Seattle

Last week, Husband and I went to Seattle, Washington. I was very excited about going, since I had never been to the Northwestern United States. Other reasons: catching up with friends who live in Seattle, including my friend Natasha who writes the blog Maven on the Move, see sidebar. And there's yarn shops! Lots and lots of yarn shops.

Above is the the Seattle Space Needle seen from the base. Note the characteristic overcast sky.

Husband had to be there for work, I was there for fun. When Husband was doing his work thing I walked around the downtown area. Which is very hilly. That's Elliott Bay in the background, steep Yesler St in the mid ground, and a balustrade in the front. Ooof.

Now I know where there are so many Starbucks and Seattle's Best Coffee on every other corner. So you have a place to sit, rehydrate, and catch your breath. It's a very pretty city, with little pocket parks too to sit and enjoy the sun which it does come out.

After lunch, Husband and I took the ferry to Bainbridge Island. That's the Space Needle on the left, the downtown on the right, and the ferry wake. It was a lovely sunny day for a ferry ride. We didn't even get off the ferry, we just rode back and forth. And we saw a bald eagle fly over us, so that was really cool.

We had dinner at a kosher Indian restaurant with Husband's old college roommate who is now Orthodox Jew and my friend Natasha and their kids. Very nice to catch up with everyone.

The next day, Natasha and I and her kids (3 yo and 17 mo) went on a yarn crawl/tour of Seattle. It was a lovely, sunny day too. We went to Tricoter where I got the Fiesta La Boheme rayon/mohair yarn, Peacock colorway, which they wound for me. For lunch we went to a Vietnamese restaurant then went to the Weaving Workshop where I got the Manos and Cascade Heathers yarn. The Fiesta will become a scarf or trim for a shawl someday. The Manos and Cascade will be a cropped shrug someday. Natasha's kids were pretty well behaved but they have their limits so after that Natasha took the scenic route through the Queen Anne neighborhood before dropping me off at the hotel.

While I was off gallivanting with Natasha, Husband took a ferry ride to Bremerton. Husband grew up on a lake and loves the water. So it was a fun afternoon for all.

Husband and I wandered Pike Place Market. But for dinner we went to Elliot's Oyster House on the pier. We gorged on raw oysters, accompanied by martinis. It was so yummy. My favorites were the Sunset Beach oysters: sweet, big, meaty.

Next time we go, whenever that is, we will have to go to the Experience Music Project / Science Fiction Museum. They had a Battlestar Galactica exhibit! And a Sci-fi Hall of Fame! Oh well, next time.

All in all, it was a lot of fun.

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

I hope it was a good holiday for everyone. I spent it in Atlanta because I was sick and didn't feel up to flying to DC to be with Sister, new Brother-in-law, and Brother Two.

So I did get to enjoy Thanksgiving with Husband at a friend's home. It was warm enough to eat the meal outside in sleeveless shirt and skirt. I was not at 100% and being out in the sun was lovely.

Over estimated how well I was, over ate and over drank, and felt pretty bad for the rest of the night.

However, it is Thanksgiving, so I give thanks for

• my family near (Husband, cat) and far (everyone else)
• being able to see my parents and have them come visit in October
• friends old and new
• a job that is meaningful and plays a part in making the world better, heck for being employed instead of unemployed like Brother Two (his company shut down and he was laid off)
• a job that offers paid sick leave, which I have used extensively this year for my mental and physical health

I've been reading a lot. Most recently Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld and the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. They're both really good books, written mainly for young adults. I just finished The Hunger Games this afternoon and when I put it down, I was just kind of stunned; it's just so good. Looking forward to seeing the movie adaptation. And compared to the dystopian world and emotional turmoil in the book, and in many places in the world, I'm thankful for the well-fed, safe and loving life I have.

