Because I want to spend more time brainstorming and less time writing in the upcoming few weeks, I plan to take a short hiatus from writing blog posts and leave you with some links to some other blogs I really enjoy, and holiday related reading instead.

This break springs out of my 2012 NYR to practice better blogging.  I want to step back and think fully on what this could mean in my blog for next year.   I’m still surprised that this blog has evolved into something that I really love doing.  However, there are 6 other NYR I want to flesh out more fully as well.  You can hear about them in January, when I’ll be interested in reading and hearing about other people’s goals and resolutions as well.

After Christmas I plan to post the 12 days of DIY, a few of the things that I found time to make and bake and celebrate during our holidays at the household.  There will even be a showcase of a few things made for us by other people.  Following that, I will resume with what I hope to be a continually evolving blog – both thoughtful and interesting to myself and others.

Merry Christmas!

But, a very close friend of mine drew me down to Marlborough for the day on Wednesday and she was oh-so-proud to show me a brand new coffee shop she’d discovered.  I was surprised and a little skeptical.   One reason I chose not to live in the Metrowest was the lack of coffee shops, cafés, restaurants, art galleries, community events, and mansions. (It’s no Beverly Farms or Marblehead).  But, this coffee shop was very hip and beautiful, definitely a reason to be proud.

So I’m equally proud to introduce you to the Coffee Loft on 406 Lincoln Street in Marlborough, Ma.  It combines condos, art studios, art galleries, and a damn fine coffee shop.  It was here where my friend and I sipped piquant lattes and mused on the direction our lives have taken since high school.   Truth be told we’re still very much emerging when it comes to ascertaining our vocation and careers.

 As for Art there, we looked through some of the work on display at the White Rabbit Studios.  The colorful floral painting and mixed media of Elisa Sweig captivated me, and my son especially.

If you ever find yourself in what my friend and I affectionately call “the Boroughs”  (which we named for North-, South-, West-, and Marl-), definitely make a stop off at the Coffee Loft, pass through their wrought iron gate, and enjoy their wonderful beverages and atmosphere.

The Coffee Loft in Marlborough, MA.

But, this is always the first answer on the web, if you have used clothes, donate them.

The second layer of response is usually crafting or upcycling.  For example, you can turn wool sweaters into felt ornaments for your tree.  There are a bajillion tutorials for making a t-shirt quilt.  Then, there is this fabulous (but time consuming) t-shirt rug.

A very beautiful t-shirt rug by Xoelle

And one last link for the jean bottom purse I used to see in teen magazines everywhere.

Denim Purse from www.aokcorral.com

I have to ask – Did anyone actually use this after making it?

Digging a little deeper on the internet brings up more mundane possible reuses – rags, spit up cloths for babies, and donations to the local animal shelter for bedding for animals.

That first possibility of reuse is predicated on the fact that the item is only mildly worn, and still fashionable, the second believes that it’s out of date, but contains usable parts.  A textile junk yard in a way.  That third solution begins to get to the heart of the matter.  This is an item which is not reusable in any wearable or creative way by even the best DIY maven.

But this year, I finally stumbled on a real answer I’d been hoping for all along.  The best part, the solution is in my own town of Salem, MA.

The Salem Textile Recycling Drive, which got 232 people together who donated over 9000 pounds of clothing.  Crazy!  In fact, the event was so successful that the organizers are looking forward to this being a biannual event.  Congratulations Salem Recycles!

They partnered with the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART) and Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries in order to pull this event off.

SMART is headquartered in Maryland and their facebook page is chock block full of textile recycling ideas.  SMART claims to divert 2.5 billion pounds of waste from landfills annually, but this is only about 15 percent of the actual textile waste out there.

Below is a video detailing some of the work they do.  The thing I was most surprised about after watching it… you can recycle stuffed animals!  Who knew?

North Shore Residents, Don’t throw away your items! Save up until spring and then Recycle Them!

This year I’ve reread some Vonnegut – Welcome to the Monkey House, Man without a Country, and latest, DeadEye Dick.  I’d like to make it known that I wasn’t actually as smart as I perceived myself.  For all my knowledge that pigs couldn’t talk in Animal Farm, I also literally accepted the concept of Ice Nine in Cat’s Cradle, unaware that it might be a metaphor.  I often confused the man Vonnegut with his narrators, who spoke from the first person perspective.  A great deal of this confusion was due to the straightforward tone of the narrators as well.  I still operated under the assumption that people who could look you in the eye probably weren’t lying.  All of his narrators looked you in the eye, therefore they must represent Vonnegut.

