Lunch Time

And I’ve been jogging. It was marvellous and felt like heaven. I wasn’t aware that I missed it that much. And the warmth it gives afterwards, feeling cozy and comfortable including rosy cheeks.

The idea behind is to do the jogging bit over lunch on a regular basis. As one of my intentions for 2008 is to get fit again, and before anything else doing sports again on a regular basis. So far it looks as if I might achieve, the pain still nesting in my heels is pouring out and my whole body actually says a loud, decisive and happy YES to the prospect of getting more and regular exercise.

Lockruf

Da seh ich dieses Buch über China bei der Buchhandlung an der Tramhaltestelle aufliegen. Ich schaus mir kurz an & dann überkommt mich die Lust, es zu lesen. Also wirds gekauft & dann rasch, aufs Tram springen, die richtige Nummer steht gerade vor der Türe, in Vorfreude auf zehn Minuten im Buch blättern, ehe ich wieder aussteige. Da zupft mich jemand am Ärmel und ich treffe eine ehemalige Arbeitskollegin. Nix da mit genussvollem Blättern und mir das Buch aneignen. Stattdessen wird aufdatiert & gelacht.

Das Buch muss nun halt bis zum Abend warten, ehe ich es näher inspizieren kann.

Standing there

Standing there

with yet another turmoil of thoughts and emotions to handle

I look up into the sky

and there,

just above me

in the sky above the shopping mile of Zurich

there it is,

this sign of peace,

just being there

in all its rainbowy colors

First Socks of 2008

Also the first socks finished in 2008 jumped from my needles.

The story of this yarn is epic. I bought it some three or four years ago (Regia) and always felt that I wanted to make something special of it. I had a scarf in mind. I started and ribbed and started and ribbed and finally put it aside. When I got back at it, I ribbed it all and gave it a good wash. Then, I skeined it and decided that no matter what, this yarn would become some socks.

And I nearly started again with knitting and ribbing, because, well, I was trying to find the “right” pattern for this yarn. I wrote “nearly”. And that’s that. After the second try I said plain socks. And so they became. Plain Socks.

Objet fini

Before anything else, I ribbed. Ribbed the tank (Sage from The Summer tweed Collection) I had knit with this Summer Tweed some two years ago. It never really did fit, and the holes those double yarn overs produced in the fabric were a little bit too much for my taste. So. I tried to rib Summer Tweed. I did not expect that it would work, since the thread of Summer Tweed is not the strongest one, you can actually rip it apart quite easily.
The ribbing worked. Better than I had expected. I calculated, bought some additional three hanks and started knitting again. This time it would be a sweater with long sleeves.
I made a swatch. Designed and did the maths. I started knitting and found that the yarn knitted over more than 20 stitches behaves differently, gives a different gauge and all. So I ribbed once again, did the maths based on what I had knitted and started anew.
Now, the sweater is finished. Actually, my first raglan sweater ever. I put it on and did not want to take it off again. Looks, as if I might finally have a Summer Tweed garment in my wardrobe that I actually DO wear!

Now, the good piece is drying. Had to do this. This last test to all knitted garments. Washing. And looking what is happening to it.
I liked knitting it. Summer Tweed has a character of its own. It is crisp, astonishingly soft and decidedly opinonated. But I like that for a change.

And now, as this first ribbing of Summer Tweed was successful, I ribbed today the second Summer Tweed garment - Cinnamon - in blue, also from the Summer Tweed Collection.

I loved the design, its feminity,  but I was not able to get the gauge as indicated in the pattern. And so I had to do the maths. I made them, I knit. I got a really fitting Cinnamon that was on the really tight side. And then, after the first wear, maybe also the second, the bands started to sag. I wore the cardigan from time to time, but not very often, and so. Well. It is ribbed by now. Will going to knit it into a simple sweater. In all it’s bluish beauty.

