Productive Potato

It is snowing and the roads are iced over here. Krishna Chandra is sick so he stayed home today. Thankfully, my school closed for a faculty development and training so I basically stayed home, watched movies, and ate junk food with my husband. I did not forget about my exercise routine. Cheko and Dolly will be proud to hear that I have been doing light calisthenics every couple hours. I did lunges, swats, and jumping jacks. I can not go jogging outdoors, but I was thinking about using the treadmill next door for a half hour. This way, I can justify eating all that junk food, and not feel like a couch potato for sitting around all day. I crocheted some mrdanga head warmers, think tea cozy for clay drum heads. I practiced violin, harmonium, and even sang some scales. I didnot forget about the piano, I practice an hour of piano and aural skills in the practice room. This leaves my afternoon free for algebra study, violin, and work. I reviewed my algebra homework, and finished a practice exam. I feel productive. Chandaneswar prabhu read a chapter of Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita while I crocheted, and we had some stimulating discussions about Mahaprabhu's friends, associates, and their family members. In particular, we discussed Nrsimhananda Brahmachari, whose entire family were vaishnavas. Eventually Nrsimhananda brahmacari left his household and became the Lord's servant. I wish I had Vaishnava relatives. My relatives are all materialists, and my in-laws are dedicated mayavadis. Sometimes I tell my husband that I prefer a materialistic family over a materialistic mayavadi family.

Knit Days, Rasam Nights

Just back from New Orleans, I decided to keep myself occupied until school starts. I added length and half-sleeves to my chevron stitch cardigan this week. For those who need it the pattern is available for free at milobo.wordpress.com, it's a top down yoke and really versatile pattern. I couldn't get a photo of the adjusted sweater because I'm wearing it and I can't find my camera for the life of me. (Actually, I'm sure its right in my desk but I'm still in denial about the mess down there and I'd prefer not to look.)
I promised to post my version of the patiala salwar and I'm getting to it as soon as I find three yards of spare fabric laying around. :)  In fact, I have a ton of saris laying around but since they are Bengali handloom saris, they are much too thin to make salwars with. I can make a bunch of lined gopi skirts or ghagras with the thick slips inside instead and I'll post those as well.
I've been practicing my knitting again and this time I decided to use a bulkier yarn to make a simple scarf. I swear I'm a crocheter not a knitter. I also said knitting was for losers but I also forget that I'm stubborn as a mule and will not submit to the knitting gods. I shall master knitting! SOMEDAY!
Lately we've been having a lot of rasam, its easy to prepare and it tastes like tomato soup's kick-ass Indian cousin.  The first time I tried it, I felt nauseated all day and swore it off for my lifetime. But again, I forgot that I'm stubborn as hell and would not let a little nausea defeat me. The other day, (I forgot which day it was supposed to be below freezing again), we went to Maharaj's house to drip all the faucets and open the cabinets when I spotted a package of Rasam powder in his kitchen. I knew it was a sign, I hadn't yet been able to get down to the Indian market to fetch me some and last time I totally forgot to pick it up and I ended up with two packs of fish curry masala instead.. I was annoyed by my absent-mindedness and so I yanked the powdered spices. This winter there is gonna be a lot of frickin' Rasam  because it is so quick and  easy prepare that you could feasibly make some right away and have it within a half hour! All you need is some tomatoes (3), grated ginger, spices (curry leaves, mustard seeds and 1 teaspoon rasam powder) and oil or ghee for frying. Boil and peel the tomatoes and blend it along with your ginger, a few curry leaves and water. You can also add a green chile for more heat. Heat some oil or ghee in your saucepan and fry the mustard and fresh curry leaves. Add the tomato puree, spices and salt and boil for five minutes. Add more water and boil it for another five minutes. Offer and enjoy!
I never had rasam before because it smelled too  pungent, it usually contained onion or garlic and each time it was usually on a train. Apparently Indian Railways likes to gorge their passengers on Rasam and breadsticks and I had no idea that such a combination was even possible! In my experience its usually not a good idea to combine spicy meals and travel; I never personally made this mistake because 1) I'm not an idiot. 2) I don't eat garbage from a plane or train or otherwise 3) I'm not naturally inclined toward spicy foods but I learn from others' mistakes well. Now that I've discovered rasam and confirmed that it is not decidedly gross as I thought from my previous railway encounters, I'm a fanatic. It really helps open up my sinuses and clearing up colds, its perfect for those cold evenings when you need something to really warm you up but it is really acidic so take care not to over indulge if you have a weak stomach! 

Pondering and such

 Well, it's been a really long time since I blogged last-- exactly a month. I'm sorry I've let my blog sit for so long but if it's any consolation, I haven't been writing in my journal either so you know there isn't anything worth mentioning even in passing. I've been pretty busy these past couple of weeks with class and preparing myself for more classes. I don't want to take on too much at a time as I don't know what my capacity for coursework is, how stressed out I might become or even if I'll be able to manage my time wisely. Besides that, there is nothing really going on in my life.

