38 and 39

38 -- minutes it took me to bike in this morning. This is a new record. And I wasn't even trying for it! And 39 ... degrees outside. Talk about wind chill! Dang! My face was frozen. Thankfully I found a couple of guys to draft behind for a while near the end and it cut the wind chill significantly. Unfortunately they were super pokey so I had to go around. But it was nice relief while I had it.

The haircut is a huge success if I do say so myself! Test number one -- I took my bike helmet off, fluffed up the hair and it looks good! We'll see how it looks after a run but for now I am very very pleased. It is quick to dry and hoorah, my curls are back! It was just getting too long. I didn't feel like it ever looked good. I suppose I could have had more layers cut around the face but I was feeling it was time for a change. I don't think I've had it this short since 2000.

I am nearly finished with the Noro socks. I am now working on the leg. Because I made them two different sizes it's like I'm knitting the same pair of socks twice -- which I am! Because Noro sock yarn comes as 400 yards per skein, which is enough for a pair, and I was too lazy to wind out 200 yards of it so I could do two at once, this is the price I have to pay. My friend Peggy, when I told her that story, said something on the order of well, that wasn't much of a time saving, was it? And no, no it wasn't. The few minutes it would have taken me to wind out 200 yards ... *sigh* .... let's just say I won't be making that particular mistake again.

One other thing I love about toe-up socks -- you just knit until you either run out of yarn or until the leg is the right height. I am hoping I'll have enough yarn left over to make a pair of pedicure socks. This is my new thing and don't ask me why, except the last few times I've gone for a pedicure I've wished I had some. That's reason enough I suppose. I was doing a quick little inventory of my yarn last night while I was tidying up my office/yarn room and I've got some nice sock yarn but some only one skein where I'd need two to make a decent sized pair of socks. Perfect for some pedicure socks. In particular I have one skein of Koigu that I originally purchased as trim for Knitty's Tahoe, which I decided again because OMG, look at all that stockinette!! Arghghg! I'd go crazy with boredom. That Koigu would be lovely as a pair of pedicure socks.

I got my little February vacation finalized yesterday. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but my sister got a new job within her company - a horizontal move - but that changed her schedule. Previously she was going to be ready for a vacation February 22 through 28 but now she can't take the time off then. However, I had already made plans and was too invested to have to wait until March(!!) so what I'm going to do is spend most of the first week here with S and we'll go to Oregon and the coast here in Washington and then Thursday I'll fly down to California and spend a long weekend with my sis, then Monday fly to Phoenix and get some sun with my old friend Mikie in Phoenix and then Thursday fly back home and have another long weekend with S. At least I'll be away from home and, with any luck at all, get some sun. Not as good as a cruise or Hawaii but I will be away! And nice thing about my sister's new job -- she goes to London every year in October and next October I'm going to meet her over there for a few days. That'll be niccccceeee.