Not Quite so Quiet

See the pretty yarn that Nancy sent me? She said it was a thank you for the Zephyr yarn I sent her ages ago. This is some really pretty blue Cherry Tree Hill and two skeins of Regia in "Crazy Color," which I think is well-named. There are a lot of colors in there!

Wasn't that nice and completely unnecessary of her? Thank you so much, Nancy!

I read this interesting article from Newsweek/MSNBC today, with a starting point of that Freedom Writers movie. But it talks about how personal writing, like journals or letters, can give structure to your life, your thought--as well as giving a way to connect to people, either by exchanging your thoughts, or as a piece of you left behind. A quote for you: "The age of technology has both revived the use of writing and provided ever more reasons for its spiritual solace. E-mails are letters, after all, more lasting than phone calls, even if many of them r 2 cursory 4 u. And the physical isolation they and other arms-length cyber-advances create makes talking to yourself more important than ever. That's also what writing is: not just a legacy, but therapy. As the novelist Don DeLillo once said, "Writing is a form of personal freedom. It frees us from the mass identity we see in the making all around us. In the end, writers will write not to be outlaw heroes of some underculture but mainly to save themselves, to survive as individuals."

Interesting, huh? Because, really, isn't that what blogs are? Journals, with writing, self-expression, and communication combined. The knit-blogging community is remarkably friendy, I find, with warm gestures among people who usually have barely, or rarely, met in person. Like that yarn Nancy sent me. Would that have happened without this form of self-expression? Would I have made all the great friends I have in the last year or two? No. Writing is GOOD on so many levels.

Now, speaking of writing, I picked this up over at Kat's, because this is such a fun little meme.
The Page 123 Meme
1. Grab the book closest to you.
2. Open to page 123, look down to the 5th sentence.
3. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your blog.
4. Include the title and the author's name.

Now, I have a pile of books equally within arm's reach, so I'm going to do this with all of them--just for you!

"The red [wine] was sharp on his tongue, then melted into sweetness. "I commend you," the scout said to the master trader, and in Terran, which Jethri thought had to be an insult, "on your choice of apprentice." Master van'Deelin inclined her head. "Happy I am that you find him worthy," she replied in her accented Terran." from "Balance of Trade" by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller.

"Of the four future presidential rivals, only Edward Bates matched the vehemence of Lincoln's opposition. He charged Polk with "gross and palpable lying," arguing that the true object of the war was "plunder & conquest." Bates said he was ashamed of his Whig brethren who voted for the war, "actuated by a narrow & groveling policy, and a selfish fear of injuring their own popularity, & injuriously affecting the coming Presidential election." from "Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

"But the stress-busting solution is to keep an eye on the balance and prevent your wardrobe from sapping too much of your physical and emotional energy. So this is a chapter about adding "clothing sanity" to your personal agenda. In recent years, must of the working world has embraced Casual Friday--a good step." from "How to Cheat at Cleaning" by Jeff Bredenberg. (Interestingly, my bookmark was actually on page 123 for this one!)

"In the hermetic books it is writteh that what is down below is equal to what is on high, and what is on high is equal what is down below; in the Zohar, that the higher world is a reflection of the lower. The Histriones founded their doctrine on a peversion of this idea. They invoked Matthew 6:12 ("and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors") and 11:12 ("the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence") to demonstrate that the earth influences heaven, and I Corinthians 12:12 ("for now we see through a glass, darkly") to demonstrate that everything we see is false." from "Labyrinths" by Jorge Luise Borges.

"The top-string was an S-shaped hook used like a top-crook. A similar effect could be obtained by pinning work in progress to the right hip with a safety pin, once safety pins became generally available. Stockings were the principle garments made in the Dales, as they were everywhere else." from "A History of Hand Knitting" by Richard Rutt.

So, don't say I never did anything for you. Now, I'm supposed to tag three people, but since I don't like tagging people, I won't. It was fun, though, so do feel free to grab it and do it yourself.

So now, Chappy and I are settled in for the night. It is cold, cold out there--lots of wind. 22 degrees, according to the Weather Channel's website, with 28 mph winds, so that it feels like 11 degrees. Brrr. It would be a cold night anyway, but on top of this unseasonably warm winter we've had so far? It feels extra cold--we haven't had a chance to adapt yet! My plan for tomorrow? I'm wearing my Celtic Dreams to work . . . Aran's can be too warm for my desk job USUALLY, but there's nothing "usual" about this winter, so.... I want to be warm! They just said on the weather--to give you an idea--this morning at 5:00 am it was 55 degrees. Tomorrow at the same time, it should be 25. That's a big difference in 24 hours.

All those budding trees and sprouting daffodils are in for quite a shock....

And, oh yes, Mom is feeling at least a little improved today, but still very sore. She appreciates your good thoughts! I know that as these things go, a tooth extraction isn't as 'big' or scary as some other people's health issues, but still . . . I hate seeing my Mommy feeling so awful (grin).

Comments

[Carol]

Plenty of food for thought! Hope you and the Chapster are staying warm and cozy. Continued hugs for {mom}! No need to minimalize her boo boos-she still deserves lots of good wishes and hugs:)

[minnie]

HA! 25 is balmy! it was -10F this morning when i got up with mark, and -8F when i took the kids to school. with the new diesel fuel, and the busses sitting for 4 days, many school kids had to wait while their busses were started, or restarted. i saw 2 stalled busses myself, and the regular busses that take the kids to my sons' school pulled up when we did, at 7:40 (they usually get there by 7:15 so the kids can eat breakfast if they so choose). mind you, school starts at 7:45. i think they waived tardies for first period today.

glad to hear your mom is feeling better. having a tooth pulled is never easy, regardless of the rest of your health.

and i love blogging & bloggers. you guys are my friends. i've never known anyone in New Jersey before, and now i know 3 or 4! it's given me insight to parts of the country, and the world, that i would have never experienced, otherwise.

and i'll do the meme. as soon as i blog, lol.

[Laura]

Love the new yarn! :-)

I hear over and over how email and the Internet are making dunces out of us all. I like this take better.

I played the meme. I also did multiple books.

Glad your dear mom is starting to feel a little better.

[Carole]

Today is definitely a good day for hand knits!

[Kristi aka Fiber Fool]

I'm glad to hear that your mom is on the mend. I wish we'd be 22 degrees! We've been below zero for the good chunk of darkness hours since Friday morning. Yesterday and today we finally starting to see more seasonable day time highs. Though in January we often have a week of 50-60 degrees and we haven't yet. They are even talking more snow again this weekend! Uggghhhh!

[JessaLu]

It's 9 degrees here right now - with the sun shining. *shudder* I wanted it to be cold, but not THIS cold! ;o)

The dog can't handle it - she's glued to her heating pad!

Glad to hear your mom is feeling better :o)

[Teyani]

Glad your Mom is improving.

I love the thought that blogging is helping people return to writing. In the times of instant messaging and texting over a cell phone, it is lovely to have a few things to last a bit longer :-)
You yarn gifts are sweet. I will bet that the crazy color makes a fabulous pair of socks!

[Risa]

Brrrrrr. I hope you're nice and toasty in CD at the office with plenty to keep you busy!

[Chris]

Thanks for sharing that quote - it really resonated!

[Tamara]

Great post! Thanks for the quote. Hope your mom continues to feel better.