I've been thinking more about my education and where I want it to take me, career-wise. I am more lost and confused about a career path than I was fifteen years ago. I can honestly say my twelve-year-old self had a more defined sense of purpose in life. I guess my general interests have changed but specifically, the only thing that's really changed since then is my spirituality. When I was twelve, I was trying to distance myself as much as possible from crochet and crafts, as it was no longer 'cool' and instead obsessed about violin and violin mastery. I was really obsessed, I mean, I used to write poems and make artwork about my instrument, music and violin.

  I don't have that one-pointed vision anymore and, though I'm glad I've broadened my general interests, I still wish I had that yogic mental prowess I had then. It's laughable if you really think about it carefully. I was strong-willed, determined, patient, and extremely mature in my musical endeavors. I wonder if I still have that energy and enthusiasm in me. Can I focus my energy and enthusiasm towards a higher purpose and reach my goal?

I guess you're wondering if I'm going off topic and I wonder that too. I write in cryptic and vague language, sometimes alluding to different topics or even writing in hidden and double meanings. I know, I've been doing that a lot lately but I'll let you figure it out.

মাদ্রী দেবী দাসী 

More Realizations

Lately, I've been spending a lot of time with my personal journal, one of the reasons I'm blogging less these days. I've acquired several diaries over the years from friends and family and started journal keeping in all of them. Over the years my writing was scattered over several journals, if you wanted a complete understanding of my life, you'd need all seven or eight or... I lost count. It's ridiculous, that's not even counting the composition books and notebooks I purchased on my own. I decided a while back that I would finish writing in one journal exclusively before moving onto the next one, reverting back to their chronological order in which they were received. I'm writing in the black duct-taped one now, I'm lining it in pencil so I can also work on my penmanship. I'm also practicing my Bengali along with my English alphabet to refine my handwriting and make it something more consistent. I found a nice website about Italics and other handwriting that I'd like to share with you-- Italic Handwriting Directory-- it is really neat and a great place to admire lovely penmanship, even if you're not familiar with calligraphy, you'll certainly fall in love with the beautiful style and elegance therein.

Right now I'm working on a cardigan called Chevron Lace cardigan, the pattern is available from the crafter herself at her blog, it's a wonderful site but unfortunately it's inactive. You can still find her patterns at Ravelry and I love the simple cardigan pattern so far. Still making several doilies in the Autumn Reflections pattern. And yes, I really do need that many doilies. Why in the world am I working a cardigan in the middle of spring? It has occurred to me that it's best to work your winter patterns in the spring or summer, that way you get more time to plan and make changes to your finished work before it's ready to wear. Also, I desired a caplet or shawl for hanging around the house, it's not so strange if you think about it. Over here in the land of central air conditioning and wooden crawl spaces, the houses are always chilly, drafty or just plain freezing. Especially in the summer.

Last night I got really sick with food poisoning and even though I was deathly ill, somehow I still managed to meditate and focus on the Holy Name. Sri Harinam helps me a lot when I'm in trouble, ill, mentally or emotionally disturbed. I chant constantly, aloud or silently, and beg the Name to reveal truth to my heart. I prayed and cried out to the Lord, I wanted mental clarity and strength. When I get sick, I start to panic and fear the worst case scenario, panicking only worsens my condition, so I try my best to control my mind. I tried my best to chant, keep myself calm and surrendered to the shelter of Sri Nityananda Swarup.
Of course, I always get these really wonderful realizations, it seems kind of macabre to say it but the day afterward, I relish it. I can reflect on the Lord's mercy and how he reveals Himself at our weakest hours. Last night's realizations were exactly what I was praying for these past several months. I couldn't unlock this code for the life of me. I knew it would  take a huge blow to the head for it to sink in, and boy, was I right! The Lord is so merciful, if you simply cry, beg, plead with a sincere heart for His shelter, He'll make proper arrangements and reveal tattva to you when the time is appropriate. Another thing I realized, it's through the process of purging that we rid ourselves of impurities, sometimes we have to endure that painful process, since we have so many anarthas in our hearts, it takes a long time. With forbearance and determination we can make it to our desired goal but we pray for the spriritual strength and endurance of Lord Nityananda Ram, otherwise the journey is implausible. We just have to keep on trekking, no matter what. Determination, patience and enthusiasm- that is the instruction of Sri Rupa Goswamipad.

Jay Sri Sri Guru Gouranga! Jay Nityananda Balaram! Jaya Sri Hari nama!
♫ Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare ♪

Active-ity

Pencil skirt and blouse in gauze.

