I'm curious (as I usually am since I seem to find the inner workings of your brain fascinating) how you would answer this:

What is your role?

I will not qualify that question in any way. I'm serious about wanting to hear your answers, so leave a comment here, email me, chat with me...whatever you wish. I'll write a post later this week or early next with my own take on it.

Quick nerdy knitter post; I've got my first FO of 2010! FO = finished object for non-knitters. And I made it in January, huzzah! Meet the farmer's market bag that took almost a year and may never be used (though it hangs nicer than I expected...so maybe, just maybe):

If you've been around this blog for a while, you know how highly I value snail mail. I love real letters, handwritten, creeping through the USPS, even to those living less than half an hour away. I think there's something amazing about handwriting. Today two things made me think of my love for a solid piece of real mail, so I thought I'd share:

1. This valentine's card round up. While most of them are interesting and some of them appeal to me, that first one? Swoon. Folded, sealed with wax? Be still my heart. What a lovely idea. And, at some point, I'm going to have such a large collection of letterpress cards (I have a special weakness for simple letterpress ala this mini delight) that I'm going to have to start giving cards to loml, family and friends whenever i see them. I love paper.
2. An article in Reader's Digest about someone who collects love letters. Apparently the old RD doesn't put it's articles online in a timely fashion or I'd link it here. Where is the blog of love letters found? Does that exist? Love letters are quirky and fun and amazing - it's almost the same kind of fun, reading them, as PostSecret. Except love letters are almost universally happy.

I've said before that letter writing is a dying art - I hate that - so I'll continue to put my two letters a week in the mail and pretend that it's not. And maybe I'll flirt with the idea of writing love notes. maybe.

It is absolutely counterproductive to stop at America's Dog on the way home from the gym. But it sure is delicious. And I figure it will put a positive spin on my "return to the gym" day. And a painful spin on tomorrow's gym trip.

And wow that gym was packed. I ended up on a machine that was right up against the balcony. And I'll just say, I am not woman enough to work out on a machine where I look down to the floor below. I had to concentrate, hard, to not feel like I was going to fall. I mean, technically, I was running in the direction of the "cliff" (alright, not running, ellipticalling). I will never do that again.

Over my winter break (my work closes down for a week and a half to save money on electricity), I took some time to reorganize my bookshelf. The shelves contain:

1. Books
2. Books
3. Knitting and stamping supplies
4. Old school work (Do I continue to keep it? For now, i did. But why?)
5. Miscellaneous crafting supplies

I look over there happily now. But since then, I've been craving some way to use all the stuff. An outlet. I started my 2010 semantics project and am mostly annoyed by it. I need to figure out how to modify or kill that project. I love words so much that I thought that would be enough to make me enjoy it. But mostly I'm just blah. Hate it.

Lately I've been thinking that i need some kind of journal swapping project. Like color books of yore. Only not so themed and not with multiple people. Anyone interested in doing something of that sort with me? No idea what exactly...

Dear pants,

Why you gotta be so tight?

Love,
Katie

***

I know everyone in the world hates the resolution filled January gym, but dear me, it's time to get rid of the winter spare tire. I was telling DC today that my ass looks great in my pants because my muffin top is pulling them so tight. I'm not going to the gym early this week, I'm thinking about starting Wednesday - maybe there will be less of my kind crowding the ellipticals.