So this time when I reread DeadEye Dick, I paused with a chuckle at the introduction in my (Dell, $3.95 US 1982) copy, a chapter full of disclosure, containing a few paragraphs explaining the main symbols.  Afterward I went on to read a tale of woe and sadness about a boy who commits an accidental murder in his childhood and doesn’t outlive the ignominy until the whole town is destroyed by a neutron bomb.  As Vonnegut himself said, “The crime he committed in childhood is all the bad things I have done.”

Freud would have had a field day with Rudy Waltz, protagonist.  Practically every psychological trauma he had could be chalked up to mother, “a cold and aggressively helpless old bat” or his father “a fraud.”   Psychologically though, I’m pretty sure it’s accurate to say that what we do, whether with intention or not, follows us around our whole lives – defines us, names us just like Rudy Waltz a.k.a. DeadEye Dick.

Why would a teenager like this book, me at 14 or 16 or whenever I read this for the first time?  Emotionally something must have resonated with me; after all at 16 I read emotionally first and foremost.   It’s somewhat easy to feel alone as a teenager, to feel as though already you’ve made a mess of things if you aren’t the most popular,smart, or athletic person. But Rudy has made a spectacular mess, a mess he’s always figuratively cleaning up after.   It’s nice to think there are people who have mucked it up worse than you have – that social comparison thing again.

But I’m not 16 anymore (thank God), and there’s more to reading comprehension than emotional identification with the main character.  There is understanding, interpreting, and evaluating. So I understand that Rudy committed a crime he can’t seem to walk away from, and that it defines him.  Rudy’s conclusion has then been to hold everyone at arm’s length, to become a neuter.  Neuters make no impact on anyone elses life; they live invisibly.  Although Rudy operates almost wholly under this paradigm, I can’t.  Although he holds that some people live a full life, and then die figuratively…

THE END

…meanwhile literally existing, I can’t accept this either.  Yet I can agree along with him, that simply by living, harm is done ecologically or relationally.  Yet we must strive toward good. I love life, and want to see good days, therefore I turn from evil and seek peace and pursue it.   The evaluation I make, that Rudy doesn’t, is that this pursuit of good is done through people and through community, and that it outweighs the bad being performed simultaneously.

For several paragraphs though, I want to willfully ignore their rhetoric, and phrase things in a different way, a way that might seem a little counterintuitive.  Instead of simplicity, let’s talk about Complication.

What both of these organizations want is a reduction of stuff at the holidays, particularly some sorts of technologies, expensive new clothes, mass produced cheap shit, and anything that a fun-busting type character might point out with a dour frown, “well, you can’t take it with you.”

But the things we’re talking about replacing those items with are Complicated. Note the capital “C.”  Those are things like Relationships. Time. Energy. Thought. Care. Patience.  For example, the list of suggestions to simplify your holidays starts with something extremely personal and precious.  Your Time.  Whereas I can always earn more money, and will, I can’t earn back any of my time.  If I were to gift someone a party I would reckon that’s at least 10 hours spent on invitations, baking, and cleaning, not including attending the actual party.  That time might double or triple for teaching someone a skill (the third suggestion.)  Though choosing a holiday gift for someone does require some knowledge of their preferences, committing to spend a dozen odd hours of them will both deepen your knowledge of them and cement your relationship further.

It will also drive home some of the things that are frustrating about people.  I hate to be the holiday kill-joy here, but there are certain habits our familial relations have that are annoying.  I can’t name anything specifically about my own family, because my sister reads this blog but let’s just say my family’s not perfect either.

Complicating things is worthwhile, but it does require redefinition of some of our values.  For example, if we’re complicating things by making gifts, we certainly can’t prize perfection, because home made isn’t mass produced with machines.  If we’re complicating things by preparing a meal from scratch, we can’t prize efficiency too much.  No one wants a microwaved TV dinner for Christmas, however fast it might be.  And, if we’re complicating things by purchasing used gifts, we had better not have too much pride.  Giving someone a gift that has been used is a little exercise in humility, for the giver, and the givee due to some stigmas created in society.

