Lucien

So today I went to my a.m. yoga class. Lotsa fun working on sirsasana. One of these days I'll get over myself and not worry about tumbling backwards and knocking the other yogis over like so many dominoes. Yeah. Someday. In twenty years :)

Our teacher did the triangle to extended hand to big toe posture move again. And at the same time said "This is for CV!" I'm .... uh .... flattered?

**
I'm a little over half way through with Lost Ilusions. I do so love books of this period. Perhaps it's the endless Barbara Cartland's I read when I was in the fourth grade,with their psuedo histironic historcalness. I'm having such a good time that after picking up Trilby and The Black Tulip (meanwhile admiring an absolutely fabulous Hanuman statue) I went back on Sunday for Parisian Sketches by JK Huysmans and Sketches by Boz by Charles Dickens.
***

NaNoWriMo is in November and I'm thinking of participating****CV

poetry and motion

Trilby, George du Maurier. It would seem that this is the story which started the phrase to "Svengali" someone. This is a fin d' siecle tale in which an artist's model becomes the focus and obsession of a man whose mesmeric and occult influence transforms her into a musical star. I came across this treasure while searching for Daphne D'Maurier :)

The Black Tulip, Alexandre Dumas. Shorter than the Three Musketeers but filled with intrigue and espionage this time combining the seventeenth century fascination for tulips with the mysterious murders of two Dutch statesman.

I am now on book two of Lost Illusions. Lucien and Louise are rapidly becoming disenchanted with each other ever since they left the country and entered Paris societee. There is a scene in book one in which Balzac describes the elite of L'Hommeau as they enter Louise's salon. It would seem that personal relationships and peoples treatment of each other has not changed all that much between 1827 and 2006.

**
In class today we were instructed to move from trikonasana into uthitahastapadagusthasnana.
Ummmm and how exactly? I wondered. So afterward I asked for a demonstration.

Ideas anyone? We were instructed to start from triangle, reach for our back foot and thus enter extended hand to foot posture. ***CV

Dumas

Today I succumbed. I was feeling a little miffed over a very trivial incident so to make myself feel better I walked down to the local independent and bought The Three Musketeers. Yep. Seven hundred + pages of feel better :).

While leafing through the introduction I realized that Dumas is going to be quite a contrast to Balzac. Balzac is a realist writer, very much into details of place and physical appearance. (This is proved by the last three pages I read of The Two Poets in which he describes the paper making process using linen rags versus cotton and all the whys and wherefores).

Apparently Dumas wrote action so well the background vanished, if it even existed to begin with.

This should be fun.
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I also sent off my last SP8 package***CV

honore

I printed out a list of all of Balzac's works the other night. I had to downsize the font to get it onto two pages (yikes!). However I now have a check off sheet which makes me happy.

I started Lost Illusions the other day. Balzac's brief experience as a printer is very apparent in the first of three stories. According to the intorduction to this volume George Sands makes an appearance as a character in one of the other stories. As a realist Balzac drew upon all his experiences when writing. Which explains his mysterious Polish beauties :)

**
Handwork has been paused for a while. Starting a new year, bank issues and life in general has not been conducive to getting much other than the essentials taken care of. Maybe that 's why reading is happening. And the recent coffee addiction.

I have been managing my early morning practices though.***CV

hero anti-hero villain anti-villain

I am so loving The Chouans. Just when I think I know what is going to happen, whsssh! Balzac saves the day: Oh ho so that means ..... whssssh! There goes the carpet from under my feet. I have only 10 more pages to go and I still don't know if it will end well or not, or for whom.

Further, I'm not sure who is really the villain and who the hero. Seems rather like real life.

This is great! :)***CV

random reading

While I love a good reading challenge I'd just like to say I feel so freeeeee! Today I stopped at the shrine of all things book and with nary a thought as to what I "should" be reading picked up two new Balzacs (Lost Illusions and Selected Works) and two new Nabokovs (The Gift and Laughter in the Dark).

I have almost finished The Chouans and am very curious if the Marie of this story is the same Marie in another volume of La Comedie Humaine. My confusion arises as this current MArie appears to be Republican and the other Marie was a Royalist.
**
In knitting I found a new link to knitting two socks on four needles. I used to have a link I got through KTC but that one (Two Cats and a Girl) now hooks up to some kind of Disney trip Package site. Oddly enough this new site makes more sense in the pattern to me than the old one did. No I haven't tried it with yarn I just tried the visualising part.

'Course it helps that the new Knitty has an article on it too ;)***CV

making the world wonderful

I've been rereading many of my NVC books lately. NVC is a communication method formalized by Marshall Rosenberg and stands for Non Violent Communication. It is sometimes called Giraffe language (the giraffe is the land mammal with the largest heart).

