's been a pretty great day for no other reason than the sun is shining (it's brighter now and emits palpable heat), the temperatures broke zero, and the snow is starting to melt. It doesn't take much for me, these days. Knowing there are plenty of wintery days left in the near future, I took full advantage today, foregoing my winter boots, jacket, and tuque for a jeans jacket, scarf, and spring boots (there's still too much snow for full on spring footwear, sadly). To top it off, I bought a fudgsicle and a new pair of sunglasses, to replace the scratched ones that I've been wearing. Good times. Perhaps too early still to be wishing for local strawberries, warm beach excursions, and cold beer on restaurant patios, but a girl can dream.

Since it's Friday, I'll leave you with a video from a band that, in my brain, is inextricably linked with summer for some reason.

Hope you have a good weekend.

beachy

2009-02-22T18:16:00.004-04:00

This week, I detected the distinct whiff of spring in the air. It's not permanent, I'm sure, but it was enough to get me through a long February week. Soon March will be along, with visits, longer days, and the official beginning to spring (even if it doesn't show up in full for some weeks). I'm trying my best to not wish winter away, heeding these words of wisdom, and enjoying the beauty that others see in winter.

March will undoubtedly be a struggle, but I'm taking advantage of small boosts in energy, making batches of food, enjoying (infrequent) consecutive days off, returning to some of the projects that I started ages ago.

A trip to the beach today with my camera was a great way to transition into a new week. Usually extremely cold on winter days, today the weather at the beach was mild and sunny. Everything is still pretty much frozen, but if you get close enough to the small stretches of sand not covered in snow, and breathe deep, you can smell that lovely salty smell, and maybe, just maybe, a hint of summer.

More on flickr, as always.

Now to make some vegetable soup.

because it's friday

2009-02-20T18:21:00.002-04:00

And I seem to have a thing going for videos on Friday.

So here you go.

Maybe there's something to the Colbert bump (that's the Canadian clip. It's the third segment from the February 9 show for those Stateside).

project 365: the post-mortem

2009-02-15T20:09:00.002-04:00

It's been a few weeks now since I finished my Project 365, and I've been avoiding writing about the year. I feel sort of incoherent these days, and part of me feels like whatever I write won't do justice to the experience. Truth be told, there are only a handful of photographs from the whole year that I'm satisfied with. Not happy, just satisfied, that, given the constraints, were the best I could do in that time and place. I've complained often about the limits of my point and shoot and the difficulty of translating what I envision into an actual shot, but that's only part of the 365 story.

Let me back up a bit.

When I started Project 365 in the dead of January last year, I had no idea what I was in for, really. I wanted to improve my photography skills and find out more about how I felt about taking photos. Lots of photos. Truth of the matter was that I was in a rut (why yes, that would be a rut very similar to the one I find myself in at the moment), and wanted to kick start some creativity. From the beginning, finding inspiration and adequate light proved to be a challenge. There were days when I almost forgot to take a shot (and one day in October when I actually did forget). There were many days when I hated the sight of my camera. Days when nothing worked, when the light sucked, when my photographic efforts consisted of nothing more than pointing the camera at the cat (or at myself). These were the days when I nearly quit, when I wanted to throw my camera out the window, when I wanted to never again think about aperture and shutter speed.

But, just when I felt like quitting, when I was seconds from smashing my camera to bits, the light would change or I would see the perfect shot or things would align just right and what I thought was going to be terrible, worked out to be half decent. So, I kept going even though I wasn't happy with most of the shots I took and I was often frustrated and uninspired. In the end, I managed, except for that blip in October, to take at least one photo every day for a year (366 days, given that it was a leap year). Looking at my photo folders, it turns out that my photo a day project resulted in my taking more than 5000 photos last year.

5000!

That's one of the biggest secrets of photography. Okay, maybe it's not a secret, but it's something that budding photographers quickly learn -- it often takes dozens of shots to get the one shot that you're satisfied, or even happy, with, especially if you're shooting in manual mode. Some days, I simply didn't have the time or energy to do what was necessary to get a shot that I was satisfied with, and I'm mostly okay with that. For me, another aspect of the project, I realised, was a test of focus, of whether I could actually finish something this large in scope. At one point, something like this wouldn't have proven to be such a challenge, but the past few months, years even, I've been scattered. Being able to see this effort through proved to be much needed proof that I hadn't completely lost my marbles.

As I closed in on the end of the year, I began to wonder what would come next. I had a brief moment of ~~insanity~~ misplaced optimism wherein I thought it might be a good idea to embark on a second year of Project 365. I quickly realised that such a decision would, at the moment, be ill-advised. So I took a break. For days I didn't touch my camera. By the end of the year, it felt like my camera was attached to my body. And, for the first few days after the project ended, I felt a slight separation anxiety. I felt like I was forgetting something, missing something. One more than one occasion I woke up in a panic, thinking I'd forgotten to take a shot for the day. There have been days when I've been walking to work and my eye catches something that I think would be a good shot, and I realise sadly that I don't have my camera in my bag. There have only been a few occasions in the past few weeks that I actually turned the camera on and took some shots. The results haven't been particularly good. Truthfully, I think that I needed some time to recharge, but I'm getting that feeling back where I want to be taking photos, adjusting settings, playing with light. I'm starting to get excited about photography again, something I didn't feel much in the last weeks of the project. It feels good.

When I decided against a second year of Project 365, I knew I needed to keep moving forward. It's all too easy for me to complain about my camera, but the fact of the matter is that it's probably going to be quite a while before I can afford a DSLR. So, I need to work with what I have. I'm going to focus on the aspects of photography that I wished I had more time for when I was doing 365. I want to learn more about the fundamental aspects of photography and about how to turn what I see into that finished product. Tied to that, I want to learn more about Photoshop, and editing in general. Armed with a pile of books, a whack of online resources, and a brother who gamely answers my incessant questions, I'm jumping headfirst into the depths of the technical and creative aspects of photography and editing. Hopefully I'll have some decent images to share.

f is for, among other things, friday

2009-02-13T12:21:00.003-04:00

Because I love this song so, and I'm frankly sick of Valentine's day.

And if it would stop snowing for two seconds, that would be GREAT.

/bitter rant

ps. If you didn't have the pleasure, check out the podcast of today's Q for more ~~disgruntlement~~ greatness about Valentine's Day. Why, yes, I do heart Jian Ghomeshi.

happy friday

2009-02-06T20:16:00.000-04:00

These guys kept me sane today.

done and done

2009-01-26T18:42:00.003-04:00

1. 1:366, 2. 8:366, 3. 50:366, 4. 57:366, 5. 55:366, 6. 80:366, 7. 84:366, 8. 92:366, 9. 98:366, 10. 102:366, 11. 136:366, 12. 147:366, 13. 157:366, 14. 161:366, 15. 166:366, 16. 171:366, 17. 195:366, 18. 215:366, 19. 214:366, 20. 306:366, 21. 340:366, 22. 361:366, 23. 357:366, 24. 62:366, 25. 366:366

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

A few of my favourites from the past year.

Today was my last day of Project 365. I can't quite process the fact that I'm finished. I think that I'll have a whole bunch to say in a few days. For now, I leave you with my 366th photo.

Good night.

(re)focus

2009-01-21T16:12:00.003-04:00

The last few months have completely kicked my ass, and I'm more than happy to say so long to 2008. And as much as I think that resolutions are generally not the greatest idea, I can't help but see a new year as an opportunity for a sort of new start. January is probably the worst possible time to be setting goals and trying to start fresh, but, well, I need some change. So, however misguided, I'm looking to 2009 as a time to re-focus, to shift some things, to hold myself accountable.

As 2008 drew to a close, and work was driving me crazy, it was imperative to my mental health that I start thinking more positively and look at ways to get where I want to be, instead of continually focusing on what's bad (a lot) about where I am. Easier said than done, of course.

I have pages of lists of things that need to be done and projects that I'm thinking about, but I'm not going to go into all that. Worried about getting bogged down in the details, I'm declaring a theme for my year (is that cheesy?). 2009 will be the year of Use What You Have/Finish What You Started/If You Don't Like It, Try and Change It. Okay, maybe that makes three themes, but I think it's all part of the same thing. I'll talk more about my plans as the weeks go on, but I will say that part of my plan is to simplify a bit, to reduce the piles of stuff I have around my apartment, to finish projects I've started, to use up some of the stash, to whittle down those long lists. Procrastinate less, focus more. This isn't meant to be restrictive, just something to help keep me in line, to help me figure things out. I feel a little too much like Cristina from Vicky Cristina Barcelona, who doesn't know what she wants, only what she doesn't want. Sigh.

A year of progress. Hopefully.

I'm going to try and tackle this pile of books that I've accumulated over the past year or so:

I also have a pair of socks a month plan (this is the start of pair #2):

And I have a sweater's worth of beautiful yarn (thanks Anjali!) and the pleasantly difficult task of choosing a pattern (I think I've narrowed it down to Shalom, Sedum, or Drops 103-1). Decisions, decisions.

Here's to 2009.

ps. I didn't quite finish the knitting in time for Christmas, but most of the projects have been completed and handed off. Mom's sweater (larger item #1, the back of which had to be re-knit) is mostly done and just needs a collar and seaming.

crunching the numbers

2008-12-10T18:28:00.002-04:00

So, not counting today, there are fourteen days until Christmas. 14! And, like most knitters, I have a fairly substantial knitting list to tackle in those two weeks. Not crazy, but enough. Now, this is all totally optional, of course. I want to be knitting these things for loved ones. Overall, I'm a fairly selfish knitter, so I would not be knitting gifts if I wasn't feeling it.

Back to the number crunching.

