k-brow: right action, right thought

Spice, spice, baby. I love these colors, sambal oelek, and chinese mustard from our dim sum lunch the other week.

Fall is here. Even here in Nuuanu, which is as verdantly green as ever. But there's been a delicate nip to the air the past couple of days, and the vog has blown off. It just feels fresher. This time always catches me by surprise; I find myself looking for fall leaves, and instead smelling ripening guavas on the trees in my neighborhood. Dissonance aside, I'm happy.

The mojo, it is gone. I'm suffering a bout of tendinitis, in both wrists (it seems to alternate) and along with the little twinges, totally lack the desire and drive to knit. I do a row or two a night on the Chevron Scarf, or one of Minimalist's sleeves, and call it done. I am spindling, though. Probably what's triggering the aches and pains in my wrists, but I'm compelled to do it anyway. I spun up the rest of the yummy cafe latte colonial that I got from Ms. Opal, over a year ago, and am plying it with some of the Devil's Own yarn, in hopes that it might make more than the sum of its parts. Meh. But fun, nevertheless. Was wondering what I wanted to do with my yarn, since I have an ample stash and am none too pleased with my spinning. I think I will always be a pretend spinner. I voiced this to Opal and Arianna the other week and I got the chorus of "Oh keep your handspun, your early spinning!" And so I will. At some point, I'll be able to look at it, and hopefully see where I've improved.

The 5th graders' honeymoon is over. It's all hormones and attitudes, now. Stink-eye, rolled eyes or teary eyes. I'm told, by wiser upper-grade teachers than I, that "oh that's 5th grade for you." Drama, drama, drama. I pretty much treat behavior and social relations as another subject in the curriculum. But it takes its toll. My friend Clary and I used to joke about wanting to just yell at kids and adults "Just act right, dammit!" Funny. I still want to yell that.

I share this link with you, to what I consider to be a progressive, levelheaded, sanity-saving take on the upcoming Big Decision For Our Nation: Lunaea Weatherstone is a priestess, teacher and artist, who keeps a blog, commenting on the spiritual and the mundane. I've fallen prey, recently, to that fear and obsession over the current political situation, and appreciate the chance to stop and reframe some of where it's coming from. At work, the other day, the Techie and I were talking about how quickly we give away our power sometimes, especially when that power flows from a place of hopefulness. I don't want to drown in my fears and misgivings about the McCain-Palin ticket, and the current media field day. I think it's time to just not go there; focus on what work I can do for the upcoming election. To that end, I'm participating in some phone banking work over on the Windward side, for the local elections. I'm also going to take Lunaea's advice on putting my energy, prayers and workings into hopes for change.

Beyond that, little mojo. Cooking. Teaching. Surviving. One. step. at. a. time. I feel the temptation for a hiatus, but wonder if I called one, if I'd ever come back?