Happy New Year!

I know it's a few hours early but what the heck.  It's 2012 somewhere now, and I don't want to be late.

Mystery solved with regards to my elbow -- I saw my doctor on Friday, described how the pain started the day after dragging my suitcase from the Heathrow Express train across the huge station to the taxi stand and he said, "Ha!  Traveler's Elbow!"  Also known as Tennis Elbow, which is what I had suspected.  He's intimately aware of the syndrome, being married to a crazy tennis player and basically there's not much I can do about it.  It is going to take time to heal.  No more dragging heavy suitcases for me.  For Hawaii I'm going to use my good old Samsonite that can be pushed and then I am going to keep my eyes open for a new set of luggage, which I've been wanting for a while anyway.  And it'll be the kind that has swivel wheels.  Or I could just learn to pack lighter, but how many years have I been trying that to no avail?  Might as well accept that it's not my style and move on.

California was so nice and it was great to spend lots of time with my sister.  The weather was just gorgeous -- sunny and warm as you would expect for California.  Happily it's not too bad here either.  It's not warm, but it's mild for this time of year, although yesterday evening it did hail, but it's not freezing and I'm grateful for that.  Tonight I'm going to a big party.  It's not my usual New Year's Eve but I am making an effort to get out more and be social.   Monika is going to drive and I'll get myself to her place and she will bring me home, which I really appreciate because this party is quite a ways away from me.  And then I'll have two more days to laze around before work on Tuesday.  Maybe I'll be able to finish Kelli's beret.  And start something else ... or maybe I should concentrate on finishing up a few things.  Yeah ... I should.

And to everyone -- warm wishes for a fabulous 2012.

Ahhhhh Home again

It is 10:30 and I am finally home after a long travel day. We met Ann for brunch so it seems like I have been traveling longer than I actually was. Tonight is the Alamo Bowl, the Huskies vs Baylor. I recorded it since it started at six when I was in the air. Then I took my time, had a shower and now I can watch as long as I can stay up. I wish I had changed the appointment I have from tomorrow to next week. I have to fast for a blood draw in the morning and I would much rather be having a little cocktail but must be satisfied with water. But I am really looking forward to getting to the bottom of the elbow mystery. What I know for sure is that neither knitting nor working at my computer has anything to do with it. So far the game is pretty good, but I am getting sleepy. I miss my dog but I have to sleep alone tonight. It will be good to be in my own bed!

Sunny and 70

It is always a bit disconcerting to be in California at Christmas time. Somehow it doesn't feel quite real, even with the tree and presents and lights. We are having a great time, although Mike's been running up and down from here to Palm Springs dealing with family issues, so it hasn't been that great for him. I am enjoying my rest, no stress and plenty of girlie time. Last night we had our own mini-marathon of Kelli's favorites --"What not to wear" and "Say yes to the dress-Big and beautiful". Something I would never do alone but we had fun .... Meow. I did a bit of knitting yesterday evening. Even though I haven't touched a computer or a knitting needle the elbow is still just as painful! Crazy! What could I have done to it by pulling my suitcase through the train station? It doesn't make any sense to me so I am counting on my doctor to figure it out on Friday. I dreamed I was on my way to France last night, but had to get off the plane to talk to my boss, then run and run through obstacles to re-board. Swamps and bridges out and busy intersections to cross. I made it. I would have been so mad if I hadn't! We have a couple of super nice little hikes here. At the end of her street is a park that Warren Beatty gave the city and you can hike way up to Mullholland drive if you want. The path gets very scary near the top, but we climbed quite high. Today I will go down to Ventura Blvd because Kel has a business lunch. It is so nice outside and perfect for a little stroll.

Whew!

As much as I didn't want to be freaked out or nervous about my appointment this morning, I was.  The good news is that everything is fine.  And now Christmas can begin!    Two things I learned -- NEVER skip an annual exam again and NEVER do it in December.

I have a student to see at 1:30 today and then I am up up and away.  I have a couple of quick stops on the way home, then it's laundry and packing and cleaning in preparation for my getaway tomorrow morning.  I've got to drop Tink off at her babysitter and then I will park at Monika and Andre's and take the light rail out to the airport.  That's my new favorite way to get to and from the airport.  It's quick and easy and cost effective.

We're going to a party as soon as I get to California tomorrow.  It is going to be SO nice to be at a nice dressy party rather than where I have been the last couple of Christmas Eves.  And I get to wear a dress.  I think I'll wear the black one with white applique that I took with me to London.  It's easy to pack and looks good.