Advice for those about to go to college

A friend sent out a request for tips to give to a young relative about to enter college. That was 22 years ago for me. Answering her e-mail sent me down memory lane. Somehow my advice kept circling back to student activism -- helped my eventual career and social life, if not my GPA :)


And here's a section from Crazy Aunt Purl see sidebar for link, that I love:
~~~
My parents drove their house-on-wheels from Idyllwild to Orange County to be closer to Grandma. I went down last week to visit and on Saturday we were at the nursing home chatting with Grandma, she seemed really good. We got on the topic of traveling -- she and Grandpa traveled all over the world before he passed away -- and I asked her what her favorite travel destination was in all that time.

"Well, I found something to enjoy about every place we visited," she said. And she went on to tell me about some of her favorite places, like seeing the Crazy Horse monument in South Dakota.

"You know, Grandma, I've never been there. Or to Mount Rushmore. Or most of the middle," I said. "Sometimes I feel embarrassed that I've seen so many far-off places and I've only seen part of the United States."

"Oh, I think you're doing it just right," said Grandma. "Travel now and see the world while you're young and can stand those long plane rides. Later when you're older you can stay here and see the whole country."

All this time I felt a little guilty for always wanting to go off somewhere else and see the world and in just a five-minute conversation she changed my whole outlook. That's one of the things I've always liked about Grandma. She never really makes excuses or has regrets.

Fourth of July 2010

July 4 is many things. In the United States of America, it's Independence Day. There are fireworks and parades and we have a party at our flat because it overlooks Centennial Olympic Park. We get to be in the thick of the fireworks.

We actually got to see fireworks twice: on Friday at the Braves game, which the Braves won, and on Sunday, the Fourth of July.

In my family, it's my parents' wedding anniversary. #41 this year.

It's also the annual Peachtree Road Race, a very popular 10K race. Brother-in-law came to run it and he placed 332 out of 55,000+ racers, so he ranked in the top 1% of racers. He's really into running, having done a few marathons now too. That's our attempt at taking his picture up above.

And I gave up on the crochet stripy blanket. For some reason, the sides bow out and are uneven. I could block it out, but I've ripped out and redone rows and still not working. Plus, I have to look at my work when doing single crochet rows. Which means I can't read or watch TV or people watch at the same time.

So I'm going back to the Chocolate Box pattern, which I first did here for a friend.

Last time, I made one large block. This time I'm going to try making these colorful blocks, alternating with black blocks. We'll see how it goes.

Also, I don't have to look at my hands while I do the Chocolate Box pattern, so have been able to read Storm of Swords, the third book in the Song of Fire and Ice fantasy series, and watch my Leverage DVDs. Really enjoying the commentary track.

More free yarn

This is a big box of yarn gifted to me by a friend. It is her mother's yarn who passed away 5 years ago.

Last year she gave me some of her mother's yarn and I made an afghan for her out of some of it. I posted about it here.

The bottom half is superwash wool, worsted weight in burgundy, navy, black, light blue. I love that the labels call them Super Wool. :) The next layers are cotton in worsted weight, in tans. There are balls of white cotton as well.

The top layers are 2 bags of yarn, to be made into blankets for her children. My friend's mother had planned to make sweaters for the then-small grandchildren. So my friend has asked me to make them into blankets instead. I've put them in those space saver vacuum bags, each labeled with the name of the relevant child.

The son, currently 11 years old I think, has sage green, mustard yellow, hot pink, and teal yarn in worsted weight cotton. These yarns were bought in the 1980s. I'm thinking something like Kiki Mariko from Mason-Dixon Knitting. Or something stripey like I thought about in this post about my Sean Scully blanket. or the post called Quilt Inspiration about knitting something based on Kaffe Fassett. My friend had given me lots of black yarn previously too so I'll mix in a lot of black to unify it all. That's the idea anyway.

The daughter is now 4 years old and her yarn is fingering weight cotton in lavender and white, and there's alot of it. With only 2 colors, I'm thinking something lacy. I'll have to troll Ravelry to find something appropriate based on yardage. Once I go back and calculate how much yardage there is.

