Monthly Archive for July, 2005

What a grand day out!

I met Kiki, Steve, Karen, Illanna, and Melanie for lunch at City Bakery today. Melanie came with her friend Crystal, a painter (and knitter too, I think!). We ate excellent food and desserts, and knitted away for about 2 and a half hours.

As we were knitting away, several groups of people stopped to watch us knit, and a few other people gave us the “oooh, how interesting” eye, as they walked by our table. This really nice woman named Lisa apparently went to her car after she sat down, and brought us a pouf of unspun wool. Very nice and sheepy smelling. We passed it around the table for a feel and a sniff. Lovely stuff – soft, and sheepy! Lisa sells Navajo Churro yarn at one of the local farmer’s markets on Saturday mornings from 8 to 12 noon. Central and McKinley in Phoenix.

City Bakery is neat because it is connected to the Poisoned Pen Bookstore and an art gallery, so you can eat, buy a book, and take in an art show, all at once. The food is great, and the desserts… well, let’s just say there was a lot of sugar being passed around the table!

After closing down City Bakery and the group broke up, I headed over to the Fiber Factory, where I ran into a gardening friend, her weaver sister, and her very kind non-fibery husband. We chatted for a bit, I bought yarn that I wasn’t supposed to buy, and then we all headed over to the Picnic Company (142 W Main St., Mesa, AZ) for a bite to eat. Well, they ate and I talked. The BLT looked pretty good, so I’ll have to try that when I’m in that neck of the woods again.

My last stop of the day, was an inpulse stop at Bookman’s, to use up the last of my $150 dollar credit (yes, that’s how many books I got rid of). I purchased Oscar Hijuelos’ Empress of the Splendid Season and Amy Tan’s The Bonesetter’s Daughter.

Now, it’s either time for a nap or more knitting. Or both.

There has got to be a way to save the world from itself. Israel and Palestine (ongoing), the US in 2001, Madrid, Spain last year, London, England today – where does it end? And these are only the ones that are in the news. What about the people who die every day from violence, who aren’t in the news?

There has to be something we can do. I mean, we, the people, not just the government leaders. Something from one person to another. Something meaningful. If the Yarn Harlot can raise $75,000 (and counting) for Médecins Sans Frontières(Doctors Without Borders) by word of mouth, there has to be something that can be done by the average world citizen to stop the madness!

Oh, and while you are pondering, go donate some money to MSF for the general fund.

A moment of silence for the lives lost today in London, and to the people who will have to deal with survival.

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Permanent good can never be the outcome of untruth and violence.

– Mahatma Gandhi

I’m going to get home late tonight, but I’m making this anyway. YUM!

The “diet” that I am on has been a very interesting learning experience. I’m learning about how foods work together to make the tastes and textures that we enjoy, and the different levels of flavor.

The curry turned out all right; all right enough the batch I made is almost gone. The problem is that without the Nam Pla (fish sauce), there is a definite lack of tang. It’s like my tongue is waiting for that one extra level to the flavor, and it just isn’t there.

So, the purpose has been served, and I was able to make something healthy for me to eat. However, I probably won’t make it again until I can go back to my usual ways of eating.