No knitting last night and my elbow is not bad this morning.  I'll take tonight off as well and then for a whole week I won't be on the computer.  Let's start the new year out without a sore elbow!

Happy Christmas!!

Early in early out

I got to work WAY early this morning, as in before 7:30.  My friend Mike brought me in because he didn't want to drive back to his sister's house after our dinner in Mukilteo last night.  Good lord does that man snore!  He slept on the couch and there's the kitchen and a wall between my bedroom and the living room and I could hear him snoring last night.  It woke me up!  I closed my bedroom door and put the pillow over my head and was able to get back to sleep, thankfully. 

Oh we had such a good dinner!  Steve is a great cook and there's always wonderful champagne and good wine.   I haven't had a steak in so long and it was yummy!  Food and gossip and Christmas cookies.  Ahhhh ...it was lovely. 

When I woke up this morning my elbow was barely hurting at all.  There was no knitting last night and I am going to take tonight off as well, even though I want to finish that beret.  I want to see if that makes a big difference.  I did notice also when I put my purse over my shoulder that it seemed to hurt more so I am just going to carry it in my hand when I go home today too.  I am really tired of this pain.  And if I read tonight rather than play with my iPad that might help as well. 

It is cold and clear today.  I am going to have a great run.  I just need to wake up!

Now I've seen everything .... maybe..... OR

Why I hate public transportation:  Unbelievable as this may sound, a young woman got on the bus today with not only her travel mug of coffee, which I think is perfectly acceptable, BUT a bowl of oatmeal and a spoon.  I swear.  She sat down and proceeded to eat her cereal in the bus.  Can you imagine???  Lucky I was in a decent mood or I would have done a little more than roll my eyes at the guy sitting next to her, who was looking at her like she was crazy as well. 

Other than that, this day has started out with a great surprise phone call from far far away.  I shall be grinning all the rest of the day and long into the night.  As far as I'm concerned, it's Christmas morning.  [Insert huge goofy smile here].

My run yesterday was just stupendous.  It was my favorite running weather - misting lightly.  Not too cold, not too wet.  Just right.  No running today but I will get another good one in tomorrow.  As I suspected, this week is dragging slowly by.  I've got a fun dinner tonight to look forward to, a boring day tomorrow to get through and then ... that exam on Friday morning.  I think after that I will be in the holiday mood.  It is hanging over my head just a little bit, even though everyone has been reassuring me.  I just want it done, then I can relax totally.

This morning I'm going to get the booklet for the meeting finalized and get a price on printing. I've been too busy to really dig any more into the EPUB thing, but I'll have a couple of weeks before I leave for Hawaii to try once more to crack the code.  In the meantime, I'll publish it as a PDF and people can download that to their iPads and smart phones and laptops and it'll almost be as good.

I didn't knit last night to see if that impacted the pain in my elbow much.  It is still store today and I've got noon knitting, but since I'm going out tonight I'll not be knitting.  I did spend an hour or so playing with my iPad and that seemed to aggravate it as well.  Luckily I'm going for my annual physical when I get back from California so if it's still hurting I can have my doctor take a look at it.

Why didn't I have this luck earlier?

I won my matchup last night!  Crazy business but I'm playing again this week and that's all I care about.  Although it would be nice to be in the money.  I have learned a lot this year and hopefully I can take some of these lessons with me next year and actually compete. 

So that was my evening -- football and a little knitting.  My elbow is sore again so there is a direct correlation between knitting and sitting at the computer and the pain in my elbow.  A week away will do me good.  I am leaning towards the computer/mouse connection being the more damaging because I was knitting this weekend and it wasn't really hurting until yesterday afternoon, after a morning on the computer.

Today I will pass a  huge milestone -- 200 miles running since I've been using my Nike iPhone app, which I started using February 7th.  That's only 20 miles a month, but there were a few months in there when I didn't run at all, or very little.  Yesterday I ran down to University Village to pick up a gift for my sister.  That's multi-tasking at its best.  It was a great run after being off for so long.  I get to go again today and again on Thursday.  I'm going to bring my running gear with me to California.  Finally after preaching to my sister for a million years, she has found something that she loves to do - Pilates.  She said that she never really believed me when I said I got hooked on running and I felt bad when I didn't do it.  But now ... now she believes because that's how she feels about Pilates. Her new neighborhood is a wonderful place to run so while she's at her gym I will have a nice run and I won't have to worry about getting lost because my iPhone GPS can guide me back if I lose my way.

