Highway 9 on Vinyl

New Blog Site

2009-03-10T19:43:00.001-04:00

Check out www.catherineewilliams.wordpress.com for updates. Thanks!

Rainbows and Meatballs

2009-02-03T19:55:00.002-05:00

Photo by longwayround. Some rights reserved.

Right now there is about three inches of snow on my porch. It's the first decent sticking snow we've had all winter, and it's beautiful. It kinda makes me want to go to bed and wish for Christmas.

The new experience of the day today was my attendance at the local Rotary Club. I went as a guest of my coworker, who attends regularly on behalf of our organization. The first thing that struck me was the homogeneity of the group. The overwhelming majority was of one race, one gender, and on generation. It really makes me wonder what is going to happen to groups like Rotary and to all the good work they do when this generation ages out -- maybe something to worry about sooner rather than later. Nevertheless the food was delicious (Swedish meatballs are one of my favorites), the student-of-the-month presentation was heartwarming and the program was interesting. One of the Rotarians had recently spent some time in Tanzania, visiting churches and a brand new hospital.

What I liked most about his presentation was the photo slideshow. After many study abroad and mission trip spiels, it never fails to amaze me how colorful and bright and clean these people's clothes are. First off it makes me think that if we all still used the sun instead of dryers, that products like Clorox2 would not be necessary. Second, it makes me kinda jealous of this whole form of expression that they have that we do not. I know that people in the Global North use fashion to express themselves, often to a fault, but it doesn't match the colors and the symbolism and the importance that cloth and pattern has for people in poorer parts of the world.

Of course this isn't the only message I got from Rotary today, but it was the part that stuck with me. In other news, my friend Anoop Desai made it to the next round of American Idol. Normally I am not a fan, but it's pretty exciting when you're watching every montage for a familiar face. Rock on, Anoop Dog. Peace.

Canvas Bagging It

2009-02-02T21:04:00.005-05:00

Painting by Lisa Orgler of The Lunchbox Project. Please go to her blog and check out her work!

Just an intro note to start with: Normally I get my images from the Creative Commons search on Flickr, and I post the username of the photog and a link to the CCLicense. I generally post these very small. But this time I really wanted to point out the image and the great project behind it. So click on the link about and then click back through all the previous posts. I thing it's a wonderful idea, and her little playing card paintings are so adorable!

Other than the Lunchbox Project, what I really wanted to highlight is the concept of the waste-free lunch. I know it's definitely not a new idea (I have vivid memories of an American Girl accessory set that involved a red gingham napkin in a lunch pail... but after a short search I'm either crazy or they've stopped making it). But for some reason I'm taken in by it anyway.

All our ziploc bags seem ridiculous. Even the paper sacks seem ridiculous. Even the most irresponsible youngster manages to bring his lunchbox home more often than not (I would think), but for some reason we still pack in containers that we easily can toss afterwards.

The two companies I have seen do this well (and the things I really want to buy and use every week) are these: Laptop Lunches makes a sort of Americanized version of the bento box. They include the outer box and four smaller inside containers, plus a tiny little container for salad dressing, etc. The whole kit comes with some silverware and a book about packing healthy lunches. Unfortunately all the lunchbox books out there are for parents trying to pack lunches for their picky children. This is frustrating as I am neither a child nor a picky eater, at all. But the Laptop Lunch book also has some good grocery-buying tips, etc.

The second thing I think is awesome are these fabric alternatives to ziplocs. I came across some in a store downtown this weekend that carried some with a water-resistant lining and a snapping flap, but I kinda like these velcro ones from Plum Creek Mercantile. Plum Creek also carries these cool bulk bags that you can take with you to the store. I'm really trying to buy certain foods in bulk this time. Between the wasted packaging and all the wasted or simply stale food and spices, it just doesn't make sense to buy conventionally packaged foods. Lucky for me we have a great natural foods store that has an excellent bulk section. I even got my soy sauce in bulk, and I think I paid like 97 cents for it.

So just a bit of an eye-opener/cool trend that I wanted to share. Developing my wish list and my shopping list. Healthy food, healthy planet. Peace.

Renewal of Curiosity

2009-01-29T19:06:00.008-05:00

Photo by adulau. Some rights reserved.

"Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends -- hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism-- these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths."— Obama

The strange looking animals pictured above are Highland Cattle, also know as Hairy Coos. Don't ask me why, I have no idea. But they're kinda cute. I don't know how they see where they're going.

I wanted to write something after the inauguration. Something about how real it felt to me and how good. And about how I love Michelle's comfortable glamor and Barack's humble wait in the hallway. I'm excited to see what will happen and hopeful because I might actually have the chance/inclination to become involved this time around.

My parents gave me a subscription to Newsweek for Christmas, and this week I've read the issue nearly cover-to-cover, which has been a real treat. I'm for staying connected and informed without being pulled down into international pessimism. I'm hoping that reading well-written news will do better for this than too much TV or even radio.

Which all kinda leads me (in a very weird, indirect way) to what I am considering to be my New Years Resolution. Yea, yea… I know it's been a month already so I'm a little late, but these things need to be considered. And in my defense I did come up with this at the beginning of the month. I'm just getting to posting it now, which you will come to see is the slightest bit ironic.

The word of the year is "intentional." I want to live with my with more intention. Do what I say I am going to do, in a way that encourages curiosity and productivity. It's not that I want to get more done, I want to do more with the full awareness of what and how I am doing.

So there. That is the big picture for 2009. A little late, maybe a little hairy. But hopefully a lot curious.

Shine On

2009-01-02T15:56:00.002-05:00

Photo by rustman. Some rights reserved.

Into a new year, a new job, and a new home. Quite the quiet NYE this year, but maybe that's best. It was a crazy holiday, with everyone together and things changing and such. But maybe that's all for the best too, in the long run.

What I have realized more than anything else in the coming weeks is the importance of my friends. Not just how great it is to know people, but how much those special few really mean, and how much I am like them. Even when they are far away, real friends are always able to make you feel at home, to make you feel like one of them, to make you feel loved.

Of course it's wonderful to feel loved by your family and those people who are closest to you, and I would never want to give that up for anything. But that special call after midnight on New Year's Eve, or the strange similarities between hopes and dreams and life discussion, I would give that up either.

The bulk of my NY Resolutions appeared in a post a while ago. But for now I just want to say how thankful I am for my friends.

Happy New Year, and more about the new life later. Peace.

Peace and Warmth

2008-12-17T09:45:00.003-05:00

[Photo by lapidim. Some rights reserved.]

I didn't have a title in mind for this post, until I found the photo. The title is taken from it. And I think it best describes what I'm looking for right now, and what the waiting of Advent is about.

Life is crazy, with good news and bad news, with frustrations and new adventures. But it's somehow always crazier at this time of the year. I just got a job, a real-life, grown-up job, at Montreat. And I'm thrilled, and so excited to be learning new things and going out there and getting things done. It brings up its own set of questions and stresses, but it's still good. (I apologize for being vague here... sometimes typing "out loud" even in vague terms can be useful.)

On a more concrete note, I was watching Mary Poppins last night on ABC Family (their 25 Days of Christmas ranks high on my marathon list, up there with the Bond one that Spike usually runs around New Years), and it occurred to me how much of that movie was stamped into my memory. The songs, the words, the tone of voice, the images especially. (Which also makes me a little frightened to wonder what we are stamping into children's minds these days.) But I remembered all of it, and also recognized that I had never fully understood much of it before. Even though I am no longer a child, this story holds a certain magical quality, and was a perfect thing to watch before bedtime.

A few of my friends are carrying on quite wonderful blogs these days, and I am inspired by their insight. Check out Kara's blog and Bruce's blog (he's not a real friend yet, but he is the moderator of the PCUSA and quite an awesome presence on the Web).

Peace. And warmth. And please send some my way, too, if you will.

Smoked Out

2008-12-08T09:52:00.002-05:00

Photo by Cayusa. Some rights reserved.

Have you ever had a smoke alarm go off in the middle of the night for no apparent reason? If you have, you'll know about the adrenaline rush, the terror of the noise and the unknown of the cause behind it. It's awful. And that's how my night went last night. I did, however, manage to complete Monday's USA Today crossword in less than 15 minutes, at 3:00 a.m. Fun? Not so much.

So it was pretty easy to convince myself that I deserved to sleep in this morning, making Operation Rise and Shine a no-go.

