It’s not like I’ve been sitting here and picking my nose, ignoring my blog. I’ve been sitting at work picking my nose, not blogging. Don’t feel left out, I haven’t been writing over at Runagogo.com, nor have I been running!

Sure, work’s been busy, but when isn’t it? It’s the nature of busy-ness. The new month offers a chance for a new beginning. But, before I rush into the future, let’s look back at the first month of 2007.

I have tried a new restaurant, Sebo (or on Yelp.com) with my dear friend M. Great, fresh fish, but TINY nigiri! I won’t be running back anytime soon, unless it’s with my neighbor who’s gotten friendly with one of the chefs.

Speaking of food, I enjoyed some amazing eats on a business trip to New Orleans. Here’s breakfast from a po’ boy place down the street from our hotel. It wasn’t business as usual. In lieu of sending people abroad to work with Habitat for Humanity (like my 2005 trip to Poland), we’re going to send people to the Big Easy. In addition to the local H4H, we met with Common Ground Relief, Acorn and Emergency Communities. All are doing amazing work, and so needed. The magnitude of the devastation that remains 17+ months later cannot be described. If you can, donate, get your butt down there or find a way to help out. It’s more than a tragedy, it’s a national disgrace. Luckily, people are coming together to make things right. I hope to head back there, myself.

Knitting-wise, I’ve finished one of my Scout’s Swag socks, and I’m closing in on the toe of the second. Photos upon finishing. I started a scarf, but I’m not proud of that (a variation on a certain drop-stitch sensation that everyone and her mother did a year or two back—MdV, I’m so ashamed). I am proud of finishing and gifting the Knucks for my synchro team coach (Tsunami Tsynchro). She’s a knitter too, so she appreciates all the finishing required by that embroidery.

Speaking of said coach, Dr. S. (she’s a physicist) and I swung by Stash to say hello to Ms. Vickie Howell. Still cute as a button and rocking some killer shoes. I wish I could have stayed longer to chat… next time?

There’s a snoring puppy (who turned 3 today) and a snoring boyfriend next to me on the couch. I should go walk them before we head off to bed.

Thanks for your kind words during my absence.

It was one year ago today that Ms. Janie Sparkles joined our home. At the risk of overloading this blog with cuteness and dog photos, I promise to write more knitting content soon. I’m closing in on the toe of my first Scout’s Swag custom-dyed sock.

Inspired by Lime & Violet, I’m considering “running” my own Sock Marathon, knitting through my mileage of sock yarn. Compared to some of the stashes I’ve seen, I’m not even a high school cross-country sprinter with a measly 2 miles of yardage. I’d be happy to get through 4 pairs, plus the Socks that Rock club from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. (That’s 10 this year, don’t hold me to that.)

Work was a beast this week. In addition to my absence here, I’ve been quiet at Runagogo. Off to go do that and/or get a run in. After a week of no running, my foot’s feeling much better.

(Thanks to Peephole for the inspiring this post’s title. You look so fetching in that Hallowig!)

From me, C, and your granddaughter, pictured on the right, we wish you the best.

Today is my mother’s 64th birthday. I don’t believe she’s that old (neither can she!). You wouldn’t know it from her new-found enthusiasm for knitting, specifically socks.

What better gift to give a new knitter without access to a LYS than a sock club membership where she’ll experience many different brands and patterns? Today she received some Mega Boots Stretch and a pretty Ripple sock pattern. These combined with the couple of Yarn Harlot books and Cat Bordhi‘s 2 circ book she received for xmas, she’ll have plenty to keep her busy.

Don’t worry. My dad got her a gift certificate to Blue Moon Fiber Arts so she can experience some gorgeously colored gems. We’ll have her knitting on all kinds of yarn.

And, for my birthday, I’m thinking of sending her some of Scout’s Swag so she can make me a pair!

This was supposed to be a day off of work, but I’m heading in to the office in a few minutes to continue my first-week productive streak. I’ve spent the morning browsing through the amazing posts at Runagogo.com site, the knitting/running/moving 100 miles by April 1st madness dreamed up by the amazing Rachael of yarnagogo.com and tech-ified by the glamour geek Scout of scoutsswag.com.

I’m honored and proud to be included in this project as one of the “Gogo Grrls” with the role of being the cheerleader and fitness friend. I posted my first Rah-rah post. If you’re at all intrigued by the idea of covering 100 miles in the first 3 months of 2007, please join us! Want to know more, start here. You can run, walk, swim, skate, shimmy or whatever you like.

I hope this weekend, I’m hoping to post some images of my progress on the reknit sock in Scout’s yarn (it’s striping finally, not pooling like a a heat-sensor image from Predator) and my new skein of Lisa Souza Mars Quake! sock yarn. I also have a pair of Knucks with a bajillion ends to weave in for my swim coach.

EDITED: there’s a problem with eBay and their charity auction regulations. Please be patient. Lisa says the auction will launch with or without eBay in the next few days. Auctions are open until January 7th!

My prolific friend Lisa, her sister Stephanie and their mother Gerrie have organized an art and craft auction for the Kim family.