It is always funny to be in a foreign country and find English words being used inappropriately.  This is a picture of a restaurant across the street from the place we had brunch -- this is a really nice part of Paris and I am wondering how in the world someone chose this name for their upscale restaurant. 

Pictures from Paris

I finally got around to downloading the pictures from my camera onto my iPad on Saturday.  There are quite a few that I love, and that turned out much better than I had anticipated.  One group of photos I took in Hyde Park on a cloudy day that really came out quite well.  Here are two taken in Paris on the Sunday we were there.  In the afternoon we took a walk after brunch and ended up Notre Dame.  And here we are, Emma and myself, posing on the bridge and you can see the nice and clean cathedral behind us.

I was so surprised at how much detail was lost in all the years of grime.  It was, as you can see, just packed that day so we didn't even try to take any pictures closer.  Those tourists are too much for me to battle -- and so we just scooted through on our way to the other side.

And this other picture was taken that evening in the Green Linnet, an Irish pub owned by a friend of mine who used to own the Quiet Man, where I met Emma when I first moved to Paris.  The goofy looking guy behind us is our old friend Remi.

It was early enough in the evening, as you can see.  On this day, I guess is was Sunday the 20th, we had gone to have brunch at a restaurant owned by a friend of Remi, on Blvd. St. Germaine.  It is a champagne bar and restaurant.  Well, you know how I love champagne -- I was all over that!  However, it left much to be desired in the way of a brunch.  And it's not that I'm a huge egg eater, but .. there were no eggs!  No quiche.  No scrambled eggs nor Benedict.  But the champagne cocktails were out of this world.  And the weather -- as you can see, cloudless and we were actually quite warm in our coats.  It was chilly in the shadows but nearly 60 in the sunshine.  Because Emma and I had been such naughty girls Friday night we were much too "tired" to hang out and gossip with Eoghan on Saturday evening, instead heading to the hotel around 11 pm.  But we promised to come on Sunday and gossip with him until the wee hours, which is what we did.  He is such a sweetheart and was trying to talk me into staying for Thanksgiving, because they were doing a big football/Thanksgiving party.  But I had plans, so me made me promise to do it next year.  He and his wife and daughter take a house in the south of France in the spring every year and they always invite me to come stay with them.  I would dearly love to do so, but it's going to be difficult this year.  Not impossible -  nothing is impossible - but ..... we'll see.

I had a nice weekend and did, indeed, manage to finally kick this cold.  Even the lingering little cough is gone gone gone!  Saturday was a beautiful day and my friend Monika needed company on a drive to Port Townsend to pick up something at an art gallery, so Tink and I accompanied her and we had a very nice day.  I had lots of time to finish a cashmere beanie and to start a beret, and we had a couple of nice little walks around the town and lunch.  I got home in time for the Saturday night football game - not a normal NFL night, but a bonus.

And Sunday -- the big football day.  As of the end of the day I am only 5.5 points behind my opponent!  And for the game tonight I have two players -- one on each team -- and he has one player.  He decided to bench Rothlesberger because nobody knew if he was going to play, and IF he plays he is going to be hobbled.  I have a running back in this game, one of the best in the league.  If they go with a second string QB you can bet he won't be chucking the ball down the field, but rather handing it off to good old reliable Rashard Mendenhal.  I could win this thing!  I'm pretty excited.

Three times I will be able to run this week and I am going to do it.  Today, tomorrow and Thursday.  Today I need to check on a gift for my sister at University Village, so that will be a perfect place to run to, do the shopping and run back.  It should be a good run.  I'm looking forward to it!

Hello Friday

What is normally an easy and stress less month has turned into just the opposite but it looks like we are now over the worst of it, thank goodness. Things would be perfect if I could get a good run or two going but I think that will have to wait a few more days. I am working from home today in an effort to stop the return of the dreaded cold. I was veat congested all yesterday afternoon and through the night. We had a party at work yesterday then I had a meeting downtown and after that I headed home and made another batch of delicious soup. I am going to keep warm today, drink lots of juice and kick this thing once and for all! I think I will start the day with a homemade eggnog latte. The cold weather has disappeared for now and it is just gloomy. I am looking forward to Hawaii almost as much as seeing my sister for Christmas. Well I had better start my day.