In other news, my morning job will be serving lunch for the next two weeks, taking a lot of stress off of me, and tonight is the second installation of our Young Adult Intentional Community Advent Dinner. I'm bringing lentil soup, which I'm pretty excited about. Yay hearty winter bowl food. Peace.

Holly Jolly It Up

2008-12-06T13:14:00.003-05:00

Photo by lija. Some rights reserved.

The early riser failed miserably this morning, but the sleeping in was nice. No use punishing myself this early in the game. But I guess for it to work well, I will have to hit 7 on weekends too.

First alarm: 7:04 a.m.
Got up: 9:30 a.m.
Extra activity: n/a
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs on toast

Last night was an evening of new experiences. I went to the Rankin Vault after work to send off a coworker who has found a real job and will be moving away this weekend. Then a bunch of us wandered over to the Asheville Arts Council opening of Jonas Gerard paintings (very bright, very expensive, but great).

The town of Black Mountain was having their Holly Jolly event, where all the shops stay open until 9 p.m., and the whole town comes out to mill about and "shop." The sidewalks were teeming with high schoolers: Think American Graffiti in winter, without the cars or any of the coolness. We also checked out the new White Horse venue in town. It has great potential, I think, especially since it's nonsmoking and serves hotdogs.

This afternoon is the Black Mountain Christmas parade, in which Montreat Conference Center will be making it's debut appearance. I think it will be a whole lot of fun, I only wish it were warmer out.

Grateful for a non-traveling, non-busy weekend. With basketball. Peace.

On the Sunny Side

2008-12-05T09:51:00.003-05:00

Photo by monkeycat! Some rights reserved.

This morning was better still. Day 3 of Operation Rise and Shine, and I have decided there is really no harm to the snooze button. Getting up the moment the alarm goes off is great and admirable, but if I find comfort in snoozing, then why shouldn't I allow myself 5 or 10 minutes of it? The important thing is to break the hold it has held on me for the past few years. This morning I succeeded in getting up after two snoozes. Good number.

First alarm: 7:04 a.m.
Got up: 7:15 a.m.
Extra activity: Cooking
Breakfast: Omelet of mushroom, green onion and feta, with skim milk and a multivitamin

For tomorrow: Make coffee. Beginning on Monday I will set the alarm a little earlier so I can still hit 7ish, accounting for my two-snooze time.

I also remembered that I hadn't posted my slideshow of engagement photos. They're pretty awesome, and Regina did a great job. Peace.

Paper Eccentricities

2008-12-04T09:38:00.003-05:00

Why are blank journals so much more appealing to me than filled ones, or even the potential of a filled one?

I love lists, and I love my own handwriting, but I hate making these lists or writing down notes on the go. If I'm going to write something down to keep for perpetuity, I like to take the time to sit down at a clean desk, stretch out with plenty of elbow room and write slowly and intentionally. Writing like this is one of the most intentional actions I perform, I think, and yet I hold such high expectations of it that I rarely actually do it.

I'm still looking for a good way to keep track of things, like books I want to read or crafts I want to make or movies I want to see. And it seems like there exists a fairly good mechanism for each of these things (GoodReads, Ravelry, Netflix) but that as soon as I start listing, I get bogged down in the generics, when I really wanted to list only the special. I know I need to read To Kill a Mockingbird (I know, I'm weird), but that book is not the reason I want the list.

I want to make scrapbooks of ephemera, which I feel might express my experiences even better than photogrpahs. Peace.

Another Morning

2008-12-04T08:47:00.004-05:00

Day 2 of Operation Rise-and-Shine was somewhat more successful...

First alarm: 7:04 a.m.
Got up: 7:20 a.m.
Extra activity: Dishwashing (there were many)
Breakfast: Yogurt & granola with a few pages of the new Esquire (not eaten)

I don't know if I'll ever get to the point where I can get up the moment my alarm goes off, but I'll keep trying. I did notice yesterday that I felt a little more productive overall, even getting extra things done in the evening before dinner, so I hope that continues.

Oh, and the photo is nicely displaying our everyday china, which we registered for at Belk. I don't think either of us will ever use it for chocolate ice cream with chocolate sauce, but the photo does illustrate one of the many varieties of bowls in the pattern. Peace.