There are 14 days until Christmas. I have to work 12 of those 14 days. Eek. And yet I don't feel a whole lot of panic. Yet. Having started all but two of these projects might be making me a little cocky, no? And they're all, with the exception of one, quite small items.

Here's my list:
Small item #1: 1/2 complete.
Small item #2: 1/2 complete.
Small item #3: 2/3 complete.
Small item #4: not yet started.
Small item #5: not yet started.
Larger item #1: 1/3 complete.

I'm not a remarkably quick knitter, but here's the breakdown. I'll likely be able to knock small item #1 off the list tonight. Small items #2 & 3 don't need to be complete until after Christmas, since I won't see the recipient until then. Small items #4 & 5 are somewhat optional. The recipients both know that they will be receiving these items, but I'd like to have them completed nonetheless. Larger item #1 worries me a bit. I don't doubt that I'll be able to finish it so much as whether it's the right thing. Seeing as I'm 1/3 of the way through, I think I should take a deep breath and keep going.

So six items, total. This is totally doable, right? I crossed a few household chores off of my list today, so that clears much of my free time for the knitting. Two full days plus mornings and evenings of twelve others.

I'm on it.

And then there's the rest of the shopping.

2008-12-07T18:40:00.002-04:00

I've spent this very rainy Sunday doing absolutely none of the things I should have. The kitchen isn't any cleaner, the laundry's not put away, week's meals aren't prepared. Instead, knowing full well that this promises to be a very busy week, I elected to do not much of anything. I slept in (which is a rare feat for me), I listened to Wiretap, ate some chocolate, watched The Muppet Christmas Carol for the first time in years and years, knit, ate some more chocolate, knit some more. My plans for the rest of the evening include making some breakfast for supper, watching Elf when it's on tv in an hour or so, doing some more knitting (it is coming awfully close to Christmas) and maybe having a beer (scroll down to the Winter Ale). All this in a futile attempt to brace myself for the week ahead.

It feels nice to be doing nothing but knitting and stuffing my face with chocolate. These Christmas movies just might manage to infuse me with just enough of the holiday spirit to prevent me from biting anyone's head of this week. Hard to tell, but I really do love Christmas. I'm just not a fan of how it makes some people behave. Sigh.

Scrambled eggs and secret knitting are beckoning.

yep

2008-11-13T18:27:00.002-04:00

via

I think that this is a gross underestimation. I have no doubt that he would bring me dead animals if he was allowed outdoors. All the signs are there. That and I've got the scars to prove it. Don't let the halo fool you.

ch-ch-changes

2008-11-04T14:10:00.002-04:00

The time change this weekend really threw me for a loop. I'm so very grateful for daylight as I get ready for work, but was wholly unprepared when I left work yesterday at 5:00 pm and it was completely dark. The crisp air and crunchy leaves part of autumn that is so lovely was replaced this week with our first snowfall on Sunday. Snowy, grey, short days are an all too real reminder that winter is just around the corner. But, it is November after all. I can hardly believe it, but there you go. The weather forecast promises temperatures in the mid-teens for the next few days, but I'm working on a hat and mitts because it will be snowing again before we know it.

The seemingly abrupt onset of winter-y weather, combined with general work chaos, has severely diminished my energy. I'm trying my best to get back on track with my vitamin and supplement taking, but know full well that it will take a few weeks before I see any real effects. And I don't suppose that chocolate chip cookies count as health food? I also need to get serious about reintroducing yoga back into my life, as I can easily identify two or three different health complaints that I know are a direct result of my current stress levels.

Clearly some changes are in order.

Since, I've been following it fairly closely, I can't help but mention the monumental election south of the border today. Hoping that Americans get the change that we Canadians missed out on a few weeks ago. As a political junkie, I'll be settling in with my knitting tonight to watch the results.

For now, I should get back to my cleaning. I've got to make room for a new to me couch.

oh hai

2008-10-30T19:41:00.003-03:00

*Sigh*

It's been a while, hasn't it? I must say that the past three weeks well and truly flew by. Work has been nuts. M's visit came and went far too quickly. There were also a few rather stressful days this weekend where we Shorty was behaving strangely and it appeared that he might have developed some sort of urinary problem. Knowing that urinary problems can quickly become fatal, especially for male cats, I decided to call the emergency number for our local vet. My call was received by an answering service that promised the vet would return my call (I must say, I don't know where the emergency service is based, but they seemed to not be directly linked to the local clinic, that is not part of the actual clinic). More than three hours later, I still hadn't received a call from the vet. Worried about Shorty and not quite knowing what else to do, I called the emergency number again. Again I was promised that I would receive a call, but the vet was currently dealing with an emergency.

I felt a bit chagrined, for Shorty seemed normal aside from the strangeness related to his bathroom habits, and that some other animal, likely in far worse condition, needed the vet's attention more at that moment. But, when Sunday morning turned into Sunday afternoon, and it had been twenty-four hours since I'd called the emergency line with a problem that I considered serious enough to warrant emergency, and expensive, attention and I still hadn't been called by the vet, I was angry and more than a little worried. What if Shorty had been in the condition that he was two years ago. Surely not being able to see a vet right away would have been bad news.

I've tried my best to be sympathetic and understanding, but the more I think about it, the more it disturbs me. We live in a relatively rural area and I'm not sure if it's the rural aspect, the limitations of the vet clinic, or whether farm emergencies take priority over domestic ones, but by the time the clinic opened on Monday morning, I hadn't been called back, when I'd been assured so convincingly by the emergency dispatcher that I would be. Maybe all of this is moot, because by Monday morning Shorty seemed to be improving and when I called the clinic and explained the weekend's events, they seemed upset that I hadn't been attended to, and said to bring Shorty right in.

To bring my long ramble to a quick conclusion, thankfully whatever was causing Shorty some distress over the weekend was not a blockage or crystals (the two big concerns). The very kind and thorough vet suspected it was some small infection or inflammation which, by Monday, had started to clear itself. Armed with some feline anti-inflammatories, we returned home, me with a few more grey hairs.

All is well now. Shorty's an old pro at being pilled and seems to have returned to his normal bathroom habits. Oy vey, I'd not like another scare like that any time soon.

Given how rushed and frazzled I've felt for much of October, it should come as little surprise, then, that I've fallen off the Socktoberfest wagon with a resounding thud. I've been knitting on three different pairs of socks, so I'm not a complete failure. The crisp fall air has also stirred in me a serious case of startitis, and I've cast on for a couple of new projects as well. I've been working away at my Through the Loops Mystery Sock with great interest, but haven't finished the first sock yet. This is the sock as it stood a few weeks ago:

While this isn't a pattern I normally would have chosen if I'd seen it beforehand, I do enjoy knitting it. Sadly, I don't think this yarn does the pattern justice. Check out Tiennie's lovely yellow pair. I fear that once my first of the pair is finished, I will have to turn my attention to other projects for the next few weeks. Because guess what, Christmas is only eight weeks away. Seriously, how did that happen? And winter is coming even sooner and I don't have a pair of mitts or a warm hat. I need to get cracking.

pick yourself up, dust yourself off

2008-10-10T14:55:00.003-03:00

For the past few weeks, I've felt like there's been a huge cloud over my head. I felt an even deeper kinship to Eeyore on Tuesday morning when I woke up and immediately realised that I had missed a day in my Project 365. After a brief wave of nausea, and resisting the urge to bang my head against the wall, I tried to look clearly at the situation. Taking a photo a day seems so small in some ways, but it has become such a regular part of my life. Missing a day felt like a huge letdown. I was, and still am, frustrated and a little sad by the break. There have been quite a few days, in the past 250 odd days since I started the project, where I was worried that I would forget to get a shot in. And then, on a day when I least expected, I actually did forget.

I must admit that my immediate reaction was to throw in the towel, that what was the point of a photo a day project when I'd missed a day. But given that I'm trying to reduce rather than increase the stress in my life right now, I tried to be a bit easier on myself. In the 365 group on flickr, I'd read about how various people were dealing with this very situation. Most agreed that acknowledging that day somehow, but proceeding with the project, was the way to go. Hell, 253 consecutive days of photos is quite an achievement, I reminded myself, so why give up now. Knowing full well that the final stretch of the project is going to be even more challenging as winter approaches and daylight decreases, I decided to do just as some of the other 365 photographers had done -- I kept going.

The photo for day after the missed day, and for the rest of the days this week for that matter, wasn't a great photo. Actually, it was pretty awful. But carrying on with the project, and the very fact that I thought only briefly about chucking in the whole project, confirms what I'd already suspected about the effect that Project 365 was having on me. Notwithstanding the days where my frustration with my little point and shoot overwhelms any creativity and the times when I have no time or inspiration, I've become quite fond of the project, of how it forces me to have contact with my camera. Some days, when I'm having DSLR envy or the light is crappy or I'm feeling plain uninspired, I even manage to surprise myself.

A while ago, I wrote about how spending time with my camera composing shots and adjusting ISO, aperture, and shutter speed was a helpful way for me to deal with stress. I think that I too easily forget how therapeutic photography can be for me. I've been thinking too much of Project 365 as an obligation rather than an opportunity. The project could be the perfect excuse to inject a bit of creativity and relaxation into otherwise stressful and uninspired days. So, with just over a hundred days left, I'm going to try more to be happy with, rather than resent, the obligation and opportunity of taking a photo a day. Maybe, just maybe, I'll take some better photos and do a better job of managing stress.

ignore the rant and pretend the photos aren't so bad

2008-10-02T20:23:00.003-03:00

You know those days where you would have been better off never having gotten out of bed? Not the days where you simply don't want to get out of bed in the morning, though today started off like that, but the days that go so wrong so quickly that you feel like you never quite get your bearings. Like when you were a kid and you kept spinning around in circles, arms flailing about, long after your mom told you to stop. And when you finally did stop you felt like you were going to get sick. Well, put that spinning-in-circles-feel-like-you're-going-to-be-sick day on top of a lot of other not so great days and that's me lately. To be fair, after a couple of fairly unpleasant weeks, this week seemed like it wasn't going to be so bad. But today just erased that.

