Bibliosphere

 The other day I finally organized my yarn. I finally took this mess, with my excited helper, and spun it into neat balls, sorted and packaged into bags, and carefully placed into my yarn box. I'm sure I could say lots of deep things here, about how I sorted my mind like my yarn, but I'll leave that for your imagination.

  It seems odd that four years have passed again, since I last checked to see if my vote had been counted. When it's a local or state election, I hope for the best, but presidential? Even though I know which way my state will go, I vote, for every race, even pulling up the judge reviews to carefully select who I wish to retain. If you are eligible, if you can, please do vote. While the deadline has passed to register in some states, many allow same-day registration, like Utah. Learn more from Vote.org .

 A while ago, I started making niche memes for my camp blog. I haven't in a while, but recently I was inspired to make some for the HOA.  I think I'm funny.

 I recently listed to a book of poetry as an audiobook, read by the author. It was one of my favorite authors, and one of my favorite poems was included.  Who made the world? Who made the swan, and the black bear? Who made the grasshopper? This grasshopper, I mean— the one who has flung herself out of the grass, the one who is eating sugar out of my hand, who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down— who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes. Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face. Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away. I don't know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, which is what I have been doing all day. Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? Ma...

 So to really understand this post, we need to back it up all the way to December. And in December, I read a book about the Blue Zones of happiness (find it here ), written by the Blue Zones guru himself, Dan Buettner. Not to be confused with the regular Blue Zones, where people live longer and healthier lives than in other parts of the world, these Blue Zones of happiness are where people are happiest. And at the end of the book, it gave some top ideas of how you can be happier and live like people in these Blue Zones of Happiness. They were (in order of importance): Prioritize friends and family Get involved (clubs, teams, and other organizations) Learn likability (the art of being a well-liked person) Thirty minutes of physical activity a day Focus on the happiness of others Make a best friend at work Keep track of your health Live together, but with the right partner Be in the moment and take time to enjoy life or what you're looking forward to Set meaningful goals and track yo...

 I recently listened to an audiobook called "Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life." It was a short little book, but very interesting, and honestly covered a lot in its 3.5 hours. It was also very cross-culturally translated, because it's a book from Spain, translated to English, about Japanese culture. But I enjoyed listening to it. I feel like this fits with my very strong interest in the Blue Zones. I'm actually reading The Book about Blue Zones (the original one), or listening to it I guess. I'm glad that my library is so full of good resources to learn about these topics. Top takeaways? Eat well, socialize with those you care about, and find your purpose in life (your Ikigai). Good little read.

 So here's the deal. I used to go home in middle and early high school and sit at my desk and just creative. I made jewelry and painted things and played with wax molds and printing kits and all sorts of things I'd found at Goodwill and yardsales. I continued to create later on in high school and into college, but it dwindled as I got older. Grad school and mental illness took a lot out of me, and getting back into the arts, even just drawing, felt like a huge task. But, slowly, I've gotten back into crafting. I started easy, drawing. I did a few Inktobers (drawing challenge in the month of October), I started getting into visual journaling, and slowly began to get creative juices again. It was different than what I'd grown up with though. I was trained classically in drawing at the arts high school, drawing only from observation in many classes (although I branched out at home and in classes with a loose format). But I started drawing from memory, and it's mostly l...

 Martin Luther King Jr weekend is a national weekend of service. There are many fabulous ways to give back to the childhood cancer community. Our kids need all the help that they can get. Here are a few ideas to get your started: Raise awareness, either on your own or working with a community organization. Raise money for a childhood cancer charity or donation fund Participate in a Curesearch Walk or Ultimate Hike Shave your head (or volunteer to help) at St Baldricks Volunteer at your local hospital on the pediatric floor Volunteer as a patient advocate or educator at a local hospital or nonprofit Create art or game kits for childhood cancer patients Create a meal train for a local family whose child is undergoing cancer treatment Volunteer to write guest posts or content for nonprofits Volunteer to use your skills sets with childhood cancer nonprofits There's tons of ways to give back and I hope that you'll consider some!

