I'm still trying to sort out what I'd like to focus on with this blog. The crafting's something of a given, and I'm still trying to finish my Shakespeare attempt. Admittedly, that's more for me than for my (very few) readers - it's a way for me to read through the works of Shakespeare and chronicle my thoughts on the project. I'm not a literary scholar, so it's a fun thing for me, rather than a serious academic exercise. What I have to say on the topic likely won't be that illuminating or terribly original. Parenting-related posts will likely pop up as well, as that's a rather large part of my life at the moment.
I have been thinking about doing some more linguistics-related things on here (the name rather lends itself to that, and it would fit with some of my intentions when I started here), which has the potential to be more original. I did write a thesis, and I am revising a couple pieces for journal submission. I write original fiction as well, and I will be publishing my first novel via smashwords and Amazon later this year (once my cover artist gets the cover finished). I did try the traditional publishing route, and was summarily rejected (no agent - complicates matters). A friend who works in publishing suggested (actually, highly recommended) trying out the online self-publishing option, and I'm giving it a go. If all goes well, I may toss up a few short stories from that 'verse for free on here.
Anyway, back to the linguistics idea. My areas are phonology, syntax, semantics, and sociolinguistics. While I was writing my thesis (syntax and semantics with a dash of phonology), I got into semiotics, which can intersect rather nicely with sociolinguistics. The interest developed too late for me to incorporate it into my thesis, and as I was using Construction Grammar in that analysis, I also have a working knowledge of Frame Semantics (though my understanding of it is not as detailed as it ought to be, really). But I want to play around with semiotics more. It's fun, and there's a lot of possibility there.
For those who are unfamiliar with the term, semiotics is the branch of semantics that deals with meaning relations. Most of my reading in that field has been in the theories of Charles S. Peirce and those who have further developed his ideas during the 20th and early 21st centuries (up to now - it seems to be a growing field). It's the sort of thing that made me go cross-eyed in my undergrad (particularly in a 100-level logic course), and that now I really love, though much of it requires multiple readings for me to start absorbing the ideas. Thus far, I'm working on a paper describing some of the semiotics of fantasy literature, and I'm re-writing an Othello analysis I did years ago to incorporate semiotics (it's funny to me that the undergrad who thought theory was useless and semantics hopelessly boring and complicated was already tinkering with semantics without realizing it). Semiotics can be applied to a broad range of fields, so the possibilities are pretty much endless. I have a large number of interests, so this is an interesting way to incorporate linguistics with other things I enjoy (and seriously, if you have access to the journal Semiotica, check it out. The topics range from mathematics to H. P. Lovecraft to fashion to punctuation - that's how diverse the discipline can be).
Any suggestions from the people who sporadically visit? Leave a comment about possible topics for me to tackle here, and I'll try giving it a go.
22 February 2014
16 February 2014
Valentine's Day at Epenthetical
A couple days late, but this is what happens when we do Valentine's Day.
Cupcakes. Chocolate-cherry.
Lamb stew, not pictured. It was supposed to be goat stew, but the bags of stewing meat were all mixed together in the bin, and I grabbed the wrong one, and the prices were nearly the same. Since both lamb and goat are delicious, it didn't matter so much. We finished that off today.
Origami. A thing in a group on Ravelry got me curious. I've been thinking about giving origami a try for a while, and this tipped me over the edge. It started with the modular origami book in the corner. Then it multiplied. A leaf, a lotus, a coat, a lantern, and a mushroom. I've done a duck and an owl since.
J. played some video games with his friends. E. practiced her standing. I got some quiet time. All in all, a lovely evening.
We're going on a date next weekend when we have a babysitter lined up. Valentine's Day isn't a big deal for us. It was, sort of, when we first started dating, when I made the mistake of saying that I didn't want to do anything for Valentine's Day and expected him to intuit that yes, I really did (learned my lesson there--J. is thoughtful but not telepathic), but not really now. I don't even remember what we did last year, or if we did anything at all. I've gone off a lot of the chocolate and candy things that are popular for it (same with most Halloween, Christmas, and Easter candy), and we don't really do cards. Flowers are nice once in a while, and I do like red roses, but I'd rather have a miniature rosebush and I'm not sure that's a good idea with a tiny person who's learning how to walk. So we skip most of the trappings of the holiday, and don't really miss them.
Anyone else find Valentine's Day fun but not that important?
Cupcakes. Chocolate-cherry.
Lamb stew, not pictured. It was supposed to be goat stew, but the bags of stewing meat were all mixed together in the bin, and I grabbed the wrong one, and the prices were nearly the same. Since both lamb and goat are delicious, it didn't matter so much. We finished that off today.