My disgusting little dog

I love Tinkerbell, and so does everyone.  She is sweet and cute.  But also she's a terrier and she loves nothing more than to roll on the ground and hopefully get something really stinky on her.  She exceeded even her wildest dreams yesterday evening, I am sure.  We got back from our early evening walk and when I got into the apartment I immediately smelled poo.  My first thought was that she had gone in the house while I was at work, so I looked around and found nothing.  But then I turned back to her and noticed that her left front side, from shoulder to paw, was covered in poo!!!  I was speechless.  I threw off my coat as I ran down the hall and started filling the bath, grabbed the rubber gloves and caught her before she got it on anything else.  Two full baths later she was out and drying off.  Then I had to clean the bathtub thoroughly, and finally it was my turn for a shower.  But by that time the water was just barely warm.  At least I got her clean.  And oh how I HATE those slobs who don't clean up after their dogs!!!  Lazy idiots.  The only time I don't pick up after her is if she does her business in the ivy where it falls into the dirt below and you can't get it.  People ... grrrrr ...

Even though I thought I'd finish that hat during noon knitting it took much longer than I had thought it would -- I guess because I'm using small-ish needles.  I got it finished up last night and all the ends woven in.  It is a luxurious hat and I'm sure either one of them will love it.  I'll start the second one tonight.   I love cashmere yarn.  That gorgeous halo and soft soft hand. 

I noticed yesterday afternoon the absence of pain from my right elbow!  Yay! I was a bit concerned that the knitting would keep it sore but it's barely even registering today, and I am grateful for that.  And grateful that it's Thursday.  Only one more week and a day and I'm off to California and warmth and fun.  Next week is going to be a looong one, especially after these last two very very busy ones. 

The problem with those sweaters

I was saying that I was looking forward to being able to wear the winter sweaters I have knit over these past few years and I am wearing one today as a matter of fact.  But what I have noticed is that my knitting style has changed considerably as I have gotten more experience.  The sweaters I would knit in those early days were definitely winter sweaters and they are knit in heavy yarn at a large gauge.  That means bulky with little or no shape.  Warm?  Yes.  Flattering?  Probably not.  Cute?  Sure.

There seems to be yet another round of colds going around and many who had the first nasty virus have succumbed to this new one.  Oh I do NOT want to get sick again.  And so I will not.  There is no room for being sick in these next weeks.  I have a big day today, a big meeting downtown tomorrow and then I have to get ready for my trip to California ... and that other exam. [ I am managing to keep the panic at bay by reminding myself of the logic that they wouldn't wait 3 weeks if there was anything really obvious and it's just a precautionary thing.  And that mostly works.]  One hat is nearly finished and I should be able to get it done at noon knitting today and I will start another tonight.  I did a tiny bit of Christmas shopping on line yesterday.  I will be in good shape before I leave.

Vegetable soup is very  much in the forefront of my mind since I made that lovely batch of potato leek soup. Unfortunately my immersion blender broke so I ordered a new one and I've been waiting for it to arrive so I could make some more soup.  I got a message from the shipper that it was going to be delayed so I have been waiting and waiting for a notice from my apartment managers to tell me a package had arrived.  Finally this morning I checked the tracking and it was delivered last Friday!!  I could have made soup on the weekend!  This weekend for sure.

I did it!

I can hardly believe it myself, but I'm in the fantasy football playoffs, although the consolation playoffs, which means I won't win any money.  But at this point it's all about bragging rights.  One of my  nephews made it as well and the other did not -- the one I beat this week.  My next matchup is a tough one.  My opponent has the QB of one of my main scorers.  So that means that every time my guy gets points, so does his QB.  But ... I have a player on the opposing team as well so if it comes down to the wire, to this Monday night game, I should have the edge.  It is going to make watching football extra fun this week.

I've been putting those odd skeins of cashmere to good use these past couple of days and have started a hat for one of my  nephews who had complained about losing the other one I made him years ago.  I was working on it while I was proctoring the exam yesterday, which was a mistake because I couldn't concentrate and ended up having to tink back twice.  Since we had the Histo TA dinner last night I didn't knit at all, but I should be able to finish, or nearly finish, tonight.  I don't have much time.  I've been so busy lately, and still have a couple of time consuming and important things to finish this week, that I haven't given Christmas any thought at all!  I will have more time next week once I get this one project out of my hair.  Then I will have a week in LA with my sister and the guys to think about.  I am looking forward to that.