My friend said there's no timeline on getting those blankets done, so that's good. She also offered to pay me for making them. My first thought it "no, all that other yarn is payment enough."

It's also hard to think how much to charge. I could track all the time I spend knitting the blankets and then multiply by some amount of money per hour. Using $10 an hour as a number plucked out of the air, it's possible that each blanket could cost hundreds of hours if not more. Is that something I want to charge a friend? Maybe I'll not charge anything, but at least let her know how many hours I spent per blanket. I'll figure it out when the time comes. I have to knit them first.

What's also fun is that my friend is Bosnian and so some of the yarn labels are in Bosnian so I'm not sure what their content is. I'm treating those as hand wash yarn.

Boy or Girl?

Other than the opening ceremony, I haven't really made the Winter Olympics 2010 appointment watching.

Here's a gem from Jane Brocket's blog about the Olympics that I thought I'd share:

There are also some phenomenal thighs and gloriously weird outfits in the speedskating events - and the added entertainment of trying to guess from looking at the competitors whether we are watching a men's or a women's event.

The friend's baby blanket continues apace. Picture to come when I get onto to circular needles so it will lay flat. Otherwise you can't really tell what it looks like.

The friend's baby shower is Feb 25, one week away. At this pace, I think I'll make it. It's cotton yarn, so my arms, wrists, and elbows certainly are feeling it.

On Feb 25, I also have jury duty. I keep looking at the blue, green, yellow, and white yarn and think crochet blanket. I also think "crochet needle easier to get past courthouse security than pointy needles."

Actually, I took knitting needles into a courthouse on Monday with no problem. But still, I saw a crochet blanket in the background on Shades of Ray (watched it on Hulu.com) and have it in my head to crochet a blanket. Never mind that I have 6 unfinished projects, all hiding under the couch. I counted when I cleared out my knitting basket to make room for the Knitting Olympics baby blanket.

Shades of Ray was a cute movie, starring Zachary Levi (Chuck on "Chuck") as Ray, a half Pakistani-half white guy torn between his white girfriend Noelle and a new interest, Sana, a woman who's also Pakistani-half white. She's played by Sarah Shahi, who was on the L-Word.

It's a romantic comedy, with things to say about love, marriage (Ray's parents get a pretty good story line and Sana's parents to a lesser extent), family expectations, race, culture and self-awareness. Fran Kranz (Topher on "Dollhouse") plays Ray's best friend Sal. Sal was Topher as a clueless guy who doesn't understand women.

After I saw Shades of Ray and saw the connection to the L-Word, I was at the library and saw they had season one, discs 1 and 2 of the L-Word, so that came home with me. Have yet to watch it, or season 1 disc 1 of Mad Men.

In other TV watching news, I'm watching Sliders on Hulu. I understand that season 1 and 2 are good, and 3, 4, and 5 not so good. Lucky me that only seasons 1 and 2 are on Hulu. So far the sociologist in me is enjoying the different alternate Earths they go to. What if the USSR won the Cold War? What if penicillin and modern medicine was never invented? What if, what if, what if?

It's also funny to see the mid 1990s fashions and the total lack of cellphones.

Knitting Olympics 2010 open

This is how much I've gotten done on my Knitting Olympics project. It will be a baby blanket for a friend, a feminist expecting a boy.

The center is a square of this pink/navy yarn, then a ring of white, a ring of baby blue, then white, etc as you can see going outward.

I also bought this yarn, because I just love the combo of blue/green/yellow/white. I guess I'll use it for another blanket another time. Someone I know is bound to have another baby sometime.

Ups and downs, at least holidays are almost here

I've been blogging for a few years now, but it was only recently, in about the last year, that I've really gotten into it.

I use this space to write about the important and trivial things rattling around in my head. I've discussed issues like race, politics, gender, social justice, art, craft, TV, knitting, celebrity crushes.

This week has had more than the usual amount of ups and downs and the past few posts have been really serious. Can't get much more serious than death.

