I have started brailling again. I stopped because I was moving to California, and then I didn’t start again because I was tired from my new job or because I was planning my wedding. A week before the latter event, the WTBBL called and said I should either do some work for them or give the software license key back. I said I’d start up again after the wedding, and I did.
I completed the first assignment over the first weekend I had it, but the second took me a while to find the time
(really, the energy). I started on Monday and am now three-quarters done.
I have also recommenced knitting. I took a hiatus for quite a while because I simply felt uninspired. I was uninspired by the yarn in my stash, mostly left-over or speculative purchases, and I didn’t feel that I could afford to buy new yarn. I saw the exotic fibers my co-workers brought in and felt scornful of my own plain wool.
In the summer I bought a load of Blue Sky Cotton and knitted what I call Jeff’s go-faster sweater.
After that I bought a lot of other yarn for little Christmas projects (and a couple of bigger gift projects too). I am finished with most of my planned Christmas projects and am looking forward to starting on other things.
I was tired for a long time—a fatigue that sleep never seemed entirely to solve. I have begun to sleep more effectively, perhaps—not necessarily to sleep better but to feel better after sleep. For a while I came home exhausted after work, took a nap, and then couldn’t sleep for half the night. I am trying not to do that any more.
Maybe my hobbies are helping too. I felt like I only had time to work, eat, and sleep, but now that I am making time for myself and my interests, especially brailling now, I feel like I am using myself and my time to a fuller extent. I am living my life, not the other way around. As I am so fond of saying, there’s not enough of it to waste.
Kris says:
Glad to know you're knitting some more. I originally found your blog because of the knitting.
What is brailling?
Tab and Brandy says:
You're alive! :)
Sorry you've been feeling worn down lately. I'm glad to hear you're starting to feel better!
Laurabelle says:
Kris: Brailling is the writing of braille—in my case specifically the transcription of print into braille. This is my major volunteer work, which I perform for the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library.
As for knitting, I keep meaning to post pictures of my recent creations, but unfortunately I'm having a hard time finding a good place to pose them. Our apartment is not very photogenic.
T&B: Feeling better appears to be a matter of will as much as anything else.
Adrian says:
Regarding the bit where you say: "For a while I came home exhausted after work, took a nap, and then couldn’t sleep for half the night", I've been sleeping much better since I started keeping an electric timer by my bed. Whenever I want to lie down for a while but know that I might drift off to sleep accidentally, I set the timer to fifteen minutes so that I'll be woken up again.