It was very very cold again this morning.  I am happy that the ventilation has finally been fixed in my office so that I can dress appropriately.  Last year it was like an oven in here and I spent my days in summer tops!  It made dressing for the office a bit difficult because I had to dress for the weather to get to work and then dress for the tropics to be at work.  Now this year I can wear all my nice sweaters that I've knit over the years.

Get that energy away from me!

Friday was an absolutely ridiculous day.  There is a woman I am working with this quarter whose energy is sometimes palpable.  She comes storming ... well, as far as you can storm into a closet ... into my office, eyelids twitching, asking questions and making comments nonstop, never waiting for an answer.  And everything is last minute with her.  She is all about the last minute which has been making my life a misery because she expects me to jump right into her crazy soup with her.  Add into that a couple of other large and immediate projects and you have a Friday that couldn't end soon enough.  Before noon I had a chance to look at myself in the mirror and I had already rubbed all the makeup off my face.  Not a good sign.  I made it through alive, everything done and feeling like I'd run a marathon.  All I wanted to do was go home, take Tink for a nice walk in the waning sunshine, take a shower and crawl into bed with a book.   Which is basically what I did.  Unfortunately I had made plans with a girlfriend to go out to listen to some music.  We hadn't made definite plans and because all craziness during the week I had, unfortunately, forgotten about it.  I felt terrible, but I truly could not have dragged myself out for anything.  She was very nice about it and we're going to get together this coming weekend instead.

Saturday was cold and Tink and I didn't have a huge long walk, but a good one. I was feeling a little off Saturday,  but went out into the world to run my errands and came home to finish up my convertible mittens, which I did finally by 4 o'clock Saturday.  I just couldn't warm up though.  I took Tink for another walk and then when I got back I decided to have a nice, hot bath.   I had gotten some gorgeous oil at Harrods and the woman who sold it to me said it is nice in a bath, so that's what I did.  The smell is out of this world!  So yummy.  Unfortunately this bathtub leaves much to be desired.  I have only used this tub once or twice since I moved in, so I forget that it is not a comfortable bath.  You can't recline because the back is flat rather than sloped.  Stupid design.  I ended up laying on my stomach so I could submerge myself and get warm. 

I won my fantasy matchup this weekend, beating another of my nephews.  The Seahawks are on Monday night football tonight and some of the other guys have players in this game, so I won't know until tomorrow.  BUT ... I might be in the consolation playoffs.  This is an extremely close and competitive league.  It doesn't usually come down to the last game like this.  And to think I almost threw in the towel a few weeks ago!

I don't know what I was thinking about being able to run three times this week. I'll be luck if I get two times in. Today I have an exam to proctor starting at noon, tomorrow is a staff lunch, Wednesday is knitting and Thursday is another lunch.  I might be able to sneak away Thursday before the party.  I'm going to try.  I need to run so I don't go any crazier!!

Yummy cold weather indulgence

This is one of those mornings that had eggnog latte written all over it.  It's cold and misty and frosty and Friday! And it is hitting the spot. And it will be another busy day.  With all of the time I've been spending on my computer lately my elbow is hurting again a lot!  While I was on vacation for some reason my elbow started aching.  I think .. I'm pretty sure it was from dragging around that heavy suitcase.  From what I've been able to ascertain it is mostly likely tennis elbow,  tendinitis.  I need to not use it my arm which, at this point, is absolutely ridiculous.  I think that once I can get off the computer for a couple of days though it should calm down considerably, especially if I take Naproxen faithfully.   The majority of the word processing chores for the meeting booklet I finished yesterday and this morning I need to do a little formatting of the Histo final exam and then the worst is over for a while.  Oh, I am SO glad it's Friday!

I need the mittens I've been working on but my arm was a little sore last night and I only did a few rows.  I should be able to finish them easily this weekend.  And get my coat back from the dry cleaners and zip that lining into it!  I need it - this morning it's below freezing, although it looks like it's going to be a beautiful, sunny day.  I won't be able to get out to run again.  That's okay.  Next week I will be able to get out there at least three times and the following week I should be able to do a normal week.

But now ... nose to the grindstone.  

No chocolate chips in fruit cake!

I had another of those delicious little fruit cakes but this one .... hmmmm .. it had chocolate chips!  The cake was wonderful but the addition of chocolate chips just made it wrong.  Two more to go.  The mince tarts are still safe and snug, just waiting for the right moment.