Friday was the memorial service for Errin which went from 11am to 2pm. Well, actually the service started about 11:45 but that was time spent sharing condolences with family, or reading the Facebook homages. After sharing my condolences with the family, I sat in the pew for 45 minutes, waiting. I watched other people in the "audience" share hugs, tears, memories with each other. I saw people I knew and could have approached them but didn't. I was shy. I was tired.

Husband wondered why I was hit so hard by the passing of someone he's never heard me talk about. Where to start? First, Errin was so young, only 35. Second, she was so bubbly, always so happy and upbeat even in times of stress. I mean, last time I saw her, she was just laid off, but still focused on the silver lining: she had her own consultancy business and had 2 job offers, even in this economy! Third, she did so much for the causes of women's rights and human rights (which is how I first met her) and did so much good in this world. Her being taken from us so soon is proof that the world isn't fair.

There were also the personal aspects that got to me. During the service people got up to share stories, memories. We laughed, and we cried. Whenever someone talked about how happy she and her husband were, it broke my heart. I love my husband so much and the thought of not having him, like Dana not having Errin anymore, just make me grieve for Dana. Or was it for my future self? At some point, Husband and I will be parted and I dread that day.

In other happy news (not), today is a board meeting where I'm going to ask the board to approve that we cut staff hours and hence pay, including my own. I know that I have the support of Husband so the impact on our household will not be as bad as in other staffers' households. But the fact is that the money just isn't there. Fundraising is just difficult across the board for all nonprofit organizations.

I am looking forward to this coming week, Thanksgiving week here in the US. Sister and her Fiance are coming, as is Brother Two. They arrive Tuesday and leave Saturday. I have the menu all planned out and will hit the grocery store on the way home from the office this evening. I wonder if that's wise...

This will be the first Thanksgiving without Brother One, because he is in Taiwan with our parents. The good news is that we will call for Father's birthday, which falls around this time of year. And Brother One has access to e-mail so staying in touch with our parents (and exercise their English comprehension skills) will be so much easier and cheaper than phone calls.

goodbye Errin

Just found out my friend Errin Vuley passed away, killed in a car crash. She was 35 years old.

Errin always had a smile and she worked so hard for the rights of women and girls in Georgia. She fought for our reproductive justice: the right for a woman to not have children if she didn't want them; the right to have children if she wanted them; and the right to raise her children.

Errin livee her values of equal rights for all and was such a loving person.

I am going to miss her so much. I'm so glad I got to see her recently at a SisterSong conference. After the panel discussion, we sat in the corner at lunch and shared and giggled like girlfriends. She had just started a new job, had recently gotten married, was embarking on a new phase of her life.

And now it's all gone. She's gone.

So many thoughts ricocheting around my brain.

Husband's job as a lawyer is 90% about car crashes and he routinely talks about driving in Atlanta, or more specifically, being in a car in Atlanta as driver or passenger, being one of the most dangerous things you can do.

I haven't known anyone hurt or killed in a car crash, even as I've been in a few myself.

Also, just on Saturday I went to the dedication ceremony for the Phillip Rush Center: Supporting Atlanta's LGBT Community. Phillip was a friend of mine who passed away earlier this year. He was only 55. I wrote about it here.

I'm not religious, but I know that I've been really blessed to have known 2 such wonderful people, activists who really made a difference in people's lives.

I have so much to live up to.

First dinner party at new place

Quite the utilitarian title, I know.

Last night Husband and I had our first dinner party at the new place. Arguably, the first dinner part ever. When we lived in Austell, we had a few parties but we lived so far out in the suburbs, I had friends say that they couldn't make it.

It was a rather grown-up affair. We invited 2 other couples: the friends we went to the Braves game with last Friday (the Buffy fans) and one of the other attorneys at Husband's firm, and his wife, who is also an attorney. A former Assistant US Attorney General, in fact.

