one in ten

only one more day

pace

My tendency is to take on everything. Immoderate in what I want to do, I assume I can do it all (and that I want to). The internet is instant access to more stimulation than I know what to do with, at times: more and more pretty things to look at; more and more ideas; more and more things to want to do or make or get (that's the worst one for me, because it feels the most powerless).

Less: giving things up is not my strong suit. I want to do it all, go everywhere, be part of everything. But it's tiring me out. Time to change direction. Get some balance back.

That's me waving in the second-floor window, second from the right.

See you later.

one in ten donors

In case you wondered, here they are, with the category of donated goods (in no particular order, and not all have been posted to the weblog yet):

shana

{baby goods}

boiled art

{fine art}

uniform studio

{household goods}

gendun editions

{fine art}

6.5 st

{baby goods}

shim + sons

{household goods}

bugheart {gwen}

{sweet things: household + accessories}

alicia paulson

{clothing}

lisa congdon

{fine art}

amy karol

{fine art}

lulubeans {handspun yarn}

{sweet things}

mama urchin

{sweet things: children}

lisa solomon

{fine art}

lyn roberts {mollychicken}

{sweet things}

jenny gordy

{clothing}

betsy carr

{sweet things: accessories}

stephanie sykes

{sweet things}

wexford girl

{fine art}

stephanie congdon barnes

{sweet things}

shanna murray

{household goods}

abigail halpin

{fine art}

claudia ponikowski

{clothing}

courtney russell

{clothing}

tania ho

{sweet things: children + accessories}

bara

{clothing}

michael lorsung

{fine art}

molly sutton

{household goods}

port2port press {mav}

{sweet things: stationery}

amanda soule

{clothing: children}

estyn hulbert

{jewelry}

carol {candy} benedicto

{clothing}

hillary lang

{sweet things}

blair stocker {wise..craft}

{sweet things}

lisa kelsey

{sweet things}

mulysa melco

{fine art}

mette

{baby goods}

leslie keating

{sweet things}

gracia haby

{fine art}

moonstitches {alex}

{sweet things}

townmouse {kristine}

{clothing: children}

lauren bradshaw

{sweet things}

ann wood

{sweet things: art}

kathy barden

{household goods}

Pretty amazing show of support. Thank you ALL. The last four items will be on the weblog Tuesday or so, and then it'll be information about when and where to find the auction itself.

sophie, or everything overload

Sophie is really my mom's rabbit, and we didn't get along. Like many rabbits can be, she was territorial and not very social, except with my mom and dad, whom she loved. My allergies didn't help; neither did the fact that her cage is is the dining room (= my sewing room) and I'd get stuffy/sneezy whenever I worked. Then my mom went into the hospital and I started to take care of Sophie.

In the last two months, she's become so social, loving--she will hop right up to me now and nose my nose or face if I lie on the carpet. She takes treats gently. She submits to being petted and picked up and loved. She's a mini-rex, and her fur is so, so soft. She has long, graceful ears, and beautiful eyes.

For the past few days, she's been kind of strange, and tonight she can't really get up and she's panting and not taking food. All the vets are closed so we have to wait until tomorrow but it's just getting me all het up. I've had enough with worry and anxiety and sickness this summer. Too much.

It's the last straw on a huge pile. I'm tired out and I need a rest. I won't say I'm taking a blog break, because I'm so contrary that actually writing that would probably put me to writing more and more often. But I might not be around for a bit. Need to tend to my overworked, over-stressed brain and heart. Need to cut down the number of things I expect myself to do.

I'll be posting things every other day or so over at One in Ten, and the details will start to go up next week. Thank you for all your support and love.

See you soon.

pretty

Lettering--I used to love to do caligraphy and beautiful writing but I haven't for years. I got a new nib a week ago and started playing with it yesterday. I want to work bigger and I think this is a good way, because I usually use Pilot pens with teeny (.02) nibs. Also I love the variation that a nib pen gives. This is walnut ink.

I'd been wanting a hoodie made of lightweight cotton jersey for a while. I have a wool one, but it's too heavy to wear in the recent 90-degree heat. This one is faced in orange and the hood's lined in another jersey that's got weird cats, garden implements, and chairs printed on it. It looks like a Japanese import. Feels good to make things for me!

--

That's all. That's all, that's all. I have to turn in my new ms. to Milkweed on Friday. I think it will be okay.

eight things, mostly non-sequitur

Hi everyone--thank you for your emails, comments, and calls. We're all fine. A little shaken up still--it's just so unreal!--and I can't believe a major artery into the city has been cut, literally.

(They said it was like a wave, it went up and then down and then crack, it broke and the whole thing fell.)

My secret hope, immediately, was that this would spawn a neighborhood/green transit/centers of commerce model like you lucky Portlanders, New Yorkers, and Europeans have: buses and trains, bike paths and walkways with lots of mixed development and street-level retail spaces (with low rents so that those of us whose dream is to have a shop in one of those some day could actually do that). No more freeway! Neighborhood-centered commerce! More e-commuting! 35-hour workweeks! Community gardens in the passage where the road used to be! Bike paths!

Maybe I breathed in too many fumes.
Someone tagged me to write eight things about myself. I already did this, but I'll do it again, this time as an exercise in brevity (some of you know what I'm talking about!)

1/ I'm nervous about writing the dissertation I'll have to do in Nottingham. There are a few reasons for this: first, I want it to be really good (of course) and original, not only in content but in form. Second, I've never written something that's 300 pages before. Um. 300. 3. 0. 0. Third, my other degrees used a lot of analysis but not a lot of original research. So I'll have to learn how to do that well right away.

2/ That said, I'm immensely glad to be heading back to school. I love it.

3/ I love the song "Penny Lane."

4/ My life doesn't seem unusual to me, but it seems to be so to other people. This year I've really become aware of that. Is that just how it is?

5/ Conversation about nothing (small talk) makes me really uncomfortable.
6/ I don't give compliments unless I mean them, which has caused some difficulty in my relations with other young women. It's not a purposeful attitude; it just makes me feel really uncomfortable to do so. Inauthentic.

7/ As a rule I swear very little (except with a couple of friends). There just weren't any better words last night (although there were a choice few worse ones), so sorry about that.

8/ I have a taste for The Office (yes, I saw the British one; yes, I loved it. But then I found the True Path...and it is the American version. Ha! I think what does it for me is the very, very Americanness of it. And the way the characters develop--which, to be fair, is because U.S. television permits that by never ending. It was a powerful anti-homesickness antidote while I was in France).

--
I want to thank all of the people who are sending things for One in Ten. It's unbelievably generous and touching. And thanks also to all you people who have emailed since I've stopped accepting things--wish I had enough brain power to manage an auction as big as your care. xo.

See you soon.

holy shit

Unbelievable to see this bridge hanging, cars in the water, paramedics and police and firefighters by the hundred, people watching, black smoke, lights and sirens, no electricity, crushed train cars, burning semi truck, school bus hanging on one end of the bridge, rescue boats from all over the 7-county metro area, a big green military paramedic helicopter.

Sorry to swear, but that's about all I'm thinking right now. Brian lives about 75 feet from the bridge and we were there. Crazy. He was there for the collapse, after hearing the sound and feeling the apartment shake. He helped carry up people on stretchers.

I was going to update the auction site and maybe put a couple more things in the shop but I think I'm just going to go to bed.

oceanside + children's clothes

about half the collection is in the shop now.

the rest will be up tomorrow morning.

and you know what else happens tomorrow morning?

see you then!