Clover Knitting Needles

My replacement knitting needles arrived today from my loving parents. They're bamboo needles for making socks. During my first Dutch winter, the gray days and grim weather had me searching for something to feel warm and cozy about. After reading the awesome Blue Blog for a few weeks and finding cool websites like Knitty, I decided to try knitting. At home over the holidays, I got myself a copy of Debbie Stoller's Stitch 'n Bitch for reference and got to work.

After many long nights spent in front of the TV (often watching garbage until late just so I could stay up late knitting), with the help of internet instructions, I made my first pair of socks. Of course, sock making would only be fun if it was done with great yarn, but luckily, there are plenty of cool sock yarns out there.

So there you go - evidence that I am in fact turning into a very old lady before my time. Laugh all you want - my feet are cozy!

Babel

It's probably a sign of how far behind I am that I watched Babel for the first time this weekend. It was a good film, though. I was quite on edge through most of it wondering what would go wrong next. The performances were all strong and the images - cinematography - was also great. Films it made me think of... Crash and Magnolia. They also have several intersecting stories. Somehow, when the there are parallel stories happening within a film, it starts to give the film the texture of a novel. It also adds a nice mental challenge to try and figure out just how everything fits together.

This reminds me of an article I read recently in the New Yorker, "Twilight of the Books". It describes a decline the amount that people read over the past 70 years. The first surprise is that anyone even keeps track of these things. But the article also suggests that watching TV and reading are about the same thing in so far as they are both forms of entertainment. I'm not so sure what I think of that. I suppose it works for me if the parallel is drawn further. Watching reality TV might be the same as reading People magazine, for example. How much do you think about the quality of what you watch and read? Are your criteria the same for both media? Is there a difference between quality and entertainment?

Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician

Just finished reading Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician by Chapel Hill author Daniel Wallace. I first heard of Wallace as the author of the book that begat Big Fish, a totally quirky and thoroughly enjoyable film. Mr. Sebastian is the story of a magician, not surprisingly, who makes a deal with the devil. It's a Faustian tale set in a circus with a extra color and a nice twist at the end. I enjoyed it, but if you're looking for a good circus story, I would recommend Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants. It was a super read with great details about circus life.

Now, reading about circuses is nice, but would you go to the circus?

Hiking for Kids

We recently returned from a wonderful honeymoon in Nicaragua. Not your average first-pick honeymoon destination, which is probably why we had such a good time! Our first stop was Leon, a beautiful colonial city near the Pacific coast and some of Nicaragua's volcanoes. One of the things we wanted to do was climb a volcano. We went up Telica with Quetzaltrekkers and spent the night in an old crater just below a mildly active volcano. The hike was hot and beautiful and the volcano was roaring and stinky. Our money, though, went in part to help street kids.

Quetzaltrekkers started in Guatemala and is now also operating in Nicaragua. They raise money for local non-profit organizations by leading hikes for tourists. The hikes are led by volunteers who spend a minimum of two months volunteering. The income generated from the hikes is split between funding Quetzal and funding an established local non-profit, Las Tias, that helps street kids. Inside the Quetzal office/volunteer house, they clearly post information about how income is split. For example, a t-shirt that cost $10 meant $4 for Las Tias. This kind of openness and creativity transforms social causes from charities into something I can't quite put into words.

How would you describe the relationship between Quetzaltrekkers and Las Tias?

Bacon Salt

It is entirely possible that I walk (an occasionally run) in order to have an excuse to listen to podcasts. The Story is an American Public Radio show hosted by Dick Gordon. The stories they tell run from the serious (HIV in Namibia) to the absurd. Today, I heard an absurd one, the story of Bacon Salt. You can listen to it here. Basically, it's the story of a couple of guys who took one of those ideas you get in a bar an ran with it - right to Bacon Salt. Good entertainment.

Hands

I've not posted over the weekend despite wanting to post daily because my hands aren't working well. Yup, my hands are all (excuse the description) puffy and burny and itchy and no, there doesn't seem to be a good medical explanation or solution. Luckily, I discovered yesterday afternoon that my fingertips are doing much better, so typing is relatively comfortable. Now, I can do something more than change the channel with my fingernails - thank goodness!

My couch time was put to valuable use, though, watching movies. I watched Das Leben der Anderen (The Life of Others), Hot Fuzz, and 12 Angry Men. All very good, very different films. My vote for film to reflect on would go to 12 Angry Men.

Some thoughts on 12 Angry Men, in no particular order. The film maintains the Aristotelean qualities of unity of time and place. A rare quality in cinema productions, which usually cut from one place and time to another with alarming frequency. An exception might be 24, but that's another discussion. The film is less about a court case than prejudice, argumentation, truth, and justice. It raises some valid questions about the concept of a jury trial, as well. Do we really want to trust our legal system to citizens who are more concerned with getting back to work or not missing a ball game than with deciding a capital murder case? All in all, a recommended film.

Any suggestions for me should the hands give out again?

image source

Writing Burden

I'm reading an article in the New Yorker about Malcolm Lowry. He wrote Under the Volcano, which I've never heard of before but they say is very good. The article is a profile about his troubled relationship with writing, alcohol, and his wife as well as the questionable circumstances surrounding his death. His death was ruled a "misadventure" which is a delightful way to say, "accidental." According to the article, Lowry wrote prolifically and often poorly. Despite his talent with words, he was only able to develop good finished novels with the help of his wife's intensive editing and comments. Yet, his novel is on a few of these top 100 novels of... lists that came out around the end of the twentieth century.

Lowry's story is encouraging because it reminds me that writing is not an easy process. In fact, it is often a painful one and many more words are erased, deleted, or crossed out than preserved for final drafts. Why does this matter now? It matters because today I wrote the first words of the first chapter of my dissertation. I took that scary step away from reading, planning, and outlining and dove right into some writing. This is where the scary part begins. I'm a big fan of the "write a lot, write often" school of thought, and a number of people agree. So for the record, I wrote 579 words today and hope to write as many nearly every day from now until my deadline. Let's hope that a good ten percent are worth keeping.

Chicken Gift

I've adopted a chicken. Not the thing you'd expect someone living in the city with a mainly tile backyard to do, but I like to keep everyone on their toes and the neighbors at bay. Actually, it was a gift. Also, it's not really a chicken. It's a mail-in chicken adoption program that a thoughtful friend gave me. I get to become the adoptive parent of an ecological chicken, a green chicken, and as a special bonus, I get half a dozen eggs every month. Hopefully, my new chicken (is that pulline?) friend won't mind the eggs.

Now, in case you feel like you're missing out, you two can adopt a chicken, or give one to a lucky friend. There's a UK option at chickenadoption.co.uk with lots of chicken pictures for your viewing pleasure. If you're looking for an American chicken, here's one option. You can actually adopt all kinds of animals from these folks, including pythons and penguins, if you're so inclined. Amusingly, all the animals are on sale and in stock.

Returning to Blogland

What does one blog about in the beginning of a new year after a long trip with a new challenge? How about blogging?

I've been on vacation for three and a half wonderful weeks in Nicaragua. During that time, I sat in front of a computer three times and sent maybe half a dozen emails. It was a fantastic treat to really get away. However, while I was gone, someone close started a blog of their own and posted some nice stuff. So now, the challenge is on. Blog daily. Be (vaguely) interesting. Enjoy. Should be a piece of cake...