Best & The Brightest

2008-12-03T18:29:00.003-05:00

A wise Scottish publisher, whom I still feel very honored to have met during my time abroad, was shocked to learn I had not read David Halberstam's The Best and the Brightest, and I'm sorry to say I still haven't gotten around to it. But I feel that what I learned at that beautiful kitchen table in Islington, and what I know in an anecdotal way about the book, is that we reflect those who surround us.

Would Kennedy have been so revered without his star-studded Cabinet? Does it really take a village to raise a child? or a teenager? or anyone?

I know that when I spend time around people with negative attitudes, I find myself pulled down to that negativity, and life seems less enjoyable. My bubblier friends make me feel happy, and those acquaintances whom I suspect have deep faith lives, or meaningful friendships, make me wish to pursue those happinesses that much more.

I want to surround myself with more creativity. I feel this can be done without snobbery or arrogance of any sort. I just need the words and images and music of creative people. I want to surround myself with more books, more art, more music, more food. It doesn't have to be my physical surroundings, but I want it to be my intellectual surroundings.

I feel I already do this a lot, except that I wish I read more and knitted more. I'm already surrounded by so much: NPR, Design*Sponge, Malaprops...

More of a wandering post I know. Maybe an update later. Peace.

Old Years Resolutions

2008-12-03T10:01:00.004-05:00

So I guess it would be safe to say I have a sizeable designers-crush on Julia Rothman. Evidence: The wallpaper below and the prints above. If anyone reading this were also trying to come up with a Christmas gift for me. This would be a hint. (Kidding. But not.)

Anyway, Julia is not the point of this post. The point is kinda a way-early New Year's Resolution. I think we pile too many expectations on ourselves come January 1, so I'm going to start now.

Goal #1: Get up early EVERY DAY. Day 1 of Get-up-at-7 was about a 98% failure. But we're going to keep at it anyway. I did manage to make a hot breakfast before coming into work.

Goal #2 (more long-term): Get better stuff, not more stuff. I think that's pretty self-explanatory. I like nice things, so I want to remember this when looking at less-nice things that I don't really need. And the things I get should be useful. I'm going to start reading the Unclutterer blog I think.

Goal #3: Cook more real food, eat less food out of a box. I made chicken-noodle-lima bean soup last night that happened to be delicious. And easy. If only I had a light over my sink and if only the faucet didn't have explosive air bubbles in it.

We'll start with three for now. Peace, love and Wednesday.

Bright Mornings

2008-11-24T11:04:00.003-05:00

The heat was out (again) when I woke up this morning. This picture of Julia Rothman's new wallpaper was on a Design*Sponge post this morning and it warmed me right up, on the inside. I love the colors, though I have no idea where I would put this wall paper. Maybe in a bathroom?

Getting in the Holiday Mood

2008-11-22T17:36:00.003-05:00

One of my good friends, with whom I had the great pleasure of catching up this week, told me that she checks my blog often and that I don't update very much. So this is for her.

Things are getting chillier here in the mountains, and we had the first school snow day this week. It's all very cozy as long as my heat is working (which isn't always).

Had a nice visit from the parents today, with a tasty lunch at Veranda and a fun trip up to the Grove Park Inn. The whole place is decorated for the holidays and they had the winners of their gingerbread house contest displayed in the lobbies. All very festive.

Tonight looking forward to a night in with some How I Met Your Mother, and Tuesday we leave for Tallahassee.

Also got back our engagement photos this week. Check out the beautiful slideshow that our photographer, Regina, put together here.

Don't rush into those holidays too quickly, but enjoy them while they're here. Peace.

Peace, Juicy Salads

2008-10-21T15:03:00.002-04:00

The title today came to me from the closing of a blog post by David Lamotte. I think in Spanish it's supposed to say "Peace, Justice and Health" (or something) but when I saw it my immediate translation was a little different.

Today I wish to say "peace" to my grandfather who passed on last night. And for that I would like to share a poem I wrote about three years ago. After she read it, my mom remarked that she didn't realize I had picked up on so much, which just goes to show for the memory and perception of children. And for the general amazing quality of life.