Origami. A thing in a group on Ravelry got me curious. I've been thinking about giving origami a try for a while, and this tipped me over the edge. It started with the modular origami book in the corner. Then it multiplied. A leaf, a lotus, a coat, a lantern, and a mushroom. I've done a duck and an owl since.
We're going on a date next weekend when we have a babysitter lined up. Valentine's Day isn't a big deal for us. It was, sort of, when we first started dating, when I made the mistake of saying that I didn't want to do anything for Valentine's Day and expected him to intuit that yes, I really did (learned my lesson there--J. is thoughtful but not telepathic), but not really now. I don't even remember what we did last year, or if we did anything at all. I've gone off a lot of the chocolate and candy things that are popular for it (same with most Halloween, Christmas, and Easter candy), and we don't really do cards. Flowers are nice once in a while, and I do like red roses, but I'd rather have a miniature rosebush and I'm not sure that's a good idea with a tiny person who's learning how to walk. So we skip most of the trappings of the holiday, and don't really miss them.
Anyone else find Valentine's Day fun but not that important?
06 February 2014
Check off: Moebius knitting
Finally, a post about something I managed to learn how to do. Moebius knitting is the ingenious technique of making a knit-in-the-round Moebius strip. Cat Bordhi's got the awesome instruction videos and books. The basics can be found in her video here, on YouTube:
Moebius cowls were all the rage a few years ago, but at that point, I was a new-ish knitter and had many other things I wanted to learn. I decided the technique would keep. And it has.
When E. was born, a friend gave me a skein of yarn that she told me I had to use to make something for myself. It's gorgeous yarn, from Sweet Fiber. Melissa does beautiful yarn. It's just a skein of her Merino Twist in worsted weight, but the colour is deep and saturated, with enough variation in the shade to provide interest without being distracting. The colourway name is "Temperate" and it's one of my favourite shades of green.
So I wound my yarn into a ball and went out to Valley Yarn and picked up a set of knitting needles in a length appropriate for Moebius knitting. I cast on the night before we left for the Christmas holidays so I would have something to work on in the car. I used a pattern that involved ribbing and a picot bind-off, titled Sprong Moebius.
All in all, it went well. I think I miscounted my cast-on stitches, so there's a section where the two-by-two ribbing is actually four by two, but it's just one section of four stitches, so it's easily ignored. I am not a perfectionist (though I was, a bit, as a child).
There is something very remarkable about watching one of these take shape. A Moebius cowl is knit from the centre out, so each Moebius round is the equivalent of two rounds on a conventional cowl. It feels as though it's knitting up faster that way.
I want to do another one, but what I want this time is a stockinette cowl with a garter stitch lace edging. I'm plotting out the lace right now and figuring out what it'll look like. Should it turn out well, I'll post it on Ravelry as a pattern.
Moebius cowls were all the rage a few years ago, but at that point, I was a new-ish knitter and had many other things I wanted to learn. I decided the technique would keep. And it has.
When E. was born, a friend gave me a skein of yarn that she told me I had to use to make something for myself. It's gorgeous yarn, from Sweet Fiber. Melissa does beautiful yarn. It's just a skein of her Merino Twist in worsted weight, but the colour is deep and saturated, with enough variation in the shade to provide interest without being distracting. The colourway name is "Temperate" and it's one of my favourite shades of green.
So I wound my yarn into a ball and went out to Valley Yarn and picked up a set of knitting needles in a length appropriate for Moebius knitting. I cast on the night before we left for the Christmas holidays so I would have something to work on in the car. I used a pattern that involved ribbing and a picot bind-off, titled Sprong Moebius.
All in all, it went well. I think I miscounted my cast-on stitches, so there's a section where the two-by-two ribbing is actually four by two, but it's just one section of four stitches, so it's easily ignored. I am not a perfectionist (though I was, a bit, as a child).
There is something very remarkable about watching one of these take shape. A Moebius cowl is knit from the centre out, so each Moebius round is the equivalent of two rounds on a conventional cowl. It feels as though it's knitting up faster that way.
I want to do another one, but what I want this time is a stockinette cowl with a garter stitch lace edging. I'm plotting out the lace right now and figuring out what it'll look like. Should it turn out well, I'll post it on Ravelry as a pattern.
29 January 2014
No Touchy
This is my latest source of irritation. It's happened numerous times now, and I'm never sure how to handle it. Does this happen to you? Do complete strangers walk up to you on the street and touch your kid?
As I don't have this impulse (my impulse when seeing babies and small children is to smile at them and maybe make a face), I can't sympathize with them. I just want to shout, or run, or do something that goes against the ingrained politeness. I usually settle for awkwardly backing away, but at some point, I'm going to really lose it. Especially when awkwardly backing away means that they follow me.
