today was a much needed slow day at work. now that i don't bike to work (it's 10 miles there), i find it much harder to gather energy to go out after work. by go out, i mean to the bead store or library. being that i drive on the freeway to and fro, i'm not connected to the neighborhoods i would usually traverse through. that's been sort of a difficult change for me - i don't like spending so much time commuting, even though i enjoy the chance to listen to music in the mornings and the convenience. other big changes include not sleeping on the floor anymore! the realization of how much storage space could be gained by having a raised bed, yes.

the room at it's most organized yet

What do I do at work you might ask? yes, well, lately i've been focused on outreach. this is exciting for me, as my favorite part of the job is meeting the community. I had a fairly exciting meeting with Portland Nursery. It's comforting to me each time I meet people in urban ag. that come from art and lit backgrounds. I often feel the lack of my own agriculture knowledge. It's also been exciting to meet people in PSU's LSE grad program. I'm starting to consider it more and more. It's a far departure from my thoughts of art grad school, but I think it's the right one.

Doing VISTA, it's hard to value your free time. I don't come by a lot of time to reflect, as I usually fall asleep in those moments. It's an interesting feeling to be in a constant state of learning and personal growth, especially when you're sort of overlooking reflection in favor of necessities like grocery shopping. I see the value in transitioning to being a morning person - however difficult that might be for me. I enjoy moving slow in the mornings, packing my lunch, and the possible reinstating of meditation. Additionally, the consistency of my schedule and the type of work I'm doing inspires me to start traveling again. There are so many experiences yet to be, such as WWOOF-ing in Hawaii. That is sort of what I'm telling myself is my end of year of service treat, pre-grad school celebration. Maybe. Unrelated, I certainly miss the ease of hanging out and visiting with people that college provided. The having to travel all over the country to see my handful of close friends, not so much.

Knit purse I recently sewed together. Knitting the strap took the longest! I need to sew a fabric liner and re-enforce the strap with ribbon. I'll write the pattern up soon to post. Then, I have an idea for another purse and dreams of knitting a cabled sweater. Knitting a sweater or cables - I've done neither. ho hum.