 I've been in the market for a new car, and on December 17th, my parents found the perfect one. Similar size, lots of great features, reasonably priced. So we cancelled my plane ticket last minute and I drove to Wisconsin with my old car, transferred it to my parents, got my new car, and drove back with my mom. Here are the highlights: Overall, the drive to Wisconsin was uneventful. I stopped at 1 Costco (Coralville, IA) on my way there, which was surprising to my parents, and also they have an enclosed parking area, which was weird. I tried very hard to stop at rest areas for a walk, but also, I like to just power through honestly. On the way home, we spent much time playing with my new car's features. It has sensors galore, a navigation system, and a CD player (yes, this is exciting). In Wisconsin and much of Iowa, unfortunately we went through the bulk of a snowstorm. About an hour in, the car beeped and said it couldn't use the sensors. When we stopped, the entire front...

 Today is December 31, 2023. As some might say, 123123. The New Year has transformed over the years from a big party to a personal celebration. I might toast the new year now, but with sparkling cider, and usually around 10 pm. By midnight I'm snuggled into bed, ringing in the new year with a solid night's rest. Growing up, my family always had new year's eve parties. We'd drink and play games and stay up late into the night (or early the next morning), from the time I was probably 11 or 12. We'd watch the ball drop and toast with sparking cider or, later, more adult beverages. Every year brought an evening with friends as we started the new year at midnight. Now New Year's promises a more relaxed, less raucous celebration. I often think about resolutions, eat some tasty food, and toast to myself. The evening is quiet, relaxed.  One isn't inherently better than the other, just different. My new New Year's Eve is much more in line with who I am now, and e...

 Wishing you a merry and bright Christmas day!

 I'm getting ready for my travels, which is how I spend my holidays every year (except 2020, but that's a longer story). The past two times I've visited my parents I've been sick: last Christmas I caught a respiratory infection right before traveling and in August I caught COVID on the plane on my way to Wisconsin. So, and hopefully this isn't jinxing it, but I'm hoping I am well and get to enjoy my visit without snot and coughing and all the other delightful aspects of respiratory-related illnesses. Overall the holidays are a good time of year for me, although work did not really wind down like it has in years past. Busy, busy, right until the last day. But it's time to relax, to spend time with family, to enjoy the winter holidays. Wishing you and yours a lovely and bright holiday season, from me and Hippie!

 For those of you unaware (as I was until November 2), November is National Clean Your House Month, going with NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writer's Month). While I'm not much for novel writing, I did feel like cleaning was a good thing, as I am not a big cleaner and projects tend to pile up. So around November 3, I decided to participate, and started working on a list. In the end, I made a list of 34 household tasks that don't get done regularly (or I've never done them in the three years I've been here). Some highlights included: Putting away all the items in my two junk boxes (I found an absurd amount of spare glasses) Vacuuming so so many things Cleaning my washing machine, coffee pot, and oven Cleaning the faucets, tub, bathroom and pantry floors, and and around the litter box Organizing under the bathroom sink, including throwing out old nail polish (don't worry, I got the under the kitchen sink when I replaced the disposal) Paint touch ups to cover up an ass...

 I'm (slowly) working my way through UC Davis' Anti-racism challenge. Because anti-racism didn't end in 2020. It's been really interesting to read and listen to their resources. I'll admit I'm not actually doing it in 21 days, I've been working on this since September. But so far so good. I'd recommend this if you're interested in learning more about racism and anti-racism, including a ton about intersectionality. You can find the challenge here . I challenge you to learn at least one new thing about anti-racism, even if you don't do the whole challenge.