I think simplifying the holidays here boils down to community, which is messy, time consuming business.  I’ve been appreciating this blog lately, and the woman who has been using December to promote community each day.  That’s complicating her life, I’m sure.  But in a good way.

So, Complicate on folks, it’s only December 5th, and there’s 20 more days for complication left (and 12 more after that if you like to keep on celebrating til Epiphany.)

December Close Outs

I get excited by a good book bargain, whether it’s free, or one two or three dollars.  They call to me likes Sirens.  So it’s no wonder that quite a number of the books on my shelf are beautiful, but unread.  I’m like the proverbial kid who’s eyes are bigger than his stomach.

So, I’m going to put my foot down this December and make an attempt to read the above books before the month is through.  Some of them have been dragging on all year (the Bertrand Russell), others for only a few months (the Jane Addams).   This shall involve near superhuman strength to not request interlibrary loan books, to suppress excitement about the latest project I have in my mind to follow, and to not read too many book blogs.  Of course, I will have to make an exception for my book club.  (We’re reading (rereading for many of us) the Lord of the Flies this month.)

However, it will be good to get these one’s off the guilt list, and hopefully kick up my 2011 books read list to 70 books by the end of the month.

I remember having a conversation in 2009 as I returned from the Salem Film Fest with a friend that while Salem has tons of history and tourist attractions, Beverly had an art college.  It was just that… the city was wasting it’s jewels by keeping them locked up all the time.

Apparently not anymore.  This weekend brought a slew of Art related events in Beverly.

The Beverly Art Walk with 15 possible stops showcasing tons of Montserrat student art, as well as plenty of other artists in restaurants, cafe’s, and galleries.

In addition to that, the Porter Mill Studio had it’s first, and they dare to say, annual Holiday Open House.  Here’s hoping this is very true, especially since I was working, and could not make it.  Alas. Their pictures from blogspot made me so curious, but I will have to stow my curiously until a later date.

Porter Mill Studios in Beverly

Finally, my stop at the Montserrat Holiday Sale brought me to the brink of buying a concrete cupcake which looked delicious enough to devour… only to turn out my pockets and realize I was cashless.  Sad Sad Day.  I would have enjoyed having that confectionary in the middle of my table.  Even worse,I have no pictures of it.  You’ll have to imagine a very heavy, stiff pink frosting-ed cupcake like something your punk rock best friend would have made you.

I’m loving late November and early December for it’s strong focus on local arts and crafts.  Every weekend there’s a craft fair in sight, and it’s beautiful to be able to see the inside of others’ brains laid out on a table.   Don’t miss out this season on what others have to offer, especially as you might be inspired to make something yourself.

I certainly have been, happily turning wornout, no-elbowed sweaters I have into an approximation of these bird ornaments.

Felted Birds via http://artplatter.com

So here we are on the cusp of December.  I am shocked at both how slowly the year went (particularly June, July, and August) and yet, how quickly in retrospect.

December is pretty high on the months for reflection, which I would imagine contributes toward the depression rate.  As I’m reflecting on 2011, I chuckle with how many lists I made, most sitting in the recycling bin by this point.  Yet, three have served as useful touchstones for this hectic year, and here they are.

First, In early March I made the most depressing list detailing 10 obstacles my husband and I were facing.  These covered the lack of just about every material comfort you could want (housing, money, clothes for baby) and went on through more existential career and mood crises we were facing.  By October, seven of these are no longer issues, and two of the remaining three are alleviated. That list was made in sadness, but it’s a joy to look at now and see how much we’ve received from others or solved in our own ways.

Second, after I applied myself to Plato and Augustine last year, I was surprised how much wiser and smarter I had become.  I learned that really studying, annotating, and cross-referencing something  something will cause you to see life in a new way.  Yet, philosophy overall isn’t the wind beneath my wings, shall we say.  After searching for a new disciplinary field to continue to pursue I chose sociology.  This turns out to be more amenable to my personality as a pragmatist.  So, when I found a list of classic sociological texts online I was intrigued.  Could I read the 100 books listed in the next 10 years?

