I think this will be a forever goal—just make sure I knit it all up before I die. I like the last issue of knitty.com where one of the articles counsels that we have pride in our stash. It is lovely.
My major progress has been putting up all my stash and projects, as well as planned projects, into ravelry.com. Love that website!
I got accepted into a program through the law school to study in Rome for 5 weeks in August-September & can even bring my hubby! We just bought the plane tix: ouch! $1600 each!!—but at least the rest of the trip will hopefully compensate despite the crummy exchange rate because I’ll be getting school credit for less than its normal cost here.
We’re only going to take the Rome Moleskine and the Rome City Walks cards so we won’t have lots of guidebooks and look like tourists. We’ll probably get lost despite the maps, but that’s part of the fun. It has already been fun setting up our Moleskine and looking on internet for what we want to do while there.
Also saw Fellini’s “Roma”: essential preparation! :-)
First I was vegetarian for about 7 years and looked with a wary eye on those radical vegans. I thought I could never give up on real butter, whipped cream, etc. Then I came across the PETA pamphlets and realized that the small pleasures were really, really small compared to the great suffering of the animals. I decided I would do this diet even if it harmed my health. I was surprised when my health actually improved: I no longer get refused for low iron when I go to donate blood, and I have plenty of energy. Cooking vegan is exciting, and I love sharing food with nonbelievers so they can see that being vegan is not a sacrifice. I was vegan for four years in Venezuela and know that it can be done even without all the fancy analogs we have here.
Humans have always tried to put a finger on what it is that distinguishes us from the other animals, but those efforts have never been completely successful: we cannot say they have no language; we cannot say they have no tool-making abilities; we cannot say that they have no capacity to refer to objects not present; we cannot say they have no emotions. As science advances, animal behaviorists admit time and again that animals, from crows to gorillas, have these abilities. Even if I were not sure that an animal had all of these abilities, I must admit that even the simplest organisms have the desire to live. As a society, we have gotten to the point where we do not have to kill animals to survive—nor even to enjoy life. Quite the opposite: I enjoy life partly because I have no blood on my hands (directly or indirectly).
I recommend The Vegan Sourcebook by Joanne Stepaniak for those starting out on this journey. It is a wonderful resource for learning about all the aspects of this lifestyle (being vegan is not just a diet). And my very best wishes to those embarking for the first time!
Sounds crazy, but reading the Count of Monte-Cristo in French turned out to bring to the surface a lot of the French I thought was permanently buried in the past: words and expressions that never showed up in nineteenth century parlance somehow got triggered in my memory from the reading. What a relief. I would love to continue working on this, but I have no time now for anything besides an occasional film in French and talking to myself as I walk to school. :-)
I went to a few conversation groups during July and even sang everyone my favorite medieval song, “La Blanche Biche.” Thanks to the county library system, I learned on the Rosetta Stone some French vocabulary for tools that I do not even know in English (I should probably have a goal to improve my English too). The Rosetta Stone also taught me that I drive a “break” (French for stationwagon). hmmm.
Now I made as a tangible part of this goal a challenge to read “Le Comte de Monte-Cristo” before school starts. 1464 pages. I am sure this will help bring back & expand my French skills, plus I’ve wanted to read it since forever, so here goes!!
I have a hard time sharing Al Gore’s optimism about how feasible this goal is, but I am committed to doing what I can. So far, that’s included
1) being vegan (in what I eat, wear, etc.) because I don’t want animals to suffer for my sake and because animal agriculture causes a lot of environmental damage;
2) supporting environmental groups, which so far include NRDC (they won the court case against the Navy on behalf of the whales!), Sierra Club, and The Nature Conservancy;
3) taking into consideration endorsements from the Sierra Club and Cascade Bicycle Club when I vote;
4) shopping for local/organic and less packaged foods at PCC; and
5) conserving more water (I still bathe, don’t worry).
I think I can continue to reduce the amount I pollute by
1) reducing use of the car (already down to just a couple times a week), such as inviting more people to pile into the car when going for hikes in the mountain;
2) using the spinach in the fridge before it goes bad;
3) not buying more things than I need;
4) writing an article in law review that will help conservation efforts for the Puget Sound (and using my legal studies for positive change); and
5) other steps I am not willing to take yet, like donating some of my vast wardrobe to charity. oh dear.
I’m going to see “The 11th Hour” this weekend—I’m so impressed that Leonardo DiCaprio’s working on this goal too.
I’m feeling particularly challenged by my sari yarn. I haven’t seen any examples of this out there, but I feel like making a loosely knit v-neck to wear on top of camisoles—will it look too crazy? or is that a good thing? ;-D
I’ve knit them for lots of other people, but never for myself. I want to make myself long ones with cables.
For those who haven’t knit wristwarmers before, I suggest learning the magic loop method for knitting two tubes simultaneously (there’s stuff on the web about knitting socks that way). That way both turn out exactly the same at the same time—no need to remember what quirky changes I made to the pattern as I went. And knit them from the fingers up to the elbows so that you can use all the yarn you want without worrying that you’re going to run out.
1. saving for the downpayment: we put all we could in intermediate-term bonds.
2. choosing the neighborhood: currently leaning toward Wallingford-Fremont area, preferably near the Mighty-O Donuts and Tanglewood Brewery (vegan donuts and beer! important considerations in choosing location!)
3. getting a decent-paying job: just finished my first year of law school, so I’m on my way….
I think that’s all that we can do for now, beyond dreaming of decor, garden design, etc. I guess we’ll put this in the “remind me in two years” category. :-)
...because things are just getting crazier down there! I never thought I’d be one to talk about the “good ol’ days,” but Venezuela in 1999 was a safer, saner, cleaner place than now. I brought the best parts of Venezuela up here with me (my rabbit & my husband), so I can go without the trip. :-)
I learned piano when I was growing up, but it was sooo much more fun picking out my own instrument: a shiny red accordion from Italy, about the same age as me (30-something)—but with new straps and tuning thanks to Petosa (accordion business here in Seattle). I still think it is awfully big and I think I need more than the pencil arms I have to play it very well (it’s the 120-button kind). I’m using the “You Can Teach Yourself Accordion” from Mel Bay Publications, and the encouraging title hasn’t let me down yet. It is sort of weird playing super-simplified Mozart and Handel, but what the heck. I finally actually enjoy practicing! I look forward to playing Irish, Scottish, and Scandinavian tunes someday….
