So Many Words, So Little Structure!

Today was most definitely a very good day. Still, the headache from yesterday carried over a bit and flared up from time to time. I did my best not to let it bring me down. Throughout the day, I’ve been struck with ideas of things to write about. The challenge now is to narrow my focus, as the thoughts are tremendously varied, and often unrelated. Do I want to write another commentary about observations on the world around me? With the election just two days away, I hesitate to wade into those waters! Which reminds me – I’ll be working from home tomorrow so as to avoid the circus in the Arena District, courtesy of the President and his minions (including Bruce Springsteen & Jay-Z).

The Holidays are all-too-quickly approaching, though I’m baffled as to how this has happened, since I thought I just returned home from my mid-August vacation… I suppose the Christmas decorations and music will be hitting the stores this week, if it hasn’t already. One of the local radio stations starts playing Christmas music absurdly early, so I know I’ll be changing my alarm clock’s setting before long. At least one of the online stores has also begun their “Black Friday” sale prices already, too. They’re treating all of November as though it were one very, very, very long Friday. Ha!

Let’s see…what other pet peeves can I harp on? Wait – I was trying to keep up the positive thoughts today. I posted “Five Good Things” on Ravelry this morning. Right after I did that, it stirred a memory from high school. Sophomore year, my biology teacher would award bonus points to students who would write “Positive Mental Attitude” statements in the top margin of our quizzes. I fondly recalled writing some silly but happy thoughts, including a countdown to my birthday that spring. We did several non-biology things in that class, including a reading & study of Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends & Influence People. Perhaps I should dig out my copy. Or is it on my Nook? Hmm.

While the time change has worked in my favor, I’m still coping with some physical challenges. I guess I’ll have to do some more pondering about further topics to delve into in the days to come. In the meantime, here’s a photo showcasing my newly completed scarf – along with the perfect top I dug out of the pile this morning!

Knit on.

 

Short But Sweet

Sadly I don’t have the energy to draft much of a commentary for today. I am grateful for the extra hour of sleep that’s coming tonight, but a little anxious that the insomnia gremlin that’s been pestering me these past couple years may foil my plan. I’ve been coping with a headache most of the day, and while medication curbed it, there’s been a minimum of a dull ache throughout.

The morning began with a bit of knitting, followed by a four-hour stint of work, We released a big update to one of the systems I support, so I logged in to lend a hand at testing some of the updates, also making sure that other things didn’t break in the process. The testing wrapped up about an hour before the start of the Ohio State football game. The contest against Illinois just concluded, with a pleasing 52-22 win for my beloved Buckeyes.

During the course of the game, I managed to be consistently productive with my knitting projects. In fact, right about the time Braxton Miller concluded his efforts for the OSU offense, I bound off a really pretty multi-colored scarf. Tomorrow I have a knitting meet-up with a friend, so I’m hoping to get some good photos of the finished product.

Tonight I am facing a dilemma. There’s a party going on at a friend’s, and I’ve been looking forward to attending the shindig. But this headache is firing up again. The half-time rest didn’t do what I’d hoped. Time to take a couple more Advil and a shower, and see how I feel after that. I’ve got my knitting projects all lined up for tomorrow, so I can keep on keeping my Knit On!

Revelations Along the Road

“Western culture, he seemed to think, had gone “off the rails” sometime in the past several hundred years. And if you ask the question, “Why did the first half of the twentieth century produce within fifty years two world wars, three totalitarian systems, oceans of blood, mountains of corpses?” Wojtyła’s answer to that was: It’s because our idea of the human person, our idea of the innate dignity and value of the human person has gotten lost.”

George Weigel, Witness to Hope – The Life of John Paul II

I’m amazed that my internal commute-induced commentary (the running monologue that accompanied me along the freeway on my way to work this morning) has just been confirmed by this quote. I’m watching a documentary about Pope John Paul II, and just as the chronological biography got to the point of the Second Vatican Council, the author — whose book is the basis for the movie I’m watching — made this statement. As I was driving to work this morning, hearing heart-rending news reports, I contemplated the human condition.

Yeah, it wasn’t exactly a bright & cheery morning for me. I read a couple articles online, talking about the situation in New York City in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. Residents are struggling to recover from this natural disaster, and many are afraid to go outside after dark, as there are unsavory characters wandering the streets. I’ve thought about the mind-blowing (to me, anyway) increase in this type of behavior all around the world. And its not limited to scenarios of gangs and ghettos, but all over. Even on the highway, drivers refuse to yield to merging traffic, some driving along on the berm of the freeway so they can get closer to their destination first. The “Me” generation, recognizing the individual, has been succeeded by a distorted version, where individuals exaggerate their own importance and in doing so belittle everyone else. My morning musing was much more eloquent than this, but alas – the rigors of a challenging workday have taken their toll.

