Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Whining, etc.

So, I know I'm sort of sucking at this blog thing. I got all inspired by a bunch of beautiful blogs- and then I feel like I failed to live up to the example that was set for me.
For one thing, my inability to figure out how to get my pictures where I want them is driving me nuts. Other bloggers don't seem to have this problem. It is a BIG problem, because I want to talk about stuff in the pics, and it is very hard to do when I can't get the pics and the text where I want them in relationship to one another.
For another thing, I don't seem to be able to adequately express my personality through this medium. (It could be my frustration with the pictures that's holding me back) But maybe I just need to work more at it. Maybe I need to blog every other day for a month, no matter what, just so I get into the groove and remember what it is to write. Which I have just barely done since leaving college.
For some reason I just remembered that when I was in school, I came across a volume of William Blake's work that included his "Marginalia"- which is stuff he wrote in the margins of other people's work; a commentary. Now, I would never dream of blogging like that, but it might be a good writing exercise, a brain and thinking exercise.
I used to write poetry. I used to think about all kinds of things that are almost completely irrelevant to daily existence. How can I hang onto that part of myself without continually being enrolled in college classes? I could teach, (and desperately want to) but I teach middle school, not exactly a bastion for higher thinking. Maybe I need to join a book club or something. Or listen to public radio? I can't be the only person with this problem.
My knitting life is going pretty well lately. I finally closed the toes on a pair of socks that's been sitting around since June, and finished a lacy scarf, knit in deep purple haiku (from Alchemy) and fuschia Rowan Kid-Silk Spray. It is lovely and cloud-like and intensely soft and luxurious. The way it caresses the back of my neck is pure heaven!
I started Marnie McLean's "Asets of Evo" yesterday and I've almost finished the waistband. I've also got a scarf, The Chevron Scarf, (from Last Minute Knitted Gifts) on the needles.
I love having choices in my knitting projects.
I would love to show you all these projects, but I'm unwilling to risk the emotional devastation that comes with trying to properly insert photos into my post.

1 comment:

LauraRose said...

Now, now, I think you're being a bit hard on yourself re: writing. You're a language arts teacher after all; I'm sure you have the basics down. Pick a theme, and let it flow. Go back and rewrite your lead, add a catchy ending and you're there!

As to the photos. If you want them to be in different places or different sizes, you have to load them separately. They always go to the top of your HTML edit page. They all start with "less than" a (I tried to type it in here and it thought it was HTML!) and end with a"greaterthan", so you can tell them apart. You need to move each one by cut and paste to the part of your writing in which you desire it to appear. The preview tab gives you a sort of idea about what it will look like, but you're never really sure until you post. I post, look, go back to edit HTML and use a lot of returns to space things out, repost, check edit, etc. Perhaps there is an easier way, but that's what I have so far figured out.