In what universe is it okay to walk up to a woman you don't know and poke at her baby without so much as asking permission? I'm pretty sure that if she was older, people wouldn't be doing that (I hope), so why does being a baby mean that she's immune to those rules?
Seriously. There's the germs thing. There's the fact that my child sticks everything in her mouth these days, so if they stick a finger towards her face, she will try to grab it and stuff it in her mouth. There's also the "you are touching a complete stranger without their permission" thing. Not okay.
What also bothers me is that it happens mostly when she's in the baby carrier, so not only are they touching her, they're getting awfully close to me. This means that they are breaking some of the unspoken rules about how close to get to someone in this culture. It takes invading my personal space to invade my child's personal space.
I've had a few suggestions from friends. One said, riffing on the "telling people your baby bites" idea, to say that she's a vampire and she bites. I'm tempted. I could just poke the person back and say, "Oh, sorry, I thought it was try to touch a complete stranger bingo," but I'm not sure I'm bold enough for that.
In the meantime, it's enough to make me want to put this on a onesie.
06 January 2014
Why I Am Not an AP Parent
We feed on demand. We cloth diaper. We don't plan to spank our child. I wander around with a baby in one of those wrap carriers when I go out. As a current stay-at-home mum, my daughter is constantly around me, and if she's not with me, she's usually with J. I don't believe that babies are out to manipulate their parents or that holding them frequently spoils them, like some parenting methods say. I think those ideas are rubbish, actually.
On the surface, our parenting style often resembles the one advocated by attachment parenting (AP). But.
We aren't an AP family.
We don't practice exclusive breast-feeding, as I've written before. Combo-feeding is enough to get me kicked out of the hard-core AP groups, and enough for milder AP parents to look slightly askance at me. I get a pass because I'm still breast-feeding and my kid wasn't gaining weight normally on exclusive breast-feeding, but it's still one of those things that makes us really not fit.
I don't like co-sleeping--it never feels very safe and I think it interrupts my sleep and hers more than it does when she sleeps on her own. That said, there have been times when that was the only way all three of us could get enough sleep to be functional the next day. I still prefer it when she sleeps in her crib and doesn't require holding all night.
Unlike several of the AP families we know, we vaccinate. I could rant about this, since not vaccinating makes me extremely angry, but it's not really the topic of this post. I know that not vaccinating isn't a tenet of AP, but it seems to coincide a lot with AP families.
I don't call it baby-wearing. The term pisses me off. My daughter is a person, not a fashion accessory, and I do not "wear" her. I put her in the baby wrap and carry her. When invited to join a baby-wearing facebook group by a complete stranger, I just smiled, nodded, said I'd think about it, and then never bothered to check out the group. I also have no problems setting her down. Time to do the laundry? She hangs out in her crib or on the floor with some toys.
The thing is, while some of the stuff about AP I agree with (being physically and emotionally present for your child whenever possible, some of the alternative methods of discipline), I really don't like the culture that surrounds it, and the science of it is a tad dubious (from what little I've read, some of it is based on studies that aren't entirely compatible with the assertions that are then spun out from them; not that this form of parenting is bad--I just would like to see a little more research on what happens when a family actually practices this style of parenting).
I just feel uncomfortable in the AP culture. Yes, the spinning, knitting, sewing woman who makes her own vanilla extract and lip balm is uncomfortable in the "granola" culture of AP. It feels too faddish. Though I, like many, am prone to fads, I'm more prone to researching the heck out of them. I've avoided researching too much about AP because, like lactivist literature, it just makes me upset when it tends towards extremes. Unfortunately, this phenomenon isn't limited to AP parenting sites, because discussions about parenting become polarized so quickly. And ultimately, that's my biggest problem with any parenting style. I'm doing my best with my child, trying to respond in the way that seems to work best for her, and I'm sort of practicing a couple parenting styles, in moderation. I'm a moderate with many things, and in a world of extremes (at least on parenting forums), I don't fit.
On the surface, our parenting style often resembles the one advocated by attachment parenting (AP). But.
We aren't an AP family.
We don't practice exclusive breast-feeding, as I've written before. Combo-feeding is enough to get me kicked out of the hard-core AP groups, and enough for milder AP parents to look slightly askance at me. I get a pass because I'm still breast-feeding and my kid wasn't gaining weight normally on exclusive breast-feeding, but it's still one of those things that makes us really not fit.
I don't like co-sleeping--it never feels very safe and I think it interrupts my sleep and hers more than it does when she sleeps on her own. That said, there have been times when that was the only way all three of us could get enough sleep to be functional the next day. I still prefer it when she sleeps in her crib and doesn't require holding all night.