Das Mysterium der Zahl - Zahlensymbolik im Kulturvergleich

von Franz Carl Endres und Annemarie Schimmel

Anregende Einstiegslektüre ins Thema Zahlensymbolik. In meiner Wahrnehmung für deutschsprachige Menschen aus dem Abendland geschrieben. Der “Kulturvergleich” fokussiert sich hauptsächlich auf jüdische, christliche und muslimische Interpretationen der Zahlen und ihrer Bedeutung, schlägt manchmal aber auch die Brücke zu den Ägyptern und den Inkas und nach Osten, zum Buddhismus hin.

Erschöpfend ist das Thema mit diesem Büchlein sicher nicht abgehandelt, es gibt aber einen ersten Eindruck von der Vielfalt wie Menschen Zahlen interpretiert haben.

Interessant auch die Abbildungen.

The Little Book of Eastern Wisdom by Priya Hemenway

Bought this little book half a year ago or so in the German translation - Östliche Weisheit. Have been reading in it from time to time. Hemenway portrays in it Sufism, Taoism and Zen.

I liked to read it, it gives an informative overview and has a good mixture of information, texts from the respective traditions and - lots of illustrations! These are in my point of view reason enough to buy this little book.

Cleaning up

My bookshelves have been a mess. Since long. I knew, they would be due now soon. On January 6, I started to go through the books I had put on the shelves after moving in. Never had felt like putting them in whatever order. On January 6, the time had come to start the process. First came the poem books and the fiction section. I knew I would have to sort out some of them, most of them even unread, but well, alas, when the time to part has come it has come, no matter what.

I felt so happy after looking at the ordered bookshelves. The rest I would do, well, when the moment would arise. And yesterday, in the mysery of me being caught with this incredible flu started to get the non-fiction sorted out. Part of it went quite easily other parts needed more consideration, as to how I wanted to group the books. Finally, the piles were made and I had to put the books back on the shelves. Before going to bed I had them all back on the shelves neatly ordered, and all having actually a place on a shelf. I felt a longing to sit down in my reading chair soon and take out the one or the other of them and start reading again.

Today, the last action related to this clean-up was due: the books I had decided to part with had to be brought to the recycling collection point - two paper bags, filled with books I did not want to have around any longer. It felt good. So good. And already, I am looking forward to the next action of this kind, which probably will take place before my wardrobe…

And the doctor grinned

Today I went to see the doctor. So far I had not considered it to be necessary, but this is my thrid day I’m not going to work and I need this doctoral attest that I am really sick. And the coughing starts to worry me slightly. So far, I got every morning up and told myself after a brief check on my general condition: Today, no, probably you will not go to work, there is not enough energy, but tomorrow you will have rested enough and you’ll be up and working again. Certainly you will.

Only, the next morning I got up checked my general condition and had to admit that I was not really fit to go for work. Just thinking about commuting to the city… No, thank you, I could not endure it. And so  ensued another day at home and the same hope for the next day to come…

I told the doctor this story. He grinned and told me that I would probably not go to work this week anymore. And then he diagnosed me with one of the two flus that are at the moment active here in Switzerland. And counselled me to not to go too early to work, otherwise I would simply lie flat the following day.

And well, so I am going to do and see, whether he is right or not. Probably, he is. Because, well, he is a doctor and he has seen enough people with influenza by now, to make precise predictions.

Artemis Fowl - The Eternity Code

Had the book recommended some time ago. Started reading it before Christmas on my commuting to work and back. First, I was fascinated by the world that got presented to me, but after getting beyond the first hundred pages, I found my interest sinking and sinking. The story itself seems to be so obvious, once the plot has been set and fairy technology will be stronger and better than anything humans can think of and Artemis, well, he is definitely the best of all humans, that’s for sure. The characters also, they are too much stereotyped and for my gusto not filled at all with enough real life to really interest me. Last, but not least, the master criminal kid that is above all order and can do as it pleases, well, perhaps kids do like to have a character like that to identify with, I, personally, simply feel bored.

So, I stopped reading it. And I think, I will not finish reading it.