Anyway, I started a new project this year called Tree Association. It’s my own special version of those free association word games people and psychiatrists play, where you begin with one word (in my case, tree, because it rhymes with free—see how easy?) and make connections to new words. I plan to update every week with a new drawing, and if you have your own Tumblr you can follow my blog with the click of a button! (Otherwise, I don’t know, I guess you can try the RSS feed. Personally I still use bookmarks and visit one website at a time.)

I’ve come up with a pretty long list already so the associations aren’t necessarily fresh when I draw them, but while I was compiling the list I made sure to take no pauses. (After all, I think it’s better to relate a bunch of words all at once than it would be to actually do one per week.) So far tree has led to coral, coral has led to salt water, and salt water has led to tears which rhymes with gears. Isn’t my brain just fascinating?

I love the funny things other people have been overhearing lately. For example, Sarah from Que Sera Sera witnessed a schoolyard argument that quickly escalated into a screaming blowout, and in San Francisco, Maggie from Mighty Girl was overjoyed to overhear a brand-new family trio having fun.

Reading these scenarios reminded me of a time I was on the beach many years ago, sitting on the sand with my mom. The sun was setting, people were drinking, and then, at last, a certain couple walked by that we couldn’t help noticing: she, with her gigantic floppy hat, and he, with his very small and white (and wet) swim briefs. He himself was very small, while his lady companion was much larger. As they passed, we heard them chattering excitedly to each other. Nearly naked though he was, the man had no qualms about his appearance, and neither did the woman about hers—or his, except for one small thing. The man suddenly stumbled over the sand, leaving the woman a few paces behind him. Upon seeing his backside, she noticed (just as my mom and I had) that the tag of his swimming briefs was sticking out. She giggled and tucked it back in, patting his butt gently after she did so.

It wasn’t exactly an “OH:” moment, but certain silly memories of other people make me so happy.

It kinda reminds me of that scene in Resident Evil: Extinction where the one zombie that’s becoming tame is playing with childhood games and remembering how to use a camera. He’s putting shapes into one of those hollow blocks with holes and looking kinda happy about it, but then he can’t get one of the shapes into an improper hole, so he turns back into a wild zombie and kills everybody who’s in the room with him. But this game isn’t that frustrating at all. In fact, I feel more like that zombie when I’m playing a little round of Mahjongg Solitaire.

This is my version of the “Wicked” sweater from Ravelry; the pattern can be found here.

I’m seriously so happy with how it turned out! It fits well and the directions were actually pretty fun to follow. (I think the color choice highlights the details nicely, too.) Getting the sweater soaking wet and blocking it when I was done helped to open the ribbed neckline up; so much so that it’s almost off-the-shoulder now. I think my cold shoulders can deal, though.

See my in-between progress over on Flickr!

“When I discovered YouTube, I didn’t work for five days. I did nothing. I viewed ‘Cookie Monster Sings Chocolate Rain’ about 1,000 times.”

Michael Scott, The Office

One of my favorite things to do when I don’t want to do anything I’m supposed to is watch how-to videos on YouTube. How to style hair, knit, do origami… typical things, for me. The origami stuff is helpful because written instructions are usually confusing, and my favorite hairstyling videos are the ones by teenage girls doing their own hair in their moms’ bathrooms.

Because of all this, YouTube has taken it upon itself to recommend more how-tos. I usually ignore them because they’re things like, “How To Bench Press By Yourself Without A Spotter.” Or, “How To Kiss With Passion.” I already know how to do one of these things, and have no real interest in the other (just guess)—but sometimes the recommendations are interesting, such as “How To Get Into Any Club.” I click to watch, and I learn that what you have to do is dress like you’re the DJ. Genius, right?

And then we have the suggestions that aren’t instructional, but are supposedly somehow related to my other interests, like the trailer for The Thing.

I don’t really see how it’s relevant, but I can’t argue that it’s not when the rest of my favorites are videos like these, both of which I’ve shared on Facebook before:

This was a joke but I love how spot-on some of these suggestions actually are. Ooh, swish, they probably didn’t expect that would happen. I’m really interested in that adaptable sleeve, too.