I finished a couple projects and wanted to photograph my work so I could share with you. I started a pencil skirt recently because I wanted a little change in my wardrobe and I thought a fitted
short skirt would be a pleasant change. The blouse is a little big, though; I measured everything generously but neglected to look over the finished garment sizes. Apparently, the garment has a lot of ease designed into it already, so I ended up with a blouse two sizes too big and I had to take it in. I still have to do some adjustments but I'll make sure to look over my patterns more carefully next time. Maybe I'll wrap it up and give it to my sister or mom. :)

I finished the first of Autumn Reflections doily, it's beautiful; now that I know the pattern, I want to start making several and piece them together. Chandaneswar requested that I give the first one to Srila Prabhupada, for his table. I'm weaving the ends and blocking as we speak. The written pattern is available at this site, you can check it out for yourself!

Close-up of Autumn Reflections

Well, that's all I wanted to write about today. Chandaneswar prabhu has been suggesting several documentaries for me to watch lately, I thought that all this sitting should do some good, so I started crocheting or sewing while I watch. The result is that I have successfully multi-tasked my way into several new outfits. Hurray. The weather has been really nice, during the Ram Navami festival, the kids had a little carnival, you can check out more photos of the fun games and crafts they did at my online album. Beautiful Garden, Spring Carnival, Ram Nauvami.

Change of Pace

A couple days ago I started working on a doily, I figured I could make them in worsted weight and they'd work up quickly so I can make several and piece them together to make a table runner for my dresser top. :)

The pattern I'm working is called Autumn Reflection, I found it on Ravelry, and it's available online in written form here. I photographed my progress the other day so you can take a look at my work. I found the Elise shawl stuffed away under my desk (probably so I wouldn't think of working it again), I thought about unraveling it and using it to make more doilies but someone stopped me from doing so just yet. I'm gonna sleep on it some more and think carefully about whether I'd be happy throwing away all that work for some doilies. ::sigh:: Time is changing and I haven't studied at all for my placement test. I promised myself I would meet up with my friend so he could tutor me and hopefully I wouldn't end up in a remedial math class. That would suck. Ass. Tons of ass. Anyhow. I got sick for nearly two f@*#ing weeks and here I am still congested, tired and super-weak but I'll get by with a little help from my friends, my hydrocodone psuedoephedrine cough syrup sample bottle friends. We're making pizza today and I don't know if that's a good thing or not. I can't stand pizza, it gives me gas and a  bloated stomach, on top of the fact that I'm already fat. So you can imagine. I need to start jogging again before I have a god-damn heart attack or something. Diabetes. Heart disease. High blood pressure. Nice. I gotta go jump-rope now. I'll check in sometime next week, hopefully. 

Craft Habit

Today I'm working on a new pair of socks, this pair will be knitted on double-point needles, unlike my previous ones. This autumn I was busy crocheting away and made several pairs of socks. I made myself two pairs, one for a friend and another pair for my husband. The pair I'm working on now will be for our local temple's Srila Prabhupada; this is the first knitted project I'll work and though I know it's risky, I'm going to try and work these size 3 dpns like a pro. Wish me luck, I know I'll need it! I wish I had photos of the crocheted socks I made but I already gave my friend his pair and wore my pairs ( I don't feel comfortable photographing my socks for you, even though they're clean, as it might degrade your spiritual standing : P)
I was at Wal-Mart looking for knitting needles today when my husband remembered that we needed a new picture frame for our spiritual master's photo; I agreed to look around with him but as I followed behind him, we passed the fabric section and just like a sultry seductress or crippling addiction, it lured me in. I was a goner before my husband even realised I was missing. Several minutes later, he came wandering back my way and found me roaming around looking at plaid flannel and fantasizing about all the flannel shirts I could make for myself and dress up like Al from Home Improvement... I would look totally hot in a flannel shirt and jeans.  ::sigh::
Today was weird, it seems to me that there was a lot of friction between friends, a lot of disagreement and discord in the air, it might have been Punarvasu nakshatra along with the Sun in Vrschika.. who knows?

Autumn Clearance

Thursday we had a pizza party in celebration of Krishna Chandra's fifth birthday. I intended to do a small and simple worship and arati of Jagaddhatri but I totally flaked on printing out a nice photo. No photo, no puja. Still, the party was great, lots of devotees came for pizza and ice cream and though I was thoroughly exhausted from serving so many guests I was also in bliss. We're planning another pizza party for next week, adults only; I'm thinking we'll round up the rugrats in the backyard and fence them in, not that it would hold, if push comes to shove.

 Next weekend we're taking a road trip to New Orleans to attend the Ratha Yatra, spend time in the city, visit with friends and just cut loose. I'm really excited, I missed out on last year's festival while I was in India, I heard Anup Jalota came to sing during the mela and there was fantastic prasadam as usual. This year three sannyasis will attend as well, HH Bhakti Marg Swami, HH Bir Krishna Goswami and HH Bhakti Charu Swami along with drama players etc. the festival is set to be a huge success. I can't wait to see everyone and I might even bring my instrument so I can jam some late-night bhajans with my god-brothers.

