DOUBLE BIND

Georgie W. wants us to excel in science so we can compete with other "backward" nations. At the same time his Fundamentalist Right Base wants to unteach the theory of evolution and stop stem cell research. What's a country to do? Thank God you cannot "unteach" an idea.

Watched "Crash" over the weekend. The racism made me sick, but basically I think it is an anti-gun film. I also kept thinking: "If L.A. is this bad, why do people live there?"

Last night listened to the end of Pratchett's "Monstrous Regiment of Women" on audio tape. I was slow getting into it but enjoyed it immensely by the end. Best part: "You don't know that you've gone too far until you've gone too far." Another best part: "People cannot afford to be stupid."

I love listening to Books On Tape while I'm sewing, knitting, cooking, ironing, etc... But it all depends on the narrator...

BABY BLUE BLANKIE

I am working on a simple knitted baby blue blanket for my grandson who is due March 6th. It is knitted and slow going. On one of my two coffee breaks per day, I usually get two rows knitted. Only four weeks to go, and I really want this done by his birthday. During lunch hours, I try to get more rows done, but there are so many other distractions: bills to pay, things to buy, food to eat, books to be taken to the library.

I went to the bookstore tonight to get a gift for my granddaughter's Big Sister Party which will be next Saturday; the "theme" is My Little Pony. (At least it's not Barbie.)

Saturday will be all about her so she won't feel put off when the new baby comes. She gets excited when we're going through the new baby clothes, but she gets a slightly fearful look in her eye when we talk about the baby coming...

While at Borders, I snuck a peek at a new textile magazine called "Selvage": very chi chi, $20/issue. Lovely stuff but all skinny models wearing unbearably aesthetic creations. I guess I'm more the Tasha Tudo type. If I had more time, I'd check out more Andy Goldsworthy books. I was also looking for the Terry Pratchett book "Wyrd Sisters". Not on the shelf.

I have a dozen other craft projects started: knitted, crocheted, sewing. And Spring is on its way.

More and more of me exists in that textile place; that magic place where all I think about or do is with fibers or cloth or color. It's hard to keep my balance when discussing municipal ordinances or office politics or national budget cuts. So who ever said life is easy?

I had to park my car on Spaulding and Allston Way this morning. Walking down to it after 6 pm in the dark it felt like two miles, although it was probably only one mile. Berkeley streets have to be the most ill-lit of any city I've ever lived in. A bearded man in a lace dress rode by on a beat-up bicycle singing, "We are all performing."

In a few weeks is another granddaughter'sfourth birthday. She's having a "Princess Party", but she told me and her Abuela that we have to come as witches. I can live with that. Maybe a pink witch...