Brain Chimney

Happy Halloween!

Slowly coming back to life (my life!).

Big, rather new, life-pattern observed (two years strong now): Whenever a new school year starts (a la teacher-mode), I sort of lose part of myself to teaching.  I pretty much stop doing any thing crafty (no knitting, no sewing, no weird bursts of creativity), and I disengage from the internet (reading, commenting, communicating).  Finally, when things slow down and settle in at school, I burst from my cocoon like a metaphorical moth starving for connection and creativity. And now, I sew (ha-ha!) want to make this and this!  Mellow yellow, sugar!  I am more likely to make the quilt as I am in a nesting mood as of late.

I am actually knitting the Felicity Hat right this moment in Cash Vero (Charcoal grey color 29, Lot 3887).  OK, so I am not exactly knitting  right this moment, but in little spurts between typing and drooling over the pretty things I see on the internet. 

Thinking ahead, I see myself knitting up at least one little cap for the Save the Children's "Knit One, Save One" campaign (postmark due date December 31, 2008).  Two years ago, I managed to crank out 7, but at that time I was commuting on the BART a lot.  I have decided to let go and to be content with just one.

And--OMG!--there are only 9 days left till THE   ELECTION! 

Things I am digging, as of late...

• The art of Nikki McClure; by gods that woman works wonders with paper and an Exacto knife !

Next month I shall be buying her 2009 calendar.  You can buy it, too, at buyolympia.com!  I really would love to buy her journal, but it is so pretty that I'd likely be afraid to use it!

• José González's song and video--"Down the Line"--which is very creepy and beautiful all at once.

• Anne Lamott!  I am reading Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith.  Lamott is so damn hilarious and is a careful and true observer of people in general, and kids especially.

• CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) Vegetable Boxes and the Farmers' Market in the Fillmore neighborhood of San Francisco. 

• My super-dorky multi-pen/cil bought at THE stationery store of Japantown (KSG).

• David Allen's GTD System. 

• The HBO show True Blood.  Delicious!

• Freshwater aquariums with !real! plants such as those seen at the store Aqua Forest Aquarium.  I bought a beautiful, small tank with a plant and a teeny-tiny (1/2 long) White Cloud Mountain Minnow .  Unfortunately, my cat Mamoko tried drinking his way to eating the fish out of the tank so I had to move it out of his reach  (i.e. the top of the refrigerator).  Then he spent the entire day staring at the fish and crying.  The fish now resides in my classroom.  I do believe I shall just do a plant tank for home.

• The idea that this may be the way to get kids away from computer and video games.