Autumn is definitely here, the trees are shedding their leaves, squirrels are hiding acorns in the fields and the birds, bees and butterflies are in migration. I gathered a lot of my belongings, mainly clothing, for clearance and donated them to the garden yard sale. I'm hoping someone else will get good use out of them, most of them are fairly used and some are still new. I don't know how long those clothes would sit in my house otherwise, six months, a year, even two years with relatively little use at all. Plus, this way I can always clear closet space and work on my new wardrobe. 

I'm working on a customized pattern for crochet socks in Red Heart heather gray worsted weight yarn. I keep having to unravel it because the ankle portion is too wide on the pattern and I'm experimenting now with hook gauges for this project. We'll see what happens next, wish me luck. 

The Rasa Purnima is coming up next week as well, which means I have completed my vows with little obstacles and can finally break my fast, not that I want the oily, spicy and rich foods anyhow. The juice 'fast' still stands, I love juicing and along with healthy amounts of fluids, it helps to keep me sharp, focused and minimally agitated. Krishna is very merciful, he provides all our nourishment through beautiful and colorful plant life. I'll let you know what cooked food I break my fast with, I was thinking palak paneer. hehehe

Up, Up and Away

Today I've started working a new project for the winter season. I figured that if I started them now I'll have them finished by next week or week after in time for the cold and rainy season. Also, I've been knit stitching a scarf for my husband but it's taking a long time, as scarves tend to do, and he's asked me to give up on it. I think I have a better chance of just half double crocheting a scarf all the way and making it bulky using double strands. We'll see. In the meantime, I'm going to work on my sock skills. Knee socks are next on my to-do list.  The tunisian-broomstick lace scarf is kinda almost finished, I haven't worked on her since last week. Probably. I think. I'll try and get in a few rows today. God I hate the material body, I can only crochet so much in a day before my hands get tired or stiff and I have to remember to drink and eat at the appropriate times, go to the bathroom, wrist exercises etc. Why is it such a hassle to maintain the body? Why can't it be simple? Anyhow... I have to remember to do these things or my husband will kill me; okay, yell at me and possibly slap me really hard on the face. Okay, he'll just roll his eyes in contempt, but, isn't that exceedingly violent? You have no idea what he puts me through. ::sigh::

I made a dress using Simplicity SewSimple pattern E1988 and a lavender/purple synthetic sari. I want to make my own full slip to use as a lining, though, I won't be able to wear it at the temple or during winter, unless I wear thermal leggings or thigh high leg-warmers too. LEG-WARMERS! I need to put those on my list too along with garter belts to hold them up. Winter is great for crochet and knit projects, you can get really creative. Summer and spring is nice too, bikinis, beach bags, sun-hats, ahhh. I'll remember to photograph my projects so you can see what progress I've made so far.

Today I forgot to do my pranayam/yoga in the morning, well, actually I was a little rushed. I didn't wake up until six am and got into the shower late. I needed to prep the offerings, bathe, dress and decorate the Deities with about half an hour left before Krishna Chandra woke up. Luckily he woke up late too, everything else was on time but I had to sacrifice my yoga until after shopping this morning. I feel better now, I did bhastrika, agnisarkriya and anulom vilom but no yoga or stretches but I think I can get it in this afternoon. I'll just turn on a DVD and get it done before I flip out and murder someone again. Don't ask. Okay he was a fly but he was really pissing me off, I was trying to finish my drink and watch a movie but he kept interrupting with his buzzing.

Yesterday I was feeling anti-social and lonely and down and moody etc so I pushed myself out of my shell and tried to socialize with humans a little bit but didn't help much, eh. Whatever. I still feel a little bit of the blues coming on but I figured that if I listen to enough White Album, maybe it will pass. No? It'll cause instances of madness and even homicidal rage?
Okay, Eagles it is, I guess.
I gotta split. No, that would be painful!

A Musing, Of Course

It's Trisprsa Mahadvadasi and Annada Ekadasi here in Radha Kalachandji Dham today, it is also His Holiness Gopal Krishna Goswami's Vyasa puja day. Our landlord, a disciple of Maharaj, wanted to do the program and feast today so early in the morning we all started pitching in our share of work to make it happen. He invited some god-brothers over to celebrate and soon the house was bustling with busy bees. Garlands, prasadam, arati, kirtan... it was all shaping up to be a nice program. Unfortunately, not everyone could make it this morning but we had a puspañjali and kirtan anyhow. There will be prasadam served again for dinner, I had so much at lunch that I can barely move. I photographed the maha-prasadam plate so you could all see how many preparations they made-- on Ekadasi, no less!

cauliflower paneer, samo seeds, palak paneer, plantain chips, watermelon, yams, fruit salad and 'regular' salad

 I wanted to post photographs of the Deities' new Janmastami outfits for you. Jagannath Baladev Subhadra and Baby Gopal got new outfits on Janmastami but I couldn't swing Gaura Nitai and Madan Gopal's in time. They should be finished by Radhastami.