Who could I invite who would get along with these people? I invited a guy who is an attorney who is also an executive director of a nonprofit organization, which is how I know him. More importantly, he's a really personable guy who could talk to anyone. However I have not yet met his wife who apparently is on the shy side. The dinner party was kind of a last minute thing and they didn't have much notice for getting a baby sitter. Plus his mom just went into hospice and so he's not quite in the social mood. Next time I'll give them more notice.

And, we actually ate at the dining room table.

Husband set the menu, which had a Spanish theme. There were 2 kinds of paella: seafood and chicken, an assortment of cheeses, salami, and preserved seafood things (okay, tins of mussel and octopus), blanched asparagus, and for dessert angel food cake with vanilla ice cream and raspberries. Husband did everything, I just made the sangria.

A happy coincidence: The former AUSAG just got back from visiting their daughter in Spain. She was doing a summer exchange thing. So they brought Spanish wine.

A good time was had by all, and people left at about midnight. Before the Buffy fans left, I lent them my Firefly DVD set. I will convert them yet.

Ready for the Guests

Today 12 of Husband's family and friends from Madison, WI and Buffalo, NY are coming for the weekend. Brother-in-law is running the Peachtree Road Race of July 4.

Mother-in-law, B-i-l, and his wife will be staying at our place. So Husband has been cleaning and scrubbing for weeks. The result:
Our place will most likely never be this clean again.

This is what the refrigerator looks like now. Please know that this is NOT how our refrigerator usually looks. We don't normally have a zillion beers in there. Not pictured: the 40+ bottles of our second batch of homebrew beer.

Here's the schedule:

Today: The Madison crew, Husband's immediate family, arrives at 4pm today. The Buffalo crew, the extended family and friends, arrive at 9pm.

Tomorrow: I take Husband's family to the Georgia Aquarium for the afternoon, Husband and his mother will go food shopping and fill up the rest of the refrigerator. Then we all, including my own Brother One, will convene at our place for dinner. And probably drink all that beer. Well, we are talking about 15 people.

Saturday: Brother-in-Law runs the Peachtree Road Race, the other 14 of us go watch him. After race lunch at the Varsity, home of hotdogs, burgers, and more salt and calories than you can count. Not sure what the afternoon holds, probably a nap. Reconvene at our place for dinner and fireworks. We're up on the 23rd floor, facing Centennial Olympic Park and should have a great view of the fireworks.

Sunday: everyone goes home.

Monday: Husband's goes to court for trial. Husband's an attorney and will be there representing client. I may take Monday off. Not sure yet.

Let the festivities begin! Hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday.

Crochet Kick

About a week ago, on June 13, I started this afghan. Today it's about half done.

The pattern is Chocolate Box from 200 Crochet Blocks by Jan Eaton. It's called Chocolate Box because of the colors she used in the book, browns and tans.

The yarn I'm using here was given to me by my friend Darija. It was from her late mother's stash, which really was huge. I only took a portion of it, about half, and it just about doubled my stash.

This yarn is very fine cotton, almost like crochet thread for doilies:
I had started making a hexagons afghan, with the yarn held double on a size G hook. It was taking forever. Each hexagon is about 3 inches across and takes me about half an hour to make. I was losing patience. So I decided to make the giant Chocolate Box square using the hot colors in the center and the cool colors on the outside, with a black border all around. Darija's mother had like 20 balls of black cotton yarn.

I used a size K hook, with 2 strands of 2 colors together, for a total of 4 strands. The variations in color are pretty interesting that way. It's going so much faster now. In the picture at top, I'm just about done with the purple. If you look closely, you'll see that I've run out of one color and had to substitute another, but with so many colors going on, I don't think it'll matter. For example, the purple on the outermost left is different from the purple on the right.

My plan is to do a diamond in a square. Once the hot colors are done, I'll use the cool colors to crochet on triangles. I don't have pattern or instructions on how to do it, but I think I've figured out a way.

The nice thing about crochet is, you can rip out stitches and redo pretty easily. And crochet is so fast and uses up so much yarn. It's entirely possible that I'll have this done by July 4 weekend to show to all of Husband's relatives who are coming to visit. Ultimately though, I plan to give it to Darija as an appreciation gift and a way to memorialize her mother.