 Alrighty y'all, here's what I did for new things between September 18 and October 31: Made bolani (Afghan stuffed flatbread) Got new glasses in a style I haven't had before Tried mangonada (Hispanic mango beverage with chilis) Tried eskiqute (Mexican street corn, aka elote, but in a cup) Made roasted garlic soup with buckwheat noodles (also the first time cooking with buckwheat) Shaped fresh pasta Stamped a moon cake Cooked a full fresh pumpkin in two different meals Made arepas (also first time eating an arepa) Experienced an annular solar eclipse (!!) Managed a non-summer camp event with over 100 people (my largest event in charge yet) Tried vegan sausage (yes, I'd never had that before and I eat a lot of vegan food) Made khobez bread (middle eastern flatbread, which I looked up and khobez is just bread in Arabic, but this is a round flatbread) Tried za'tar spice blend Read (or tried to read) a satire Cooked with miso (I've had it, just never cooked with it) ...

 I've been enjoying many new recipes this summer and fall, so here are my latest cooking tips: As much as I love it, there is such a thing as too much olive oil in cooking. You will know when it escapes the pan. Don't add the fresh garlic at the beginning when sauteing. Instead, add it in the last minute for the most fragrance and taste. Experimenting with recipes and putting your own twist on them is tons of fun! Once you have your cooking skills and knowledge, push the envelope of what you can create. Spices are worth the investment. Seriously. It's ok to get out of your comfort zone and try something new. It doesn't have to turn out perfect either. It's even ok if you didn't like it. Garlic powder is better than garlic salt. Fresh minced garlic is even better than garlic powder, but don't feel bad if you're not up to mincing garlic with everything you make. I sure am not. Canned chickpeas are delicious and super versatile. Eat them raw, roasted, saute...

Happy Halloween friends! I'm celebrating this year with carved pumpkins, handing out candy, and dressing up as Rosie the Riveter. My friend is coming over for a while, and I'll get to see the kids in their costumes.  Hippie will also be dressing up. He will be a demon again, because that costume is far too cute to use just once. I do believe that next year we will have to reuse the mermaid costume. Here he is last year on Halloween:

 My work has started doing an annual staff fun day where we'll get together for a day at the end of our year (September) and do something fun instead of work. This year, I'm delighted to report, we went to a culinary school and shaped pasta! As an avid cook and wannabe home chef, this was a perfect day for me, tinged with issues only due to crabby coworkers. But a great day nonetheless. I spent many a moment trying to just soak it in. It started with a tutorial on making the pasta dough, and we got a whole sheet of the recipes we would be making. Eggs, flour, and a little salt mixed together to form a dough. Ours was already rested and rolled, but I still got to cut a sample into spaghetti. We watch the roller go, the got to shape our own. We shaped two varieties: a tube shaped one with ridges that I forgot the name of and orichette, a pasta I was familiar with. We even got to keep the tools used to make them!  Then we learned about three sauces. We didn't actually make the...

 So recently I got a workbook that aims to increase self compassion. Self compassion is about the way your treat yourself in the face of failure, stress, or in times of difficulty ( x ). It is about treating yourself with kindness, humanity, and mindfulness. I wanted to learn more and work on this with myself because of a book I read on intuitive eating. You can take a short quiz here to see where you fall in self compassion.

 This September, while doing something I can't quite remember, I was hit with inspiration: I should make my next goal to try new things. I do goals of the month, and generally some sort of new year's resolution, so I had options. At first I was thinking, "Try one new thing per week," but they I settled on my current goal, "Try as many new things as possible." I'll be honest, I started early. I consider my first "new thing" was an Afghan cooking class at the local library. Yes, our library is that cool. We made bolani, a stuffed flatbread that is fried, and I got to stuff my own with fresh cilantro, shredded potato, and green onion, seasoned with salt, pepper, chilis, and coriander. That was the beginning of this challenge. I plan to continue until the end of the month, and if I like it, I'll make it my New Year's resolution for 2024. Wish me luck as I try new things, and I'll check back in in November with a list of everything that ...