november!

I saw on Jessica‘s blog that Deb was doing a meme/contest regarding November calendar pages. Being that November is also my birthday month, I had to participate!

november calendar

When I was growing up, my best friend’s family and my family were incredbly close. We had a funny sort of synchronisity with a lot of our birthdays, too–her sister’s birthday is the day before my mom’s, hers is the day before my dad’s, and I was actually due on her mother’s birthday (Oct. 29). My mom and little sis were impossible during the entire month of July, their Birthday Month. They would bring it up at every opportunity. My friend and my dad fashioned themselves more subtle and sophisticated, but would find ways to mention their birthday month (August) all the time, too. The rest of us all get our own birthday months (in order, too: Sept, Oct, Nov), and we found ways to be obnoxious about having whole months to ourselves. All this to say that, well, even though I don’t expect people to celebrate me for the entire month, I have strong feelings toward the month of November.

This year, my birthday is on Thanksgiving! I don’t know why I didn’t mark it on the calendar; if I had to guess, I suppose it’s because this is my work calendar, and anyway, I know my own birthday. The photos in the calendar are all X-rays of flowers. I love the austere black and whites, and I think they’re very beautiful. However, I would like to ignore the name of the calendar, because it is embarrassing to purchase or be seen with “Flower Spirits.”

In other news:

  • Neosporin should be a controlled substance, that stuff works so well (as I know from having scraped my knuckle badly on an exposed brick wall in our stairwell while carrying a box out this past weekend).
  • Walking 2 miles to work really is better than sitting on the bus. You don’t get to work and feel tired! You’re awake and invogorated, plus you see some actual nature (though you were more than a bit turned around and lost in Central Park).
  • Teaching coworkers to knit during lunch breaks is satisfying therapy for both of you.
  • And playing with cable patterns can be fun but confusing. Here’s a peek at what I’ve been working on (note, the cable pattern is not my invention, but I’m modifying it a bit and that’s why I’ve needed to chart it out for myself).
pattern

14 Responses to november!

  1. Liz K says:

    Flower Sprites might possibly be the worst name possible for such gorgeous photography. It sounds like something you’d play with when you were 8, while wearing a unicorn on your t-shirt.

    I’m always glad to get the snippets on the NYC life, especially when they seem good for you.

  2. sdunbar says:

    You were due Oct 29 and born Nov 23 ? whoa I have never heard of someone being almost a month late, your poor mom! I was due Nov 25 and born Oct 25.

  3. Ashley says:

    I’m with Liz–that is a positively embarrassing name for such an amazing-looking calendar. Really lovely!

    That cable chart is intriguing–can’t wait to see what you’re working on!

  4. Debbie says:

    I’m a November, too (the 6th). I was always so disappointed in our birthstone. Topaz. pffft. I worked at a gift shop and we always had a bin of topaz rings left over from the little birthstone rings we sold.

    And I totally agree about Neosporin. My friends and I had a running joke that it could fix anything. People, cars, shattered glass – anything. I know we were joking, but I almost believe it.

  5. Arleta says:

    I love those flower x-ray pictures. So neat!

    My hubby’s b-day is Nov. 21! I like the birthstone, too!

    Walking to work will help keep you fit, as well. Don’t get lost in the park again, though!

  6. MeBeth says:

    I was a month late too – by the time I was born I was the size of a baby elephant! Thank you for yesterday’s picot tutorial, I was just about to look it up for a pair of socks and there it was on your blog.

  7. Jessica says:

    What a cool calendar! At least you know you’ll get a good meal on your birthday this year. ;) Sounds like you are enjoying getting to know your new city and your new co-workers. Glad you are having fun!

  8. Rachel says:

    That is such a cool calendar! I’m totally with you about the name, though — blech. Why slap an ultra touchy-feely name like that on a calendar that probably appeals most to those with a good science/intellectual-aesthetics balance?

    Happy almost birthday! I used to really dislike November, but for some reason it has grown on me in recent years. Not a bad month for a birthday — and yours precedes the holiday season so people aren’t burned out of celebration by the time it rolls around (says she of the February birthday).

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