I had to break down and put the down comforter on my bed last night.  It is so cold!  Also dark, of course, being that time of year.  It is all I can do to stay out of the bed, especially when I'm in such a stressed state.  All I want to do is climb into my cozy bed and read, which I did last night but at least I managed to stay up until 9 before I did it!  I worked on the convertible mittens, doing the hardest bit, which is starting the top. 

There is too much work to do and not enough time to do it, all of a sudden.  This is truly unusual for me but at least I'm good at prioritizing.  And one of the first things I need to get done today is get my tickets for Hawaii squared away.  Then I'll have that to look forward to as I fight my way through December.  I don't even think I'm going to be able to run today because of appointments with students.  That always helps.  I'll have to make sure I get it done tomorrow.

I started a new audiobook today - the first in the Shardlake series.  I finished "The Marriage Plot" yesterday on the way home.  It was a sad book.  I didn't want to take any chances with another sad book, so this is perfect.

iPhone Scrabble vs iPad Scrabble

Here's what I don't get ... the iPhone Scrabble game is far superior to the iPad version!  It just shouldn't be that way!  The iPad is a much better experience for Scrabble.  The screen is bigger, easier to move tiles around, etc.  But you don't have any of the really wonderful and fun features of the iPhone version.  By far my favorite difference is the Teacher, which you can turn on or off.  I always keep it on and each time I play a word it will show me what the best word is that I could have played, unless I play the best word.  It is programmed with a few facial expressions so you can tell right off the bat if you've played the best word because it will grin, but if you miss an obvious 7-letter word it looks disgusted and there are several other expressions between.  My game has definitely improved since I started using this feature.  Another one that iPhone has and iPad does not is the ability to choose the dictionary you want to use -- either the official Scrabble dictionary or a different dictionary, and I'm not at all sure which it is.  I always use the official Scrabble dictionary.  And the final huge difference is the ability to play remotely with real people rather than always with the computer.  On the iPhone can you just start a game with a random person who also wants to play.  If you sign in with Facebook or something you can play people you know, but so far I just play with strangers.  Maybe I'll write to the developers and encourage them to fix that iPad version!

I am VERY glad that the technician at my exam last week told me I would most likely be called back for another look because that's what happened yesterday.  I am not freaked out about it -- well, not much -- because she made it clear that with the change from film to digital it is almost always the case that the doctor wants to have another look and it happened to a friend of mine as well.  Also, they won't be able to see me until December 23rd and if it was something obvious they wouldn't let me wait.  So it's not going to be easy to not worry about it, but at least I'm not frantic!

I can't seem to catch my breath at work.  I am crazy busy.  Hopefully things will slow down a bit next week so I can get organized before my Christmas holiday and the start of next quarter.  I wish I didn't have to go to this meeting this morning.  I could use the time for other things.

Not so bad after all

I was a little scared about running yesterday, thinking it was going to hurt and that I wouldn't be able to do it without stopping.  That was not the case however.  I had a great run!  I was only 30 seconds off pace, which I think is fantastic considering it's been about six weeks.  My legs were strong and only the slightest bit sore this morning, and my wind was just fine!  I have a meeting today at lunchtime so it's going to be Thursday before I can go again, but at least I won't be dreading it.

This booklet for the January meeting is just kicking my behind!  I don't do word processing typically,  so when I have to do a project like this it's very slow going.  If I wasn't trying to also make sure it has the proper coding so that I can change it to an EPUB it would be much easier, but if I take the time now while I'm putting it together to tag headings and normal text then it will save me time in the long run.  Once I get the schedule squared away I believe -- I hope -- it will move along a bit faster.  I have a template of the booklet I did in 2007, but then I had much more time.  Ah well, it does wear me out and I have been sleeping like a rock.

It is just so very cold!  I only did a few rows on those mittens last night and I've got to buckle down and get them done this week.  I had to use my lovely pink gloves for dog walking yesterday evening because I just couldn't take the numb thumbs.  These convertible mittens will be very warm.  It is difficult to do some things with covered thumbs, like manipulate the dog waste bags, but it is worth the trouble. 

Although there are four of us in my fantasy league with the same (terrible) record, I am last because I also have the fewest points.  This week, week 14, is the last week of regular play.  The last two weeks of the regular NFL season are the play offs for fantasy leagues and there is no way I am going to be in the play offs.  I gave it a good run though and it's been lots of fun, especially when I was winning.

