What kind of blog is this? I haven't posted for months.

I am still writing, pen on paper in the mornings and at other times. I got myself a desk from Target, which I love so much. I have a place for all my pens and inks and a box of writing topics. I like to keep it clear, just my space. It's nice and inviting when there's nothing in the way, no barrier to just sitting down and writing.

How about some knitting? I stopped putting up pictures of finished objects when I was doing so much Christmas knitting, but I finished that all in time and I've finished several things in the meantime. That means I can have a lot of posts about all these...

So I've gotten back into writing (I hate to admit it, but I did stop for awhile) and it's going good, digging deeper, getting more confident. I have written nearly everyday. Earlier this week though, I was mad that I had to go to work and do dumb projects that a monkey could do. I felt as though I was TOTALLY! WASTING! MY! VALUABLE! TIME!. But I realize that while I don't want to always being doing this job, it's not that bad, and they gave me the job because I wanted it. I applied for it, I show up every day and expect a paycheck every two weeks, I have to take my lumps, too.

I have plans to set up a desk in the second bedroom for writing. I think I can find a reasonably cheap one at a Goodwill or someplace, and maybe spend a little time refurbishing it. TLC. By making some room for writing in my life I hope to be able to keep at it.

Yet another source of inspiration* was digging out my old notebooks from high school where I took Creative Writing with Ann Staley.

This has been too long coming. This is something that has been weighing on my mind. I get to a point in my life of not-writing and I go back into writing, I make myself write again. I return again to writing to fulfill a long-held desire to BE A WRITER, to WRITE and come to terms with this urge.

And every time I start writing again, I quickly get to a point where I need to go deeper into Writing, to become writing doing writing. I need to become a vessel, without ego. I have been journaling, reflecting and thinking through my days so far, but I need to break away from this self-awareness.

There's more inside. It's not good or bad. Judgment gets in the way at this stage, so I haven't reread anything from this latest batch of writing (except this little piece). Not good or bad, just more, so much more; there's more to be uncovered, unearthed, discovered.

I need to take my time and let myself fall into the physical act of writing, to let go of judgment. I feel the need to get lost in my writing in order to keep going for the long term. I need to go deeper to internalize the rhythm and inject writing into my pulse, my breath, my waking and sleeping, and my walking through the world.

I can't be the first person who noticed this, but I got some holiday stamps today. The new holiday design is called "Holiday Knits', little Christmas sweater pictures.

(from the USPS website, used without permission)

I don't condone those busy, crazy, jingly sweaters, but I thought these were a cute idea for stamps, at least.

I'm still adjusting to actually being here in Portland. The weather is grey and cold and not very much like the sunny Bay Area we left behind. I'm a native, I should stop my whining. I walked to the post office this afternoon in the rain to send off some stash yarn to a woman in Beaverton who contacted me via Ravelry.

She wanted to swap the yarn I had left over from Trellis for something our of her stash. I get to get rid of leftovers and get some cool new sock yarn! Win-win for me, I think. I love being able to rid of leftovers. Finding some little project that uses up those remaining bits is very satisfying.

Anyway, I had put off going to the post office all morning when it was partly sunny--had to catch up with my feed reader, had to download the new Stash and Burn--and then when I finally had had lunch and gotten dressed, it's raining. Mope. Frowny face. I had wanted to knit while I was walking (Christmas knitting, you know), but it's hard to do that while holding an umbrella.

Anyhow, I am enjoying the flip side of this cold, wet weather: being cozy and warm at home. This is a heart-warming photo from this last week, the Thanksgiving pies.