I am saddened by the scene around me, and I’m praying that something or someone will bring about a change. I am doing what I can within my own environment, which is about all I can do. I’m holding fast to song lyrics that struck a wonderful chord in my heart this past spring. A Christian group called Newworldson inspires beautifully in “Learning to Be the Light”:

When a heart is cold as ice
You can’t melt it with advice.
No one wants to listen to
A list of things they shouldn’t do.
So I build a city on a hill,
And I light a candle on the sill,
Knowing you’ll be always knocking at the door.
Oh God, I just want to love on everyone
All I have is yours to give – so let the people come!

And now I am tired. I’ll knit for a bit more, as I’m making slow but steady progress on the month’s goals…I even cast on a pair of socks last night! So much more to do before I sleep. I’ll watch some television and, as usual… Knit on.

Warning: Blog Posting Frenzy to Ensue

I haven’t had time to research its beginnings, but I first heard about National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) back in about 2003. I knew about it, but only gave it a couple passing thoughts along the line of “That would be a cool thing to do.” What is NaNoWriMo? It’s a challenge to promote the literary art of novel writing, challenging folks to write a 50,000 word novel during the thirty days of November.

While the prospect of writing a novel is enticing, I can’t make a commitment of that scale at this point in my life/career/whatever. BUT, an off-shoot challenge has erupted recently called National Blog Post Month (NaBloPoMo), challenging people to post to their blogs daily during the month. Since I’ve been away from my blog for a very long time, I believe I will accept this challenge. I don’t know if I can manage daily blogging of any real substance, but I can give it a shot

I do have quite a bit of knitting planned for the month, some for myself and some for others, so that will absorb a lot of my non-working time. Still, I can punch out a few paragraphs a day, even if it’s just a summary of what I’ve accomplished in my knitting life…lol!

I’m not kidding when I say there’s quite a bit of knitting planned. I have five projects already on the needles in progress – one from early in the year, two long-term (3-month) projects and two carryover projects from last month. The biggest project is a mitered-square skirt I plan to wear for Christmas Eve Mass. If I can manage it, I’d like to sew a coordinating vest to go with it. The other bigger projects are a shawl and two scarves. New projects for the month include a hooded baby sweater and coordinating crocheted baby boots (commissioned), an adult-sized sweater I’ve been planning since summer, three pairs of socks, of which two are gifts and one has been commissioned, and, if I can manage it, another shawl.

Yes, even to the most productive knitter, this is a lot of work. And I may not achieve all my goals. But, in true Ravenclaw fashion, if I’m going to fail it will be spectacular! And if I don’t get it ALL done, I will get a LOT done, and that works for me. It will work to my favor, though, that I have three vacation days plus the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend to boost my knitting availability.

I have two motivators prodding me to complete these knitting goals. One is a challenge to use up my stash, or at least some of it! I have amassed quite a collection of fibery goodness, and I honestly suspect that I have reached the SABLE point (Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy). But at least I can gear my goals toward using what I have, rather than buying new yarn to meet the needs of new projects. The other motivator is part of the online community called Ravelry, the social networking site for fans of the fiber arts (knitting, crocheting, weaving, spinning & dyeing).

The Harry Potter Knit-Crochet House Cup is a group within the Rav community that revels in the fictional world created by J.K. Rowling. Participants are sorted into the four houses (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw & Slytherin) based on a questionnaire about their personality traits and interests. While I started off in my first term with little regard for the meaning of the houses, by the second term I discovered that I embody the spirit of Ravenclaw in my love for all things intellectual, and particularly in my interest in spreadsheets. This tool, whether in Excel or the Open Office equivalent, has made me SO much more productive, and given me encouragement like nothing else to date has done. Knowing how many stitches per day I must complete on a project to achieve my goal urges me to exceed, often getting the item done earlier than expected. This has also helped me manage multiple projects simultaneously.

In September, the House Cup inspired me to knit an adult-sized sweater as a test knit for a designer, which used over 1,000 yards of yarn; I also managed to knit a baby blanket as a gift, also consuming over 1,000 yards of yarn. In that same month I knit a pair of socks (part of the global Sock Sniper game), a scarf, a baby hat that looks like Yoda ears, a baby sweater, and a blanket square to be included in a comfort afghan for a friend whose mother was in her last days on this mortal coil. So five of these items were for others, while two were for me. I like that mix very much. It doesn’t always work out that way, but such is the balance in life.

