Who's been using my tools?

I got up nice and early so I could start a new project while everyone else was sleeping. Cleaned off my sewing table, ironed fabric, then discovered that my rotary cutter is so incredibly blunt it can only dent the cloth, not cut through a single thread. It was cutting just fine last time I used it. Maybe the mysterious Vegemite thief has been playing with my tools.

::: sigh ::: I will have to wait till the stores open so I can buy a new blade.

Even the dark won’t stop you

how to climb a mountain
Make no mistake. This will be an exercise in staying vertical.
Yes, there will be a view, later, a wide swath of open sky,
but in the meantime: tree and stone. If you’re lucky, a hawk will
coast overhead, scanning the forest floor. If you’re lucky,
a set of wildflowers will keep you cheerful. Mostly, though,
a steady sweat, your heart fluttering indelicately, a solid ache
perforating your calves. This is called work, what you will come to know,
eventually and simply, as movement, as all the evidence you need to make
your way. Forget where you were. That story is no longer true.
Level your gaze to the trail you’re on, and even the dark won’t stop you.
– by Maya Stein

March 24

I do not remember eating the last of the Vegemite. In fact, I could have sworn the jar was half full last time I looked. Could there, in fact, be another Vegemite eater in the household? Or is someone messing with me?

March 23

Those who know what an intact sewing machine needle looks like will recognize that these fragments do not add up to the whole needle. Which means that another piece of it is most probably lurking inside my machine, waiting to mangle delicate cogs and such. Not cool.

New York, New York

Sometimes you really do get what you want. Last weekend, the girl got what she had been dreaming of for years ... a trip to New York.

After my business was done, it was all about what she wanted to do. Broadway (Billy Elliot -- fabulous!), Juilliard (she has aspirations!), Radio City Music Hall (the Stage Door Tour is really cool, do it!), 5th Ave stores (yawn), Central Park, Times Square, Lady Liberty. Sadly, there was little time for my preferences (art museums, fabric shopping) but I did get to walk the High Line for the first time.

Rowing in Central Park was fun. The weather was glorious. She got blisters from the oars, but persevered anyway. I like that about her.

After seeing Billy Elliot, we came upon an impromptu dance party in the subway. The Meetles were playing old Beatles classics. A couple of people started dancing. I was maybe the fifth to join in. Soon 20 or 30 of us were dancing, while a crowd sang and clapped and filmed. Lauren refused to dance, but she pulled out the camera. It was kinda fabulous.

You can tell from this photo she is way too mature and classy for spontaneous expressions of dance in subways. Even though she is, allegedly, a dancer. Oh well, I had fun :-)

March 14

Lauren + me + Lola + Lynne (Lo/Ly) spent the day at Dana Point, enjoying a sunny spring day by the ocean.

First we christened the picnic blanket I made Lo/Ly for Christmas, then Lauren and I went out whale watching while the others slumbered on the beach.


We saw California Grey Whales and a Fin Whale and a large pod of dolphins. We felt bad about chasing after the whales, as they were obviously trying to avoid the paparazzi. But the dolphins -- well, they seem to love the attention. What fabulous creatures!

I'm so happy that we went. Whale watching has been on my list for years.

Now I'm thinking ahead to my birthday early next month, and wondering what else I might do off my list that day (and the following weekend). I'll be home alone, so my options are wide open.

March 1

A big box of baby love is on its way to a new mama-to-be.