Jagannath Baladev Subhadra and Ladhu Gopal in Their new ivory outfits

Plus, today I worked a few rows on the Elise shawl and took a photo to record my progress, she's at ten inches tall and fourteen inches wide. I'm excited about her.. the multiple personality scarf is.... well, a different story. I'm almost finished but I can't decide how long I really want her to be. Don't ask. 

 

Elise at fourteen inches

I've concluded that working anything finer than size three is inviting insanity or disaster or both, therefore, I will not be working anything in size ten crochet cotton ever again. Hopefully, I will remember this important vow in future incarnations, assuming that my next lifetimes will also be afflicted with crochet-addiction. I would tattoo this instruction to my arm (along with other useful information) but I know that it'd be useless. Utterly useless. 

Smaranam

On Sunday I lost my 'D' crochet hook at the temple, it was my own fault really, I should have never carried my work with me in a frazzled and overwhelmed condition. I almost lost my cell phone as well... recovered it quickly though. Since then, I've sparsely worked on the multi-personality scarf and Elise is taking a little vacation.

Ladhu Gopal, Choto JBS and larger JBS

On other news, I started a new project for the Deities. Chandaneswar prabhu purchased a couple yards of creamy silky-soft brocade fabric and a dazzling sheer stretch lace for new Janmastami/Balaram Purnima outfits. Which brings me to some good/bad news. Bad for me, great mercy for someone else. I will be sending off my choto Jagannath Baladev Subhadra deities with a close friend of mine. She will be adopting Them and taking Them home on Balaram Purnima. I want to finish the new outfits for Them before tomorrow as a "house-warming/don't be pissed off at me for giving you away, I still love you more than my very life; this is more heart-breaking than you'll ever know" gift.  So far, I'm very pleased with the materials and it's working up to be a great outfit.  I will post pictures of the outfit, later today hopefully, when they are completed. I'll also post photos of my darling JBS deities; as much as I love Them, I can not take care of so many Deities, not reasonably, anyhow.
While I was in Sri Mayapur, I acquired two sets of JBS deities at an extraordinary price; the problem was that I only needed one set for a friend. We ended up purchasing the both, 6" and 4" JBS as we couldn't get a reasonable price elsewhere and decided to keep the 4" set for ourselves. Our choto-Jagannath deities came to us over five years ago and it was all due to the famous Hurricane Katrina. When Katrina hit, New Orleans took shelter in different towns and cities, fleeing the scene was not possible for the temple deities and many sevaks, pujaris and cooks stayed behind to care for Radha Radha-Kanta, Gaura Nitai and Jagannath Baladev Subhadra. After a couple weeks the devotees called for help; Dallas devotees sent out a rescue crew and subsequently, New Orleans temple and devotees took refuge in Radha Kalachandji Dham. The New Orleans deities stayed in Dallas for about five months and returned home in January 21, 2006-- I still remember the date and occurrences to this day. There was a huge festival welcoming the Deities, many devotees shed tears of love, some trembled and others, unable to control their emotions shouted in joy. They embraced us and one another, crying and sobbing, as if reunited with a long-lost relative or dear friend. There was a feast, fire yajña and celebrations with an award ceremony, plaques and gifts for the heroism, hospitality and bravery of Dallas devotees. While everyone was delighted upon the return of Their Lordships, I  felt excruciating pain; having been enamoured by the charm and beauty of Sri Sri Radha Radha-Kanta, I found it unbearable to be separated from Them. During the award ceremony, we were given a small 2.5" set of JBS deities, we were thanked and blessed many times over by grateful Vaisnavs the entire weekend. When I returned home, I accepted this small souvenir and token of love from the devotees wholeheartedly and began worship of Their Lordships immediately. JBS had no clothes, ornaments or crowns and none were available in our gift-shop, that is when I first started sewing Deity outfits and jewelry-making.
Now, They will be accepting the services of a wonderfully sweet Vaisnavi; hopefully, I'll still get to visit them and render service frequently. I'll have to have a little chat with Their Lordships before They set off to Their new home... I hope they don't give my friend a hard time since They have a history of naughty behavior. More importantly, I hope I don't freak out and cry when the time comes to send Them away. They will be sorely missed but I also want to capture this pain of separation and engage it fully into my smarana bhajan.