Time for me to return to my sticks & string. I have thousands of stitches to complete today, in addition to quite a bit of work. Knit On!

The Post-Easter-Pre-Birthday-Mid-Week Meltdown

I have a feeling it’s an issue with my hormone levels, but it’s still frustrating to be hit with a case of weepiness. And when it comes out of the blue like this, it can be difficult to ward off the feelings of sadness. Still, I’m trying. It’s not easy though… since there’s no logical explanation for the overwhelming urge to cry, my mind has a twisted way of seeking an illogical explanation. After all, it makes no sense to be sad for no reason, so my brain finds reasons to be sad. Which really doesn’t help matters.

I’ll admit, I was disappointed by the lack of response I got in reaction to my new handknit vest which made its public debut at church on Easter Sunday. I’d spent a significant part of three months working on this beauty, and I was so excited to show it off. And yet, only two people made any mention of it. For those who missed it, here it is:

I started the project on January 4th and it took until March 30th to complete. I learned a few things while working on this, such as knitting with two colors using two hands, as well as a really cool technique called steeking. The whole color work piece was knit in the round from the bottom waistband up to the shoulders. Then, I cut the yarn at a few places to finish off the armholes and neckline. It’s a really cool technique, and I’ll be using it again. But probably not this year. The Year of the Sweater needs variety so I can finish six garments by year-end.

I have finished the second sweater of 2012, but I have yet to take pictures. This was a test knit, helping out a designer to be sure the instructions are complete and accurate. The resulting cardigan, which I worked up in two colors, will be great fun to wear. I’m planning for the next sweater already, a short sleeved pullover, but I won’t start that until May 1. This month, being “term break” in the Harry Potter Knit/Crochet House Cup, gives me a bit of respite. That’s not to say I’m not knitting (three pairs of socks and a hooded shawl to finish at this writing), but I’m taking it easy while preparing for the May 1 start of term.

Yeppers, I’ve got another big project planned, which will take me the better part of May, June & July to finish. This will be another amazing shawl, this one with beads to decorate the lacy design. I custom-dyed the yarn to get the color effect I wanted, which is mostly turquoise with some patches of darker blue. And the yarn itself has a lovely sparkle to it to add a bit of glamour.

I have so much to look forward to in the coming months, including a couple birthday celebrations (both mine, lol), the Cum Christo weekend later this month, my vacation trips out West, some really fun knitting projects in the near future…I think I have finally managed to drag myself out of the pit of sadness. At last. Now I can really begin the day and enjoy.

Knit on.

If I’m talking the talk, I need to walk the walk

I am involved in a Christian community called Cum Christo that was founded under the Catholic Cursillo movement’s method. The community provides does a wonderful job of helping Christians expand their faith lives, and last year I was initiated as a leader in the movement. This year I am continuing along that path, serving once again as the musician for a women’s weekend.

In addition, I have been given the responsibility of presenting one of the talks during the weekend. And God, in his wonderful way of impeccable timing, has helped me along in my preparation for writing the talk. The following was presented in one of my E-mail Ministry messages this week. I don’t recall seeing it before, but boy, it really challenges the reader. Thank you, Lord!

Perhaps you can be inspired as well…

THE “OUR FATHER” PRAYER:

Do I Really Mean What I Pray?

Examine how well you live what you pray as you meditate on the following:

I cannot say OUR if I keep my faith only to myself and never share it with others.

I cannot say FATHER if I do not trust in His loving and complete concern for me, forgetting that He always answers prayers how and when He knows is best.

I cannot say WHO ART IN HEAVEN if I am so attached to the ways of this world that I neglect to seek God first in everything.

I cannot say HALLOWED BE THY NAME if I am unwilling to let His holiness penetrate my life and help me grow in my own holiness.

I cannot say THY KINGDOM COME if I am not using my life to bring His love into the world.

I cannot say THY WILL BE DONE if I live by my own ideas of morality or choose to follow the world’s standards.

I cannot say ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN if I am not devoting my life to serving Him here on earth.

I cannot say GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD if I am not willing to be generous with whatever God gives me.

I cannot say FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES if I don’t want to put forth enough effort to change.

I cannot say AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US if I still hold a grudge, if I’m still angry, or if I still insist that other people change.