Moore County, NC
by Catherine Williams

I am from the dust,
built up from time and bees and cobwebs,
in the garage where the tractor and the old RV go to rust.
I am from the bare ground around the blue porch
and the round sycamore pods that fall there to unleash their furry futures.
I am from the tadpoles in the mason jar that shattered on the porch
and sliced my little thumb.
I am from dog lots and wandering canines
and the far-off bursts of shotguns on holidays.
I am from ‘Bless her heart’ and coconut cake, cut sideways so you can see all the layers.
I am from brown-and-serve rolls in a silver serving bowl
and the frog on the edge of the sink holding a dish scrubber.
I am from counters packed with too much food and kitchens packed with the consequences.
I am from the burnt orange chair in the corner that spins ‘round
and the State Fair dolphin, blind, worn, and battered, in the closet.
I am from blue boys’ bathrooms and uncle-carved bed posts,
butterfly bathtub slip guards and a glass Christmas tree with lights.
I am from four generations of Christmas cactus, late-blooming on the back porch.
I am from years of sand piled up around hills where tobacco once grew.
I am from the tobacco and every worm my Daddy pulled off it
and every blister he got working it.

His blood, my blood, runs in the veins
of half of the men and women rooted in the sandy hills.
I am from a house whining with leaky plumbing
and the tinny sounds of Wheel of Fortune,
slipcovered with dust and monotony; but I know
that once it was alive with dancing and the music
brought home from the roller rinks.

Two Scoops of Peaches, and Other Blessings

2008-10-16T15:22:00.002-04:00

One of my best friends in the whole world is serving in a church in Mobile, Ala. I think sometimes she gets kinda discouraged because she's not sure what she wants to do next and because she misses being around people her own age. But her ministry is so amazing it's impossible not to see it and to see the doors that have been opened to her. I wanted to share her experience here because it has inspired me for today, so read on here…

A Brand New Party Barn

2008-10-07T21:23:00.003-04:00

Grace from Design*Sponge (only the best blog in the world) mentioned this story from House Beautiful in a post earlier today. Gotta love the 18-foot kitchen table and the pure simplicity: kitchen, dining area, fireplace, bedroom, bathroom. Check. Maybe I need to add this to my "million dollars" list too. Don't forget to look at the slideshow.

If I had a million dollars...

2008-10-07T19:40:00.002-04:00

(resisting singing the song)

I was thinking on this post for a while earlier today. When you're out of college and job-hunting in an economy that makes for a better Steinbeck novel than a meal ticket, that whole winning-the-lottery thing allows for some pretty good dreaming.

But after work I wandered into my favorite indy bookstore in Asheville (and also the place with the best coffee in all of downtown), and I picked up Inspiration Sandwich by a woman who goes by the name SARK (her initials turned into a clever pen name). She writes inspirational, creative, hand-lettered-and-illustrated books such as Eat Mangoes Naked and Fabulous Friendship Festival, and if my sweatshirt hadn't been making me uncomfortably toasty I probably would hav taken a closer look. Her writing/illuminating style makes it look like Lynda Barry and Mollie Katzen got in an illustrating mind warp. Somehow I think her handwriting would be distracting, but further research will be required.

Anyway, as I was flipping (seriously flipping, not even reading a page here or there) I flipped past something that made me go back. It was a segment were SARK was explaining one of her favorite games to play with her journal. The game was simply, "I want." This is an iteration of that:

If I had a million dollars...

- I would freelance to do what I want on my schedule
- I would call my Mom to tell her she can stop worrying about me
- I would make the most beautiful books, like the kind people would want me to initial and hand-number
- I would get a couple of dogs and a rabbit
- I would buy the most beautiful letterpressed wedding invitations
- I would get myself a set of these reindeer café au lait bowls
- I would learn how to roast coffee and pull and excellent shot of espresso
- I would do all my Christmas shopping at the Renegade Craft Fair
- I would rent a cute loft apartment and make it look like something out of Ready Made
- I would sew "for a living"
- I would blog "for a living"
- I would invest in microloans to women in underdeveloped countries
- I would invest in green plants and unadulterated land
- I would support local business
- I would become a local business
- I would learn how to screen print
- I would buy my fiance a studio/cafe/venue of sorts
- I would knit all my socks
- I would buy an old diesel car so I could use local biodiesel
- I would buy from independent designers
- I would listen to independent thinkers
- I would live to make Eve proud
- I would love forever

An interesting experiment. I may have started out with things that need money. But I certainly didn't end that way. And so it is. Peace.

Tweets of the Day

2008-10-05T22:05:00.001-04:00

00:54 Girls night at the 'Shed. Good times.