I am a Children’s Librarian living in the Portland, Oregon area. When I am not Children’s Librianing I like to play with cameras and film. I also like playing the ukulele, knitting, sketching, and hiking.
I am currently reading Eat, Pray, Love: One woman’s search for everything across Italy, India, and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert. Actually, I’m listening to it. The book is actually read by Gilbert herself. I am throughly enjoying this book so far. Part of why I may really like this book is because the author is about my age, and while I haven’t experienced exactly what she has experienced in her life, I can relate to many of her thoughts, hopes, and fears. This is refreshing.
Where I am at in the book the author is in Italy for her four month stay. She is staying in Italy to experience pure pleasure just for the sake of pleasure. I like this idea.
I am still reading it but will tell you more about it when I am finished. As I said, I am listening to it and I highly recommend the audio version. The author is a wonderful reader.
I had a glimpse of Spring on my way home from work a few days ago this week. It was raining and I walked by a house where I saw these beautiful crocuses growing. It was so nice to see flowers and color again after such a long winter.
O.K. I apologize in advance if I get all ranty and bitchy. I’ll tell you right now, I am in a baad mood.
So. I woke up this morning and this is what I am greeted with. Snow. On the first day of spring. Just last evening I was joyous when I saw these lovelies popping up out of the ground during a nice rain. I was so happy to see actual flowers. Beautiful colors! Finally! After such a long, cold, gray winter. And then this! More snow! And on the first day of spring. Universe? What are you trying to do to me?
And if that weren’t enough, I went out to my car to go to work, already running a little late. And what do I see? Someone’s wrecked car parked in my driveway. Blocking me in. Oh, they left a note on it. Telling me to kindly leave the car there because in the morning they were going to have it towed. Well, it’s morning. And it isn’t towed. And some of us have to work. I don’t know. My husband is way nicer than me. I was going to call the police to see if there was some kind of ordinance against this but he won’t let me. “The guy wrecked his car” he says. “At least he left a note and a phone number.” I, on the other hand, am not so gracious. Pissed, is more like it. It simply was not cool for this person to do this. Could he not park on one of the many side streets in the neighborhood? He could have pushed his car a couple of feet and parked in front our house! I would have helped him had he simply knocked on my door!
Did you listen to Barack Obama’s speech this morning? I have to say, it kind of blew me away. I was kind of on the fence between Obama and Clinton (veering a bit more toward Obama). But after that speech, my full support is with Obama. I have never heard a politician speak so frankly and openly about an issue that is so apparent in our culture today, and that gets swept under the rug time and time again. We, as a country, needed (and need) to hear this. Race is still a touchy subject in this country. But it can’t be ignored and it is so refreshing to hear a politician actually address it. And in such a real way. Not a dodgey way.
I also liked that he didn’t turn his back on his pastor. He didn’t condone his comments but I like that he said that he couldn’t turn his back on him either. Here is the quote:
As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me. He strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptized my children. Not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms, or treat whites with whom he interacted with anything but courtesy and respect. He contains within him the contradictions – the good and the bad – of the community that he has served diligently for so many years.
I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother – a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.
These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love.
I don’t know. I just really respect him for saying this. Like I said, it’s real.
Oh, and while your clicking around, stop by Frank’s blog to check out this awesome impromptu photo that was taken before the big speech. Frank pointed out some very telling things about the photo, but I would like to add this: Check out how happy the kids are! That says a lot to me, as well.
Hi! I’ve had a weird day. It’s been one of those days where you are really busy but don’t get anything done, really. And then all of a sudden the day is over. And you still have a bunch of stuff to do.
And on top of all of that I didn’t get my walk in. We have been walking this nice little 3 mile loop around downtown Spokane on the Centennial trail. It’s been very nice and pleasant. Except today. We walked about 100 yards and there were some really strange kids up to no good. And I know that makes me sound old. But they were really up to no good. Some of them had thier faces painted all over in black or green. They were next this railroad bridge, looking like they were going to graffiti it. Which really, I could care less about. Except they were kind of harassing us as we walked by them, asking us if we smoked dope and then getting kind of weird and aggressive about it. their behavior really kind of bothered us so we decided to circle around and got back to the car. And then at that point we weren’t in the mood for a walk anymore. So here I am at home posting a Crafty Monday entry.
So here is what I am working on. It’s my Fire project for Project Spectrum. I still have a loong way to go on it but I’m trying to stay positive. This is the Large Rectangle with Diamond Pattern (or something like that) shawl from Victorian Lace today.
I am currently reading Eat, Pray, Love: One woman’s search for everything across Italy, India, and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert. Actually, I’m listening to it. The book is actually read by Gilbert herself. I am throughly enjoying this book so far. Part of why I may really like this book is because the author is about my age, and while I haven’t experienced exactly what she has experienced in her life, I can relate to many of her thoughts, hopes, and fears. This is refreshing.
