knitting in croatia

If you met me, you’d see a tall 53-year old woman with a big smile and bad posture. You’d hear my deep Texas accent, which people up here in NYC describe as a “cute southern accent.” (oh.no.it’s.not!) You’d also hear about the people I love, my husband and kids: my husband goes unnamed here to respect his privacy, but he’s there in everything I do; my oldest daughter Katie and her husband Trey, who live in Austin; my 2nd daughter Marnie and her husband Tom, who live in Chicago; my son Will, who lives here in Manhattan and who is a dashing man about town; and my stepdaughter Anna, who is a college junior at a fancy school far away. You’d hear about social psychology, since I have a PhD in the subject and until very recently, acquired books in social psychology for a famous university press, the one that published the very first book. Now, I am a writer and editorial consultant.

Obviously, you’d have to listen to me prattle on and on about knitting, and other handwork. My Aunt Meecie taught me to crochet when I was 5 or so, and I specialized in skein-long chains of acrylic yarn. I took up embroidering pillowcases in kindergarten, and generally made shit throughout my growing-up years. I took up knitting when I was 23, followed by spinning and weaving, quilting, bobbin-lace making, sewing and smocking. And woodworking. I’ve never met a type of handwork I didn’t love. Yet.

And now, me by the bullets:

• I’ve been to 612 cities in 20 countries (that number is constantly getting bigger).
• I’m 5’10″ (that number is consistently getting smaller).
• I have 2 graduate degrees (that number won’t be changing, though I do periodically toy with the idea of going back for a 2nd PhD [philosophy] or taking creative writing classes).
• I’ve moved 80 times. I’m done now.
• I have more than 15 tattoos (changing? perhaps).
• (I love parenthetical comments; also, semi-colons.)
• I love Cap’n Crunch and Pop-Tarts.
• I am a social psychologist. Before I started college, I thought it was just like 13th grade or something. My family did not have any education.
• Inside, I’m poor white trash. Outside, I’m fancy. Kinda.
• I am a photographer.
• I love odd-ball instruments like the accordion, banjo, and bagpipes.
• I’m pretty cool if you get to know me.
• I’ve suffered. A lot.
• Places I’ve lived: [texas] Graham, Tyler, Kilgore, Abilene, Austin (back and forth lotsa times), San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Richardson, Irving, Wichita Falls; [connecticut] New Britain; [virginia] Fredericksburg; [alabama] Huntsville; [arkansas] Fayetteville; [new jersey] Ramsey; [new york] Rochester, Manhattan.
• Cinnamon toast makes me happy.
• I started college at age 36, and grad school at age 40. NOT EASY, when you have 3 little kids.
• I didn’t get out of Texas until I was 29 years old. (Mexico doesn’t count, when you’re a Texan.)
• I am a baker.
• Learning new things makes me happy.
• I have an intriguing relationship with light.
• I used to think of book ideas and find people to write them.
• I am a jealous person, and it makes me suffer terribly. I wish I could not be jealous. Ideas?
• I love clouds and big skies, they make me feel like I can breathe.
• My favorite places in the world are Manhattan, Santa Fe, New Orleans, Paris, Hanoi, Cusco, Arequipa, Vancouver, Luang Prabang, Phnom Penh, and San Francisco. That list is not in order of favoriteness.
• Annie Lennox is my favorite singer and songwriter, and so is Lyle Lovett.
• I love live theater and modern art.
• Singing and dancing make me so happy I cry.
• I love to sing, but only do it privately these days. I used to be that girl with a guitar in a bar.
• I’m an 8th generation Texan. You read that right. My kids are 9th. My grandkids (some of them, anyway) will be 10th.
• I have a sweet tooth. Duh, given the food faves above. I love Easter because of Peeps. (PEEPS!)
• I am writing a memoir of my father.