The Recess Bell Rings and I'm Heading Back to School

Now that winter break is nearing it’s unfortunate finale, I am left to reflect and appreciate the wonderful recess I had away from school. I won’t go as far as to say I was busy, but I was definitely never bored because I applied myself to so many hobbies and crafts. I usually make a checklist comprised of activities and projects I want to accomplish during a given break, but this time I just sat back and let the hobbies come to me.

And it was great.

This was the first time in a long time that I finished a novel. It was exciting to be so involved in a book that I didn’t want to put it down. What book was this, you may ask? Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton of course! I am a steadfast fan of the author, especially because he paints vivid pictures with his description and writes about biology-based subjects. I like being able to relate on an academic level while enjoying the story line as well.  

Handmade, aww yeah

I’ve also been crocheting. Yes, like a grandma would. It all started when I became curious about what kind of monsters have been dwelling under my bed while I’ve been off at college. I hesitantly extended my arm into the depths of darkness between my ancient box spring and the dusty carpet. If you’ve ever stared straight at the sun while doing the thizz face, then you’ve probably been wearing an expression similar to the one I was displaying as my fingers curled around the first object I pulled out from under my bed. As my fingers nervously grazed this furry object, my mind painted a vague representation of a dead animal about the size of a rabbit. I erased the image once my analytical brain decided that it wasn’t methane I was smelling but sooty dust, so I pulled the object out of it’s dark hiding place into the light of my room. It was Furby. Now the disgusted face I sported when I first touched the object creeped back as I sifted through memories of the damn toy and how freaking annoying it was, hence the reason it has been squirreled away under my bed for a decade. If you have had a Furby, I’m sure you understand; if not, I won’t torture you with a description of the nightmare of a toy it was. I stuck my hand back into the darkness and pulled out a few filled shoe boxes: one was full of notes and letters, which I figured could age a couple more years before I read through all of them. I did open a few letters out of curiosity, one from my first boyfriend and another from a friend who I haven’t heard from in four years. I wondered if they remember writing those notes or if they ever think back on the good times and struggles we had. It reminded me of how quickly we move on from events and feelings that seemed so significant at the time. Finally I pulled out the golden box (it wasn’t literally golden) and it revived an old chapter of my life. I opened it up and scanned its contents: vibrant fuzzy thread, aluminum hooked needles, and how-to manuals sparked my interest immediately. Crocheting made it’s cordial comeback into my life. I’ve made a beanie and a chalk bag so far, two projects I instill a great amount of pride in, mostly because they took so long and turned out pretty impressive looking. I’m currently working on a hobo bag, and I think it’s going to turn out really well.

Chalk Bag

Now, I’ve been woolgathering a lot about where I will be in five years. One vision that I keep building on is that after graduation, I sell everything I have that I don’t essentially need (which is a LOT of stuff) and hit the road in a dusty old pop-top Vanagon, camping in the cheapest campgrounds around the western U.S. and selling various handmade crafts (crocheted doodads, hemp bracelets, photography, dream catchers, etc.) and also playing small guitar gigs. I’ll hike and rock climb and simply enjoy the outdoors and the company of vagabonds I’ll meet on the way. I understand that there is a three percent chance that this fantasy will become reality, but it doesn’t hurt to dream, right? Anyway, in my preparation for the awesome future I will pursue, I have been sharpening my guitar mastery. I have quite the repertoire of songs after a month of practice and I’m excited to have callused my fingertips enough so it’s not at all painful to play for hours at a time. Playing guitar is my favorite hobby because it combines feelings with melody to present a liberating mode of expression. I’ve even started to write my own songs. To add to my musical career, I got a ukulele for Christmas!

Ian jumping rocks in Joshua Tree

I’ve been fairly active the last month, as expected. Running has had its ups and downs. It started out great while I hit 70 miles and 80 miles the first two weeks of break, but I was pretty flat afterword and had to decrease mileage last week and this week. I was running with my brother and friend Ian but they both got a tad bit injured so I’ve been running alone lately. I can’t wait to reunite with my team, running is so much better with friends. It’s still really early in the season so I’m not stressing speed, but am putting a lot of energy into abs, drills, Foundation, and miles. Enjoying the outdoors has been gratifying during this break as well. I visited the Palm Springs Tram, which is a large revolving gondola that transports people from the desert up to the summit above Idyllwild. For all the years I’ve lived in Idyllwild, I’ve never been on the tram, so it was exciting to check that off the bucket list. It was so cold at the top, with two feet of snow and chilling winds. Another trip I went on was a New Years camping trip in Joshua Tree. The whole family was back together since Jenn and Matt came down from Portland for a week, and we spent three days scrambling, hiking, sunbathing on massive rocks, and celebrating the arrival of the new year out in the middle of the desert.       

Joshua trees and one of the popular rock piles

The rest of my break consisted mostly of making homemade Christmas cards, listening to music, and taking photographs. I recently inherited an old film camera from my uncle but it has its glitches so I’m having a hard time being consistent with using it. I’ve also invested some time into my guilty pleasure… watching the show The Bachelor! I’m a real sucker for dating shows, and I made the mistake of watching the first episode of this season, so now I’m hooked.

The website I’m currently addicted to: Pinterest. Check it out! It’s perfect for dreamers.

I head back to school tomorrow, and I’m excited for a change of pace yet bummed to be putting my hobbies on hold for the sake of getting good grades and getting really fit for this coming track season. 

What am I listening to now? A lot of Joe Purdy and Josh Ritter. Listen to Mary May & Bobby by Joe Purdy