I cannot say LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION if I deliberately or knowingly place myself in a position to be tempted.

I cannot say DELIVER US FROM EVIL if I’m not actively fighting against evil through deeds of love and service for everyone in my life, especially those

who cause problems.

— Author Unknown

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Peace be with you, and knit on.

Knitted Gift Achievements…At Last!

At long last, I finally delivered the last of the gift knitting for 2011. A friend’s birthday fell in mid/late December, which made it difficult for us to get together. Then, my schedule was ridiculously hectic with life and musical rehearsals. So on Sunday evening, she finally got to open her gift. And now I can show off the goodies I made last year for family & friends.

I started off with a scarf for Deanna’s birthday in February…

Lothlorien Scarf for Deanna

This was quickly followed by the Sunrise Shawl, which was gifted to Liz in April.

Sunrise Shawl for Liz

This De Colores Scarf was given to the leader of the Cum Christo women’s weekend team I served on in April.

De Colores Scarf for Kathy

This shawlette was birthday gift #3 for my women’s group. It looks wonderful on Julia!

Grace in Red Shawlette for Julia

This Spartan Shawl was a bonus gift for my girlfriend Tammy. We were vacationing in Hilton Head when I handed it to her. It’s one of her prized possessions…

Spartan Shawl for Tammy

This pretty blue shawl was a Mother’s Day gift for my mom. Hopefully she liked it…

Mother's Day Shawl for Mom

And the birthday list continues. Becky celebrated hers in June, and I honored her with this shawlette…

Milkweed Shawlette for Becky

Because I had three October birthdays to plan for in my women’s group, I got an early start on completing theirs. Since Debbie is an avid scrapbooker, I knit her stole using scraps of sock yarn left over from other projects. She loved it, especially when I explained the concept behind it!

The Sock Scrap Stole for Debbie

I had two ideas for Lori’s birthday shawl, and ultimately I went with this uniquely constructed two-color softie.

Laceless for Lori

And the second of the three October gift shawls flew off the needles in September…

Abyssal for Sarah

There were a few non-shawl gifts I knit during the year, including this baby blanket of platypi for a co-worker’s newborn.

Baby Blanket for Baby Battah

The tropical colors and entrelac pattern make this wrap stand out. And Melanie is thrilled with it. Win-win!

Tropical Fusion for Melanie

My sis-in-law is very special to me, and I decided to give her a shawl as well for Christmas.

Seaside Shawl for Sheila

I knit another baby blanket for another new-mommy co-worker. This colleague returned the favor with a photo…my kind of colleague!! 😀

Under the Sea Baby Blanket

For my brother I also knit a Christmas gift…a scarf in the colors of his beloved Dallas Cowboys. The scarf features a stripe sequence applying the Fibonacci sequence.

Cowboys Scarf for Paul

Here is the last-given gift shawl for my women’s group…the Icelandic Lace Shawl, which Anne really loved. Hopefully she’ll put it to use!!

Icelandic Lace Shawl for Anne

Lookie – another birthday scarf. This one features Gryffindor House colors, which Barb had sort of requested. I’ve even seen her wear it. Score!

Gryffindor House Scarf for Barb

We’re almost done here. My son got his annual gift of knitted socks, which he says he enjoys. These feature his fraternity colors, and the presentation highlights our shared love of the TV show Bones.

Booth Delt Socks for Matt

And the last of the birthday shawls was knit in December and presented in January to Claire, our group’s delightful leader.

Haruni for Claire

Knit on.

The Mame Experience (part three)

At long last I got a very good solid night of sleep, despite the accidental alarm awakening at 6AM. It’ll still take me at least a week to truly rest up from this past week’s excitement and activity. Having a day off after the close of a weekend like this, though, is absolutely essential. For one thing, it helps me postpone returning to the “real world” of work and such. This transition day also gives me a chance to embrace the experience one last time before packing it up in the treasure chest of memories. I know I’ll be able to revisit again, but like with dreams, the vivid intensity of the experience fades far too quickly. And while we can recapture some of the same feelings through reunions and such, and future show casts, this precise combination of people and characters and experiences are truly unique.

