Since I last posted in March I’ve been busy with multiple projects:

 1) I traveled to Morocco for the first time and was immersed for a week in new sights, sounds and smells. The only fruits and vegetables sold in the markets are organic. Organic fruits and vegetables don’t have a special label or extra cost. There was a pile of onions in a grocery store still covered in dirt and cucumbers that were twisted and not shined up by food grade wax.

2) I took a black and white photography/darkroom course which was mostly aimed at people interested in b&w as a fine art. I discovered that fine art photography is not my path but documenting animals (humans too) and places around me is more my cup of tea. Regardless, I loved going into the darkroom and seeing a piece of blank paper transform into an image within seconds. I really missed that sense of surprise and serendipity that analogue photography offers so I’m going to continue taking pictures with my Pentax K1000 and see what develops.

3) Started two separate music projects that will hopefully lead to album releases. This is something I have not been able to do for over 6-7 years so I really hope I can accomplish this.

4) Got into counted cross-stitch which I’ve already completed a Southwest country motif. Counted cross-stitch can be tricky at first since you really have to keep track of the rows and columns but once you get going it’s fairly easy and relaxing. I liken it to coloring with thread. I’m hoping to make my own cross-stitch patterns next.

5) Started reading more and watching LESS television. Here are some of my new reads:

• Ohio Knitting Mills – Knitting Book: If you find yourself scouring vintage clothing or thrift shops for sweaters from the 50′s-70′s then this knitting book is for you. I was a little disappointed that they tried to “update” the knitting patterns to fit today’s styles since I am more interested in recreating sweaters/cardis from the past. Still most of the patterns aren’t that far off from the originals and there are great photos from the Ohio Knitting Mills archive.
• Wicked Plants by Amy Stewart: Just started reading this book which is all about poisonous, harmful and/or invasive plants. The funny illustrations and stories keep this book from being a dry scientific encyclopedia about plants and is probably why I was drawn to reading it.
• Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin: I know I’m not an unhappy person but recently I’ve felt that there’s got to be a way to maximize on happiness as much as possible. Gretchen’s experience although different from mine has given me some inspiration on ways that I can make myself a better even happier person.