Phillip's Memorial: Frogs Cantina

Today is Phillip's memorial, at 6pm at his favorite bar. I'll stop by after work, before going to see the opera tonight. "The Flying Dutchman" by Wagner.

Phillip's obituary below, from the Southern Voice

http://www.sovo.com/2009/5-1/news/localnews/10041.cfm


Activist Phillip Rush remembered for ‘creating communities’ Rush died April 28 of a pulmonary embolism


Phillip Rush, a longtime LGBT rights activist in Atlanta, died suddenly April 28 of a pulmonary embolism, according to his close friend, Doug Carl. Rush was 55.
“I think his passion in life surrounded community building — not just for the gay community, but for the entire community,” Carl said. “That was his life’s work.”
News of Rush’s death prompted shock and sorrow from many Atlanta activists and nonprofit professionals, who praised his ability to draw diverse people together.“He was always trying to find different ways to bring together people who wouldn’t otherwise meet, but who he thought would benefit from seeing a situation or issue through someone else’s lens,” said Allen Thornell, who worked with Rush when Thornell served as executive director and as a board member of Georgia Equality.“He worked to create communities,” said Thornell, now director of policy communications for CARE USA.
Atlanta activist Duncan Teague recalled how he first met Rush at a workshop more than a decade ago, then became friends.“What I loved about Phillip was that my impression is that he had come from privilege … and in spite of whatever that may have meant for some folks in that economic class, for Phillip that was never an excuse not to do for other people and never, ever an excuse to stop learning,” he said.
Rush wasn’t afraid to make mistakes as he tried to bridge some of the race and class divisions in gay Atlanta, said Teague, praising Rush as “an ally of amazing ability.”“He taught us all about what it means to do this diversity thing and mean it,” Teague said.
Friends and fellow activists posted dozens of messages on Rush’s Facebook wall, creating a makeshift memorial that illustrated the profound effect he had on those who knew him.The comments came from a mix of genders, ages and races, illustrating the diverse alliances Rush worked to build. They described him as a “hero” and a “mighty oak,” someone whose “quiet wisdom” and “heart, commitment and dedication” “added light to the world.”
In almost 15 years as a program officer with the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, Rush helped provide funding, support and encouragement to a variety of non-profit organizations. His role included work on the agency’s Common Good Funds and leading the “Managing For Excellence” awards, according to a biography of Rush posted on the foundation’s website.He also helped direct funding to gay causes. From 1994-1999, he led the Community Foundation’s Lesbian & Gay Funding Initiative for Youth, described by the agency as “Georgia’s first institutional response to the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth.”
‘He will live on’
Rush left the Community Foundation in March as part of a layoff that was a mutual decision, said Alicia Philipp, president of the Community Foundation. “He was ready to start his own thing,” she said.Philipp said the two remained in close contact and like many others, she was “devastated” by his death.“One day we might forget the way his face would light up when he had an idea about doing something, or the cranky way he would ask a question — and it was always the right question,” Philipp said. “But we’re not going to forget that he helped start YouthPride or that he connected donors to all kinds of things around the environment and smart growth in Atlanta.“The things he made a difference in will have a lasting value,” she said. “He will live on in all the projects he helped connect people to.”
Rush launched Next Incarnation, focused on funding and non-profits, in March 2009.Originally from Nashville, Tenn., he graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1974 with a degree in sociology. Along with his career in philanthropy, he also held positions with two family businesses.
Following Rush’s wishes, Carl said he will be remembered with a “gathering” on Friday, May 1, at FROGS Cantina in Midtown Promenade, where his favorite stool has become a memorial marked by flowers.Rush’s survivors include close friends Carl, Robert Carroll and Ryland Leyton.

Goodbye Phillip

Just learned that a friend passed away from a heart attack. He was in his 6os and we worked together at my previous job. We had the same job titles and did the same work, and he was a great mentor, showing me the ropes of the job.