Sri Bhaktivinoda-The Supremely Nectarean Kamala-mañjari

Well, sorry I haven't written in a few days, not that it matters because there is nothing of significance to note. The Elise shawl is coming along, the multiple-personality scarf as well, she's a good 36" long now; I have not been working as much as I would like but whatever crocheting time I get is quality time spent with this piece. I'm excited- another ten inches or so and she'll be complete. The Elise shawl is something that will probably take many months, maybe over a year, if I work it a few rows a day. Due to the expanding design of the pattern, each row will take more time to crochet than the previous one, so it is hard (for me) to calculate how much time I need to complete this piece. I am thinking about selling my crochet work, though I'm not a professional crocheter or anything, I think someone will appreciate my work and like to buy. If you know anyone, send them to my blog so they can browse my pictures.
On other news, I have been re-reading Nectar of Devotion along with the original Bengali version and other stuff I have found online and in my Gurudev's library. I found a book about George Harrison in there along with Ayurveda and natural cures books so I'm working my way through these along with Jaiva Dharma (the one that challenges me every moment) and Sri Bhaktivinod Vani Vaibhav. I need to finish this one soon because I'd borrowed it from a friend and I'm sure he wants it back. :) I have this habit of perusing books over and over, dissecting each chapter into paragraphs and even smaller paragraph portions until I completely "get it". Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur's writings are really deep and therefore, hard for an ass like me to fully absorb. But, I'm stubborn and determined to understand. Krishna and the Vaishnavas bless me. 

Random Bits

Well, first, I wanted to let you all know that the scarf is a good thirty inches at the moment so I'm half-way done (or more depending on my final length). I still haven't decided yet so we'll just keep on crocheting until I feel the piece has come to completion. The other day, Krishna Chandra churned his own butter and yesterday baked his own bread. Too bad today is Ekadasi so he can't have it, still I took photos of him hard at work.

 I took some photos of Their Lordships here in Dallas, so I wanted to share those with you too. It's not often that I remember to photograph the Deities, even during festivals. I'm usually too busy to even bring my camera, what to speak of snapping a few shots here and there. Is that so much to ask? In honor of Rath Yatra, I'm posting pics of Jagannath Baladevi Subhadra

Here is a close-up of the broomstick lace and tunisian crochet scarf. She is white but don't hold that against her, she has a nice sheen about her. I'm running low on thread so I have to pick up some more.

Size 3 White Crochet Cotton, 3.25mm and 15mm hooks.

I'm working on a new project, it's a pattern I found on ravelry.com that I loved immediately on seeing the simple but elegant design. If you don't already have a Ravelry account, I suggest you get one. They have loads of free patterns and a yarn database. It's amazing, I go there for inspiration all the time. I made this Elise shawl for my Deities last year in wool for Their winter wardrobe.

 It's called the Elise Shawl pattern and you can find it on Ravelry. Here's a picture of my work so far. 

Something funny happened this morning, well I don't know if it's really funny or not but it was definitely weird. I found this really long saffron stem when I was grinding the Lord's chandan paste. I asked Krishna Chandra to run and get the camera so I could photograph it.

Crazy. Really long saffron stem with style still attached. 

Mild Euphoria

So, I'm feeling better, I wanted to let everyone know that I haven't died or dropped off the face of the Earth. I've been working on the scarf and making a gauge swatch for a possible new project. (I plan to photograph other projects, Deities, outfits, etc. to accompany any updates soon.) Today I was energetic and healthy enough to assist Chandaneswar prabhu in his service to Sri Sri Radha Kalachandji, afternoon waking and feeding the Lords. Krishna Chandra and I transferred the prasadam, washed the Lord's offering plates and cleaned up while Chandaneswar prabhu did the arati. After we came home, Krishna Chandra and I had a good old-fashioned pillow fight and played hide-and-seek. When I was sufficiently exhausted, I reasoned with the boy but he cried and we watched a film on the laptop while I caught my breath. Krishna Chandra is reading my typing as I write.... he's eavesdropping. He's a great reader, he can read everything I write. EVERYTHING. I'm starting to think maybe it wasn't such a good idea to teach my baby to read. It's much harder to trick a four-year-old when they know how to read labels, instructions, manuals, signs, etc. I'm starting to realise why it's so important for The Man to keep our schools in shoddy condition; it helps to keep us down, ignorant and illiterate. Funny how Krishna Chandra has helped me come to this realisation. Something to think about, folks... just sayin'. Haribol, readers. Madri out.

Camera Trouble

Today I want to share some photos with you. My camera has been acting up lately so who knows how long this set of batteries will last before he throws in the towel. Yes, my camera is a male.. an obstinate and un-cooperative one.

First, I have a single photo of Gauranga Mahaprabhu. That's around the time the last set of batteries when out on me and I subsequently had a fit. Hence, the single shot...