Graphic designers may also act like this, but we’re not [all] murderers like Bale in American Psycho.

Since it’s the first fresh day of the brand new year, I thought it’d be as good a time as ever to begin participating in a little project started by Schmutzie called Grace in Small Things. All you have to do is create a list of things—say, five of them—that make you happy, and put it in your weblog. You can do it whenever you want, like once a week or month, or on some other totally random schedule. It sounds easy, but aren’t there some days where you just can’t think of much that makes you happy? I have those days pretty often, where I’m either too grumpy, too busy, or too entirely stumped for fascinating topics to write a blog post, so I’m going to keep my list-making to once every Thursday. Schmutzie’s doing it every day for a whole year, and is nearly to day 40 right now. Some of the items in her lists are so simple (”Humid air after a hot shower”) and peaceful (”Dreaming of faraway places”) that they remind me of the translated lists I love by 11th century Japanese writer Sei Sh?nagon. Here’s an excerpt from Sh?nagon’s “Elegant Things”:

A white coat worn over a violet waistcoat.
Duck eggs.
Shaved ice mixed with liana syrup and put in a new silver bowl.
A rosary of rock crystal.
Snow on wisteria or plum blossoms.
A pretty child eating strawberries.

From The Pillow Book

Her lists weren’t intended to be read, but I love how simple pleasures like these can transcend time. I’m hoping that even though I’ll only post my lists once a week, I’ll become more conscious of good things throughout all seven days and remember them for later.

Here are my first five:

1. The appearance of a Bartlett pear: from the scarred and speckled pale yellow exterior to the smooth, off-white flesh on the inside.

2. The satisfying scritch of a nail file.

3. The way the word “delete” feels to write in cursive. It’s like a rollercoaster of letters.

4. My subscription to Glamour magazine.

5. Wild Cherry Life-Savers.

Anyway, the sweater I’m working on is called “Amy,” and it’s a free pattern from Berroco. I’m using inexpensive Simply Soft yarn so I’m not worried about what might happen if it turns out totally ugly. I’ll leave it alone and wear it with my pajamas, because I can only wear the dusty pink Reebok hoodie I stole from my mom so many days in a row. I chose the pattern because it’s Easy, and it has been so far because it’s just a giant one-piece shrug. I’ve been able to fix the mistakes, except for the one I discovered today but have decided I’m not going to rip out and worry about. I’m too excited because I’m almost ready to bind off. After that, I knit the edging that goes around the back, do the sleeve cuffing and sew the sleeve seams, and VOILA!, I could have this thing finished before winter ends.

This is a literal and totally brilliant translation of the music video for “Take On Me” by A-ha, showing you what can happen when the song being sung actually matches the contents of the video. It’s been making the rounds online for a while now, but watch it if you’ve missed it. It made me realize that my most favorite lyrics from songs actually tend to be pretty straightforward, yet still manage to be poetic.

Here are some of my favorite easy lyrics:

Seven-Up, I touched her thumb,
And she knew it was me
Although she couldn’t see,
Unless of course she peeked

Built to Spill, “Twin Falls”

You’re no rock n’ roll fun
Like a piece of art
That no one can touch

Your head is always up in the clouds
Writing your songs
Won’t you ever come down?

Sleater-Kinney, “You’re No Rock N’ Roll Fun”

Here comes Tiffany
My best friend, Tiffany
Wearing a size too small of sweater

Me and Tiffany
Dressing up pretty
We love to ride, we love to canter

My best friend Tiffany
She is so popular
We’re going from site to site
And pool to pool tonight

Liz Phair, “Girls’ Room”

I met Ferdinand de Saussure
On a night like this
On love he said
“I’m not so sure
I even know what it is
No understanding
No closure
It is a nemesis
You can’t use a bulldozer
To study orchids”
He said, so
We don’t know anything
You don’t know anything
I don’t know anything
About love

The Magnetic Fields, “The Death of Ferdinand de Saussure”

Of course, nothing can ever really beat a good and crazy song by Beck, who himself changes the lyrics to his songs all the time live.