Wonderful instructional videos on YouTube. One of my all-time favorites: Oftroy

Hopefully, your computer, dear 2.5 readers, will be able to play these videos posted by Helen of New York, NY (Queens, I think) - Oftroy on ravelry and on YouTube. If she hasn't already been, she should be dubbed the Queen of Cast-Ons because her instructional videos are just wonderful. This one is not titled, it was taught to her by a Russian lady in her building. And it's actually a really good cast-on. I strongly urge you to subscribe to her videos on YouTube because she's quite good!



And this one is just awesome:


Well, dear readers, another Sunday and yours truly has been too lazy to go to anyone's church. It's funny, but for a number of reasons, I feel that the last couple of weeks it's been a good thing to stay away. I love my church and the people in it, but I've had to do some personal introspection that sadly required my absence - and I didn't realize that until I got up to get ready to go this morning, but next week I have to be there because I'm subbing for someone doing a reading - which is a good thing:)

John and I were going to go see Danny's play this afternoon, but he just couldn't do 2 hours of sleep and Dan was OK with it - we'll see him this evening at dinner.

Some of this introspection has gotten me thinking about how self-destructive I can be. I've let so much of what I love to do slide and I've not been watching what I've been eating. Not good. I need to care for myself no matter what externals are going on because if you don't take care of yourself, for whom can one care? So... I've gotten a membership at the Y. Now's the time to use it, so for days when I don't have court, I will. I also need to get back to practicing flute and start to really learn the violin, however slowly. Think my issue is I want results now; I want perfection now and that's rather infantile. Like the "fiddly" cast-on above, anything worthwhile is worth waiting waiting and working for.

OK, so I'm giving myself a little sermon and pep talk, but sometimes one needs to take care of one's Self and the past year has not been good for this Self for a number of reasons I have not been able to really articulate, at least not in a public forum. Nor would I want to. Some things are just nobody's business and that's OK. But again, if I don't snap out of this soon, I will fall prey to serious depression and I don't want to do that.

Autumn has always been my favorite season; even though some truly sad things have happened in my life in autumn, it remains the time of year for deep thought, introspection, excitement, anticipation. Maybe it's the chill in the air, the vibrant fall foliage colors, and the holidays following so closely one after the other and maybe it's the way our originally agricultural society works: harvest home, homecoming occuring in the fall. Whatever the reason, I am looking forward to it. One theme of Autumn has been the cycle of aging, change, even death - and for many the increasingly shorter days portend this. But death and change and maturation are not necessarily bad things. The subtext of modern life says these things are to be avoided because we are so afraid of aging and death and because we have made such a cult of youth, but change and dying to one's Self can be a part of that process that makes us better, more interesting human beings. If I believe that my life has meaning and a purpose, then it's my job to (as best I can) to figure out what that is. And then - like a pilot - to act accordingly, making thousands of modification as I gather more "data" (or go off course for some reason).

"They" say - and I do believe this - that the darkest hours are just before dawn. (Hmmm think I heard that in a song somewhere, LOL). And so I wait, perhaps in darkness made even darker by the brilliant sunshine and warmth and the family that surrounds my life. But I wait with expectation - and I do not wait alone.

Until next time, dear readers, God be with you 'til we meet again.

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