I had a nice chat with my sister last night.  She's flying me to California for my Christmas present!  yay!  I was not looking forward to Christmas alone, so that put me in a fantastic mood last night.  I ate one of my little fruit cakes to celebrate and it was SO good!  Mince tarts are still in the box.  Maybe I'll take them with me.  I don't have to worry about sharing because nobody else likes them but me ... and some crazy Brit who won't be around anyway.  ;-)

The hits just keep on coming!

I thought I had found every instance of inappropriate behaviors on the part of my recent house sitter, but I had a couple more surprises this weekend.  He used my razor!!  I noticed something odd about it in the shower and picked it up off the rack and saw gross grey hairs!!  Unbelievable!!  Of course that went right into the trash.  And, finally (I hope), I brought the vacuum out to use it on Sunday.  It is the type of machine that has clear dust and filter containers and I could see that both filters were completely clogged with dirt and dust and the bin also full of dirt.  Now I can tell you for a fact that couldn't have come from my apartment.  Not a chance.  He must have taken my vacuum somewhere and cleaned something, because he sure didn't use it in my apartment.  Here's the thing though -- don't we all learn that if we borrow someone's tools, or anything for that matter, you bring them back clean?  I just hope this is the last of the surprises around this house sitting stint.

Other than that, it was a pretty good weekend.  Saturday was cloudy and cold, but I woke up early and Tink and I got out and had a nice long walk before I went out to do my errands.  Then I cleaned house and finally sat down and finished that cowl.  I hate it, by the way.  But that's another story.  I had started a pair of convertible mittens before I went on my trip and forgot about them.  But I can't walk the dog using my pretty pink gloves and my other convertible mitts don't have enclosed thumbs which I am finding I need these days, since it is really cold.  I found the start of the mittens and worked on them a bit.  I also made an awesome pot of potato leek soup.  It was SO good!!  I'm going to make that again soon.

Sunday was spectacular, weather wise.  I slept in late and didn't get out until after 9.  It was bright sunshine, not a cloud in the sky.  We walked and walked and I got home right after the first football games had started.  I had the longest winning streak in the fantasy league -- 4 games.  Unfortunately my streak is over.  It was very close but as luck would have it, my opponent had Aaron Rogers for his QB, I had the Packers defense and one of their best receivers.  Plus one of my other guys was listed as playing but did not play after all.  It came right down to the wire though.  It was a good game.

This week I have got to finish up that booklet for the Hawaii meeting.  It occurred to me that I shouldn't be wasting time at this point learning how to turn it into an EPUB.  What I need to do it get it printed and then do that.  How could I have messed up my priorities so thoroughly?  Well no matter.  I'm back on track and if I can get some quality time this week I should have it done and printed by the middle of next week.

Happy Birthday!!

Every year on this day I send a Happy Birthday message up and away. xxxoooxoxo

I am so glad it's Friday

I was just useless yesterday!  I couldn't ever seem to wake up.  I feel a lot better today, thankfully.  I have tons of work to do. 

Last night I watched the Seahawks crush the Eagles -- they may get a playoff spot after all -- and worked on the every present cowl.  I am going to finish that tonight or tomorrow at the latest and get it out of my sight!  I have got to move on to other things.

When I was on my trip I didn't really buy anything for myself with the exception of a few edible goodies.  At Fornum and Mason's I bought some miniature fruitcakes and some ginger biscuits, which I got into last night and they are really good.  But my big score came at the airport when I was picking up a couple of thank you gifts at the Duty Free shop.  A box of mince tarts.  And oh, not just any mince tarts mind you.  These are Walker's luxury mince tarts.  Oh yeah.  They are in the pantry, which I open four or five times a night to get dog cookies or something.  I have resisted so far.  There are only six of them.  I suspect I will be able to hold off for a couple more weeks.  I hope.

This weekend is going to be full of chores.  I think I will give Tink a very long walk tomorrow and then spend the rest of the day doing chores so I can have all of Sunday to rest up and get my mind around the fact that I've got to start running on Monday.  I don't think the house sitter did a lick of cleaning while he was there so needless to say the place is a mess and I haven't had the energy to tackle it this week.  But I must on Saturday.  And I want to make some soup too. Emma cooked some delicious vegetable soup and ever since then I've been craving potato leek soup.  That would be a good reward for hard work on Saturday.

Oh, and speaking of the house sitter,  I got an email from him last night.  He was going through his mail and guess what he found?  Yup.  My laundry card.  And he was oh so sure he had left it on the table and I just wasn't seeing it.  ha! 

