November 2006

At least this is Seattle’s version of “snow”! This evening! They’d been predicting an inch of snow for Seattle the past few days, but I was highly sceptical. We generally get about four false alarms before we actually get snow. But not this year! Note to all you people who live in areas where “it’s not snow unless it’s at least a foot high, and it lasts a week” — one inch of snow shuts this city down. We aren’t used to it, and it’s a very hilly city.

Check out this beautiful heron who let me get close to him on Sunday at Greenlake:

Herons are so majestic! I watched him for a while on this rock, he was moving around looking at stuff. It was windy and rainy. Then he flew off, and a little while later I spotted him again on this big downed tree:

I think herons are so regal. King of the birds. More pictures of him here.

This trio of ducks has have lived at Greenlake for at least ten years. They are large, ancient ducks. A lot bigger than the rest of the ducks! They seem like great pals who enjoy each others’ company. Ducky friends.

Thanks to Lolly for the meme:

This was a nice meme to get me thinking, and a good one for someone, like me, in a career and life exploration phase.

My proudest moment dates back to taking a summer intensive (201-203 levels) Russian class in 1995 — over ten years ago! Since then… graduation from college seemed like a given the next year, and then I’ve been working at jobs that didn’t suit me. So I kind of got lost. This makes me think I ought to set some goals for myself. Duh. What should it be? Rock climbing to get over my fear of heights? Or something career related? I am proud of myself for getting more into a self-care routine, as I wrote a couple days ago, but this is something I’m still working on and it accumulates gradually.

I think Lolly expressed precisely what I feel about my wildest dreams: “I have a hard time articulating my wildest dreams. I want to live life to the fullest, and I am still trying to figure out exactly what that means.” I know that, for me, it needs to include a large dose of creativity, art, and enough money to be really comfortable. It makes me squirm to include money, but I’m finally admitting that financial security does matter to me, although I have to be careful how much of myself I give away to get it.

Lately I’ve been understanding how important time spent in the natural world is to me. I want more of it! It truly rests my soul, inspires me, and takes me out of my anxious mind. Nature’s beauty - in all its forms, even the rainy grey forms - can help me live more consciously in the moment, accepting what comes. This is a true practice in the Buddhist meaning of the word.

I’ve been on a yarn diet, since I’m not working… But today I took the remainder of a gift certificate and some of my week’s spending money to Weaving Works for a little splurge. It felt so good! I have no regrets!

So come on in, close the door behind you, lower your voice, and check out what I got:

My new lovelies are:

Left: Tahki donegal tweed homespun, color 848, to make the Tweed Beret designed by Kristen Tendyke (in the Winter 2006 IK)
Right: Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran, color 300005, to make the Fetching fingerless gloves by Cheryl Niamath (in Knitty Summer 2006).

I just finished November’s Knit the Classics read, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.  It astounds me how different this book is from the commonly-held myth in our culture!  First and foremost, Frankenstein wasn’t the the monster– he was the monster’s creator.

This novel is an incredibly grim and compellling story of science gone awry.  Without considering the full implications, the scientist Frankenstein creates life, a huge new “species” of being, out of the parts of dead humans.  His creature grows in reason and knowledge and begins to desire companionship.  Since humans revile the hideous monster, he is unable to gain friendships and hence turns to vicious crimes in an attempt to manipulate Frankenstein.  Throughout, Shelley forcefully shows how events effect Frankenstein’s psychology and feelings, all the while giving us clues into the reasoning and emotions of the monster.  This novel is indeed a tour de force psychological thriller, one which I highly recommend.