I spent the whole day completely flabbergasted at how frustrated and rude people can become when I'm doing my best to correct a situation that has gone wrong through no fault of my own. Now, I understand the tendency to get frustrated, heck it often feels like frustration is my middle name. But, when a problem gets dumped in my lap, extending from a situation that I had no previous role in, and I'm doing everything I can to make it right for all parties involved and all I get is grief, it makes me angry. And snippy. Politeness will get you so very far in my books. I'll bend over backwards to help people who are nice to me and who have even a glimmer of understanding of what it's like to have my job. Display even a little rudeness or snobbishness or condescension and I'll freeze you out like nobody's business.

Ah, I've turned this into a rant and that wasn't my intention. I'm just having a difficult time getting my footing these days and I'm all to aware of how it's going to snowball over the coming weeks and months. C'est la vie, I guess.

I've been bookmarking things that I mean to share here, and I keep talking about some photography posts, but clearly I still can't get my act together. Knitting is happening behind the scenes and I'm still managing to keep up with Project 365 (although some days the photos are downright awful). I inexplicably thought it was a good idea to join the Through the Loops Mystery Sock KAL in honour of Socktoberfest (I have no delusions about finishing a full pair of socks, but am aiming at getting one sock completed as she posts each step).

At any rate, please accept this random assortment of mediocre photographs as a distraction from my absence. I will be back soon. Promise. October is bringing good things and sweater weather. I'm excited.

can't get my act together

2008-09-15T18:49:00.002-03:00

Wow, the past couple of weeks have flown by. I'm finally getting a few things finished, but I'm having trouble finding the time and words to show up here.

Jay Smooth of Ill Doctrine says it better than I could right now (check out the song, too).

Be back soon with some finished knits (yes, knits, plural)!

Now I've got to decide what to make with all the plums I bought at the market.

it's all about the follow through

2008-08-31T19:44:00.004-03:00

Once upon a time, in a former life, I played basketball. I was never very good but I had fun most of the time. One of the nuggets of advice that sticks in my brain from my dribbling days is about follow through. For anyone who might never had occasion to pick up a basketball, when making a shot, especially a free throw or a shot from the field, it's important to follow through (check out 8 & 11). Follow through essentially makes for a more successful shot.

I did have a point here...

Oh yeah, well today I had the best of intentions, but I wasn't so good on the follow through. This is one of my biggest problems. I went from room to room, picking up piles and moving them six inches to the right, accomplishing very little of substance. My mind is in a dozen different places these days, and I desperately want to be able to follow through, to finish things, to shorten the to do lists.

Some days are better than others. Even though today wasn't so hot, a few short days ago I finished one of my many WIPs. Witness:

That's right, your eyes do not deceive you. That is a finished pair of socks. I really need to get a better shot, since the colours aren't true in this photo. There are a few more details on ravlery, but I've yet to do a write up on my first toe-up sock experience. I'm really pleased with how these turned out. I'm still not convinced that doing a sewn bind off of 60+ stitches is better than kitchenering a toe closed (I kind of like kitchener stitch, strange, huh?), but I see the merits of the toe-up approach. What could be better than a lovely pair of striped socks?

I've got a few more projects close to completion, though I just added many more to my ravelry queue. The anticipation of autumn has me dreaming of warm mitts and cushy sweaters.

Adios August.

forget freud

2008-08-29T20:31:00.002-03:00

I've got camera envy. Not that either one is anywhere near being in my budget, but how's a girl to ever choose?

Sigh.

ps. Beyond Megapixels is one of those favourite photography sites I alluded to last time. There are some great tutorials and information if you like photography but don't necessarily know a lot (like me) and even if you're currently lacking in the DSLR department (me, again -- maybe I should start going to bingo with my grandma). I'm really fond of the fact that there's no condescending tone and they seem to genuinely want to share their love of photography.

in awe

2008-08-27T10:13:00.002-03:00

I'm planning a proper post with lots of links to photography sites that I like and find useful, as well as some photographers' portfolios. But for now, I wanted to share a recent discovery. I'm not sure how I first clicked onto The New Breed of Documentary Photographers (perhaps it was a recommended feed in my feed reader?). At any rate, I'm glad to have discovered this site and I'm enjoying learning about some great photographers. (In the back of my head, I've fancied being -- among other things -- a documentary photographer or filmmaker. And I always love reading about how people end up being photographers.)

I wanted to share a recent post from The New Breed of Documentary Photographers that I can't get out of my mind. It's this image from Newsha Tavakolian. I find myself drawn to it -- it pops into my brain at the most random moments and I keep clicking back to have another look. You can see more of her work on her website. (I think my favourite is the Girl Power portfolio).

Feel free to leave a link to your favourite photographers. I'll share more another day.

Have a good Wednesday.

thinkin' it over

2008-08-23T20:10:00.002-03:00

Sheesh. My vacation is nearly over and I've managed to do a whole lot of nothing. I had a rather substantial list of household and crafty things that needed to get done during my week off and, well, I don't think I finished a single one. Many were started with the best of intentions, but I've been easily distracted, reduced to daydreaming and flitting from one thing to another.

What I have been doing is a lot of thinking. And planning. While I feel a bit guilty for not doing any of the chores that I had planned, I also realise that I needed some rest and do-absolutely-nothing-time. I have a clearer picture of what needs to be done, of what can be done and can't. I've been thinking a lot about the future and what is to come, but more on that at another time. For now I'm enjoying the remaining days of my vacation, and the remaining weeks of summer.

I must confess, though, that I'm looking forward to the fall. Especially after seeing this collection. While those pieces are unfortunately out of my price range, I'm inspired to create a few fall things for myself with some patterns and maybe some pilfered material from my mom's stash(!).

For now, I'm going to have a drink, listen to this concert, and maybe do some knitting.

Enjoy your evening.

farm fresh

2008-08-16T10:57:00.005-03:00

Much of the time, I miss city life and all that goes with it. Every so often, though, I'm reminded that there are benefits to living in a more rural area. Late summer at the Farmers Market is one of those benefits. Markets in cities are great, but even then the produce has to travel a little way. Here, more often than not the fruits and veggies are from ten minutes away. And the food tastes like food (ETA: Not that the food from markets in the city doesn't taste like food. What I meant was that local produce, wherever it may be from, tastes so much better than something that's been trucked across thousands of kilometres).

I'm also reminded of how short the seasons are for certain fruits and vegetables. Strawberry season was blink and you'll miss it and was shortened by the extremely hot weather we were having in mid-July. Now that it's been raining and cool for weeks, many crops are threatened for different reasons. I was glad, though, to be able to pick up some potatoes and carrots from one of the organic farmers.

But what I'm really excited about is the blueberries I picked up (just a pint -- I had to refrain from a getting a large box because I didn't think I could carry it all the way home).

I'm also very happy to say that I think and hope I've finally kicked the horrible flu/cold and that today marks the first day of a week's vacation so hopefully I'll be back soon and with more time to take photos and knit.

blech

2008-08-01T19:46:00.002-03:00

So, I've been battling this hideous flu/cold all week and it's totally kicking my ass. Just when I thought I was over the flu-y symptoms they appear to be morphing into a head cold. Lovely. At least it hasn't been insanely humid outside, because that would probably send me over the edge. I did get to see Batman this week, in a theatre that apparently doesn't have air conditioning. It was great -- the movie, not that the stuffy, muggy theatre -- way better than I expected. And there's been knitting -- I'm trying my damnedest to finish some projects, but fever brain precludes any complicated thinking. 2x2 rib is about as fancy as she gets these days.

Okay, now I'm going to stick my head in the freezer.

funny stuff

2008-07-27T18:22:00.001-03:00

If you're not yet familiar with FOTC, let this be your introduction.

we're gonna build something this summer*

2008-07-27T16:46:00.004-03:00

The first half of summer has been unusually busy for me - what with the traveling, socializing, and various other activities. Definitely a change from my normal boringness. This week marked the end of that busyness (I think, I hope). I went away for work for a few days, and also got to have dinner and drinks with friends, which makes last Sunday seem like it was weeks ago. I also did something pretty high on the stupid scale this week, which makes me feel kind of nauseous every time I think about it. Oy.

So, I'm glad to see the end of the week and must admit that I'm sort of glad to see August arrive. I know it'll probably be sweltering hot, but I'll be sticking closer to home, will have another week of vacation nearer to the end of the month and get to hang out with family at my grandma's 80th birthday party. Although the next couple of weeks are likely to still be a bit hectic on the work front, I'm hoping that during August I can cross some things off my to do list (which is quite long at the moment). I've got no fewer than six knitting projects on the go, according to my ravelry page. There is an equal or greater number of books in my half-finished pile. The apartment is still a disaster area and in need of some major organization. If I don't get a jump on all this during August and September, it'll be a lost cause come November and December (plus with all the goodness in these previews, I'll likely need some room in my ravelry queue).

So here's to an August full of trips to the beach, finished books, and completed crafts. And more photo taking (today will mark the halfway point for my ~~insanity~~ Project 366).

Hopefully I'll still manage to show up in this space with the same frequency of the past few weeks.