He really cared about Atlanta. He took seriously our responsibility at work to serve all of the metro Atlanta area, especially those who are homeless. He also cared about historic preservation and making sure everyone had the opportunity to participate in civic society and neighborhood activism.

Since I left that job, we lost touch. Then just last month I learned that he got laid off from that job and we made plans to get together next week. And now I'll never get that chance.

I hope that he knew how many people cared about him and how much, before he left. I'm glad that on my last day working with him, I did at least get to give him a hug and say "I love you."

Red's Excellent DC Adventure, Jan 2009

I have grant proposals and reports due, but I can't focus, because I'm thinking about my upcoming most-excellent adventure.

A friend of mine has organized Salon 2009, a roundtable to discuss the roles culture, politics, economics, sustainability, the built environment and information will play in shaping the coming years. More info below.

Well, that sounds like fun, so I signed up and plan to drive. I'm staying with Sister, of course. Then I thought, well, if I'm driving, I might as well make plans to see friends along the way. So I e-mailed everyone I know in NC and said "hey, I'm driving through your state on Jan 17 and 21. Let's meet up!"

Long story short, here's my itinerary, so far.

Jan 17: Drive from Atlanta to Falls Church, VA where Sister lives. Take a dinner break 6pm to 8pm in Raleigh, NC with friends from European trip. Estimated to arrive at Sister’s place at 1am.
Jan 18: Hang out with Sister. Meet an old college friend for coffee in the afternoon. Dinner with other friends from European trip who are in town for Salon 2009 and/or Inauguration.
Jan 19: Salon 2009 in the afternoon. Chad is a friend from my European trip and about 5 other fellows from that trip are going too. 2 of them are speakers. Salon 2009 goes from 1pm to 5 or 6pm, then we’ll be going out for drinks afterwards. Some of them are going to balls and such after that, but not me.
Jan 20: Whatever Sister has planned. Very low probability that we will actually be outside on the Mall for the Inauguration. More likely on our butts with a beverage in hand watching it on TV. And warm.
Jan 21: Drive from Falls Church to Atlanta, with a coffee break in Greensboro, NC with Miss Violet from the Lime and Violet knitting podcast! She's from Omaha, NE, but on the latest podcast, she mentioned that she'll be in NC next week, so I contacted her to say "Hey, I'm going to be in NC that time too. Let's meet for a coffee and knitting break." And she said "sure." Estimated to arrive at home at 1am.
Jan 22: sleep
Jan 23: work

I'm really psyched about seeing all these friends I haven't seen a while because we all live in different places. And I'll get the indulge in different passions in my life: sociology, politics, eating and drinking, and knitting.

So, instead of working on, oh, work, I've been surfing the net for knitting projects. I've got a sweater on the needles for Best Friend, and a sweater for me, but I want something new, a small quick project just for this occasion. I'm leaning towards the Bainbridge scarf. I have one skein of silk/merino yarn from Cherry Tree Hill yarn, in the Spring Frost colorway that I got years ago. I'm thinking when the Bainbridge scarf is not folded and tied up against the neck, it can lay flat, like a big necklace/cowl. That's what I'm hoping anyway.

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The Inaugural Salon: a gathering on the eve of change - January 19

Dear friend,The German Marshall Fund would like to remind you of an interesting opportunity for those people coming into Washington, DC for the upcoming Inauguration.

Last December, one of our American Marshall Memorial Fellows, Chad Evans (Spring 2007) -- inspired by the coming change in Washington, DC and across the US -- decided to create an event with his close colleague, Paul Soulellis, to celebrate and directly involve you in that change.On January 19, 2009 Chad and Paul will host "The Inaugural Salon: a gathering on the eve of change." Please join them -- and the German Marshall Fund. (www.salon2009.com)
The Inaugural Salon will bring together brilliant and talented friends and colleagues (including several Marshall Memorial Fellows and GMF experts), who are converging on DC to be a part of this historical moment. To catalyze the conversation, a group of incredible speakers will present their personal passion and their hopes for America and the world in 2009.