It really is a wonderful tool. It's not easy to use all the time but so helpful none the less. There are essentially four steps: state what you observe, state how you feel as a result, state your need, make a request.

What I especially like is that simply because one makes a request it is not an all or nothng situation. Both parties get heard and have their needs met. Does this involve compromise? Yes and no :) It's a compromise if one must possess all but not a compromise if one is cooperating to meet everyones needs.
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In other news I picked up Rupert Thomson's, The Insult today ;) (Yes, I do see the potential irony)****CV

java jive

Overheard at the 24 hour cafe.

Worker 1 (as she leaves for the day after consulting with the schedule): I work hard for the money

Worker 2 (doing the Mr. Robot dance and giggling to himself): So hard for it Honey

Customer: But only in Summer time.

***CV

kismet rag

Ragtime has got to be one of the quickest means of cheering a person up (or maybe that's only me :) When ever I listen to Scott Joplin I have keystone cops, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Chaplin and the '20s crew at my directorial discretion.
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I've started attending early morning practices and it's wonderful so far, I only hope I can keep it up. Crack o'dawn is my, given the choice, going to sleep time.
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I went to the bank today to figure out was going on. I do so prefer face to face conversations and I was fortunate that I could leave work early. Apparently one of the processing departments is becoming very particular about dealing with paperwork. Interestingly enough after the asst. manager and I reached a resolution, I asked if it was possible that the department would have tried to contact me (phone, email, letter). He said, not likely.

I've been a customer for 9 years. I'd like to remain but with this kind of thing happening I may just start researching alternatives.
****
In cheerier news i received my information for the Nancy Bush Sock seminar:)*****CV

Oh I did one of those which Greek/Roman mythical figure are you and I was Orpheus. Hmmm didn't he get shredded by some rather drunk individuals? On the other hand, Cocteau's Orphee is fabulous :)

wheels of....

Yesterday I got the best back to school gift ;) Something to learn from, something to spend my first Saturday of the school week lazily devouring, something aromatic, and something giggly. Marie of A Knit's Tale sent me a felting kit with plant dyed wools and needles:) I don't know how to felt: something fun to learn! She also sent me Dark Lord of Derkholm to add to my growing collection of Diana Wynne Jones books. Also, a lovely, lovely sampling of amber incense with an absolutely beautiful amber coloured leaf incense holder which I stared at for far to long: it's soooo pretty. And my favorite, if I could choose a favorite which I can't but if I had, to then the spider book mark. It was the first thing I saw and made me laugh out loud. S/he's sooo cute I don't know if I could bear to use shim and possibly lose shim.

Thank you Marie :):) I'm sad Neil is coming on a weeknight. I would LOVE to see him in Berkeley or Menlo Park. I expect a full report ;)
***

*sigh* Then the bank decided that I didn't really deposit my pay cheque, which I thought I had done last THURSDAY. What!!

I did exactly what I have done my entire 20 year working career and NOW they tell me it's the wrong thing to do. So apparently I need to go talk in person to the bank where I made my deposit (when? I work those hours) after I receive my cheque back in the mail. So Friday? Saturday?

But that's Okay, according to the helpful CSR (when I explained I had checks coming through and groceries to buy), because I have overdraft: so please go ahead and charge up a storm we'll only charge you an additional overdraft fee every time you do purchase something.

I need that spider to make me laugh now. Hmmm, maybe I could felt a voodoo dolly? While waiting at the bank? ***CV

kareoke sailor

Aaaah. Labor Day weekend. A time of bbqs, trips to the beach, seeing lots of movies and Kareoke in the back yard! No. Not my backyard. The backyard of my house neighbor.

So tell me: does one really need a mic for an area no bigger than 500 sqaure feet? A yard in which normal conversation can be heard by someone in an apartment four floors up?

Apparently one does. Kareoke starts at 7. I leave my apartment at 9 ' cause it's going into third rounds (perhaps an attempt at a choral?). I go to the 24hour cafe and order an iced coffee (heavy, heavy on the soy) and take my book to an outside table, turn on the discman and am happy, happy :)

Well, maybe not as happy as the man who was trying to find the sleeve to his suit jacket. At least he put his drink down first. Maybe he was a sailor on leave? He was walking as if he hadn't found his land legs yet. I'm really glad he didn't walk into the parked truck, it was close though. I hope he made it home. *****CV

finis

(SRC/P) Piers the Ploughman, William Langland (315pp) Another good title would be How to Sleep Your Way to Heaven, but I guess in our culture moderne that title would be misconstrued. Man I like to sleep but I don't know if everytime I fell asleep some medieval virtue came to speak with me if I would like to sleep as much as I do now. What I really enjoyed about this tale aside from the really catchy names, was how mnemonic it was. If you knew this tale from beginning to end then you would be a very well versed (heheh) person indeed.