(*This is one of the best albums I've heard in a long time. The reviews were right.)

cooking for one

2008-07-20T16:56:00.002-03:00

Given the proper circumstances, I'm really quite fond of cooking. I'm no gourmet chef, but I manage to produce edible and fairly tasty food most of the time. These days, though, I don't cook from scratch that often partly because I like to have lots of time to do preparation and clean up, but mostly because I don't like cooking for just myself. Theoretically the idea of cooking up a big pot of something so that I'll have leftovers for lunches and suppers during the week is a good idea. After four or five days of eating the same curry or stew for lunch, however, I'm ready to say sayonara (I know, I should probably stick a few portions in the freezer). And lately, it's just been too hot to cook.

Mercifully, the humidity broke last night and the apartment has been fairly cool today. I've been craving a curry, so I took the lower temperatures as an opportunity to do some cooking. I always feel like I need to work more protein into my diet, so I opted for Braised Tofu and Peas in Curried Coconut Milk from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. I'd made the recipe once before and was pleased with the results -- combining several of the recipe variations at the end and adding potatoes and garlic. I also threw in some ginger, cinnamon, cayenne, and nutmeg with the curry powder in lieu of the garam masala. Overall, the Braised Tofu and Peas is a relatively quick and simple recipe (as are most of those that I've tried so far from Bittman's great book). Next time though, I'd either parboil or not use new/waxy potatoes, as they didn't really cook to a great consistency. I cooked up a pot of basmati and now my meals are set for the next few days. Yay.

Now I'm trying to decide if it's ill-advised to make a batch of cookies tonight.

four posts in one week... I can hardly believe it myself

2008-07-18T20:54:00.002-03:00

The sun's just gone down and it's finally starting to cool off. The sounds of birds chirping outside and the low hum of fans inside are lulling me further into a daze. I'm having a difficult time getting focussed this week, and especially since Shorty attempted his escape artist routine in the wee hours of yesterday morning. Work's been busy and we've been having humid days, the combination of which leaves me pretty useless each evening. Each morning I tell myself that in the evening I'll go out and take some shots at dusk and capture some of the great effects as the sun sets, but I've yet to manage to get myself back out of the apartment once I get home from work.

I've got a movie that I should be watching as it's due back at the store tomorrow, but I think I might take advantage of the no late fees policy and save it for another night since I'd rather be re-watching an episode of FOTC (my newest obsession). This is also pretty funny (and I normally can't tolerate musical-type things. Random song and dance, I love, but musical numbers not so much. Go figure). And I'm really liking this album.

Sorry, this was pretty random tonight.

Have a good weekend.

sometimes it pays to be a light sleeper

2008-07-17T09:28:00.002-03:00

... Like when your strictly indoors cat ~~jumps~~ ~~falls~~ ~~jumps~~ falls out the window at 2:30 am. Knock on wood that my apartment is only a level and a half above ground. I found the little escape artist huddled on the front lawn, thankfully staying away from my busy-even-at-2:30am-street ~~clearly appreciating how good he had it on the inside~~ a little stunned to be outside. He's fine but seems to be a little wary of windows (which I think is a good thing). My nerves on the other hand...

summer snapshot

2008-07-16T20:40:00.002-03:00

pansy from grandma's flower pots. sometimes my camera surprises me

:: day off from work
:: sleeping in just a little bit
:: brunch with friend who's heading back out west tomorrow
:: mint ice cream in fresh waffle cone
:: cold ginger beer
:: finding funky linen pants during a trip to Frenchy's
:: still obsessed with the stripey socks
:: chatting with grandma and her sister on grandma's breezy deck on a hot afternoon
:: laundry drying in record time in warm summer breezes
:: the last strawberries of the (too short) season

Now I'm off to watch So You Think You Can Dance (during my stay in HX last month, Gregg got me addicted)!

2008-07-13T15:42:00.002-03:00

Two weeks later and I still can't get my brain out of vacation mode. Blame it on the heat.

I had a great time in Halifax and it was so good to spend time with friends that I don't often see. The week went by so quickly, though. Re-entry back into work and usual drab routine has been less than smooth and I'm already waiting for my next week of vacation.

Some of the highlights from my busier than normal past few weeks:
:: warm summer breezes
:: days on end of sunshine
:: bonfire with my oldest friend who's home visiting for a couple of weeks
:: free outdoor concert with some fabulous musicians
:: smell of neighbours' barbeques wafting in through open windows
:: bursts of productivity wherein I managed to make four blinds and a set of curtains for the neglected windows of my apartment
:: drinks with friends
:: swimming in the ocean
:: seeing two good friends tie the knot (although nobody actually tied any knots)
:: staying up late
:: sushi
:: getting all dressed up
:: cold beer
:: coming home from work to find the yarn that I ordered in my mailbox
:: salt and vinegar kettle chips
:: new glasses
:: soba noodles
:: first batch of local strawberries

What have you been up to?

packing it in

2008-06-24T13:20:00.002-03:00

Packing for a trip takes me far too long. But I'm finally done and managed to fit everything in one suitcase (phew!). I have a tendency to want to take too many clothes, books, knitting projects, etc. I wish I was this organised. I get a bit anxious when traveling, even over relatively short distances and especially when I'm taking the bus, so I think packing and repacking is a distraction technique or some way to have control over the situation. Control freak, me? No way.

Keep your fingers crossed for no rain on Saturday!

summertime

2008-06-23T13:03:00.004-03:00

Today is my first official day of vacation, but I think it's probably safe to say that I entered vacation mode even before I left work at 5pm on Friday. The past few days have been all about celebrating and relaxing: drinks and cake with family; trip to the farmers' market; afternoon spent at the beach; lazy reading in the (hot!) sun; waking up without an alarm; puttering around the house; knitting; watching my new favourite show; listening to the best cd I've heard in a while; taking photos... It's been just what I need, I think.

The truth is, I've been dreading my birthday. Normally, I'm a fan of birthdays, but turning 28 was not something to which I was looking forward. For a while, I couldn't figure out why it was bothering me. It wasn't one of the 'big' birthdays that often get associated with dread. In the end, I realised that there were an array of factors that were contributing to the birthday blahs, much of which has to do with feeling stalled. I haven't been doing very much creatively these past few weeks and months. The big tools that I need for prospective professional development are out of reach in the short term (I need to establish some sort of savings game plan) and I've let this become an excuse for not doing anything at all.

Being reminded that you're another year older when you're not feeling especially good about the place you're in kind of sucks. In the end, though, getting messages and calls from friends and family makes it all bearable. So, in a completely uncharacteristic Meaghan move, I'm doing my damnedest to make lemonade out of my lemons. Having come into a bit of money (income tax, work bonus) that I'm doing my very best to save for a rainy day, I made an executive decision a took a relatively small portion of said money and bought myself a few things to tide me over until I have enough together to make those large ticket purchases.

It started with a couple of Elizabeth Zimmermann books (Knitting Without Tears and The Knitter's Almanac) that I knew would help me get out of my knitting rut. Then it was the the Knitterly Things Wee Skein 4 Color Sock Kit that I'd been eying for forever (I'd never been able to choose a colour, but when I clicked on the shop last week, I just knew it had to be #32). To top it off, I decided on something a little more practical. I've had piles of fabric sitting in my closet since the fall that are waiting to be made into blinds. And I've wanted for a long time to make more of my clothes. Yep, I bought a sewing machine. I've been thinking about it for ages and, with my mom's expert advice I choose a model that should afford me a great deal of leeway and provide lots of learning opportunities while serving my creative needs. I'm pretty excited.

I've been a bit spendy perhaps, but I don't think it's too extravagant. I've been justifying the purchases as birthday gifts for myself, but I think that it's a bit of this, too. And I'm dusting off the fantastic book that Anjali sent me a few months ago. It's time for me to get serious about something (or at least figure out what it is that I'm getting serious about).

***

Tomorrow I head off to Halifax to celebrate and take part in the wedding of good friends Michelle and David. I'm looking forward to spending time in my favourite city with friends that I'm always happy to get to hang out with.

I'll be back next week, hopefully with lots of photos.

hmm

2008-06-22T10:57:00.002-03:00

I'm a little proud of this:

-6

As a 1930s wife, I am
Very Poor (Failure)

Take the test!

(via)

Although by "An active member of some women's organization" I'm guessing they probably don't mean feminist organizations. Dang.

have I mentioned that I love June?

2008-06-10T20:10:00.002-03:00

more list action for you:

:: reading more funny
:: rewatching Annie Hall and Amélie
:: enjoying a sunny afternoon after deciding to duck out of work early (taking advantage of all the extra hours I've worked over the past couple of weeks)
:: thinking about finally trying to replicate something like this on this cabinet (idea from Jenn.)
:: baking & eating chocolate ~~cupcakes~~ muffins
:: knitting away on a secret project (and resisting all urges to cast on for a sock)
:: still in awe that it's light out till nine o'clock (love it!)
:: trying to relax and slow down a bit (ten days till vacation. woot.)

little things

2008-06-08T14:58:00.003-03:00

After March and April seemed to drag on forever, I can hardly believe that we're fast approaching the middle of June. I feel like I don't have a lot to show for my time. I've been spending unexpectedly long hours at work and have been generally tired and uninspired. I've managed to keep up with Project 365, but my photos have been less than stellar and I'm often frustrated with my camera.

Dare I say, though, that I've turned some sort of corner this weekend. I made a long list of things that I needed to get done, and I've been actually able to cross things off. They're small things, like doing the dishes and emptying the compost, but still. Today stretches on in that best way where you look at a clock and are pleasantly surprised that it's that time -- neither too early nor too late, just the right amount of time gone in the day and just the right amount left. If that makes any sense.

I feel like I've gotten off track over the past few weeks (okay, months) and am working to reestablish some sort of routine for myself. I know summer+routine doesn't exactly sound like fun, but habits are what keep me from losing my mind some days. I want to be spending more time knitting and crafting and reading. And taking pictures (I've got to get out of this rut).

