First of all--
I am reading 'Writing Down the Bones' by Natalie Goldberg--and I love it.
There's no real way to plan anything specific with this book since i am skipping here and there and reading along as I go--and working on things as I go.
But I do plan to read the entire book and work within the parameters as they are presenting.
Speaking of--my beautiful pen arrived today. I do recommend Ink Flows--the pens are beautiful--and the workmanship is lovely. I will admit it took me a few minutes to figure out how to get the ink working and flowing--but thankfully there is good information to be had online--if you can bear to wade through all the garbage that comes up before you get to the good stuff. (You just pop the cartridge in until it is perforated.)
Tomorrow I am going to go find something specifically for my writing--a particular kind of binder. I've already ordered my brown ink.
I did however get written down a great deal of the stuff that has lately been flowing through my brain--and I really think Natalie is helping me dig some things out. So it's a good thing.
If nothing else this is the closest to writing out 'The Fifth Realm' as I have come since late 1999-early 2000.
Also on my to do list for --some time this year--and the early part of this year--is to decide on what order and then work my way through --'the vein of gold', and 'the complete artist's way', all by Julia Cameron --for those of you who don't know, 'The Complete Artist's Way' consists of three books (two of which I already owned before I bought this) 'The Artist's Way', 'Walking In This World', and 'Finding Water'.
And for some reason this reminds me to locate my final copy (at one point I had 3 because every time I see this book I buy it) 'Everyday Sacred' by Sue Bender. I like to flip through and read bits and pieces of it when I need some inspiration. And yes, I have read it, several times, and it never fails to touch me when I pick it up, even to just flip through it.
I guess I need to work up a schedule for these books and stick with it.
I am not very motivated in the winter--I really do just want to curl up and hide til spring.
But I have ideas to chase--and sooner or later I'll be able to sit in front of my fireplace with a nice fire burning (fake or otherwise--and now we really can just pop the dvd into the player and let it play--I don't like that it flips from scene to scene to scene--the noises are not fluid enough for my liking--I love the sound of fires burning--but if you spin me through 6+ fires in a short period of time it's unnerving for me--it breaks up my concentration) with my notebook on my lap and just --write. And breathe. And be. And look over at my kids and just enjoy their presences.
I also need to pull out my art/drawing books again and start the lessons over and see how far I can progress until I can find a class here that I can take. Add that to my list of goals.
Something else I have been kicking around for months and months now that I keep hemming and hawing on (wait til I get my stash all in one place! well, for the most part it is now--although now my excuse is I have the kids stuff all over the den as I sort it out and wait for things still in storage to get here--like the little bookcases--I am so not buying one more big bookcase--even though we could absolutely use it at this point)-- I have 'A First Book Of Knitting For Children' and 'Knitting For Children A Second Book' by Bonnie Gosse and Jill Allerton. These are Waldorf--or maybe Waldorf 'inspired' knitting books to help kids learn to knit--and they are great little tomes, full of simple and remarkable projects. I want to knit every single project in both these books--at least every toy in case they have sweaters or something in them--it's been awhile since I have gone through them. I want to make the people and the gnomes--I want to make the horses and the dogs and the cats. My kids have so many toys that I am often unwilling to make toys simply because there are already so many toys here.
Right now my den is only half full of the kids' toys--we have actually sorted out enough that the bulk of the toys have been put away in the respective bedrooms--neatly too (usually) -- I have puzzles and stuffed animals yet to go through--and my dd1 needs to get her stuff yet--her jewelry and polly pocket type doll clothes or whatever that covers the one part of the floor.
But--stuffed animals can always be donated to one shelter or another--so I am not too overwhelmed there. There are certain toys that must stay based on when they were bought and why. (Like the blue elephant which is the very first toy E ever picked out for N before he was bourn -- they were already whacking each other at this point--so I was not too far from delivery).
I want my den back--and I will have it back--by my birthday (end of February)--I am not an overly ambitious person--and I can walk away form the clutter there until the mood hits me. Once the mood hits me that place will be clean.
I also plan to have my file cabinets full--paperwork sorted and taken care of--by my birthday.
I have to do the toys before I start the paperwork.
Other goals--for my 'birthday' we are getting a tv--whatever sort of whatever. This old one of my sister's has been great--but it needs to retire.
