it tends to be a solitary activity, best accomplished when i've had too much alone time and therefore have finished all other alone-time activities like sleeping in, bathing, cleaning my room, shaving my legs etc...
on top of that, it is a computer-dependent activity, best accomplished with computer in hand... and seeing as i don't usually find myself with computer in hand (and in ample alone-time)... blogging rarely gets done.
but enough about that... there are other steps that have been take in my blogging absence. they are as follows:
climbing: i have been considerably more active in my climbing endeavors... not to the level i'd like, but still, it's a step. my new shoes are nearly broken in and i have gotten comfortable going to midwest alone as well as going to vertical in groups... lets count that as one step.
reading: possibly the largest step taken... maybe even two as i have finished one book and am half-way through with the other. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver is a great month by month account of one family committed to consuming only that, which they or their neighbors have produced... inspiring, informative if a bit slow-moving... Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is said to be a classical account of African American Feminism and lives up to that title. it has served to ignite thoughts and emotion laid dormant by time and apathy and often grabs at me from its safe haven inside my bag either while i'm at work or enjoying time at home.
sewing: this has yet to manifest itself into a full-on habit. a few projects here or there have gotten done, and i did branch out and start knitting a hat that is absolutely necessary in this cold weather... but the need for a sewing machine keeps gnawing at my keels...
composting: umm... how do i carry a large garbage can on the back of my bike and where do i find bulk composting products such as leaves or grass clippings when everything i see is frozen over with snow and ice... am i just making excuses? sidenote: plans for springtime gardening are under way. just need to build hot-house and pick seeds to start germinating in feb-march)
biking: yea! finally an area i can boast over! i have been mostly faithful to this goal, ignoring
minor break over the holiday season due to snow, cold, and poorly conditioned tires... new knobby tires have been acquired and put in place, riding has again commenced to work (home at night in the cold is a bit daunting still.. but has been done from time to time) and the end of winter is in sight... maybe?
family: how am i doing? a tad better? hopefully? i'm trying...
hoop: don't ask... the basement is dark and cold and far away... plus it floods a lot from our free but broken washer and dryer...
kiswahili: i said habari yako to a kenyan man that came through my line at work yesterday... does that count? truth is, i find it hard to force myself to study (again with my limited alone-time and computer availability), especially when kenya feels so far away.
and running with that tangent...
that random kenyan man can't know the ache his presence caused in my heart yesterday. hearing a familiar accent ask me that old familiar question So when are you to return to kenya? soon, i say... it's what i always say. but when is soon? what is there for me to return to? friends i haven't seen in years and haven't talked to in months? an idle dream of being a community developer with no place to start...? am i to be one of those girls that had an incredible experience in "africa" and tells others how she longs to return while wearing the jewelry but has no actual plan for return?
life in minnesota keeps spinning along without a hitch. familiar places, familiar people, steady work... besides some discontentment with the cold, i'm happy and pleased to be here. excited even at the prospect of finally choosing a location and sticking with it. and this one makes the most sense...
more confusion for a later date. it's getting dark and i still need to ride home:o) at least somehow i'm making progress...
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