On a completely random note (have you noticed that my writing is a bit rusty?), here's a list of things that are making me happy lately:
:: finally being able to take the wool blanket off my bed
:: this book
:: switching my winter sweaters out for summer skirts
:: these funny guys (and especially this show)
:: these sock kits (thinking I might have to order one if there's any left in the shop when I get my bonus this week)
:: fudgsicles
:: summer shoes
:: cold beer

Back soon.

2008-05-20T18:24:00.002-03:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks, but I just wanted to drop in and let y'all know about a great new etsy shop. My cousin Andrea has just opened Eddie and Jane Designs, which is stocked with her fantastic dog collars. She's also got leashes and harnesses on the way. I got a sneak peek at the goods a few weeks ago and they're super. So, if you've got a four-legged in your life, go take a look.

a day at the beach

2008-04-28T18:19:00.002-03:00

There are few things that can clear my mind like an afternoon at the beach. When I was younger, I didn't fully appreciate the restorative powers of listening to the waves and smelling the salt air (although I've always been a rock collector). As I've gotten older, I often find myself looking seeking a walk on the beach to help sort my head out. And of course, as I've gotten more involved in photography, I've found the beach to provide endless inspiration and great colour (I almost always get to shoot ISO 50 at the beach).

The landscape and sounds of the beach are so varied from season to season, and really summer is the anomaly. The smooth sand, warm breezes, and gentle waves of the summer seem so foreign during visits at any other time of year.

In the spring, after the ice floes have all melted, the beach often looks like a mini disaster area. Seaweed, shells, large chunks of wood, and rocks of all sizes lay stranded on well onto the sand.

Along with the deposits from the ocean, are other man made remnants -- garbage, pieces of buoy, and other nautical accessories.

The waves are rougher and the breezes not so gentle in the spring, but when the sun is shining it's all worthwhile.

spring fever

2008-04-22T19:50:00.002-03:00

So, I'm very happy to say that spring has finally made its way to Nova Scotia. Sadly, though, with the onset of warmer weather and days on end of sunshine, my mind has turned to mush. Of course, the numbing of my brain might also be attributed to my recent addiction and the rediscovery of an old love. Whatever the causes, I haven't got much to show for the past few weeks.

Project 365 has been sort of frustrating lately, but, after days when I wanted to throw in the towel, I can feel some inspiration building somewhere deep down. Those terrible days where I've taken dozens of shots and they're all crap and I want to throw the camera out the window seem so far away on the rare days when everything comes together easily and I get some shots that I'm actually pleased with. Two weeks ago, I wouldn't have been able to offer my week in photos, but things are turning around. So, since words aren't coming very easily today, here are some shots from the past few weeks.

Enjoy the spring (unless you live out West, in which case I'm so very sorry about the snow).

Sunday, in a list

2008-04-06T16:27:00.002-03:00

Because I've spent the morning making lists (helping to quiet my brain) and because I've been trying to kick out a post for ages, here's my random list for a sunny, and dare I say it, spring Sunday afternoon:

-- surprising myself by how much I've come to love this show.

-- listening to the JUNO Songwriters' Circle on CBC radio and discovering some great new to me Canadian talent (and listening to one of my CBC boyfriends).

-- thinking about cutting off all of my hair. Something like this perhaps. Still just thinking, though, and won't chop it off till after Michelle's wedding in June. I'll also need to find someone around here that I trust to keep cutting it as my hair needs to be cut every few weeks when it's short. Oy. I'll probably change my mind a million times

-- daydreaming about the very, very remote possibility of a summer trip (and then thinking about all the more responsible ways that I could spend my money).

-- knitting, knitting, and more knitting.

-- thinking about reading this book.

-- still plodding along with project 365, although I've been feeling uninspired lately.

-- hoping that as spring slowly emerges I'll find some energy and creativity and start showing up in this space a bit more.

That's I'll I've got for now.
Hope spring has found you wherever you are.
Enjoy what's left of your weekend.

spring spring spring spring

2008-03-24T07:19:00.002-03:00

Maybe if I say it loud enough and long enough it will be true?

spring cleaning, er, baking

2008-03-21T18:26:00.003-03:00

Today, I planned on doing some baking. And then I realised that I didn't have any eggs and that all the grocery stores were closed. So, I was left with only one option -- shortbread.

I tend to associate shortbread with Christmas, probably because that's when my grandma used to bake dozens and dozens of tiny shortbread cookies (among other treats) to be delivered to family and friends. Her cookies are small circles dotted with just a bit of frosting and one small chunk each of red and green maraschino cherries. I've always been a bit scared to try making shortbread and I don't know why. When I tackled shortbread for the first time this past Christmas, I was quite pleased with the results. It's by far not the best shortbread I've ever had, but not nearly as daunting as I thought. Five ingredients, and a little elbow grease, are all you need for buttery, flaky shortbread cookies.

I stumbled upon some Easter-y cookie cutters while out running errands yesterday and voila, a great welcome to spring. Inspired by the often bright baked goods over at Yarnstorm, I mixed up some bright glazes to encourage spring to visit us here Nova Scotia.

My cookie decorating skills leave something to be desired, but there's no denying these colours. At least I can pretend that spring is living up to its promises...

Just the facts, ma'am

2008-03-16T17:15:00.004-03:00

Anjali has tagged me for the 7 Things Meme. Despite my many quirks, this proved to be more difficult than I'd anticipated. I went with the first applicable things to pop into my head. These probably aren't the most interesting things about me. Or at least I hope they aren't. But then again, I'm pretty boring. At any rate, here goes...

The Rules:
1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Post 7 facts about yourself on your blog.
4. Tag 7 people and link to them.
5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

Me in a list:

1. "You don't win friends with salad." I've been a vegetarian for ten years and haven't eaten red meat in nearly fifteen, but when I was a kid I was a hardcore carnivore. I'm talking rare steaks and sandwiches with an inch of deli meat. I stopped eating red meat when I started reading about the connections between farming and rain forest depletion. Cutting out meat altogether was difficult in a meat and potatoes town, but I went totally vegetarian when I moved away to university. I'm not preachy about it (at least I hope not), and expect the same from the other direction. Some times I think I'd like to be a vegan, but I'm far too fond of cheese and milk products.

2. Shades of Grey. I have grey hair. I mean A LOT of grey hair. It's been going grey since my early teens and I've never dyed it. The hair leads to lots of strange looks and comments. Having worked in retail for a while now, I'm sort of used to people's reactions, but all the same I'm never quite prepared when people ask how old I am -- strangers have no problem asking me how old I am. I also get asked if my grey hair is natural, which makes me wonder how I'd get this look in a salon. Yes it's natural and yes I'm under thirty. And no I'm not going to dye it, although I've often had the urge to get a Rogue-like streak,

3. Cold hands, warm heart? I have very cold hands and feet. Even in the middle of the summer, my hands and feet are often like icicles. I talked to my doctor about this when I was younger and it's possibly Raynaud's, which my great aunt was also thought to have. All I remember is the doctor telling me smoking would make it worse. The cold hands and feet often make it difficult for me to feel warm since the rest of me will be the proper temperature but my extremities often don't get as warm.

4. Smell. I can't stand the smell of root beer. I can't explain it. Oddly, I like the smell of wet dog. I'm strange, I know.

5. Saucy. I have issues with sauces. I don't like the chunks in pasta sauce, salsa, or dips and I'll leave them sitting in the bottom of the bowl (this is especially true of tomato chunks). I never used to eat chili because I didn't like the texture of the beans. These days I'll eat chili but have to mash the beans with my fork first. I still can't bring myself to eat the chunks left over from my pasta.

6. Me llamo Meaghan. I somehow managed to complete a BA and MA on gender and politics in Mexico without being able to speak or read more than a few words of Spanish. While I don't plan to return to academia, I do want to learn Spanish sooner rather than later.

7. Drunk teenagers. Despite growing up in what seems like the underage drinking capital of Canada, I never had more than a single drink of any alcoholic beverage until I was nearly 23. Just didn't have any desire. I'm still not a fan of most hard liquors (although I do love me some tequila), but I do now quite like wine and beer.

Okay, that's all I've got. I'm sure that M. could offer up some more entertaining facts about me... Like how I often make up words and songs. Or that I talk to myself a lot. And the cat, I talk to the cat like some crazy cat lady. Now I'm showing you all how completely nutters I am.

Moving on. I don't have seven people to tag, but Kim, Matt or anyone else who's interested is welcome to play along. Leave me a comment letting me know if you take the plunge.

Dear Spring

2008-03-16T16:26:00.005-03:00

Dear Spring,

Please stop toying with my affections. One day I'm promised sun, above zero temperatures, and the sweet smell of everything thawing. The next day, you let that bully winter take over and temperatures are back down well below zero and it's snowing. A lot. Today you've put on your big kid pants and are offering up sunshine with a side of thawing. But tomorrow it's supposed to snow. Spring, why must you tease me so? I'm really looking forward to the end of winter boots, salt stained pants, and days on end without snow. Spring, I don't care that you bring pollen and leave me sneezing, I really don't. I've had enough of the heavy coats and hats and mitts, I want spring shoes and jaunty scarves.

Spring, if I promise not to complain anymore, will you come out for good? You see, I'm feeling like this again, and I could really use your help. The sunshine alone isn't enough. Can you please stand up to winter and tell it that we've had enough? I know we've been lucky compared to others and I know you're technically not allowed out for a few more days, but could cookies and milk change your mind? Or perhaps if I share my Easter Creme Eggs?