I am upgrading my desktop pc. That's a definite. A new laptop (sans the 'home' key) is a maybe at the moment--all I really need is access to the internet and word processing there. I just want this mac pos to go away. I never know when something will or won't work with the mac--and alot of the stuff I have been wanting to do lately--NOT mac compatible. It's extremely frustrating. We will see if the upgrading of the one desktop pc works enough to negate the need to buy a full new desktop pc--if it does--the new laptop is a sure thing.
The only other thing I really want--is a spinning wheel. At this point I don't even have to be able to touch it or use it or anything. I just want it here for when I am ready to use it. So I am pushing the spinning wheel back to Winter Solstice for me again.
Other than that--the trip in March to finally bring home the very last of everything else that might possibly belong to us in anyway--so that I never again have to stop in mid-stride and think I have one of these--but it's in WV at dad's.
My other goals this year are easy. If I am not married by year's end--I will be engaged.
And if I do not give birth some time this year, I will be pregnant by the end of this year.
The only other thing we mean to do is to get a video camera--because dd1 has requested it--and although she will NOT be getting it for her birthday or any other holiday simply because her cousin got one for christmas--it will be for the family. Period.
I am again iffy on the whole WII issue. I am not the only one I've spoken to with the complaints about how the wii fit teaches improper technique--and not even about yoga--a chiropractor I know has griped about the yoga too--although she will still recommend it for some people because it is better than nothing.
I liked atari games, way back when, although I was never really that into them--and only some of them. I never was a big pacman fan. I don't like video games--I just never have--there is an overload of information and it makes my head hurt. I have never understood the fascination--I have never wanted to escape reality that much--if I wanted to escape reality--there were drugs and alcohol--but I had no need to surrender to a complete fantasy the way I see most people doing. I actually prefer interacting with people than machines--and for me to say that--hating the majority of people as I do--that says something. I am cool with watching other people play certain games--I certainly put in enough time watching stupid people play 'doom' for years--and if I ever see another golf game or flight simulator I may hurt someone--but I truly see no benefit for having that stuff in my home.
Adding to my unwillingness to compromise--we all got up early this morning--and we all watched Saturday morning cartoons with the antennae on the tv--two local channels worth of cartoons--from 7a to about 1p. If this is the crap wii will bring into my home--I'd prefer to burn my house down and have nothing--I feel this strongly about the level of complete trash I saw this morning. Although I personally cannot actually view more than 10 minutes or so of this movie because the vapid stupidity -- I really think more people should watch the movie "Idiocracy"
It's really coming, people. The stupid are ringing the planet now--it's only a matter of time before they inherit it.
What was the last book you read? Do you know the difference between Manet and Monet? What was George Sand's true name? Do you really know what made Coco Chanel famous? What country was Eugenia queen of and when? And given where I come from--was 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' a true story when it was written? What can you tell me about Dorothy Parker--other than that Prince put her in a song? This is only a sampling. And yep, I may have to look up the spelling of George Sand's real last name--but I do know it--and I do know the answers to all these other questions as well (I always did prefer Manet anyway--but that's just me).
Hint--I was reading Anais Nin's diaries at the age of 16--I had read her erotica at 13 or so. I read--alot--and I prefer older books that aren't dumbed down for the masses--and I always have. I am not an idiot. Far far from it. And I have never stopped working to educate myself on one level or another.
Oh--and a reminder to myself--I need to do the research to find the current Waldorf Teacher Certification curriculum programs. I will have this training done before my youngest children are too much older--and no, I have no real desire to teach in a school. But that has never stopped me from taking the training for anything--I knew I wouldn't do massage within the 1st three months of attending massage school --I really hate stupid people-- I knew when I started the training I would not teach Yoga, or children's Yoga, or meditation--didn't stop me from doing it though--I did the same for legal secretary, medical office assistant and several other things my resume refuses to reveal. :-) As I said--just because I have dated men who thought I was inferior doesn't mean I am inferior--far far from it.
Thank you.
I am going to bed now--I took off work early tonight and I probably will not be logging in for long tomorrow either. Although we'll see--I know there are people waiting to talk to me--which is why I logged off early tonight--I couldn't keep dealing with the stupidity (it was that very first call of the day that did it--will you please get over your stupidity and just move out--please--you are the most insecure and ludicrous person I have ever had to deal with and were it up to me I would not have spoken to you ever again after that first time I spoke to you originally--I do not deal with people like you in my own personal business--I refer people like you to professional medical and psychiatric help--which I have done to you repeatedly--until you said you just couldn't deal with hearing it anymore.....)
Ciao.
