When I first started knitting and crocheting, and for many years afterward, quick projects were delicious to me. I enjoyed the feeling of satisfaction and relief when I completed a project. I like finishing things. I don't like putting them down, or waiting, or being patient. And I most certainly do not like boredom. But … Continue reading How I learned to love slow knitting
Throughout the pandemic, I've been doing little art and craft projects here and there, usually while my son is napping. It's relaxing, gives me something productive and fun to focus on, and prevents me from doing too many physically strenuous things that make my CFS worse. I've always been a dabbler in drawing and painting. … Continue reading My library fan art
I am sometimes asked what having Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS or ME/CFS) is like. It's a question I appreciate, because the illness sounds like what the name says it is: "chronic fatigue." It's actually a complex illness affecting the immune system and neurological system that has many, many symptoms. If all you have is "chronic … Continue reading Here’s what my CFS feels like
Raffi. There are so many ways to commune with Raffi---a concert recorded in 1993, playing Wheels on the Bus on repeat and screaming when it ends, watching Raffi on mom's phone in the ER while you get stitches. Raffi is all-loving. BUBBLES. They're really just minor sprites---ephemeral ones. Here's how you worship BUBBLES: when you … Continue reading Deities worshipped in my toddler’s polytheistic religion
Here I am, back into blogging. All it took was a global pandemic, having a child, and a reduction in my free time. Not in that exact order. Pardon the typos and less-than-refined writing---these posts will be unedited and unplanned (and uncensored...*gasp*). Right now, I could be doing the dishes that my toddler won't let … Continue reading Life during the pandemic, plus local resources
I've always loved little notebooks. I used to love buying just the "right" one and filling the first five pages with whatever that notebook was supposed to hold---to-do lists, journal entries, craft patterns, or doodles. I did not, however, love my embarrassing stash of pretty, abandoned notebooks that didn't serve their intended purpose for very long. … Continue reading Two years of using the “Bullet Journal”: my favorite thing about a trend that actually worked for me
Are you expecting a new baby, and hoping to jump-start her learning when it comes to relevant social issues like climate change? It’s never too early to start acquainting your child with the garbage fire of a planet that her parents’ and grandparents’ generations have left for her—you just have to use gentle, age-appropriate methods. … Continue reading How to educate your unborn child about climate change
First off, let me reassure you that I'm not writing this out of a desire for pity. I chose to get pregnant while having a chronic, invisible illness. Well, as much as one can "chose" to do so---the rest is biological luck. On nearly all fronts, I am an incredibly fortunate and privileged person. I'm … Continue reading My candid reflections on pregnancy with an invisible illness