Thanks in advance,

Meaghan

PS. I even changed the banner to something a bit more seasonal in an effort to make you feel welcome.

caturday

2008-03-08T12:38:00.001-04:00

confessional

2008-02-21T15:19:00.002-04:00

Calling me a lapsed Catholic would probably be an understatement. Yet growing up in a religious town and spending countless Sundays at mass has left an indelible mark on me, no matter how far I stray. Finding myself living in my hometown again after several years away stirs up a whole whack of strange feelings and small surprises (which are sometimes good, and sometimes bad). And to call the town religious is sort of a misrepresentation. Spiritual doesn't fit, really, nor does dogmatic. I wonder if faithful is the right word. In the end, religious just seems the best choice, but it doesn't immediately convey the complexity of the dynamics at work here. I see far more shades of grey than I did growing up. Funny what a little distance and a whole lot of perspective can do for you.

I didn't intend to start on a long discussion about religion or faith and small town life. All I meant to say was that I can't shake the Catholic guilt. So, while I always detested the confessional and the whole act of confession (I can't quite shake the memory of a priest chastising my ten year old self for missing one week's mass), I feel like I must make a confession here.

Okay, maybe I'm being melodramatic.

It's just that I keep making grand proclamations of productivity and then fall flat on my face. I can talk the talk, but walking the walk is not my strong suit. I guess this is where the guilt comes into play. Even though I know that getting rest and partaking in relaxing activities is far more important than worrying that the house is messy, that there are dishes to be done. But I want these things to get done. It's not simply a sense of obligation. And the less that gets accomplished, the more frustrated I get. January and February are awful in terms of energy levels for me, and long hours at work the past few weeks haven't helped. My days are fueled by tea and Easter candy (holiday-wise Easter has the best candy). Time at home passes in a blur and I have little sense of how to account for lost hours. I have little piles of stuff started and abandoned all over the house.

I keep going back like some internet stalker to this post of Anjali's that resonates very strongly with me. If I had a dime for every person who told me to 'smile' or 'cheer up' over the years. You'd think by now that I'd have figured myself out a bit better. Yeah, I'm still working on that.

The one thing that I have managed to be consistent with lately is Project 365. I've turned out some awful photos, but I've also got some decent shots, I think. One of the deals I made with myself was that I wouldn't edit any of the photographs that went into the the 365 set. I wanted it to be a sort of documentary, the bad with the good. As a result, I've shot some days in black and white. Normally, I'd shoot in colour and use Photoshop to desaturate and adjust contrast on the image. Most photographers will tell you to never shoot black and white using digital as it's so easy to do the editing. But some days felt like B&W days and since I wasn't doing the editing, setting my little powershot to the B&W setting was my only option. Sure, I've lost the chance of having that shot in colour, but if I was shooting with film I'd have to make similar choices. Either way, there's something so special about black and white photography.

Anyway, I'm really starting to geek out on photography and 365 is really helping me learn and see things in new ways. I can't articulate things yet, but I'm quite happy with some of my results. I've also started to play around with Photoshop Lightroom, which is far more user-friendly that the larger PS edition. And since I'm all about the photography geekiness, if you're a Firefox user (c'mon make the switch), check out the PicLens add-on. Very cool.

same story, different day

2008-02-11T18:45:00.001-04:00

Last week was a write-off. Scratch that. The past couple of weeks have been a write-off. When I finally started to get over my cold, I found that I had no energy. So, I'm attempting to get back on track. I'm running with Anjali's advice and scaling back my plans that tend to border on grandiose -- one foot in front of the other, I'm going to deal with one pile or item on the list each night, instead of attempting to clean a whole room and ending up frustrated when it doesn't get done. Baby steps.

Practically speaking, this has meant taking a deep breath when I realised that the sock I've been knitting, and enjoying, clearly isn't going to fit and needs to be frogged. I'll rip it back at some point, but in the spirit of getting things done and since there are other things that need more attention, I'll leave it in its currently too small state to avoid temptation.

It's also meant not always trying to fight the bad moods and the cold weather. Especially today when it was snowy and windy and cold, and I had this Matt Mays song stuck in my head.

The good news is that it's less than three weeks until M. is here for a visit and I get a few vacation days. And spring will surely follow soon after...

a girl and her camera

2008-02-08T13:10:00.000-04:00

"I tried taking pictures, but they were so mediocre. I guess every girl goes through a photography phase. You know, horses... taking pictures of your feet." ~Scarlett Johansson as Charlotte, in Lost in Translation.

I think I'm finally kicking this cold, so I figured I'd try to get my head around all this picture taking business. Taking a photograph every day for a year sounds simple enough. And I'm sure that if I went looking, what I'm about to say here has been said by others all over flickr and wherever else. So, I'm not reinventing the wheel, I'm just trying to take some pictures.

Let me start this again.

Project 365, Day 13. Not even two weeks in and I've run the gamut of emotions about the whole thing. On the bad days I curse the lack of decent light and resent that I've gotten myself involved in such a project. But on the good days, on the good days I wonder what I ever did without a camera and am halfway pleased with my results. Now, I'm not delusional and don't think that the past two weeks have made me a world class photographer. Embarking on this crazy project was sort of a test for myself. With three hundred and fifty-two days still to go, I'm sure that I haven't seen the end of the cursing and frustration. I do think though having got through the first two weeks, and not having thrown my camera out the window, I think I'm in it for the long haul.

In some ways, the past two weeks have confirmed what I already suspected, I love my camera but it has some its limitations. Then again, so do I. While getting into the habit of taking a photo every day was initially by far the most challenging aspect of this project, dealing with the light, or lack thereof, has been the most practical obstacle. Shooting in natural light is far less problematic when you're using a point and shoot, so the days where I've had ample access to daylight have been more productive as I spent less time adjusting for lighting than in actual shot composition. Really, though, the whole point of the project, at least for me, is to learn, and learn I have. Or at least I'm starting to do.

Usually, if I see something that I'd like to shoot, I get out the camera, make my adjustments, and take the photo. If the lighting conspired against me, the shot never saw the light of ~~day~~ flickr. Now, since doing the actual documentation of the project is part of the process, I need to spend more time making the adjustments so that the final result is something that, even if I'm not altogether happy with, I'm at least not ashamed to post it for the interweb to see.

This is starting to feel a bit like incoherent rambling. I guess all I'm really trying to say is that I'm happy with the project so far and am excited to see how my skills and photographs develop over the next year. I'm already seeing an increased output. Some days I just shoot one thing till I get a decent enough shot. Others, I take photos of a whole bunch of stuff, because I've already got the camera out. This is helping to give me some idea of the level of commitment, talent, and equipment required to do something like this for a living. I'm still a far way from that, but this seems like a good pretest.

At the very least, I'll have an awful lot of photos of the cat.

throwing a sickie

2008-02-03T18:57:00.000-04:00

(I clearly watch too much Coronation Street. The drama, the intrigue, and the fantastic phrases.)

I had a thoughtful post planned, reflecting on my first week of Project 365 and how I feel about it, but this week just wiped me out between long hours at work and coming down with yet another cold. So, instead I'm going to say hi and bye all at once, grab my knitting and some tea and go watch some football (yes, football. It's not college ball, but I feel some strange pull to watch. Go figure).

If you're interested in how things are going with 365, you can check this out. Next time I'll talk a bit about the ups and downs of the daily picture taking and my love/hate relationship with my camera. As an aside, one of my issues with my camera on the one hand and 365 on the other has been getting good light in the dead of winter. This afternoon my mom and I went for a walk on the beach, hoping to spot some of the seals that had been out on the ice floes. We didn't see any seals, but I got some lovely photos. The light at the beach on a sunny winter day can't be beat. Being able to shoot at ISO 50 in February is a glorious thing.

366

2008-01-27T18:15:00.000-04:00

In a spurt of I-can't-believe-how-productive-I'm-being, and because Kim sort of called me out, I finally stopped making excuses and joined Project 365. Yep, I've made the somewhat insane commitment to take a photo every day for the next year, which I guess makes this project 366.

Anyway, I'll occasionally post the photos here, but if you're interested you can follow my progress here.

Now, if I can just stick with it...

slowly but surely

2008-01-27T16:15:00.000-04:00

As you may remember, about a year ago, I showed you this. And then a few months later, there was this and this. Then in May, you might recall this, which may have included claims that Ivy was almost complete. And, it was, except for the buttons. Along the way, one of the many modifications I'd decided to make was eliminating the ties and adding buttons on the sides. I even bought the buttons, and I'd planned on having the whole thing finished in time for my trip to Ottawa last spring. The sweater wasn't dry before I left and when I got back the idea of sewing buttons and creating button loops was not high on my list of fun.

So, for six months Ivy has sat in my closet taunting me. I'd look at it and think of all the time I'd put into it and how nice it would be to wear. And then I'd think of the buttons and how fiddly it was going to be to make loops and sew on buttons and how I never seemed to have the requisite amount of patience required to do the job. So the taunting continued. About a month ago I got sick of Ivy jeering at me from the closet and decided enough was enough. Buttons, schmuttons, I was going to use snaps. No loops to contend with, I'd have Ivy ready to wear in no time.

You can tell by now where this is headed, I suppose. My bright idea for snaps in place, I promptly forgot about the sweater in the midst of all the holiday hoopla. To avoid making a long story even longer, today I finally got around to sewing on the snaps (I actually started this on Thursday but, after sewing the first snap on backwards, gave up in disgust).

After much ado, may I present, Ivy.

(It's kind of difficult to take pictures of something you're wearing without aid of a tripod.)