Mahaprabhu's sringar is kinda crooked. The one day I get the camera on and His chandan is all lop-sided. Go figure. These days, the Deities' outfits are mostly purchased because I've not been doing much sewing. Plus, I got these outfits in Loi Bazaar in Vrindaban, the Deity paraphernalia capital of the world. Their stuff is expensive but much more beautiful than anything I could ever make myself. "It's the love that counts" I know.. but damn, look at that sequinned chadar and embroidery. Doesn't that look amazing? Okay.. next.

The illusive tunisian and broomstick crochet scarf I've been working on.

I took a close up so you can see the detail of both stitches. Right now it is a good sixteen inches in about two weeks labor, so in about a month it should be finished. Assuming I don't have a crochet meltdown and go psycho.

I took the camera out on the trail today, we saw a rabbit or honey-bunny as we like to call them. Krishna Chandra got a good close-up look at him before he ran away. No bunny photos, sorry, but I did get some nice tagging artwork from the trail. Here's one I really like. Does that say TOM? I don't really care, it's the dragon I love!

And here's one of the man and child. Eh. Krishna Chandra loves riding his bike and Chandanewar prabhu jogs after him. They call it a 'race' though really Chandaneswar is not much competition for him. He pedals really fast and we get winded easily. Old fogies.

Busy bee-ing

This morning was Dvadasi, to break our fast we had kichuri in the morning. Purandar prabhu got up early in the morning to whip up a batch and offered before I was ready to even get out of bed! One of the perks of living with Bengali Vaishnavs is that they love to cook, especially on festival days, copious amounts of bhoga for the Lord, the downside being that a lot of the time, there is so much maha-prasadam left over that we can't finish it ourselves. I decided to go for something wholesome but not too heavy; I still had my yogurt and apple cider vinegar drink for a boost on my immune system. My throat has been a little sore and weak these past couple of days so I think I really needed it. Also, I experimented with the pickle spices and made a carrot and jalapeño pickle in mustard oil to go with that kichuri and alu bhaja. My latest idea was to leave the mixture out in the sun to cook (how they do in India) but I want my condiment now rather than in a week. I'm going to look around the Indian and Vietnamese market for good pickle ingredients like alma or kacha aam. I'm still not sure if I will ever find almaki, fresh, in USA but it is worth a good hunt. I remember finding green mangos at the Vietnamese market whenever my mom would take us up there but I haven't seen any in Dallas for a long time... maybe you know where I could get some alma or kacha aam in this town. Let me know, for sure.. cause I'm getting desperate.

Also, I'm working on a new project, a combination scarf of tunisian/afghan crochet and broomstick lace crochet. I really love these two stitches because they're beautiful and versatile, they're just so different from each other that I couldn't think of a way to combine the two. I love the density and texture of Afghan crochet but I also love the lacy, soft and pliable feel of Broomstick lace. Right now I'm experimenting with both stitches in this new lovely cotton scarf. I''ll take pictures and post them later, right now I have to get ready for the Sunday feast.. later!

Obsessed, Again.

Alright, so it occurred to me that perhaps, with the weather being all schizophrenic and all, I should crochet some socks and scarves etc. and be prepared for the winter-apocalypse so bound to happen in the somewhat near not-so-distant future....

I hit up the old pattern search on Ravelry but had a hard time finding a crocheted sock pattern. Except for one pattern in Tunisian stitch, everything turned up with knitting patterns. Why socks? Why not just Afghan up some scarvey-mothers? Scarves, scarf, scarf-y? Not sure how to spell that word. Sorry. Okay, as you have probably noticed by now, I get a little carried away. I am a little mad but resourceful as well... just add a hint of obsession and you can begin to understand the inner workings of my mind. So, instead of crocheting anything at all, which is ridiculous because I have at least three perfectly good patterns that I'd like to start up as projects soon, I decided to teach myself how to knit. Why? Why am I telling you all this crap? Because, I found my sister's knitting needles in a craft box and took it as a sign. The universe wants me to knit, people. Plus I have the right yarn for them, they're threes. Okay, I know what you're thinking, I have to be insane to teach myself to knit on 3.25mms. Hah! You're right but I'll be knitting up some woolen socks with double-points in no time. Until then, I have to practice my purl stitch and work on my tension but I'm making a joke of a scarf in the meantime. My advice to you folks is that you do the same, learn how to crochet and knit because if you hadn't already noticed, Mother Earth is bent on demolishing our so-called civilization and building a pretty winter wonderland amusement park on top of it. You should be prepared.

Also, I drank coffee yesterday, caffeinated coffee.... it wasn't pleasant. I think I took too much and it made me all jittery and such. Speaking of jittery, the other day I heard a loud noise and it shook me to the core, really. I thought I was going to have a heart-attack.

I'm still in the process of getting rid of my old stuff, I'm going to start with my old saris, sewing machine and anything else that I have an abundance of. Obsession or insanity, anyone?? I don't think they'll allow me to post that up on the temple bulletin-board. Still, it wouldn't hurt to try.