(SRC/P) Storm Thief, Chris Wooding (310pp) This is another by the author of The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray and Poison, both of which I read earlier this year (Poison is a part of the challenge list). I think Wooding is finding his voice, or I am finding his later voice more pleasurable. In The Haunting... there was a lot of stuff going on. It was good but overwhelming. Poison ended somewhat predictably. Storm Thief is like Orwell meets the Terminator meets Noah's Ark: in a good way.

(SRC/P) The Aleph and Other Stories, JL Borges (210pp) Ah Borges :) I once told how Borges mentioned that writing a review of a book rather than the book itself was so much more practical, and time saving. In this collection of stories he takes that thought and applies it to history. Throughout these stories that are asterixs , which in most writing indicates footnotes. Not so here. Stories have the look of fact but none of the substance. Delightful! I always thought history texts should be viewed skeptically.

(SRC/P) Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman Haruki Murakami (334pp) Can I just say that this came out on the last days of the challenge. What a fabulous way to end it :) Spaghetti, cryptic comments, 100%s, cats, neverending corridors, wells, swimming pools and absurdity. Thank you Haruki :) I promise to avoid all crab restaurants in the future.
***
Now I can read the Historian (yes Carrie it's in paperback now) in peace***CV

SRC/P complete

(SRC/P)The Messenger, Lois Lowry (169pp)
(SRC/P) Ten Nights of Dream; Hearing Things; The Heredity of Taste, Soeseki Natsume(203pp)
(SRC/P) Invitation to a Beheading, Vladmir Nabokov (223pp)
(SRC/P) Goodbye Tsugami, Banana Yoshimoto (186pp)
(SRC/P) The Eye, Vladmir Nabokov (104pp)
(SRP) The Wrong Side of Paris, Honore Balzac (208pp)
(SRP/C) Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte (337pp)
(SRC/P) Bad Seed, Ian Johnston (305pp)
(SRC/P) Elementals, AS Byatt (230pp)
(SRC/P) the Giver, Lois Lowry (179pp)
(SRC/P) Strandloper, Alan Garner (2oopp)
(SRC/P) Moominvalley in November, Tove Jansson (175pp)
(SRC/P) Thebes at War, Naguib Mahfouz (242pp)
(SRC/P) Love and Longing in Bombay, Vikram Chandra (268pp)
(SRC/P) The Book of Atrix Wolfe, Patricia McKillip (247pp)
(SRC/P) the Wild Ass's Skin, Honore Balzac (285 pp)
(SRC/P) Poison, Chris Wooding (273 pp)
(SRC/P) The Monk, Matthew Lewis (442 pp)
sub total 18 books and 4,276pp as of July 2, 2006
***
SRC/P) Asleep, Banana Yoshimoto (177pp)
(SRC/P) A Kingdom Divided, Rupert Thomson (336pp)
(SRC/P) Liquor, Poppy Brite (339pp)
(SRC/P) Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words, Jay Rubin (289pp)
(SRC/P) The Book of Revelation, Rupert Thomson (260pp)
(SRC/P) The Empire of Ice Cream, Jeffrey Ford (319pp)
(SRC/P) One Thousand and One Ghosts, Alexandre Dumas (156pp).
(SRP) The Tarot Cafe, Sang-Sun Park (176pp) manga
(SRC/P) Anansi Boys, Neil Gaiman (334pp)
(SRC/P) When Fox is a Thousand, Larissa Lai (236pp)(SRC/P) Coram Boy, Jamila Gavin (328pp)
(SRC/P) The Sunbird, Elizabeth E. Wein (184pp)(SRC/P) Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones (380pp)
(SRC/P) The Perilous Gard, Elizabeth Marie Pope (280pp)
(SRC/P) Look at the Harlequins, Vladmir Nabakov (253pp)(SRC/P) The Shadow of the Wind, Carlos Ruiz Zafon (487pp)
(SRC/P) Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, Christopher Moore (444pp)
(SRC/P) The Lust lizard of Melancholy Cove, Christopher Moore (304pp)
(SRC/P) Something Rotten, Jasper Fforde (383pp)
(SRC/P) Uncle Silas, Sheridan LeFanu (444pp)
(SRC/P) Leave it to Psmith, PG Wodehouse (328pp)*
(SRC/P) A Perfect Red, Amy Butler Greenfield (338pp)*
(SRC/P) A Passage to India (362pp)*
For a 2nd subtotal of: 23 books and 7,137ppTotal to date: 41 books and 11,413
***
(SRC/P) Deep Secret, Diane Wynne Jones (375pp)
(SRC/P) Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town, Cory Doctorow (315pp)
SRC/P) Soft!, Rupert Thomson (307pp)
(SRC/P) Dogsbody, Diana Wynne Jones (261pp)
(SRC/P) Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov (317pp)
(SRC/P) Ada, or Ardor, Vladimir Nabokov (606pp)
(SRC/P) New Moon, Stephenie Meyer (563pp)
(SRC/P) Amrita, Banana Yoshimoto (366pp)
(SRP) Lupin III vol.II, Monkey Punch (179pp)
(SRP) Lupin III vol. I, Monkey Punch (190pp)
(SRC/P) Miss Wyoming, Douglas Coupland (311pp)
(SRC/P) Pale Fire, Vladimir Nabokov (315pp)
(SRC/P) Take Joy, Jane Yolen (182pp)
(SRC/P) The Summer King, OR Melling (369pp)
(SRC/P) King Ink, Nick Cave (164pp)
(SRC/P) Storm Thief, Chris Wooding (310pp)
(SRC/P Piers the Ploughman ( 315pp)
(SRC/P) the Aleph and Other Stories, JL Borges ( 210pp)
(SRC/P) Blind Willow Sleeping Woman, Haruki Murakami (334pp)
third subtotal of 19 books and 5,989 pages
***
grand total 60 books and 17,402 pp

