Monday, February 23, 2009

Postcard From The West Edge

(Written on Saturday but not posted until today due to a lack of time to get collaborating pictures downloaded)

It was impossible to just go away and leave it all behind… there are mid-terms coming up in college, studying to be done, projects to work on. As if that wasn’t enough pressure, I had additional goals. Get some gloves started, make a pouch for my Zen MP3 player. Finish
Eye of the North, and finish mapping Elona. Cheer mum up.

I’m on the plane back, and I got every single one of those goals done, yet I still feel as if I had a holiday. I spent hours tinkering with Oracle, made study notes for Computer Fundamentals, wrote two pages for English, and put together some info for Success Skills.

Here’s the gloves that I started.

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(Recognize that scrumptious yarn, V? )

Here’s the MP3 cozy, prior to felting. Love that applied I-cord. God bless Elizabeth Zimmerman.

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The Guild Wars goals… well… a little harder to show you, but I now have mapped all of Cantha and Elona and am beginning Tyria. It’ll be a nightmare, to be sure… it’s HUGE, but when I get the Tyrian Grandmaster Cartographer title, I will also max the Legendary Cartographer title, for obtaining all three campaigns… and then I shall be Kind Of A Big Deal. No, really. I’m not just saying that. (I bet no-one has a clue what I’m going on about, but dudes, I did it, I’m proud of it, and you’re gonna hear about it.)

As for mum. Well. That’s not so straight forward. I don’t think she and I are quite polar opposites, but pretty darned close. I’m adventurous; she won’t drive a new way to the store. I take charge of a situation; she lets the situation take charge of her. She is letting her fears and anxieties run her over, and it’s taking the inevitable toll on her health. She needs me, or some other personal cheer-leader, there every day… I did what I could but I hate to leave her to her own devices. Reason 4,744 why being in Ottawa SUCKS.

You want to see Reason 4,741-4,743? Here ya go.

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(That's a caterpillar on that leaf. A live one. In the middle of freakin' February.)

As demoralizing as it is to be on this metal tube which is hurtling me back to the land where winter still holds sway, my soul is refreshed. Perhaps I can make it through to our own spring. Sure, it’ll be in April… but it will be worth the wait.

4 comments:

Aline said...

Your gloves are beautiful! I love the stitch pattern too.
Thank you for those pictures and it is nice to hear from you.

Velda said...

GuildWars and Oracle are beyond my realm of comprehension, but as long as you're enjoying it and working hard, that's good enuf for me :) No need for me to understand it lol...ohh my...those gloves look GORGEOUS in that yarn, and that stitch.....how wonderful to see the yarn in the works. What is that bobble thingy at the end of the yarn? I'm sorry you're still having a tough time feeling a world away from your mum, but hopefully spring will come sooner than later and the sun will help just a little. I love your furry friend :)

Anonymous said...

Guildwars? I guess as long as they're keeping you occupied and happy it's a good thing, right (makes circling motion around ear with index finger). And ya, you're gonna love being back in blubless, caterpillarless, warmless, green-free Ottawa

Arzu said...

Mapping is probably a larger accomplishment than all of the others put together (from long experience mapping the deathtrap known as Tyria).

Your gloves look gorgeous! And, it snowed here all day yesterday, so that caterpillar has probably found somewhere to hide as we descend into winter again. Still, the rain hasn't taken away this unexpected bounty of snow yet, so I'm going to enjoy it in all of its sparkly splendour while I still can!