Scattered

Feeling a bit scattered today.  The new ideas and projects from the retreat are vying for space with my present commitments and weaving that needs to be done.

This little bird word art was created with http://www.tagxedo.com/, one of my favorite creative websites. It sort of makes the mess in my head "pretty"!  Certainly doesn't accomplish anything on my to-do list, but it's nice to look at and makes me smile.

Stupid #)*(%)$&^(&$)%&%^ Computer

Yesterday, plus several hours on two other days and one hour this morning, have been spent on trying to fix my computer.  Yeah, it's a time-saver, alright!  For some reason my Outlook account decided to have an issue with iCloud (not an unusual occurrence, as I came to learn)....a falling out so that they were no longer talking with each other.  And then Outlook became so obstinate and slow as to almost not function, taking many minutes to open and then freezing whenever it felt like it. (When it comes to computers, I can't help but anthropomorphize.)  So not only was it a bear to work with, I was loosing appointments between my calendars.

A long phone call to the computer guy didn't fix it.  A visit from the computer guy didn't fix it.  Downloading a spiffy program (Norton Utilities) cleaned up LOTS of other stuff, but didn't fix it.  We upgraded to Microsoft Office 2010, and that didn't fix it.  Finally my dear, dear husband decided to open it in Safe Mode, and found there were a lot of add-ons causing the problem.  Deleting those solved it! (Bless him!!)

But now I need to relearn how to do everything with the new software.  This was not on my agenda.

Really.  Such a time-saver this little contraption is.  At least I avoided the embarrassment of throwing it out of our second story window....or shooting it....or some other type of aggressive behavior.  It was getting very close....

A.k.a. or i.e. or e.g.??

After writing an email to a friend, and using "aka" in as explanatory note, I wondered if I had used it correctly.  Yeah, I know, the things that bother me!

So for all of our edification, I discovered:

i.e.  is the abbreviation for "isto es" which is Interlingua for "that is".  I thought it was from Latin, which it could also be, as an abbreviation for "id est" also meaning "that is, or in other words".

e.g. is the abbreviation for the Latin "exempli gratia" meaning "for example".  Literally it is "for the sake of example" and is used to illustrate what is being discussed.

a.k.a. is, in English, the initialism of "also known as" or having the specified alias (it has different meanings in different languages!).

So.....now we know, even if we didn't need to know, or didn't know that we needed to know.  (And here I would use them all in a sentence...but I think enough said.)

Retreat Reflections

A truly great retreat lingers and offers insights and inspiration for much longer than just the time spent away from the world.  This morning I can't help but smile at the camaraderie, on-going jokes, and new friendships. I'm totally inspired to try wire bobbin lace.

And most of all, I'm delighted to learn yet another way to dye silk scarves!!  I need to get these new dyes and start exploring....flowers are wonderful, but what else might one do??

Slower & Simpler - Dolce Far Niente

While I'm sure all of us are a little tired of references to Eat, Pray, Love, today I was reminded of one phrase from the move: dolce far niente.  I found myself blessedly just sitting, watching a lake, and truly embracing the sweetness of doing nothing.  Can't get much slower or simpler than that!  (Premised on a life that is busy and full of work and commitments, that is.  I'm not advocating ONLY sitting and doing nothing as a complete lifestyle.)

http://bemorewithless.com/how-to-cultivate-dolce-far-niente/

Dolce Far Niente

There is a scene in a barber shop in Italy when the characters are not doing much of anything and the American feels a little guilty because all she has done for three weeks is “learn a few Italian words and eat.” Her European, mostly Italian friends explain the lovely concept of Dolce Far Niente – the sweetness of doing nothing. Watch this clip from the movie to learn more about Dolce Far Niente. (It’s less than a minute)

Bobbin Lace with Wire

We had a demonstration of working bobbin lace with wire - copper wire, itelephone wire, or coated copper.  Instead of a pillow, how about a boogie board to work on? Wow! The possibilities are endless.

I've always wanted to learn how to do it, but knew I wouldn't have much use for the lace. Now my mind is whirling.

Brilliant Idea

One reason to go in retreat is to garner new ideas and tips. I've wanted to have a light box for years, but just couldn't rationalize the cost against the amount of use it would actually get. 

Here's a brilliant idea from a gal on retreat: make one with a shallow plastic box and inexpensive l.e.d. lights. It works perfectly. So clever!!