(final four summaries are in the post finis)***CV

dos libros mas

(SRC/P) King Ink, Nick Cave (164pp) At last a collection of Nick's lyrics along with images of lyrics in progress. Whoa what interesting umm printing. Also included are a couple of one act plays that Nick wrote along with Lydia Lunch. Apparently the two of them didn't get along so well. Lydia is a pretty strong prescence and so is Nick. I think I'm glad I was on the West Coast when they were doing their thing on the Eastern Sideboard.

(SRC/P) The Summer King, OR Melling (369pp) The second volume in a series of tales which take place in modern Ireland involving the fey. It would seem that, while the series is connected (I'm waiting for vol.III), each story involves different characters, except for the fey right? What a wonderful treat to discover Grace O'Malley (the Irish Pirate Queen) plays a significant part in this story! I started reading a biography of her over the summer and now I'm inspired to return to it :)

I have now met my SRC challenge of 51 books. BUT that doesn't mean Mistress Chaos can relax: I'm still reading ;) ***CV

limited omniscence

I've decided to let my building manager know I'm interested in any top floor vacancies.

I had similar musical issues when I lived in SF but the people above were really reasonable and always let me know it was okay to come and remind them if the decibal level was too much. It's only within the past month that it has become so loud here. Too, it appears a bf has moved in.
**

(SRC/P) Take Joy, Jane Yolen (182pp) I read this interesting book last night, by Jane Yolen, about writing. When talking about voice she demonstrates the over blown bardic voice through a tale of a barbarian having tea with the queen :) Now when I talk about my readings I can say whether the point of view is Omniscent, First Person, Limited Omniscent or Objective. And she includes some interesting plot summaries which are, well, anything but plot summaries. Myfavorites are:

Where is the big bad wolf when you really need him (Animal Farm) and
Yo! Fro give the mountain the .... oh never mind
***

(SRC/P) Pale Fire, Vladimir Nabokov (315pp) A poet dies and his last work is in the hands of a trusted friend for editing and glossing. Why then is the story more about the editor and his agenda then the poem itself? Could it be that some academics are more about the author than the subject? Could it be that glossing poems is more about the glosser's agenda then the poem itself? Can we trust interpreters to be objective? How do we really know an expert is an expert?A really good story for the cynic in all of us :)

(SRC/P) Miss Wyoming, Douglas Coupland (311pp) I'm going to look for more of this author's work. An amusing but at the same time serious story about beauty queen pagents and hollywood boy wonders, but it ain't no F. Scott. I said before that the story reminded me of Rupert Thomson and Christopher Moore. A really enjoyable read.

(SRP) Lupin III vol. I, Monkey Punch (190pp) In which we are introduced to this playboy thief and the wonders that are the world of male 60's mod. A collection of shorts in which Lupin reminds me of a lanky Sean Connery (alas no knitwear modelling)

(SRP) Lupin III vol.II, Monkey Punch (179pp) In which we meet Fujikomine, Lupin's buxom lover /competitor in expert crime -if she can beat him and beat him so much the better. Also are Jigen and Inspector Zenigata. For some reason this one seemed more crude (hah! it IS Lupin, what am I thinking?) than the first volume. Powell's was sold out of vol III so I have to wait (le sigh)***CV

Poe-tic

Listen how carefully, how reasonably I can tell the tale.

