Thusday Thirteen
Thursday, August 23, 2007
| Thirteen Things about Cindy Lynn
I sort of wanted me Thursday Thirteen to be a bit imaginative, but since it’s my first one, maybe it should be a bit more introductory.
So, thirteen things that bring me joy.
1. Books. When I first worked at the library, I remember going up to the third and fourth floors, where the majority of the books were housed, I used to feel as if the books were welcoming me. Even now, anywhere there’s a group of shelves, I feel a pull. It might sound weird, but I find it comforting to place my hands on the spines. Like there’s power and energy flowing into me. I love opening a book and finding a note card or flowers left between the pages. I love the smell of the paper, and the feel of it, when it’s really good paper it has a thickness, a grain to it, that seems somehow timeless. Colored end papers, especially if they are maps, delight me. I always start a book from the end papers…I read every page, even the copyright page, in order, because you never know what secrets you might find. I will never give up books. I know a lot of fellow authors who get cranky about the book attitude that readers have – a lot of us have e-books, and we desperately want people to read them. So I understand that. But I also understand the glory of arranging books, or seeing beautifully colored spines lined up neatly, the allure of sets and the joy of the weight of a book in my hands.
2. Driving at night. Or, I could also say, riding. When I was going to high school, the bus would come get me first, and so often I would find myself in the very last seat of the bus before dawn overtook the night, and I was amazed at how silent it was. The roar of the engine and the darkness served to create a blanket of nothingness, and my mind could wander at will. It was one of the few times of real peace I would get before I got home. Later, when I was driving almost three hours every weekend to go from work to home then back again, I often drove in the dark. In the morning it was different…half sleepy, half anxious to get to work on time. I enjoyed the silence, but other things intruded. At night, it was always better. I had all the time in the world, I was unlikely to fall asleep (I confess, a couple of times I fell asleep at the wheel on a very, very busy highway…a couple of times I had to park and get out of the car and do jumping jacks, which is just great for entertaining fellow morning commuters, but I figure, better be laughable than be dead.) and there were more lights to enjoy. I adore lights at night. Somehow, driving at night gives me a feeling of freedom and contentment.
3. Chocolate. The department I work at lives on chocolate. I’m not a huge fiend, though – I can make a box of chocolates, especially good ones, last months. Anyway, it’s nice to share chocolate, to have that lift during the day.
4. Colored glass. I collect glass – bowls, plates, vases, anything that has a nice jewel tone to it and is not expensive. Most of my collection cost .50 cents at the most, and all was picked up at a flea market or second hand shop. I’ve sort of stopped, mostly because there’s not enough room, and because I have more than is practicable to use, but I adore the trueness of colors, the play of light through it. No color is more itself than when it is captured in glass.
5. Fabric. One of my weaknesses is for soft things. I bought several yards of fake fur to line a cloak with, and every time I pass it I stroke it, unable to stop myself. I love weaves and textures, I love the feel of the drape of velvet, or the cool kiss of silk. For me, sewing is like a puzzle. What fabrics fit together? What trim is needed to make it the way it is supposed to be? How do things fit together? I sew instinctually; I know I won’t be happy with what I make unless I concentrate, unless a vision pops in my mind of how the fabric I am working with wants to be made up.
6. Renaissance Faires. One of my secret ambitions is to run away to the faire. I’ve always wanted to do that, when I was a teen I thought it would be a bit more like a traveling circus, that I would be surrounded by knights and ladies and such all the time as we went from faire to faire. That was before I’d actually been to one, alas…but now that I’ve met real rennies, and seen their natures as a whole, now that I have a better understanding of the lifestyle, I still desire to be a part of it, rather than just a playtron. But, I keep thinking of the old adage, never make your escape your prison, and am content to visit, to listen to the sounds of bards singing, of people plying their wares, and to see the costumes and the horses.
7. Sailing Ships. I have always, even before M&C, loved ships. I think they are incredibly elegant, their curved sides, their prow slicing through the waves. I love the quality of the light as it touches the billowing sails. And of course, I love their Lieutenants, but if you know me at all, you sort of expect me to say that.
8. The Woods. When we had a horse, the woods behind my house were easy to access. I would spend hours wandering them, or sitting on a fallen tree reading. I used to track creatures in the snow, thinking how cute the little marks made by their feet were. The woods are ever changing…you walk the same paths every day, and it’s never quite the same place you saw the day before.
9. Paint. I am not a very talented painter. Point of fact, I’m more of a cheater than a painter, I might have passed oil painting in college with a B but I really am not very good. But still, whether it’s bottled acrylic craft paint or expensive tubed oils, I love it. I love mixing the colors, seeing the stripes and blots of paint on my hand. When I paint crafts, such as the time I painted my dresser knobs, I often use my hand to re-point the brush, and once, when I was done, the thumb and back of my hand looked the tail of some exotic bird.
10. Tea. Tea is one of the most interesting of things because, despite the fact that there are a vast number of people who don’t drink it, (though a lot of people, when pressed, will admit they drink iced tea) it’s really quite universal. You can travel the world though your tea cup…not only because of the different flavors of tea, the multitude of leaves and blends, but because there are so many stories and traditions, both personal and cultural. For me, I find it a vast comfort. I have many different kinds, and I enjoy having a choice, being able to suit my mood. The warmth of the mug, the sweetness, these things all give me a lift. If I am overly stressed, I make myself make a cup of tea. My favorite tea time is when I can drink and read a good book, cuddled up in bed.
11. Sleep. I know, that so shouldn’t be on here. But I like sleep. I like being warm and comfortable – two of my blankets are velvet, and they get snuggly. I like closing my eyes and going someplace else. My favorite part is when I can drift, and sort of day dream, tell myself stories. I think, looking at this list, that I am getting a feeling that my favorite times are all times when I am alone in my own head. No one bothers you when you are sleeping, and you can put all your effort towards imagining things. I just wish I could learn to control my dreams.
12. Making things. I enjoy crafts a great deal, or making icons, or anything creative. When I was younger I realized that I would never be able to find or afford the things I wanted, and so I had to learn how to make them. My parents are both crafters so I come by it honestly, my mother sews and crochets and everything like that, my father is a blacksmith. There is something satisfying about making something, knowing that you did it, that it is something you’ve created and is original and just what you want, or at least as close as possible.
13. Writing. Aha! Did you think I’d forgotten? Writing is a combination of many of the things on my list. It is creative. It is solitary. It is, when it’s going well, peaceful. It requires books for research and if luck prevails will become a book in time. When I write, and I know what I’m doing, there is nothing better. I truly believe that all books are written in the background noise of our heads, that when a book is truly begun we have no idea of it. When you finally sit down to write it, you are merely scribing what has already been written, and when you get stuck, that’s because you’ve caught up with yourself and have to wait for the back of your head to write more. Books write themselves, slowly, it only has as much to do with the writer as a good crop has to do with the farmer. It takes good soil and hard work and luck.
Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. Buck Naked Politics
2. Musings
3. Joely Sue Burkhart
4. Gentleman's Domain
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