I'm inordinately proud of the seaming:

Pattern: Ivy, Knitty, Fall 2006

Yarn: Berroco Denim Silk, in Iguana (for the life of me I can't remember how many skeins)

Modifications: I made two major changes -- I eliminated the ties and shortened the sleeves. I replaced the ties with snaps, mostly because I wasn't keen on long ties on a shorter sweater. I intended to have 3/4 sleeves, but when I became worried that I was going to run out of yarn, I made short sleeves instead. I didn't (and still don't) have a lot of experience with sleeves and setting them in and such. I don't even really remember now what exactly it was that I did. I did one pattern repeat at the bottom of the sleeve and otherwise simply made the sleeve cap, I do believe. At any rate, the sleeves didn't turn out exactly as I'd hoped (they're a bit big). Otherwise I'm quite chuffed with how this turned out and can see getting lots of wear out of it. It'll be great over a long sleeved shirt in the winter or a tank top in the summer.

*****

Since I'm all about getting things done today I'm rolling two posts into one. (I'd intended to write about this on Friday, but I got called into work when I was expecting a day off.)

*****

In, what was the bright spot in an otherwise frustrating day, I received a package in the mail from the lovely Anjali on Friday. The box was decorated so nicely, and I opened it up to find this inside:

Beautiful, right?

Take a closer look:

I opened the gorgeous Amy Butler bag to find this:

Thank you!

The package also contained a cd from M., who'd sent this along earlier (swoon).

I must say, friends and family near and far have spoiled me rotten these holidays. And this is no exception. I have the best crew around.

For the knitters in the crowd, I give you this:

That's Colinette Jitterbug in Tapis. My camera doesn't even begin to capture the depth of colour in this yarn. It's got shades of brown, orange, purple, and even a bit of black. My kind of colours. I've been drooling over it since it landed on my doorstep and I've begun scouring Ravelry for ideas. I'm considering a whole slew of sock patterns (it may be time to try Monkeys again), but am also thinking of another Clapotis. For now, I'm holding off, as I'm trying to finish some of the projects I've got on the needles. But dammit if that startitis doesn't know my name.

2008-01-24T11:52:00.000-04:00

No time for a proper post today as I spent the morning futzing around with my camera. It feels good to spend time taking photographs of whatever strikes my fancy, even if it comes at the expense of the cleaning or something that seems more 'productive'. So, for today, I leave you with some of the fruits of this morning's labour.

I was playing around with focus/depth of field since I've found that many of my favourite photos lately on flickr have had a certain softness to them. I was sure that this was a product of fancy pants SLRs, but rather belatedly I realised how a similar effect could be achieved with a point and shoot. Yay for manual focus.

{These are mittens for M. My first stranded/colourwork project. Do you like the colours, M.? (more in focus shots on flickr & ravelry)}

these days

2008-01-20T19:16:00.001-04:00

Lately, my life is all about doing my best to ignore the things that are stressing me out. On any given day, I can find any number of relatively insignificant things to worry about, and I have trouble turning my brain off. These days, though, the little things have been pushed aside and it feels like a lot of major ones clamoring for attention. None of it is the end of the world, but short days and cold weather seem to magnify everything for me. Not being able to see an end in sight doesn't help much either. So, I find myself faced with the task of managing my days so that my head doesn't explode.

Given my current frame of mind, it would have been all too easy for me to waste today away. Sitting with my knitting would have definitely done me some good, but I was shooting higher. For ~~weeks~~ months I've been meaning to do a major clean up job on my apartment. I made a futile attempt earlier in the week, but I knew that one way to help clear the clutter from my brain was to clear the mess from my physical space. Now, a full blown cleanup was impossible to manage in just one day, but I feel like I made a good dent in things. Papers have been sorted into stacks and a good chunk have gone into blue bags. The pile of dishes waiting to be cleaned has dwindled. The overflowing garbages have been dumped. I'm not as slovenly as that makes me sound, but the standard has definitely been lowered over the past few months. One of my ongoing goals is to stop letting things pile up. When did I become such a procrastinator?

I feel like I've got a good start to a new week. I'm all too aware, however, that a tidier apartment isn't going to mean an end to the mess in my head. My apartment is still a long way from organized. The housecleaning high has already begun to wear off and the work day draws nearer.

But it can't be all bad when you've got a belly full of sushi, right?

when in doubt, knit

2008-01-18T12:11:00.000-04:00

Despite the number of times that M. has been witness to me cursing at my knitting or it being thrown across the room, knitting is very relaxing and can, for me, serve as a form of meditation. While others have been far more eloquent about the process, a simple knitting project allows my mind to work some things out while my hands keep busy. So, given the stress and unsettledness of the past few weeks, I was yearning for something simple and quick. Enter an Unoriginal Hat. The cables were simple enough to keep me engaged and the bulkiness of the yarn meant a quick knit.

I cast on Wednesday night and knit most of the hat in a few hours. In less than an hour this morning, I finished it up and sewed the seam. Being able to start and finish a project in the span of three days is just the sort of boost that I need right now. I'm pleased with the finished product, to boot, even if it is a little small (it's blocking as I write, though, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for some extra length).

Pattern: An Unoriginal Hat (pdf)
Yarn: Bernat Felting Natural Wool, in Meadow
Needles: 7.5mm
Modifications: Used these instructions to convert the pattern to flat as I didn't have the right dpns and couldn't force my brain to do the work itself.

in which i attempt to distract you from my angst with a pretty flower

2008-01-15T19:34:00.000-04:00

Today has been a day of ~~procrastination~~ avoidance. My one day off for the week, I had ambitious plans. Thoughts of work kept invading my day, though. It's been a hectic and stressful few weeks. I'm in the process of fighting for a promotion that I'm not even sure that I want. I know that I'm capable of the work, but the events of the past few months have left me worn out and unenthusiastic. The new position almost assuredly means more stress for only a small pay increase. But given my current position, the prospect of even a slight pay increase tends to overshadow other considerations. Extra cash is extra cash. Except that it's not that easy, of course.

Tonight, I'm meant to be working on a self-appraisal, outlining what I've accomplished over the past six months, what I'd like to improve upon, and why I'm fit for promotion. The truth is, though, that this process of reflection isn't really having the intended effect. Instead of dutifully working on the appraisal this afternoon, I did everything else I could think of that didn't require me spending time alone with my thoughts. I went grocery shopping and ran a few errands. I did ~~some~~ six loads of laundry. I knit. And watched a movie. I puttered around the apartment and ~~tidied~~ moved things from place to place.

In the end, the apartment is not any visibly cleaner or neater than it was twelve hours ago, and I still haven't even looked the evaluation forms that are sitting on the coffee table. All that I can think about is how writing down the events of the past six months, and speculating about the next six, makes real the gnawing feeling of being trapped. I can't help but think that if I really liked my job and really wanted this promotion, I would have filled the forms out last night, instead of waiting until the last minute. Instead, I worry that the longer I continue down this path, the more difficult it gets to leave it.

I don't expect anything to change over night, but the increasing awareness that I need a new direction sooner rather than later weighs heavily on my mind at this juncture. I'm confused and anxious, wary of taking on a position just to prove a point, both to myself and my superiors. Of course it doesn't help that I haven't managed to make any progress on the goals that I set out for myself a few weeks ago. I'm keenly aware that a few sessions of yoga over the past few weeks would have helped to clear my head. A persistent coled knocked me on my ass last wee and I'm only beginning to get back on track.

Oy, if you're still reading, sorry for all the rambling. I had hoped that writing this would help me figure things out a bit, but I'm still not quite sure what's what. Maybe a glass of wine, some jPod, and intense staring at forms will help me find some direction?

Sweater Weather

2008-01-06T15:29:00.000-04:00

For quite some time, I've wanted to make a sweater for M. I love sweaters and wouldn't be able to survive a winter without the warmth provided by wool sweaters and M certainly shares my fondness for woolly goodness, if not quite to the same extreme. The prospect of knitting a sweater, however, was a bit daunting. My sweater knitting experience to date had consisted of a baby sweater and a mostly completed cardigan that I made for me that is currently in the bottom of a drawer in the States. So, my track record with sweater knitting wasn't stellar. In addition, I often have gauge issues, which, in scarves, mitts, and hats, and even socks, doesn't usually make too much difference, as adjustments are easily done. Incorrect gauge in a sweater is more difficult to fix (hello, math!) and really might not be obvious until the piece is finished. I had my heart set on making a sweater, though, so a sweater I would knit.

Gauge issues aside, I realised that I faced two major hurdles in making a men's sweater. First, I find many men's sweater patterns a little fussy or a little more mature than I wanted. Second, making a sweater for a person who currently lives thousands of kilometres away (ie with no body or clothes close by against which I could compare) was sort of a dangerous proposition. (Had I planned this earlier, the second hurdle would have been moot. But c'est la vie.)

I considered a number of different patterns, but when I saw Jared Flood's Cobblestone, I knew I had found the pattern. Simple and understated, but modern. Not fussy and it didn't scream grandpa. So I picked my yarn (the choices are limited in a small town, but I was on a budget and I knew Briggs & Little to be a good yarn. As B&L is slightly thicker than the yarn that the pattern calls for, I achieved gauge on my first try (yay to not having to break out my rusty math skills). I cast on for size small (completed Cobblestones that I'd seen look a bit roomy, and I was thinking of a more fitted result) and hoped for the best. I had the proper gauge, but I still wasn't sure how it was going to fit.

I started Cobblestone in August, thinking that would give me plenty of time. Of course, once I realised that four months might be more than enough time to finish a sweater, I promptly cast on for another project. And another. By the time November rolled around, I'd barely made a dent in the body. Canada Post holiday shipping deadlines dictated that the sweater needed to be done and in the mail by mid-December. So I knit and knit and knit (showing a focus that is rare with me these days). Lo and behold, I managed to have it finished and blocked and in the mail with a few days to spare.

Although I must confess I had a few minutes of panic after I cast off for the neck (thus completing the sweater) and attempted to try the sweater on (thinking that if it was a bit big on me, it would be the right size for M), and I couldn't get it over my head. Displaying an uncharacteristic degree of patience, I ripped out the cast off edge and redid it with a much stretchier cast off.

