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This is Eglentyne

 

I am Dani Smith, sometimes known as Eglentyne.  This blog is one of my hobbies.  I also knit, sew, run, parent, cook, eat, read, and write fiction.  I have too many hobbies and don't sleep enough.

The title up there makes it sound like this is a knitting blog.  And it is.  Sometimes.  Mostly I talk about whatever is on my mind, and since I'm a knitter, knitting is sometimes on my mind.  When I can find my mind, scattered among three children, a spouse, some tropical fish, and a creepy frog.   

Books are frequently on my mind.  Almost all of the books I mention on this site come from my local library because 1) I love my local library and its smart librarians, and 2) I don't have enough money to feed my reading habit (or the insatiable reading habit of the three Sonars) with purchased books.  If the books come from another source, I'll let you know.  

I put together the images and the words on these pages with thoughtfulness and love.  If you would like to quote small passages, please feel free to do so as long as you attribute them to me and link back to this site.  If you would like to repost large sections or whole posts, please contact me for permission and verification.  I can be reached via Twitter (@eglentyne) or by email (eglentyne at gmail dot com).  Thank you for respecting my intellectual property and for promoting the free-flow of information and ideas.  If you're not respecting intellectual property, then you're stealing.  Don't be a stealer.  Steelers are ok sometimes, but I really don't like thieves.  

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    Entries in Season of the Nutritional Abyss (4)

    Friday
    19Dec2008

    Lest you think I'm sitting around crying into my muffins, Part 1

    Posted on DateFriday, December 19, 2008 at 10:44AM

    Note:  This was supposed to be a recent picture of Sonar X8 in his Christmas getup.  For some reason that other one won't load.  So instead you get this delightful substitute from five-hundred years ago.  He's still this cute sometimes.  

    Sonar X8 and his classmates have recently read The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo.  Lovely book.  Like many good books, especially ones for children, this one has been made into a movie, which opens in U.S. theaters today.  


    Today also happens to be the last day of school before the two-and-a-half week Winter Holiday, and an early dismissal day at that.  The classes are having their holiday parties and puzzle exchanges and chaos-inducing whatnot.  

    The third grade teachers decided that the coincidence of all of these things--book, movie, party day--was just too much to pass up and gave a call to our lovely, independently-owned, local movie theater and arranged a nine a.m. screening of The Tale of Despereaux for the entire third grade.  

    To make this work, the third graders are having a holiday breakfast, and skipping the holiday assembly (a performance of Christmas standards by the fourth graders).  First thing this morning, they got hopped up on donuts, candy canes and cookies (and yes, milk, OJ, and pigs in a blanket), then 120 third graders and their teachers and aides boarded yellow dogs to drive a half mile to the theater.  

    (I wonder about the choice to use buses for this trip, since the buses have to drive about a half mile from the school to the theater, but if the kids walked through the municipal park between the school and theater, they'd have to trek about a quarter of a mile.  Perhaps they were worried about the weather.  Or potential escapees.  No telling.)  

    As we speak, Sonar X8 and his classmates are among the first children to see the new film, a fact that they giggled about so deliciously, as if they were getting away with something.  While at the theater, they'll get a fresh injection of popcorn and soda and then go back to school for a nutritious lunch.  Ha.  

    Supposedly the teachers are going to haul them all back to the classrooms after that for some kind of "Compare and Contrast" activity.  Should they attempt this activity (as opposed to sending them outside for recess for the rest of the day) I think they might need to be certified.  Should they succeed, I think I'll have to send them a bottle of bourbon to sooth their frayed nerves.  

    Luckily they'll have sixteen, third-grader-free days to recover.  

    AuthorEglentyne | CommentPost a Comment |
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    Monday
    01Dec2008

    Many thanks

    Posted on DateMonday, December 1, 2008 at 2:02PM

    I am, perhaps, a few days late on my thankfulness list here, but I think it's probably ok to be thankful on other days of the year besides Thanksgiving Day.  I am thankful for a lot of things this year, and every year, but I'll focus for the sake of brevity.


    I am thankful for my Partner, who is not only warm and sexy, but knows just exactly how to make me feel good.  He's also a handy reader of books, happy to discuss whatever he's reading or I'm reading in ways that are fun and thoughtful.  