Unlike several of the AP families we know, we vaccinate. I could rant about this, since not vaccinating makes me extremely angry, but it's not really the topic of this post. I know that not vaccinating isn't a tenet of AP, but it seems to coincide a lot with AP families.
I don't call it baby-wearing. The term pisses me off. My daughter is a person, not a fashion accessory, and I do not "wear" her. I put her in the baby wrap and carry her. When invited to join a baby-wearing facebook group by a complete stranger, I just smiled, nodded, said I'd think about it, and then never bothered to check out the group. I also have no problems setting her down. Time to do the laundry? She hangs out in her crib or on the floor with some toys.
The thing is, while some of the stuff about AP I agree with (being physically and emotionally present for your child whenever possible, some of the alternative methods of discipline), I really don't like the culture that surrounds it, and the science of it is a tad dubious (from what little I've read, some of it is based on studies that aren't entirely compatible with the assertions that are then spun out from them; not that this form of parenting is bad--I just would like to see a little more research on what happens when a family actually practices this style of parenting).
I just feel uncomfortable in the AP culture. Yes, the spinning, knitting, sewing woman who makes her own vanilla extract and lip balm is uncomfortable in the "granola" culture of AP. It feels too faddish. Though I, like many, am prone to fads, I'm more prone to researching the heck out of them. I've avoided researching too much about AP because, like lactivist literature, it just makes me upset when it tends towards extremes. Unfortunately, this phenomenon isn't limited to AP parenting sites, because discussions about parenting become polarized so quickly. And ultimately, that's my biggest problem with any parenting style. I'm doing my best with my child, trying to respond in the way that seems to work best for her, and I'm sort of practicing a couple parenting styles, in moderation. I'm a moderate with many things, and in a world of extremes (at least on parenting forums), I don't fit.
24 December 2013
Christmas Eve
It's Christmas Eve already, which feels strange. This time last year, I was feeling nauseous and we'd only told a select handful of people that I was pregnant because it was still quite early on. It was actually even earlier than we thought it was at the time--we thought I was around 8 or 9 weeks along when we found out the week before Christmas, and it turns out I was closer to 4 or 5. My body's first response was, "Hey, you're pregnant. Go throw up."
I'm mostly feeling far better this year than I did last year, though my digestive system is a touch moody after all that throwing up and being progressively more squished by a baby over nine months. Too much sugar and I get nauseous, and if I skip a meal or eat later than usual, my stomach launches a vociferous protest. J. and I are getting more sleep right now, in part because we're visiting my family so E. has two grandparents and three uncles who are willing to entertain her, and in part because she's suddenly started sleeping better at night. I don't know how long this will last, but I'm taking advantage while it does.
We've done the big get-together with many people, both family and friends (all on one day), so most of our visit is relaxing, hanging out, and doing stuff around Portland. We spent a while wandering around Saturday Market yesterday, admiring all the pretty breakable things that we should not buy right now. We're doing Powell's on Friday, and I think I'm making the pilgrimage to Mill End and Pendleton Woollen Mills on Saturday. Also on the list is a trip to my favourite tea shop in the world, the Tao of Tea, for a date and to stock up on pu'er, followed by The Hobbit at the Baghdad Theater (pizza, beer, and a movie with Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch? Sounds like a good day to me).
Today's been pleasantly quiet. We're off to the Christmas Eve service in a couple hours, and dinner's after that. Then I think my mum and I may finish watching David Tennant's Hamlet (we left off during a conversation with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern last night after E. fell asleep) while J. plays board games with my brothers and my dad goes to bed early.
I'm knitting a bit here and there. I have my first Moebius cowl on the needles, and it's just a ribbed pattern, so it's very easy. And fast, since it's worsted weight on 6 mm needles. I just have a few more inches to go before I start the edging. I think I want to make another one in stockinette and then do a garter stitch lace edging. I'll have to play around with that. It might make a good pattern to stick up on Ravelry.
Merry Christmas, everyone. Enjoy the snow, rain, fog, sunshine...whatever it's like where you are.
I'm mostly feeling far better this year than I did last year, though my digestive system is a touch moody after all that throwing up and being progressively more squished by a baby over nine months. Too much sugar and I get nauseous, and if I skip a meal or eat later than usual, my stomach launches a vociferous protest. J. and I are getting more sleep right now, in part because we're visiting my family so E. has two grandparents and three uncles who are willing to entertain her, and in part because she's suddenly started sleeping better at night. I don't know how long this will last, but I'm taking advantage while it does.