They are creating an intimate space to engage in conversations about the roles culture, politics, economics, sustainability, the built environment and information will play in shaping the coming years.

But they are also giving back – with a goal to raise $10,000 and give it to an organization that is working to strengthen the future of Washington, DC. They will donate ALL proceeds from The Inaugural Salon to City Year DC -- reflecting the spirit of community and grassroots giving they hope the event will inspire (www.cityyear.org).So please join all of us on the afternoon of January 19, 2009 in Washington, DC at the House of Sweden.

And even if you cannot be with us, please consider giving to City Year at www.salon2009.com (simply click the big yellow "Register" button and follow the simple directions). Your contribution at any level would make a tremendous difference to the cause and to the spirit they are trying to instill with The Inaugural Salon.Thank you. And please contact Chad if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you later this month!

Chad Evans and Paul Soulellis
The Inaugural Salon January 19, 2009Contact: hello@salon2009.com
Details and registration: www.salon2009.com
Blog: http://salon2009.wordpress.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=36760004380

First Finished Objects of 2009

This is the Wool Peddler Shawl from Folk Shawls. It's for my mom. Her birthday was Dec 23, but better late than never, eh?

This is a baby blanket for a friend in San Diego. I started the middle section, in linen stitch, possibly my favorite stitch. I like how the alternating the yarns gives it a subtle striping look. The borders in garter stitch, finished off with a row of single crochet. Simple and nice.

Usually I'm not a big fan of garter stitch, but this project changed my mind. I may do future blankets in garter stitch.

Tonight, I'm going to cast on for Best Friend's Emerald sweater from Knitty. She says she's in no hurry, but it was supposed to be her birthday present, back in Nov '08.

Gone too soon

On Dec 17, 2008, a friend of mine suddenly passed away from a heart attack. She was 33 years old.

She had a lifetime of health issues -- lupus and fibromyalgia -- but I didn't think these were things that could cause heart attacks and take someone so young.

Like many friendships in adulthood, this one was formed in the workplace. When she took a different job in town, I didn't see as often. Eventually she had to stop working because of her health.

My main emotions right now are shock, sadness and regret. Regret that I let this friendship lapse because of time and distance (her house is in a far suburb), regret that I didn't make it to her housewarming party those years ago.

There are a few pictures of her in the office, from when she used to work here, and I've made copies to take to the wake tonight.

Tonight she will celebrate her life and I will see her husband, who I think I last saw at my wedding. This weekend, I'll go through the wedding photos (still unorganized after 9 years) and look for copies to make for him.

When I found out about her passing, I called Husband to tell him and to tell him not to die.

New Knitting Project

Just found out some friends in San Diego are expecting their first baby next month.

Must get knitting! There's a new baby coming who will need a blanket!

Poor Best Friend. Her sweater has been delayed yet again.

Mailing gifts

Earlier this week, the New York Times had an article about gift giving which I cut and paste here.

It was in the back of my mind as I packed up a crate of stuff to mail to relatives. Some of it is ceramic (including one of my pottery bowls) and breakable. I hope the UPS people pack it up well.

Then I did some more shopping. For Brothers One and Two, I got them gift cards to big box bookstores. One brother lives a relatively transient lifestyle, and needs to keep material belongings to a minimum, and another brother lives in NYC so space is at a premium. We're a bookish family, so a gift card to a book store's always a good gift.

While I was at it, I got my employees gift cards to the bookstore too. And wonder of wonders, I walked out of there without getting any books for myself. However, I did go to a specialty store when shopping for someone, and another Kaffe Fassett book somehow jumped into my basket.

The rampant consumerism that seems to take over this time of year is lamentable. But exchanging gifts, with the attendant thoughtfulness of what the recipient likes, is a symbol of the social bonds we humans require to be happy. And it's fun to think about the other person and think about what would they enjoy.

Plus, it's a great excuse to buy some candy to include in the gift, and what do you know? a candy bar for me too :)