As I was going through last year's purchases (yes, I keep old receipts and use Quicken to run spending reports; shut up), I decided on another goal for the year: To spend less at Stitches West in 2010 than I did in 2009. I pulled the receipts but haven't yet tallied them up, but I think they're in the $200-$250 range, thanks to two (count 'em, TWO) Namaste bags that I purchased. (Which I don't use and will probably sell. Any offers?)
I'm thinking that staying under that number won't be a problem this year, since I've successfully resisted buying a lot of anything in the past 4 or 5 months. Bobbin's Nest got a chunk from me at their pre-inventory sale (oooh.... Wool Candy....), and I bought 2 skeins of Wildfoote sock yarn off of Knitterliness at the knitting gathering on Dec 19, but that doesn't really count. The rest of my yarn acquisition through the later part of the year came from gifts; my actual yarn spending has been quite suppressed.
As it should be. I made everyone's holiday cowls from stash yarn, and didn't really make a dent in any pile.
Another goal that should be relatively easy (I'll go off on a tangent about goals later): Setting up a regular writing schedule. This one should fall into my lap. During National Novel Writing Month last year, the two Nicoles who joined me at Booksmart on Wednesday nights for NaNo write-ins both said they were interested in finding a regular writing group. Rather than finding one, I said, why don't we just make one? So, we're in the process of figuring what night will fit our respective schedules. I have the old writing sheets from the Barnes & Noble group I used to visit before we moved to Morgan Hill. They should last us at least a couple of months.
I'm not having a lot of success in my first set of goals so far. It's too easy to fall back into a satiric and sarcastic speaking style - it's almost like that's in my blood. I guess that's why it's a mindfulness practice. And I think I'll be practicing constantly.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Friday, January 1, 2010
Newness
2010 is here. A long time ago, I would calculate that I was going to be 44 when the year turned 2000.... and then I didn't think much about time or life after that, because 2000 seemed so... futuristic. But it really wasn't, it was just, well, 2000. And then it was 2001, and 2002, and 2003, and here we are at 2010.
I have some knitting goals this year (I don't like to consider them resolutions, since I never really resolve to do things... I'm better at setting goals). Like, "Try to focus on two or three projects instead of 92." Like, "For Pete's sake, will you finish a lace shawl or something?"Like "Keep new stash acquisition at a minimum." (Believe it or not, I actually did pretty good at this one in 2009 - I received more yarn as gifts than I purchased, and I knit more from stash than I had done in previous years.)
Personal goals are going to be mostly in my head. Like, stop comparing what I do and what I eat to everyone else. My body is going to react differently and I just need to accept that. Like trying to follow some kinder, gentler principles in my life: Right understanding, right aspiration, right effort, right speech (especially right speech), right conduct, right livelihood, right mindfulness, right concentration. Like starting things that I know I should start ("begin - the rest is easy").
2009 was a rough year. Earlier tonight, as I tried to write in my journal about things that happened throughout the year (which I try to do each New Year's Eve), all I could come up with was "Aunt Irene died." Everything else seemed secondary to that. Yes, we took some great trips, yes, there were some great events (knitting and otherwise), yes, much yarny goodness was there, and yes, DH and I are still here and still love each other very much. But I will always remember 2009 as being "the year Aunt Irene died," just as 1997 will always be "the year mom died."
So, I'm definitely with Yarn Harlot on this one... "2009 - don't let the door hit your arse on the way out."
Shalom. May you have a peaceful year.
I have some knitting goals this year (I don't like to consider them resolutions, since I never really resolve to do things... I'm better at setting goals). Like, "Try to focus on two or three projects instead of 92." Like, "For Pete's sake, will you finish a lace shawl or something?"Like "Keep new stash acquisition at a minimum." (Believe it or not, I actually did pretty good at this one in 2009 - I received more yarn as gifts than I purchased, and I knit more from stash than I had done in previous years.)
Personal goals are going to be mostly in my head. Like, stop comparing what I do and what I eat to everyone else. My body is going to react differently and I just need to accept that. Like trying to follow some kinder, gentler principles in my life: Right understanding, right aspiration, right effort, right speech (especially right speech), right conduct, right livelihood, right mindfulness, right concentration. Like starting things that I know I should start ("begin - the rest is easy").
