B.K. / A.K.

Long lines at the airport. Wait time in the doctor's office. El or bus ride into work. Before Knitting - I used to read 1-2 books a month. Sometimes it was mindless, fast-paced, formulaic fiction. Sometimes it was more intellectual. The last book I read until recently was Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves.



Upon the recommendation of a friend, I started reading again. My friend actually took the time to think about what I might enjoy and procured it for me. At the time, I did feel a sense of obligation to read it, but not in bad way, of course. That book was 1984 and I am all the better for reading it. It would seem a lot of today's references relate to 1984, such as the term "Big Brother."

And since then, I've engaged myself in other titles. Even with the mindless reading, it does require the brain to work in a different way than other activities that one might spend time participating in. Before Knitting - it was just books. And then came Knitting - the period where it was just knitting, and only knitting. After Knitting - the phase where I can find a good balance between the two.

Yes, that is some recent knitting in the photo. More on that a bit later.

The Long and the Short of It

Once upon a time, there was a girl with super long hair.



Then one day, this girl was watching one of her favorite TV shows and noticed the main character chopped off her long locks in favor of a graduated bob.



Girl wondered if her face was suitable for a shorter style. Girl texted her hairstylist of 5 years: "Would Kate Walsh's bob work on me?" Super Boy Wonder Hairstylist replied: "Definitely."

A few weeks later, Super Boy Wonder Hairstylist called in a panic. "Betty, do you still want to do the bob? I would cut your hair for free. I need to videotape it for an audition." (For Bravo TV's Shear Genius reality competition!) Girl decided she would do it. Girl was nervous when she arrived at the salon for the audition haircut. Girl was very attached to her long hair and worried that she might hate it and cry, and that would certainly not be good for an audition tape.



Girl smiled at her shorter hair in the mirror after cutting and before the blow out. She already knew she loved. All smiles.



Guess I need to update my cartoon picture to reflect my sleeker, shorter hair.

Real Snow

I may have snarked before about "snow" in Tennessee. It does snow here in Nashville, but it's usually only an inch or two, and the ground is usually warm that it melts almost immediately. Nothing like what I am used to in Chicago. And certainly nothing like where Young Man and I just got home from.



We traveled to Whistler, BC, two hours north of Vancouver, site of 2010 Winter Olympics. And the special occasion was my brother's wedding. I consider Young Man a seasoned pro at traveling. His passport is well stamped. He's been all over the world - Taiwan, Indonesia, Canada - and all over the United States. It shouldn't surprise anyone how completely laid back he is about traveling such long distances. Even when tired and hungry, he can be reasoned with: "when we get off the plane, we'll find you something to eat."



There isn't too much to do for smaller children if they don't want to hit the slopes. There is 3 year old ski school but Young Man wasn't interested. We were able to at least watch the skiers and riders by riding the gondola up the mountain. The Whistler/Blackcomb Peak 2 Peak gondola that connects the peaks of the two mountains. Truly awesome.



My niece, my Sister's baby girl, is the cutest niece ever. She is so happy and very photogenic. I think I got really lucky in the lighting. It was slightly overcast but still bright, and the gondola is surrounded by windows all around.



It it pretty rare to have my immediate family all together - Mom, Dad, Brother and Sister. Some of my first cousins made the journey to British Columbia as well. Sometimes I feel so isolated here in Nashville. It was great to be surrounded by family for a celebratory occasion.