    I am thankful for Sonar X3, who not only has a lovely spot of quiet time every afternoon, but is among the cutest readers on the planet.  He has proven to me that reading need not be a sedentary activity, and can be accomplished quite well while rolling back and forth on the floor.  
    I am thankful for Sonar X5, who, besides being a pretty adorable reader himself, is also capable of working out puzzles in the most delicious way.  Something in that brain of his just seems to 'get' puzzles in a way that I think is fabulous.  His patience is also a good model for all of us.

    I am thankful for Sonar X8, who last night begged to stay up to finish a book, not because he had to for school or something, but because he was "this close" and he just had to know how it turned out.  Susceptible to this urge myself now and then, what could I do but say yes?  And though I often grouch at it, the bouncy, indirect way he moves through the world gives me a little joy when I can remember to lighten up.  

    There is something so incredibly ingenious about the acquisition of reading skills and I am so thrilled and giddy to be able to witness this process in my children.  I laugh and tell them that the world won't be the same now that they can read.  They look at me askance, and roll their eyes, of course, but that's ok.  Someday I hope they can watch someone else learn to read and to know the sheer joy of it.  

    We had a lovely Thanksgiving celebration with family.  There was good food, fun games, and just the right number of days cramped together with extended family.  A field mouse tried to join us for dinner, I finished a kilt sock (pictures soon), and whether she realizes it or not, my mother-in-law made me feel like I was one of "hers," a feeling that makes me feel warm and happy.  

    If you had the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving recently, I hope it was survivable at least--though cozy and full of love would be better.  

    AuthorEglentyne | CommentPost a Comment |
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    Tuesday
    25Nov2008

    I'm a Winner, Baby

    Posted on DateTuesday, November 25, 2008 at 9:07PM


    Day 25:  50,347


    And just in time for me to head out of town to eat too much and watch too much football on television with my in-laws.  Oh, and knit too much.



    Here is Sonar X5 and his classmates demonstrating the new post-Thanksgiving fitness craze, the Tootie Ta.  If you don't know this source of kindergarten hi-larity, check it out on You Tube.   

    AuthorEglentyne | Comment1 Comment |
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    Monday
    14Jan2008

    Running Week 1

    Posted on DateMonday, January 14, 2008 at 12:01PM

    So far I've kept up with the running/yoga goal, and it feels very good. Running MWFSa, Yoga, TuThSu.

    When I was just walking, I felt like I had trouble with pacing. I walked the same amount of time every day, but would walk drastically different distances each day. The first day of running, I felt like my running pace was awkward and elusive, but during the walking intervals, my pace was immediately comfortable and steady. Like falling into a groove.

    The second day of running, I found a running groove too.

    While I feel winded at the end of each running interval, I'm not reduced to excessive panting and gasping, and am able to recover a normal breath within a couple of minutes.

    The first couple of days I had no soreness, but this weekend I find that all of my muscle ends are a little sore. Lower Leg, Lower Thigh, and a smidge in left ankle (which I twisted in a non-running accident). Ankle injury didn't affect running ability, so long as I was careful of my footing. And the overall running soreness is really mild, not a deterrant at all.

    The only troublesome consequence so far has been headaches. I run late afternoon or early evening, and on each run day, I get a migrainey headache around bedtime. Poking around on the net, it looks like it could be an exertion headache, perhaps helped by careful stretching of neck and shoulders. I've had migraines before, and it could be that the shift in circulation and pressure is bringing them on. The headaches could also be resulting from shifts in caffeine and sugar consumption following the Season of the Nutritional Abyss. I've returned to pre-holiday eating patterns, and my body may be adjusting to more sane levels of caffeine and sugar. If the headaches persist through this week, I'll see the doc to check them out. And try not be lured by worrying about the worst-case scenario offered on the medical web sites. lol

    It's very empowering to discover that I'm capable of running like this. I have a lot more energy, and aside from the occasional flare-up of identity panic, I feel calm and positive about a lot of things in a different way than I can remember for a while.

    Next time: Teacher Meme

    AuthorEglentyne | CommentPost a Comment |
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