James Kim died while trying to get help for his wife Kati and two daughters after they were stranded for more than a week in Oregon’s wilderness over Thanksgiving weekend. They were driving home to San Francisco from Portland, on the same roads that we traveled on from Eugene.

All of the items are exquisite and their makers are some of the most talented people out there today, including Jess Hutch.

The auctions opened today and bidding closes on 1/7. Prices are high, but it’s for a cause that’s more than worthy. It’s touched many people in my life personally who are friends with the family.

If you have the means, bid generously. If not, please support the two stores the Kim’s opened in San Francisco, Doe in the Lower Haight and Church Street Apothecary in Noe Valley.

I was a bad dog-father over this past week and a half. Although I was off work since 12/22 until today’s lethargic return, I didn’t take out Janie Sparkles on daily romping adventures. She was walked, mind you, just not given proper off-leash time.

So for the first day of the new year, I only had four goals:

• take Janie for a walk,
• go for a run,
• pay the bills
• and write in a paper journal.

Our visit to the gayest dog run (smack-dab in the Castro) was interrupted by a call from Bibby’s mommy who invited us to Chrissy Field. They were going to be there until sundown, so me and Ms. Sparkles hopped back into the car and returned home. I busted out a lumbering 3.1455 mile run and then we were off to pick up the man and hit the beach.

In addition to terrorizing Bibby every time her retrieved a ball from the water, my little girl stole tennis ball from a cute two-month old puppy. As you can see, she has a long way to go in the manners department.

Happy New Year, gentle readers!

I’m less than two hours away from the end of 2007’s first day. And, although I’m trying not to make hard and fast resolutions (since they often get broken and are based in a sense of lack or unsatisfaction), I made some symbolic gestures towards starting anew today. Before I go into that, I want to explain the last month of posts.

I hadn’t been a regular poster here, but I thought I’d give it a whirl. I had heard of the Holidailies thanks to my friend Lola. I considered doing it in an unofficial capacity in previous years and blogs, but that good intention didn’t amount to much more than a couple of days. As you may have noticed, I managed 30 posts last month. Not bad, eh? It’s the equivalent of fiber for bloggers.

It wasn’t alway the most compelling content, but my goal was just to prove to myself that I could do it. Put you mind to something and there you go! Not that I needed to learn that lesson again, but ain’t it fun to prove that anything’s possible?

So what might this year hold for me?

• Rachael‘s call to arms/feet of running 100 miles before April Fool’s Day,
• a moleskine scribbled into daily in the spirit of Embodiment,
• a bunch of socks, sweaters and hats knit—my own designs, some classics (the year I get to know EZ), vintage and whatever else comes along,
• and, perhaps once a month, a new restaurant, a new recipe, a new book, a new adventure here or elsewhere.

May today mark the beginning of the best year of your life.

We just got home, 10 minutes after the New Year swept over the Central time zone. It’s about an hour and a half away from us here in SF and I’m going to head to bed.

I toyed with writing some wise words reflecting on this past year, but I’ve come up with nothing. I had also taken a video of frogging the sock, but it’s just going to remain an experiement for future posts. Thanks for reading thus far… there’s more to come next year.

Darnell’s funeral was on Friday. I sought out a passage from Kahlil Gibran‘s The Prophet. This was shared with me 10 years ago when a young friend named Sachi Pace passed away. I leave you with this, and my well wishes for a safe and creation-filled 2007:

You would know the secret of death.
But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life?

The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light.
If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life.
For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one.

In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond;
And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring.
Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.

Your fear of death is but the trembling of the shepherd when he stands before the king whose hand is to be laid upon him in honour.
Is the sheered not joyful beneath his trembling, that he shall wear the mark of the king?
Yet is he not more mindful of his trembling?

For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?
And what is to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?

Only when you drink form the river of silence shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.

Attention sissyboys (or sister boys) and the ladies (and men) who like them! Rent or TiVo or stalk your local listings for Tea and Sympathy (1956).

Yes, there’s a knitting scene (on the beach where young Tommy Lee sews), but there’s also a pretty darn progressive deconstruction of societal expectations of gender and a sympathetic portral of a boy who doesn’t fit in. There are also some killer costumes (swimsuits and gowns), melodramatic acting and a strong pre-feminist heroine. It’s campy, touching and a classic. Could I be any gayer?

As Deborah Kerr’s Laura Reynolds says, “Manliness is not all swagger and mountain climbing. It’s also tenderness.”

No, no, Scout, as a matter of fact, they don’t stretch very much. Sure, I had tried it on earlier, but thought that I could squeeze into them. But anything that’s only a few inches of cuff can be wedged over a heel. (You’ve already called me old today, so don’t call my ankles fat!)

Now that I’ve started on the heel flap, I realize this is a lost cause. I already did 84 stitches. Should I go up in needle size? Maybe cast on another 16 or more stitches? I wonder how that will change up the color striping… Why didn’t I read your post on the pain that is Jaywalker?

At least, I’ve enjoyed myself using the yarn. This is the first time I’ve ripped back, nay, scrapped an entire project.