2009 was a rough year. Earlier tonight, as I tried to write in my journal about things that happened throughout the year (which I try to do each New Year's Eve), all I could come up with was "Aunt Irene died." Everything else seemed secondary to that. Yes, we took some great trips, yes, there were some great events (knitting and otherwise), yes, much yarny goodness was there, and yes, DH and I are still here and still love each other very much. But I will always remember 2009 as being "the year Aunt Irene died," just as 1997 will always be "the year mom died."
So, I'm definitely with Yarn Harlot on this one... "2009 - don't let the door hit your arse on the way out."
Shalom. May you have a peaceful year.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Travelogue
A few shots from our mini-cruise adventure last week...
The little trolley that runs down San Pedro's Harbor Blvd, from the cruise dock to the marina.
The elevator in the Grand Atrium at the center of the ship.
The view from our cabin when we embarked (12/21). The drydocked Queen Mary is on the right; the dome on the left used to be the home of Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose. It's now used as Carnival's cruise terminal.
Our perfectly lovely and comfortable cabin (Main deck, midships). Not pictured: The screeching 10-year-old boys in the room across the hall who stayed up past midnight on the last night (which is the night before you have to vacate your room by 7:30 the following morning).
You're in Mexico. Any questions? (Is that not the biggest honkin' flag you've ever seen?)
Proof (sort of) we were in Mexico. It says "Ensenada Cruiseport Village" on the dock.
Dawn breaks over the Queen the morning we debark (12/24).
It was a lovely trip. A note to Erin: You were right... the "day at sea" was the ship going in circles just south of the Channel Islands. It's such a short distance from Long Beach to Ensenada, where the hell were we going to go? Still, at day at sea, even sailing in circles just far enough off shore to keep the shopping and the casino open, is a lovely way to spend a day.
The little trolley that runs down San Pedro's Harbor Blvd, from the cruise dock to the marina.
The elevator in the Grand Atrium at the center of the ship.
The view from our cabin when we embarked (12/21). The drydocked Queen Mary is on the right; the dome on the left used to be the home of Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose. It's now used as Carnival's cruise terminal.
Our perfectly lovely and comfortable cabin (Main deck, midships). Not pictured: The screeching 10-year-old boys in the room across the hall who stayed up past midnight on the last night (which is the night before you have to vacate your room by 7:30 the following morning).
You're in Mexico. Any questions? (Is that not the biggest honkin' flag you've ever seen?)
Proof (sort of) we were in Mexico. It says "Ensenada Cruiseport Village" on the dock.
Dawn breaks over the Queen the morning we debark (12/24).
It was a lovely trip. A note to Erin: You were right... the "day at sea" was the ship going in circles just south of the Channel Islands. It's such a short distance from Long Beach to Ensenada, where the hell were we going to go? Still, at day at sea, even sailing in circles just far enough off shore to keep the shopping and the casino open, is a lovely way to spend a day.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Lump of Coal
So... what's worse on Christmas than finding a lump of coal from Santa? How about a box full of dreaded Homespun and Red Heart? ::shudder:: I thought I had been a pretty good girl in 2009, but apparently I was about as wrong as I could be. I need to have a talk with Santa to find out what yardstick he's using to measure!
(Another Santa was very nice to me, though - the nice one gave me a Magellan GPS and a beautiful diamond heart necklace.)
Merry Christmas!
(Another Santa was very nice to me, though - the nice one gave me a Magellan GPS and a beautiful diamond heart necklace.)
Merry Christmas!
One Down, Two to Go!
A 3-night cruise to Ensenada is a lovely appetizer of a vacation. Long Beach to Ensenada, a day at sea, then back to Long Beach. Weather was cold and dreary, overcast, and raining off and on while we were in Mexico. But... still better than the best day working!
The ship is 'cute' by modern standards, with just over 2,000 cruisers when it's full (which it was). The 9th floor was the "Promenade" deck, with most of the bars and indoor public areas. Despite being full, we were always able to find a quiet spot to sit and read or sit and knit, and an adult beverage was never more than a wave away.
