Year: 2011

He Makes Hobbies Sound Like A Bad Thing

Karen

I came across this C.S. Lewis quote a couple of weeks ago. I think it’s pretty popular, but I’ve never read anything from him other than Narnia, so it’s new to me.

Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless–it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.

I guess it’s a good thing I’ve given my heart to Toby, because Clive here is making it sound like it would turn into a shriveled little lump of tar otherwise. (Although to be honest, the thought of an unbreakable tarry heart kind of appeals to me. Does that mean it’s already happened?)

Tuesday Project Roundup: Goes Well With Friendship Bracelets

Karen1 Comment

If you couldn’t tell, I’ve been into tunics lately (blame my inner hippy). After the last two dresses, I thought, “I should make one to wear as a shirt, too!” So I did.


I didn’t use the dress pattern this time; I actually had an out-of-print Simplicity pattern I bought when I first got into sewing again six years ago. The fabric is from the spring Lisette line at JoAnn stores.

Now I just need an outdoor concert to wear this to. I resisted the Sam Bush band last week–I can’t let the inner hippy get away with too much.

Who Wants To Play Me?

Karen3 Comments

Because it’s the start of a busy week (and because I’m now able to stream all the new Dr. Who to my TV), I present The Dr. Who Drinking Game (via). I think this should be on tonight’s agenda.

Whenever someone dies: DRINK
Whenever the Time War is mentioned: DRINK
Whenever someone mentions the TARDIS is bigger on the inside: DRINK
Whenever there’s a shot of the Doctors footwear: DRINK
Whenever the Sonic Screwdriver is used: DRINK
Every time the Doctor wears glasses: DRINK
Whenever someone is running: YOU MUST BE DRINKING THROUGHOUT
Whenever someone is crying: YOU MUST BE DRINKING THROUGHOUT
Whenever Bad Wolf is mentioned: DRINK THRICE
Every time the Doctor uses the psychic paper: DRINK
Every time the Doctor uses the alias John Smith: DRINK
When the Doctor kisses someone: DRINK THRICE
Whenever you see a flashback: DRINK
Whenever you hear the words ‘I’m sorry’, ‘oh yes’, ‘brilliant’, ‘medusa cascade’, ‘vortex’, ‘allons-y’, ‘time and space’: DRINK
Whenever someone makes a sinister prediction: DRINK THRICE
Whenever an alien planet or race is mentioned: DRINK
Every time the Doctor uses his stethoscope: DRINK THRICE
Every time a poor American accent is heard: DRINK
Whenever Captain Jack is flirting: DRINK
Whenever someone disobeys an order from the Doctor: DRINK
Every time the Shadow Proclamation is mentioned: DRINK
Whenever the Doctor is wearing his trench coat: DRINK
Every time the TARDIS takes off: DRINK
Every time the Doctor mentions a little shop: DRINK
Every time someone asks the Doctor for a surname or questions what he is a Doctor in: DRINK
When there is a regeneration: ALL DRINKS MUST BE DOWNED

It goes without saying that he should be on the agenda, too:

Friday Unrelated Information

Karen2 Comments

1. These pictures have been all over the internet, but they’re just too good not to post. A macaque found a photographer’s camera, saw her reflection in the lens, and somehow managed to take a picture of herself (story and more pics here). Macaque attack!
2. There is a storm raging on Saturn that wraps all the way around its northern hemisphere. That’s a big storm. (More scientific details here.)

Happy Birthday, Gustav Mahler

Karen

Mahler was born in 1860 today. I haven’t listened to a lot of his music in the last year or so–it’s just too much sometimes, and I’m trying to preserve my calm emotionless life, thank you very much–but, thinking of what to share today, I listened to the final song of his Rückert-Lieder and realized that sometimes it’s ok to let oneself be destroyed. It’s catharsis, right?

No, really, it’s a pretty song. Take nine minutes and listen to it. 🙂

Poem Project: Halfway Done

Karen

Since it’s July, it’s time to move on to the next poem in the memorization part of my 3+1 Things project.* I was able to recite “Meditation at Lagunitas” to the snakes and the hawks last week, so now it’s on to Section XVI from Dark Harbor.

Maybe this is the nature of poems, but my choices this year have seemed really appropriate to what’s been going on in my life in any given two months. We’ll see if this holds true with Mark Strand:

It is true, as someone has said, that in
a world without heaven all is farewell.
Whether you wave your hand or not,

It is farewell, and if no tears come to your eyes
It is still farewell, and if you pretend not to notice,
Hating what passes, it is still farewell.

Farewell no matter what. And the palms as they lean
Over the green, bright lagoon, and the pelicans
Diving, and the glistening bodies of bathers resting,

Are stages in an ultimate stillness, and the movement
Of sand, and of wind, and the secret moves of the body
Are part of the same, a simplicity that turns being

Into an occasion for mourning, or into an occasion
Worth celebrating, for what else does one do,
Feeling the weight of the pelicans’ wings,

The density of the palms’ shadows, the cells that darken
The backs of bathers? These are beyond the distortions
Of chance, beyond the evasions of music. The end

Is enacted again and again. And we feel it
In the temptations of sleep, in the moon’s ripening,
In the wine as it waits in the glass.

*Since July means I’m halfway through the year, here’s a quick report on the other 2 (+1) Things:

1. I’m doing pretty good on the exercise goal.
2. I still need to learn how to use my serger or do other fancy techniques.
+1. I’ve been avoiding the issue of dating. Obviously. Although I could quote poems to someone non-stop!

Tuesday Project Roundup: So This Happened…

Karen1 Comment

What happens when the yarn for your next project hasn’t arrived yet and you’ve been seeing pictures of fashion types wearing friendship bracelets? This happens:
(What is it with me and crafts that involve string?)

Like most crafty people, I have a bunch of embroidery floss on hand so this was a free project. I made the one above with 12 different colors, another plus (I still want to be Rainbow Brite as an adult, apparently).

Yet another plus? Making these makes me feel like I’m about nine years old again.

That’s why I bought more floss for the next one:
(Linked image credits and a good tutorial can be found here. But if you grew up in the 80s, you’ll probably remember how to make these.)

Karen

It is true, as someone has said, taht i
A world without heaven all is farewell.
Whether you wave your hand or not,

It is farewell, and if no tears come to your eyes
It is still farewill, and if you pretend not to notice,
Hating what passes, it is still farewell.

Farewell no matter what. And the palms as they lean
Over the green, bright lagoon, and the pelicans
dDiving, and the glistening bodies of bathers resting,

Are stages in an ultimate stillness, and the movement
Of sand, and of wind, and the secret moves of the body
Are part of the same, a simplicity that turns being

Into an occasion for mourning, or into an occasion
Worth celebrating, for what else does one do,
Feeling the weight of the pelicans’ wings,

The density of the palms’ shadows, the cells that darken
The backs of bathers? These are beyond the distortions
Of chance, beyond the evasions of music. The end

Is enacted again and again. And we feel it
In the temptations of sleep, in the moon’s ripening,
In the wine as it waits in teh glass.

Friday Unrelated Information

Karen3 Comments

1. While June was a roller coaster in many ways (meteorologically, emotionally), I’m sad to see it go. Are there really just eight more weeks of summer left?

2. The Economist reflects on the end of the space age.

3. I have a catch phrase of “first-world problem” that I use to try to stop from complaining about, well, first-world problems. This graphic illustrates some of them very well:

(Click the image twice to enlarge. Via my friend Jason’s Pinterest.)