Pattern: Cobblestone, Interweave Knits Fall 2007
Yarn: Briggs & Little Heritage in Brown Heather (5.5 skeins)
Size: Small
Modifications: None

Overall, I'm extremely pleased with how Cobblestone turned out. I feel a bit more confident in sweater making, and definitely liked the almost nonexistent seaming involved. I'm not so pleased, however, with my short row wraps. Short rows, I get, but the wrapping of the stitches kicks my butt every time. As a result, there are a few small holes in the yoke that I'm hoping aren't too visible when the sweater is worn.

M reports that the sweater fits well and isn't too itchy. Mission accomplished.

Sorry about all the cat hair.

Bonne Année

2008-01-05T19:15:00.000-04:00

The last two weeks of the year are the worst two weeks of the year. Who the hell invented December? Curse you, Pope Gregory. It's a disaster of a month, a complete waste of thirty-one days. And it's not like early January's much better. ~Douglas Coupland, The Gum Thief

Barely 7pm and I'm sitting here in my pajamas with a cup of hot chocolate, trying to get warm and thinking about resolutions. Part of me loves the new year, any chance for a clean slate, for a fresh start. And, as I read and hear about resolutions and plans for the new year, I get excited. I have an ever expanding list of things to try and (re)start and do less. But, in reality, I often find it difficult to complete the simplest tasks in winter. Does it count if I make a resolution to get out of bed when the alarm goes off in the morning (it's so dark and so cold at 6am). When I stumbled across this article a few days ago, something clicked. Keeping a list of things I want to do throughout the year and working at them as I can (like in Spring when there's more daylight and more energy), is far more realistic than trying to start dozens of new things on one day. Lists I can do. Lists I like. If only I could remember to look at them.

One thing is for sure, though. This year needs to bring some changes. Less wishing and complaining and more doing. Far more difficult than it sounds. I'm more self-defeating than I'd care to admit. And I worry. A lot. So much so that it often interferes with getting anything done. With so much inspiration all around and so many great people urging me on, I really don't have any excuse.

So may I present (making it public so I'm somehow more accountable) the first list of 2008:

Take more photographs. Maybe start Project 365.
Reintroduce yoga into my daily routine. Lack of energy is definitely one of my biggest hurdles in getting anything done.
Write everyday. I used to write a lot and I enjoyed it and I was a decent writer. These days it takes me forever and the quality just isn't what it could be. I'll never write a book or article or anything else if I never write. It's as simple as that.
Work on my French and the few words I know in Spanish. Someday I'd like to do some travelling and I don't think that English is going to get me very far.
Work with Matt on the design and possible set up of a website.

These are some of the big things. I have lots of other little ideas that are still kicking around my head.

(ETA: Clearly I need to work on my French when I can't even get a simple accent right. All fixed now. Oof.)

Happy Holidays

2007-12-24T07:02:00.000-04:00

I've had entries floating around in my head for days, waiting to be committed to ~~paper~~ computer, but work's been crazy and after coming home I feel completely wiped out (never did find that balance I was looking for). I'm making a plan (I don't want to call it a resolution) to spend serious time doing all of those things that I've been putting off, that I say and feel I never have the time for.

But for now I just wanted to pop in and wish everyone a safe and happy holidays.

Take care.

2007-12-12T23:19:00.000-04:00

The last ten days have been fuzzy and frustrating, landing me in the middle of December with no real clue as to how I got here. Too little daylight, too little sleep, and a little too much snow are wreaking havoc on my moods. Trying to find balance is tough for me at the best of times, but the pressures of the holidays seem to magnify the bad things more than usual.

Thankfully, for the most part I have managed to stumble unexpectedly across little things that save me from myself at just the right moment. The smell of the two Christmas tree lots on my walk home from work, discovering that chai mixed with hot chocolate tastes yummy, and preparing a Christmas package to post to Ottawa tomorrow have all served to remind me of what I've always loved about the holidays.

The one all about the cat

2007-12-02T15:48:00.000-04:00

Hello out there.

It's been a hectic couple of weeks, but I don't have much to show for it. All of my energy seems to go toward getting through the days at work, so by the time the evening rolls around I usually fall asleep in a chair before I even get a chance to pick up my knitting.

But, seeing how the holidays are just around the corner (when did that happen?), and after yesterday's weather it seems a little more real (snow squalls, anyone?), I thought today might be a good opportunity to start crossing some of the items off my Christmas To Do list.

I was making some cat toys when, what can only be called The Great Catnip Incident of '07 occurred. I went to use the sewing machine, leaving an open bag of catnip on the kitchen counter. (Foolish, I know. I bet you can see what's coming.) Five minutes later I returned to the kitchen to find this:

Yes, indeed, Shorty had knocked the bag off the counter and was rolling in a substantial pile of catnip (he's sitting on most of it). Oh dear. (Crazy cats.)

Since I had the sewing machine open, and I was feeling crafty, I whipped up a new bandanna for Molly. And by whipped, I mean laboured. I had planned to make a couple more of these, but tedium of the hems was just too much for me today.

I'm very excited to say that I now have internet at my apartment, so I plan on my appearances here becoming a bit more regular. For now, I'm off to make some hot chocolate and attend to some much neglected knitting.

Stay warm.

baby, it's cold outside

2007-10-29T21:11:00.000-03:00

Today's grey autumn skies threatened to release the first flurries of the season. The weather seemed to be a perfect reflection of my mood. While I yearned for a quiet and reflective day, my mind raced as it often does, threatening to undo the the past week of relaxation and contentedness. Having just spent a fantastic week with M., I woke up this morning with the weight of separation and sadness bearing down. I knew it would be all too easy to spend the day moping, so I put on my brave face and tried my best to ward off the oncoming melancholy.

I had a hunch that some fresh air and a walk in the woods might do the trick. Armed with my recently neglected camera, I headed outside to the crisp fall air. The weather has been so strange lately, with temperatures much warmer than normal. I'm convinced that one day it will be twenty degrees and the next day it will be snowing. Today almost proved me right -- hat, mitts, and scarf were all necessities. The brisk fall wind causing old trees to creak, the crunching gravel, the sweet smell of fallen leaves, and the faint smoky smell of wood stoves all signal that autumn will all too quickly make way for winter.

Many trees have already dropped their leaves and those leaves that remain attached to branches are mainly pale yellow and washed out gold, rather than the deep reds, oranges, and burgundies that I hoped to find. On the ground and in neighbours yards signs of summer still hang on though, as the persistent warm weather has continued to nurture some resilient flowers. The lingering mild weather has me all turned around, too. Even though I've been craving the cool fall air today's chill took me by surprise. Inevitably one thinks of loss as the seasons shift, but I try to welcome the the quiet that fall brings before the long dreariness of winter settles upon us.

Bringing my camera on my walk helped to provide the focus that I very much needed today. Traipsing through the yard and up the road through the woods, I became absorbed in shot set up and composition. Adjusting shutter speed, aperture, and ISO create almost a meditative effect, leaving little room in my brain for other thoughts. A hundred pictures and a few hours of picking apples, modelling knitwear, shuffling through leaves, and creating a new blog banner all provided a small amount of solace that I didn't think would be possible today.

Alas, as the sun set and the temperature continued to drop, that melancholy that I'd been warding off came knocking at the door. But, for a little while at least, I didn't feel sorry for myself, I didn't wonder how I'd face going back to work, and I didn't start counting the days until I'd get to see M. again.

photography geek humour

2007-10-08T10:54:00.000-03:00

toothpastefordinner.com

I love it.

long time, no see

2007-10-08T09:09:00.000-03:00

Well, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, but it sort of feels that way. I moved into a new apartment at the beginning of September and am currently, and for the next while at least, without a computer and, therefore, without regular Internet access. So my emailing, blog reading, and general web surfing are far behind my normal obsessive compulsive standard. Woe is me. But, imagine my surprise and delight when I checked my email yesterday to find a Ravelry invite. So excited. Although it will probably be a while before I have coinciding time and Internet access to get photos and project details on my Ravelry page, I have managed to play around a bit and add a few things here (Ravelry is still in the beta stage and requires a membership to join and view pages. But if you're a knitter or crocheter, you can sign up to get an invitation. It's a really neat concept).

Sorry for the lame post. I'll be back when I can. As always, there's more on flickr.

Hmm...

2007-08-16T18:32:00.000-03:00

You're The Dictionary!

by Merriam-Webster

You're one of those know-it-all types, with an amazing amount of
knowledge at your command. People really enjoy spending time with you in very short
spurts, but hanging out with you for a long time tends to bore them. When folks
really need an authority to refer to, however, you're the one they seek. You're an
exceptional speller and very well organized.

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

my I don't have to run day

2007-08-05T15:39:00.000-03:00

Last week was stressful and exhausting and am I ever glad that it's over. Today I had a mini-glad-I-survived-in-one-piece-celebration, just me and the animals.

My recipe for relaxing-don't-think-about-the-bad-stuff-day (substitute where necessary to create your own head in the sand day):

-- Good music turned up to 11. The music is a must, although listening to JP might run you the risk of feeling a little bit homesick. Switch to something equally good and upbeat if necessary. Sing loudly and unabashedly (even if the dog looks at you like you're crazy. It's okay, you probably are).

-- Baking. Preferably chocolate. If you don't like chocolate, well, you just shouldn't be reading this.

-- Good food. See previous item. Spiced chocolate muffins = happier me.

-- Good company (optional).

Molly was up for a shindig

Shorty wasn't so much

Repeat as needed. Don't think about the long list of things that need to be done, about what you could or should be doing. A little wine or a good beer might not hurt, either (that's my plan for later). I also plan on a little knitting, reading, and a guilty pleasure.