thinking of you
I've got to say that the comments from the last post were wonderful. I salivated over your dinner choices, visited with other folks' piano tuners, and imagined you imagining my neighborhood's noises. Thanks for letting me connect to you. Please keep offering me your thoughts! I read and cherish every single one.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I've been thinking about blogging all week but something kept getting in the way. First it was, you know, work. I've gotten back into the swing of things, and I'm sort of busy. I've written two non-book related (potential) articles this week, and I've been barraging my editors with email. I was one of those annoying kids at school who finished things early and stressed everyone else out. I wasn't the kid who always had a perfect paper or anything--just finished quickly. I have to avoid doing that as an adult, it pisses people off!
I was also ushered into the world of multi-person conference calls. Yes, I've had a three
person call, when two of the people are sitting with one speaker phone. This week, I had the pleasure of a meeting with 7 people. Whoa. I'm a newly elected board member of the Association of Knitwear Designers and I'm pretty impressed with the people on this board. We got a lot done. I also spent time staring out my office window into the backyard while I listened. I did a fair amount of knitting on the slip stitch sweater I'm designing out of handspun. I'm most of the way through the back of the sweater, because...
After a two hour respite, I had a League of Women Voters meeting. Now, I joined this to have some intellectual stimulation with real people in the same room as me. (always a problem if you work from home.) A friend bumped into me as I walked the dogs this morning and he smiled and said, "I get it. You were expecting the Algonquin Table?" So far, not so much. We've gone over some bylaws, and I narrowly avoided being on that board,too. We have yet to talk about any topics of substance. Before the meeting began, well, I couldn't really fit in either. Topics ranged from:
-Watching Oprah on TV. (don't really watch much TV outside of BBC mini-series on DVD and PBS, I'm a popular culture hermit)
-The horrors of hair, especially body hair (those who know me in person recognize that I am from what could be politely termed--a family that grows a lot of hair. I'm married to one of those too. Our dark haired families are originally from cold Eastern/Western European climates.) I'm obviously far more in touch with hair issues than they are. When I think of back hair, it's not just on my dogs. I'm ok with that. That's how the Almighty made a lot of us!
-How to ask your friends and family (or rely on your friends) to register for your college classes for you because you are too lazy/busy/whatever to get up early and do it yourself. (Hmmm, another reason why you're not enabling your friends and children to grow up, take care of their own responsibilities and become movers and shakers on their own?)
Knitting kept me from being a total snob here. I tried to smile and keep knitting. Obviously, I am from another planet...the hairy planet with no daytime TV and lots of individual responsibility. Perhaps I sometimes have a hard time relating to others, and maybe I don't really enjoy attending meetings for the sake of going to meetings. I am ok with that.
When I was an undergraduate, I lived for two years in Risley, the dorm for creative and performing arts. I loved the music practice rooms in the basement, the constant art and creative culture. I brought my spinning wheel to college. I had friends who felt the way I did, even if they didn't spin or play jazz sax. I spun and knit my way through school. I turned out dozens of mittens for my friends and myself. Recently, I put on a pair of mittens and realized, hey. These mittens are maybe 14 years old. They're handspun, single ply wool (and maroon mohair, I think) and in great shape. It was a wonderful testament to:
handspun singles (on a literal level)
creativity
feeling good about being quirky and different.
So, when I didn't fit in last night at that meeting, I looked at my handknit sweater (made in high school), and my mittens. I thought, it's ok, I do have friends. Some people get it! One LWV member noticed my handknit coat, and said something complimentary about how my clothes all have stories. Everyone else might have rolled their eyes...or did I just imagine it?
These days, I rely on you, cyberfriends, to help me make that creative community.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I've been thinking about blogging all week but something kept getting in the way. First it was, you know, work. I've gotten back into the swing of things, and I'm sort of busy. I've written two non-book related (potential) articles this week, and I've been barraging my editors with email. I was one of those annoying kids at school who finished things early and stressed everyone else out. I wasn't the kid who always had a perfect paper or anything--just finished quickly. I have to avoid doing that as an adult, it pisses people off!
I was also ushered into the world of multi-person conference calls. Yes, I've had a three
person call, when two of the people are sitting with one speaker phone. This week, I had the pleasure of a meeting with 7 people. Whoa. I'm a newly elected board member of the Association of Knitwear Designers and I'm pretty impressed with the people on this board. We got a lot done. I also spent time staring out my office window into the backyard while I listened. I did a fair amount of knitting on the slip stitch sweater I'm designing out of handspun. I'm most of the way through the back of the sweater, because...After a two hour respite, I had a League of Women Voters meeting. Now, I joined this to have some intellectual stimulation with real people in the same room as me. (always a problem if you work from home.) A friend bumped into me as I walked the dogs this morning and he smiled and said, "I get it. You were expecting the Algonquin Table?" So far, not so much. We've gone over some bylaws, and I narrowly avoided being on that board,too. We have yet to talk about any topics of substance. Before the meeting began, well, I couldn't really fit in either. Topics ranged from:
-Watching Oprah on TV. (don't really watch much TV outside of BBC mini-series on DVD and PBS, I'm a popular culture hermit)
-The horrors of hair, especially body hair (those who know me in person recognize that I am from what could be politely termed--a family that grows a lot of hair. I'm married to one of those too. Our dark haired families are originally from cold Eastern/Western European climates.) I'm obviously far more in touch with hair issues than they are. When I think of back hair, it's not just on my dogs. I'm ok with that. That's how the Almighty made a lot of us!
-How to ask your friends and family (or rely on your friends) to register for your college classes for you because you are too lazy/busy/whatever to get up early and do it yourself. (Hmmm, another reason why you're not enabling your friends and children to grow up, take care of their own responsibilities and become movers and shakers on their own?)
Knitting kept me from being a total snob here. I tried to smile and keep knitting. Obviously, I am from another planet...the hairy planet with no daytime TV and lots of individual responsibility. Perhaps I sometimes have a hard time relating to others, and maybe I don't really enjoy attending meetings for the sake of going to meetings. I am ok with that.
When I was an undergraduate, I lived for two years in Risley, the dorm for creative and performing arts. I loved the music practice rooms in the basement, the constant art and creative culture. I brought my spinning wheel to college. I had friends who felt the way I did, even if they didn't spin or play jazz sax. I spun and knit my way through school. I turned out dozens of mittens for my friends and myself. Recently, I put on a pair of mittens and realized, hey. These mittens are maybe 14 years old. They're handspun, single ply wool (and maroon mohair, I think) and in great shape. It was a wonderful testament to:
handspun singles (on a literal level)
creativity
feeling good about being quirky and different.
So, when I didn't fit in last night at that meeting, I looked at my handknit sweater (made in high school), and my mittens. I thought, it's ok, I do have friends. Some people get it! One LWV member noticed my handknit coat, and said something complimentary about how my clothes all have stories. Everyone else might have rolled their eyes...or did I just imagine it?
These days, I rely on you, cyberfriends, to help me make that creative community.
posted by Joanne at 10:05 AM
4 Comments:
My whole entire life I've wanted, needed, a creative community. Found it for two summers at Breadloaf and again at Meg Swansen's Knitting Camp. Occasionally I've found a few people who have some understanding of the importance of our stories. No wonder my favorite book in element school was "Misunderstood Betsy", which I figured really was me even if the name was changed to protect the innocent!
Clothes SHOULD have stories and should last a long, long time, happily. Love the mittens.
Love the mittens too. Also your picket fence - an old house in the old part of town with a picket fence... sounds ideal til you tell the rest of the story.
That one LWV lady gets my vote. She gets it. Good for her.
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