February 2008 - Posts
I don't spend too much on notebooks anymore, although, I still have a slight addiction to fancy journals with hard covers (can you say The Moleskin?) and slick designs and admittedly possess more than my share of them right now. My notebook of choice most days are the very simple, very inexpensive black and white (in color if I'm lucky!) composition notebooks that run about 99 cents in most stores. For some reason I write better in these than any notebook I've tried and more words seem to spill out onto the page. For 99 cents there just doesn't seem to be much pressure to pen something incredibly prolific and genius; I just write.
Today is one of those days I look forward to as a writer. Today I start a fresh new composition notebook. The blank pages seem to hold so much mystery, so much promise. One by one, day by day, each page begins to take on a new identity with a story to tell and way more about me than one would ever care to know. But this notebook holds a little more weight than those that have gone before her. This is almost like the first one of her kind that I was introduced to in college. In a sense, she is another first in a new phase in my life. Is this Chapter Two? Volume Two? I'm seeing it more like Series Two; it can run for years, the characters have changed but there are elements of the last main character sprinkled throughout just with more substance. I'm the last main character and the new one all at once. I can be anyone I want on Wozzievision - live, in color, and in HD.
I did something I never thought I'd do before I moved out here to Oregon. I sat with the last 20-25 notebooks that I've collected and filled since first said composition notebook my junior year in college. I thumbed through them, smiled at where I'd been, cried at much of what I experienced, and then smiled and cried at once as I saw how far I'd come. Then, without thinking about the act I was committing too much, I threw them all away. I realized that was a time in my life that I learned, grew, and loved but that a new time is ahead of me and I don't care to constantly look back and question what I could have done differently. All the memories (some bad, but most incredibly wonderful) are in my heart anyway; it's time for new ones to be created.
Here's to a new day, a new notebook, and what I'm certain is going to be a long running series on Wozzievision.
I seem to gravitate toward handsome males. And lucky for me, I've been able to be in a work environment with several over the past few years. First there was Sheldon, an older but still very charming fellow that I first met when I began working for Best Friends Animal Society. Sheldon quickly stole my heart and it crumbled to pieces when he passed away in January of 2006. He had so much wisdom and love. I never cared that he had food on his nose from having just eaten his lunch.
Then came the very daper Loomis. You all remember how I fell in love with him and how he fawned all over me at my shoppe. He was a big boy and that was just more to love. I was heartbroken yet relieved when he moved to Salt Lake City about a month ago because I knew he had to go on with his life as I had made the decision to soon do the same with mine.
So here I am in Oregon at my new job at FOOD for Lane County and once again head over heels for an officemate. How do they do this to me every time? But look and see, and you'll understand:
See, can you blame me? Just like the feline fellows Sheldon and Loomis, Henry is up there with those to be admired, loved, and just plane adored.
And the thing is, he's just so darn helpful too! Here he was this afternoon helping me with a project:
What can I say? I have a weakness for the handsome ones. Can you blame me?
So I have a tradition. Every year I pick something new to study on what I refer to as S'more New Year (get it? some more new year? hee hee hee). Past years have included things such as writing (duh!), crystals, spirituality, and last year was proclaimed oh-so-shamelessly as the Year of Woz. This Chinese New Year (The Year of the Rat) is now christened in my world as The Year of Sewing! I've always wanted to learn and have always been too scared of not being good at it but fear no more, I'm going for it!
I celebrate this new topic of pursuit by indulging in one of my favorite treats. The s'more!
I had some helpers in preparation this year:
And the very yummy (and very vegan, of course!) marshmallows are getting gooey:
The finished product before being devoured:
To kick off the studying I picked up a fabby book by Diana Rupp called "SEW - Sew Everything Workshop". Inside is everything a beginner needs to get going! And I finally dusted off the gorgey sewing basket Grams gave me years ago in hopes that I would take up this domestic activity. I love the tomatillo pin cushion the best:
I'm looking forward to working through the book and having fun with the different patterns that were included such as this one:
This is going to be a good year.