I shared the building with several others. True we did not communicate frequently nor in overly sympathetic ways; still, ours was a convivial community. We held open doors for one another, exchanged plesantries, took turns on the stairways and let others ascend in the elevator that would only accomodate two before protesting in a tremulous and somewhat irritating manner.

So we spent our days and nights: leaving for our various daily tasks as dictated by the hours of employment which, not unexpectedly considering the diverse group we represented, were not identical. Nor I hasten to add should they be. Thus by neccessity our hours of rest and relaxation, which were achieved in disperate ways: some prefering solitude and quiet, others indulging in companionship and musical assemblies, still others in cinematic escapades; also occured at varying times. There is nothing to lead one to suspect any disease in this surely.

And yet, there was a faint rythmic pulsation, which at first I barely noticed so trivial and ephemeral did it seem. Also when I attempted to locate its source it was difficult to ascertain its location, was it above me or beside? Perhaps it came from some place else all together. And so I shrugged it away busying myself in various activities.

However, as time passed I became aware in the upper layers of my mind of this steady beating, pulsing ... 'tis nothing I laughed to myself. Tis only a passing motorist indulging in a current musical fascination. It will pass.

It didn't. Lately in fact it has become more noticiable. It permeates my night. It pervades my early morning. I have ascertained that it comes not from the outside nor does it generate from the rooms beside or below me. It comes from above.

While I know now that I am not mad, why would you think me to be? Most certainly I shall become so unless I can still this unquiet bass beat.

Any advice?
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In other news I signed up for sock wars :)***CV

zembla

First things first. For those wondering what bhekasana looks like I give you:

Now imagine that posture while lying on your back. (Ideally ones palms are flat on the tops of the feet as well as fingers pointing forward. This is why it is called a practice ;) Oddly enough this yogi reminds me of David Life, but I know he's not.
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The Circle of Fifths is an arrangement of musical scales including flats and sharps. I love the music that we cover in class but it can be confusing at the start. The circle of fifths is one of the last things we show chilren who are interested in music. It's not last because it is suppose to be but because there is so much information included in the lesson itself ( information which is given through earlier presentations). Sure I'll give the lesson if someone requests it but I will not expect somone to "know" it if they haven't had the previous material. Nor would I presume they won't "get it" unless they have had the previous lessons.
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I'm currently reading a story which really brings home the point that if an expert critques a subject that doesn't make the expert objective by any means; or a real expert.****CV

impossible is impossible

The colours I'm using for the Traveller's bag are lilac, spice, pumpkin and an off white that I believe is called pearl. I went back and picked up the Hempathy 6 and will either exchange or keep the Hempathy 3 originally purchased.
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Sewing is my life at the cottage. Well, that and sorting nomenclature :)
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I'm thinking about joining Sockwars, but I'm not sure if I should.
****
Suptabhekasana (upsidedown frog posture): impossible you say? Then how come two in my class could do it?*****CV

cheerio cat

Well there has been a lot of activity regarding New Moon lately. For those curious as to the meaning of la tua cantante it means "your singer". The phrase ocurs towards the end of New Moon so I can't talk about it or risk spoiling the story. Sorry. Check out Stephenie's site or the Twilight Lexicon , or the Twilight group on MySpace for more information.
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I'm almost finished with Miss Wyoming. However, it would appear that I am not the only one who does nothing but read, *cough* mistress of chaos*cough*. But Ihave four more to meet my SRC challenge and two for SRP
***
Musical sorting today. Anyone care to elaborate upon the differences between: intervals, accidentals, and the circle of fifths?
*****CV

stuph stough or stuff

Well I found another reason to have fun with Coupland's book ,Miss Wyoming. One of the main characters has a lot happen to her in Oregon. Very clever KTC pal ;) When I last left Susan she was eating a cold cheeseburger while locked inside a McDonald's garbage bin.
**
I cast on for the traveller's bag last night but my circs were 24" instead of 20" so I transferred the cast on onto DPNs. On the bus I reminded myself that, yes, fairisle and stranded work was originally done on DPNs so it must be possible to do in these modern times as well.
***
I sent my KSKS pal a belated thank you tonight for a wonderfully amber themed package :)
****
We are at work from 8 to 8 almost everyday so far setting up so I'm going to try the 6am class this Friday. My coteacher and I have been having so much fun the past few days I guess we were due for a "bleh day" which we had.

So, think of Calvin and: bleh.*****CV