I'm really happy with my Deities, the altar is pretty simple but clean and tidy. We bought cute little German silver cups for Them in India along with a ton of crowns and outfits. While cleaning out my old craft boxes and storage containers, I found a big bag of assorted tilak. I thought I ran out of Radha Kund tilak but in fact it was not so. Plus, there's tons of brahmana thread, crochet thread, trims, fabrics, Velcro, hooks and eyes, fasteners, ribbon, lace, etc that need to be engaged in devotional service or thrown out forever. I have too much stuff.

Home Sweet Home

So we're almost settled into the new house, we spent this entire morning tying up loose ends at the old place, cleaning mostly. UGH, I hate cleaning, this is how much I hate cleaning... When I came home from India and saw the place in utter destruction ( my husband and his friends took over the place like some kind of Hare Krishna bachelor pad) I opted for a housekeeping service instead of tackling the problem myself. My husband compromised with me and hired my mom to do the heavy work and everyone went home happy. That's how much I hate to clean. I'd rather pay my mom to do it for me. In fact, that's how most my chores got done when I was younger, I just paid someone else to do it for me. I don't dare say cleaning its hard or heavy work.. its mostly a psychological task than any manner of heavy labor. Its just easier to keep a clean house clean than try and clean one hell of a mess at a time-- very overwhelming.

Yesterday, we went to a program at Cosmic Cafe with Srila Guna Grahi Goswami and Sriman Ajamila Prabhu, there was a rockin' bhajan session and dancing ensued. Prabhu got everyone on their toes by demonstrating how "the cowherd girls call 'Krishna, how beautiful You are, Krishna come here.' and so forth with lovely feminine hand gestures. Nobody could help but giggle at how girly he was actin' all "Krishna this and Krishna that." It was humorous and enchanting all at the same time. Tonight there is another program at the temple with The Mayapuris-- you've probably heard of them, right?? I might go... if I feel up for some badass kirtan tonight. We'll see..

I've been trying to relax a bit and take it easy on the old back these past couple days. I'm doing laundry and baking bread to ease my nerves, maybe I'll even watch a movie while folding the clothes then crochet a bit! Doesn't that sound exciting, eh? Oh yeah, my crochet g-string was too long, strange but it's true. Today I'm finishing it up again this time with a certain gauge to more or less "size it" as I go along. Hopefully, this time it will come up a perfect fit... we may still need elastic on the waist though. Bah.

Reading and more Reading

Tomorrow, I'm going to see the doctor about my back; he'll probably prescribe an anti-inflammatory for it then before you all know it, I'll be as good as new, jumping rope and hopping scotch. :P pppft I've been doing an incredible amount of reading lately, what with the two whole books I'm trying to finish and the side-job crochet experiments. It's been a lil' bit of a strain on the old eyeballs. O_o

Maybe I should just go ahead and get an eye check-up once and for all. God, I'm starting to feel old. Heheh, don't start that 'You're-still-young' garbage. I've started wearing my glasses again to read and use the computer plus I try to take frequent breaks. I hate my glasses, they make me look even older and nerdier than I already feel. Someone please tell me I look like an intellectual bombshell before I spiral into another fit of crocheting table-doilies. My scalp is suffering from a dandruff epidemic, I'll pick up some good herbs from the Indian market once we settle into the new abode. Oh! I have a single gray hair but it's not like I can part my hair on it to prove to you that I am, in fact, getting old. Maybe just photograph it... as evidence.

Besame Mucho

We did a version of Besame Mucho in Latin Ensemble many years ago and sometimes I sing this song when I'm in the mood for melancholy love songs... today was such a day. I don't know if you've heard of it but its wonderful and one of my all time favorites. Mariachi Vargas does one, I think this is the version we did or quite possibly Cesaria Evora, don't remember.

Anyhow, when I searched playlist.com for the title, I found every artist and his dog has a version out so I flipped out (of course, cause most of 'em are crap) Even the Beatles did it in English but it doesn't hold to original sentiment of the piece, plus I think I've heard this version the most... yes I'm a Beatles fan, sue me. I'm pretty sure that Besame Mucho was originally French but I'll have to look that up to confirm.. why am I giving weird side-notes? Oh, I found an instrumental version (marimba) there by someone named Perla de Chiapas--with a name like that you know I had to hear it! Pretty good version and I really enjoyed it though it was kinda short. When I sing it, I like to imagine that I'm singing it to my love the night before our tragic separation, after which we shall never meet each other again. Heheh, maybe in a past life, right?

I'm supposed to be packing our belongings so we can move out. Oh yeah, we're moving again. But no, I'm making lingerie and listening to love songs instead. I'll post pics when I finish the piece and possibly edit that pattern for clarity... but later.

::sigh::

...back to my sad love songs and crochet...