The main pools were on the Lido deck and even though the temperature never got above 70 degrees, there was always someone in them. The food was good, the room was comfortable, and we had a good time. Lovely, simply lovely.
The ship is 'cute' by modern standards, with just over 2,000 cruisers when it's full (which it was). The 9th floor was the "Promenade" deck, with most of the bars and indoor public areas. Despite being full, we were always able to find a quiet spot to sit and read or sit and knit, and an adult beverage was never more than a wave away.
The main pools were on the Lido deck and even though the temperature never got above 70 degrees, there was always someone in them. The food was good, the room was comfortable, and we had a good time. Lovely, simply lovely.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Oops!
So here we are... at a lovely hotel in San Pedro, California, two blocks away from the Cruise Ship Terminal of the Port of Los Angeles. We were having a drink at the bar (Mojito for him, Sweet Ginger for me) and working out the timing of our morning. Sleep in, have a late breakfast, then head downstairs to catch the shuttle to the ship around noon, maybe 12:30. Check-in isn't until 1:30, so we'd be there early, no problem.
DH smartly decides to read the hotel's information sheet on cruise shuttle information. Blah, blah, blah, "The shuttle to the Carnival pier leaves only at 10:00, 11:00, and 12:00." Huh? "It takes approximately 20 minutes to get to the pier." Huh huh?
Turns out our hotel "right across the street" from the pier is right across the street from the pier... from the wrong pier. On the other side of the inlet from where we are. It's no real problem; we just had to rearrange our car parking arrangements (we had been planning to leave the car here at the hotel, now we'll drive to the Carnival pier ourselves and park at their parking structure).
Take note - The Port of Los Angeles has a cruise terminal pier at San Pedro AND Long Beach... If you're cruising on Carnival, go to Long Beach! (Yeah, we're still having fun!)
DH smartly decides to read the hotel's information sheet on cruise shuttle information. Blah, blah, blah, "The shuttle to the Carnival pier leaves only at 10:00, 11:00, and 12:00." Huh? "It takes approximately 20 minutes to get to the pier." Huh huh?
Turns out our hotel "right across the street" from the pier is right across the street from the pier... from the wrong pier. On the other side of the inlet from where we are. It's no real problem; we just had to rearrange our car parking arrangements (we had been planning to leave the car here at the hotel, now we'll drive to the Carnival pier ourselves and park at their parking structure).
Take note - The Port of Los Angeles has a cruise terminal pier at San Pedro AND Long Beach... If you're cruising on Carnival, go to Long Beach! (Yeah, we're still having fun!)
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Postal Apologies
Oops. My sincere apologies to anyone who got a holiday card from DH and I and had to pay postage due to get our card out of hock... I wasn't paying any attention to the weight of the envelopes and two days after we mailed them, a stack of 6 showed up in our mailbox. Two needed 28 cents more postage; four needed 78 cents (!!!) more. We thought that was the end of it... until Thursday.
Thursday night we had dinner with KM and MM to celebrate DH's birthday, and also did a Christmas gift swap. KM gave me a lovely velvet pouch - that had a single quarter in it. Apparently, he got a slip from his mail person for 25 cents postage due, and after much banter back and forth from his mail delivery person, eventually gave him the money and got our Christmas card. KM was contributing 25 cents to our postal fund because we apparently didn't have enough money to pay all the postage! Hee hee!
Big apology for anyone else who got stuck having to pay ransom to get our Christmas card this year. Sorry! (On the plus side, the cards were really, really pretty. Weren't they?)
Thursday night we had dinner with KM and MM to celebrate DH's birthday, and also did a Christmas gift swap. KM gave me a lovely velvet pouch - that had a single quarter in it. Apparently, he got a slip from his mail person for 25 cents postage due, and after much banter back and forth from his mail delivery person, eventually gave him the money and got our Christmas card. KM was contributing 25 cents to our postal fund because we apparently didn't have enough money to pay all the postage! Hee hee!
Big apology for anyone else who got stuck having to pay ransom to get our Christmas card this year. Sorry! (On the plus side, the cards were really, really pretty. Weren't they?)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)