There are 100 books and I’m will try to read them all in 10 years.  So far this year I’ve read 5.  No, not in order.  Learning about sociology this year has changed some of the ways in which I think, and caused me to be even more inquisitive.  It also led me to discover Juliet Schor and the Center for a New American Dream.  In these ways I’m rethinking how “making it” might look.  (Which is one of those worries from my first list)

Third, I made a prayer card.  Although I’ll admit I don’t follow it as much as I (think I) want, this marks a step toward being more intentional as a “pray-er” something crucial for practicing Christians, and something which I had unfortunately been letting slip over the past year.

There were whole categories of lists I made urgently this year, which are fairly insignificant from November 30^th’s vantage point.  For example, career resolutions, when I am still unsure of what type of career I want.   Lists of household goods that I either didn’t need or realized I didn’t need right away with such insistence.  The most colossal list I made this year, and honestly thought I was being wise about, was my New Years Resolutions.

Like I said, I made over 50 resolutions. With complete humility, and shaking my head, let me reiterate -

Well, that was Stupid.

Looking back with 11 months of clarity on this list I can see that I focused too much on details, and not enough on the big picture.

That’s why as I start brainstorming New Year’s Resolutions for 2012 I’m capping off at less than 10.  I’m hoping with enough thought over the next 31 days I may even make it down to 7.

This time, I had gone with the intent of seeing the Frost Folk Art museum, neglecting to notice that’s it’s closed at the end of October.  So after wandering around downtown in search of something else to see, I found myself drawn into the Marblehead Arts Association.

Inside the restored King Hooper Mansion are three floors of artwork by local artists.

I was excited to see collages, which I have lately been thinking about and collecting materials for making.

Emerging Artist Eshibit: Aaron Berger: Cartography

A few other highlights for me were the nude paintings on the top floor.  (A reminder that painting reflects the interior of the artists head as much as the model.)

The antique tile work around the fireplace on the first floor depicting Biblical scenes.

The gift shop with some crafts from local artisans.  The FiberArt Mobiles by Sandra Golbert were of particular interest to me.  The below is an image of her work from her website.

Hand-dyed silk mobile by Sandra Golbert

For a complete listing of the current art exhibits and classes, be sure to check out the Marblehead Arts Association website.  Also, I would happy to visit it again with anyone who wants to go!

On Friday morning I was reading the Derry News at my in-laws table, still woozy from friends, family, laughter and pie the night before.  That’s when I saw the third page article about Plaid Friday.

Plaid Friday?  Plaid’s not going to do anything to hide my bulging Thanksgiving belly,  What happened to slimming Black?

Well, it turns out Plaid Friday is one alternative to Black Friday (the other I’ve found focuses on buying nothing on Black Friday).  According to the Plaid Friday website -

Plaid Friday celebrates the diversity and creativity of independent businesses. Plaid Friday is the fun and enjoyable alternative to the big box store “Black Friday”, and is designed to promote both local and independently owned businesses during the holidays.

The website lists about 200 participating businesses, approximately half in California (Oakland being the creative center of this movement), and the other 100 across the United States.  On their blog, the first post is about Somerville’s Chocolatier Taza and their participation.

When it comes to Christmas shopping (or shopping in general), there are a couple desires jostling harder than the guy cutting the lines in front of Walmart.  One is to get good deals on as much stuff as possible.  Another is to find the perfect gift for people we love.  Often another is to make an ethical purchasing choice.  While purchasing from local businesses is not on the same moral scale of boycotting products made with child labor, such considerations about purchasing has racheted up on consumer consciences in past years due to newspaper articles, studies on changing consumer behavior, and simply more focus on sustainable living pervading American society.

One way to satisfy all three of these could be with Plaid Friday sales; maximizing as many of these values and goals as possible.   What I like especially about the movement is that it presents a “third alternative” to either buying from “Big Box” stores, or not purchasing anything at all.  Yet it subtly addresses the fact that the way our society is structured at the moment, people will be consuming goods others have created, whether they be bought or borrowed.  As Mark Twain said, “Naked people have little or no influence on society.”

So whether you choose to wear plaid or black when shopping, see how much you can find in your local stores first.  Then try the big boxes.  Finally, perhaps think twice before venturing into a retail establishment at all.  In the slightly twisted words of Michael Pollan “buy goods, mostly necessities, not too much”.  Research show that experiences bring more pleasure than goods, and these experiences can be found in your own locales via theaters, restaurants, or salons in the area.

Consider checking out the 3/50 Project webpage for more details about another “buy local” movement which has been around since 2009.