We've done the big get-together with many people, both family and friends (all on one day), so most of our visit is relaxing, hanging out, and doing stuff around Portland. We spent a while wandering around Saturday Market yesterday, admiring all the pretty breakable things that we should not buy right now. We're doing Powell's on Friday, and I think I'm making the pilgrimage to Mill End and Pendleton Woollen Mills on Saturday. Also on the list is a trip to my favourite tea shop in the world, the Tao of Tea, for a date and to stock up on pu'er, followed by The Hobbit at the Baghdad Theater (pizza, beer, and a movie with Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch? Sounds like a good day to me).
Today's been pleasantly quiet. We're off to the Christmas Eve service in a couple hours, and dinner's after that. Then I think my mum and I may finish watching David Tennant's Hamlet (we left off during a conversation with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern last night after E. fell asleep) while J. plays board games with my brothers and my dad goes to bed early.
I'm knitting a bit here and there. I have my first Moebius cowl on the needles, and it's just a ribbed pattern, so it's very easy. And fast, since it's worsted weight on 6 mm needles. I just have a few more inches to go before I start the edging. I think I want to make another one in stockinette and then do a garter stitch lace edging. I'll have to play around with that. It might make a good pattern to stick up on Ravelry.
Merry Christmas, everyone. Enjoy the snow, rain, fog, sunshine...whatever it's like where you are.
18 December 2013
many things
We're in the last few days before we pick up and head out to visit my parents for Christmas. It's been years since we spent Christmas at their home (years since we've been down to visit at all, actually), and we're very much looking forward to it. We'll be surrounded by people who will be delighted to take a turn entertaining E. so J. and I can get so much needed sleep.
I feel like my brain isn't working so well. E. and I arrived home from the store today, delighted to have finished the Christmas shopping. While I was wrapping presents this evening, I suddenly remembered two gifts I'd forgotten. One was for my grandmother.
J. got his Christmas present, a new computer, yesterday, and is still tinkering with it to get it working. It's not behaving properly and he may need to run back to the store one of these evenings before we take off.
My Christmas present is a trip to the bookstore and fabric store in my parents' town. I'm pretty excited about that. I've been working on sewing in small increments here and there. E.'s Christmas dress is almost done. If it ends up looking wretched once it's all together, we won't bring it, but at least the bodice fits right now. She's been growing by leaps and bounds. She's grown an inch and a half in the last few weeks, so suddenly pants that were far too long actually fit. She's still in the 0-3 months clothing (at 4 months old), but she's out of the newborn-sized clothing, for the most part. I got all teary-eyed when we put the newborn-sized diapers away on Sunday.
I've also been making her a Christmas stocking. I got the pattern here. I've skipped the applique in favour of embroidering her name on it. I've wanted to get better at embroidery, so I tackled stem stitch, split stitch, and French knots. Being geeks, we named our daughter after one of Tolkien's minor characters, so the cuff has her name in Sindarin embroidered on it with stem stitch and French knots, and the stocking leg has her name in English using split stitch. I'll stick up a picture once we have a good quality one.
In the meantime, E.'s finally dozed off. Time to see if she'll let me set her down in the crib so I, too, may sleep.
I feel like my brain isn't working so well. E. and I arrived home from the store today, delighted to have finished the Christmas shopping. While I was wrapping presents this evening, I suddenly remembered two gifts I'd forgotten. One was for my grandmother.
J. got his Christmas present, a new computer, yesterday, and is still tinkering with it to get it working. It's not behaving properly and he may need to run back to the store one of these evenings before we take off.
My Christmas present is a trip to the bookstore and fabric store in my parents' town. I'm pretty excited about that. I've been working on sewing in small increments here and there. E.'s Christmas dress is almost done. If it ends up looking wretched once it's all together, we won't bring it, but at least the bodice fits right now. She's been growing by leaps and bounds. She's grown an inch and a half in the last few weeks, so suddenly pants that were far too long actually fit. She's still in the 0-3 months clothing (at 4 months old), but she's out of the newborn-sized clothing, for the most part. I got all teary-eyed when we put the newborn-sized diapers away on Sunday.
I've also been making her a Christmas stocking. I got the pattern here. I've skipped the applique in favour of embroidering her name on it. I've wanted to get better at embroidery, so I tackled stem stitch, split stitch, and French knots. Being geeks, we named our daughter after one of Tolkien's minor characters, so the cuff has her name in Sindarin embroidered on it with stem stitch and French knots, and the stocking leg has her name in English using split stitch. I'll stick up a picture once we have a good quality one.
In the meantime, E.'s finally dozed off. Time to see if she'll let me set her down in the crib so I, too, may sleep.
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