Still, you never forget your “first time,” and with this being my inaugural production with GCT, it will always hold a special place in my heart. And as I’ve contemplated the unique opportunity I had, I’m amazed. Being cast in this particular role as Sally Cato, gave me a nearly-ultimate position within the cast. It’s a small enough role that I was also able to be a part of the chorus, so I could get to know this wonderful group that is the core of the community theater. I also got to share a scene with our show’s namesake character and her darling Beau, as well as the company’s amazing producer, Char, and the youngest member of the cast, Alex. But, because my character storms off the stage right before the show’s biggest song-and-dance number, I got to meet and chat with most of the principles in the cast who weren’t a part of that scene and song. And to top off all of that, the first night of choreography for Mame, from which I was excused, was also the night of my women’s group’s annual holiday dinner. So, while I was committed to the show and determined not to miss any practices if at all possible, I didn’t have to miss this night of fellowship with my women’s group.

All that being said, Sally Cato was a somewhat difficult role for me to undertake. This character’s experience as Beau has fallen in love with Mame, hits very close to home for me, as the love of my life not too long ago walked away from our relationship, then met another woman and married her. The emotions this scene stirred up are still rather raw, though I’ve been trying to process them as best I can over time. Thankfully, God has placed many blessings in my life to mitigate the pain, and I’ve done a lot to derail my tendency to dwell on the hurt. So when I would storm off stage at the end of my scene, I actually stomped out a bit of that negative emotion. And I could smile as soon as I entered the stage wing, then enjoy the respite of being a spectator for the big song-and-dance production number.

Another emotional moment for me was the scene with Young Patrick and Mame when he sings “My Best Girl.” Alex even sounds a lot like my son did at that age. My son will always be my best beau, and I hope he knows that. Matt came to the show for opening night, and afterward I asked him which scene/song he thought was my favorite. This was what he picked. Indeed, he knows me all too well. 😉

Now that the show has closed, I am preparing to move on to the next thing on my schedule. This week we begin team formation for the Women’s 146th Cum Christo weekend which will be held in late April. I have been called to be the musician for the team, and this will be my second time to have this honor. Many blessings will surely follow. And I can continue with the knitting projects in my queue. I am working on finishing the pair of socks that I cast on during final dress rehearsal on Thursday. This was my sole knitting project throughout the weekend, though I wasn’t able to finish them by the end of the cast party yesterday. They remain a high priority for me, but now I can intersperse my stitching time with the other projects. After all, I want to finish up the two shawls I have in process, plus I need to finish the hood on the hooded shawl and get to the midpoint of my fair isle sweater vest.

First, I am going to get my hair cut and bake some cookies for a children’s retreat this weekend. Oh, and there’s still laundry to do. Indeed, the real world is already creeping back into my life. Can’t I put it off just a few more hours?? Meanwhile, the lyrics of “Gooch’s Song” keep running through my head. Time for me to live, live, live!!!!!!!!!

Knit on.

The Mame Experience (Part Two)

Indeed, it may take me a few weeks (months, years…) to truly recognize all that is special about this production, the cast & crew. And as I told a friend recently, this definitely marks the beginning of a wonderful friendship. The Gahanna Community Theatre (GCT) is chock full of delightful people with remarkable talent. To consider myself among their ranks is truly an honor.

While I am continuing to ponder all that these past few months with this gang has meant to me, I’ve come up with a list of blessings of sorts. Top Five Gains that resulted from auditioning for Mame (note that the list should be numbered from five down to one, but the automatic numbered bullets won’t work like that):

1. Five complete pairs of socks, two completed shawls, two partially completed pairs of socks, two partially completed shawls, and almost half a sweater vest. Granted, I probably would have knitted all of this anyway, but it’s always fun to knit away from home, and that includes the GLHS auditorium (or school hallway, as the case may be)
2. Improved my vocal performance, since I got to since some really high soprano sections. Now that I’m singing alto in the church choir, I don’t work my upper register very often.
3. Cleared a new acting hurdleby learning lines from a script…a first for me! And the rehearsals really enabled me to improve on my delivery of said lines. I am now learning to develop my instincts with respect to comedy and comedic timing.
4. A new group of friends who share my love of music and performing (and, in some cases, adult beverages)
5. Innumerable reasons to thank God yet again for these blessings in my life, and increased awareness to recognize them

Another top gain, though I wasn’t sure where it would fit in rank order, is excitement for the coming year and all that it has to offer. I fully intend to audition for Annie, which is next year’s GCT production, and I’ve already tentatively selected my audition piece. I’m sure I’ll change my mind ten to fifteen times over the next few months, but that’s okay. It’s more music in my life, so that’s a huge plus.

I need to get some sleep now, but I hope to share more thoughts on this experience later. Thankfully Monday is a holiday. Happy Presidents’ Day, all!

Knit On.