My shameful little secret

I am having such a hard time waking up today!  I had an extremely busy and somewhat stressful day yesterday and instead of doing chores after work I just loafed on the couch, had dinner and went to bed early to read.  Unfortunately I fell asleep almost immediately and so woke up at the ungodly hour of 5 am, all rested up.  But it's cold and foggy and dark and I am inclined to put my head down on my desk for a  nap.  Of course it's not going to happen, but I could probably drop off.  I must make myself stay up later tonight or I'll be in the same place tomorrow morning.

It is very dark now in the early evening.  I take Tink for a walk as soon as I get home and then again around 7 or 8.  Usually after my shower I put on jeans or sweats but lately I've been putting on my flannel jammy bottoms.  They are so cozy and comfy and warm.  And while I think that going out in public in flannels is absolutely the height of slovenly behavior, I have these past couple of evenings taken Tink for her final walk in my flannels!!  But it is SO dark, and nobody is out in the garden, all blinds are drawn ... nobody sees me.  I still feel guilty though. 

Truly I was planning on starting back up running today but I have SO much to do and I have to bring Tink with me tomorrow since I have a 4:30 hair appointment so I couldn't do it tomorrow anyway .... so I have given myself permission to be a slob for the rest of this week and then next week right back to work.  No more excuses.  Really.  I'm serious.

The Seahawks are playing a Thursday night game against the Eagles tonight, televised on ESPN.  The Eagles lost their quarterback for a few games so we might have a chance to win this one.  Unfortunately the Seahawks are not going to be in the playoffs this year and nobody expected them to be, with the new quarterback and young line.  I will watch the game and try my best to get finished with that stupid cowl!

Getting things back on track

One of the stupider things I did during the last few years of misery was neglect my annual exams.  There is no excuse except that misery makes us (me) do strange things.  Before I went on my trip I made myself schedule appointments and this morning was the first one.  Yay me.  Chances are pretty good that I will be called back though because in the time since my last exam they have changed to digital and it is a more detailed picture so I won't be freaked out if they call in the next few days and ask me to stop by again.  Or not VERY freaked out.

I still haven't taken the pictures out of my camera and put them on my iPad and today is noon knitting and I was supposed to have that all done.  I guess it'll have to wait for next week.  I am not all that motivated because my favorite picture was taken with my iPhone and is already on my iPad.  It's of a very handsome man, standing in the sun and smiling at me.   I do want to see the others and it will be on my (very long) list of things to do this coming weekend.

I did get the laundry mostly done last night and now my clothes are all sweet smelling again.... except my coat, which is going to the dry cleaners tonight.  I still have the towels to do since the house sitter left all of them dirty except two.  I still keep finding weird things.  For example, I found the olive oil in a cupboard with dishes.  And my Husky football schedule has disappeared.  I was thinking of asking him to do it again while I'm in Hawaii in January but now I think I will just suck it up and pay for Tink to stay at the Doggie Resort.  I don't think I could stand to come back and have to go through this again. 

My job for this meeting in January is to do the booklet, which has the schedule and all of the abstracts, etc.  I thought it would also be nice to publish it as an EPUB so people could download it from iTunes and put it on their iPads or whatnot. Yesterday afternoon I started learning how to do that and wow .... it is a process.  You can do it with a document made in Word or Adobe InDesign, which is the much better program but I haven't had time to learn that yet.  It is a professional layout program and very very complicated.  I am going to spend another few hours this afternoon on it.  The book I am learning from is very good, so I should be able to get it in a day or so.  Anyway I like doing things like that.

Noon knitting today and then tomorrow ..... I must run.  It is going to hurt.

Up and up I go!

I seem to be on a little winning streak with my fantasy team.  I have now moved up to 8th place!  There are two more weeks to go before the fantasy playoffs.  If they were held this week I'd be in the consolation playoff.  I have a couple of tough matchups coming up though so I am not going to get my hopes up.

I am thrilled with my lack of jet lag this trip, or rather the mild effects I have felt.  Going to Europe is always very difficult for me but this time it was a breeze.  Even though I couldn't sleep on the way over I got to the hotel at 1 and immediately went out for lunch and a long walk, then cleaned up and kept busy until dinner and went to bed at an early, but not too early hour.  When I woke up in the middle of the night I popped a couple of melatonin and eventually went back to sleep and the next day I was fine.  I did get the urge to nap in the afternoon the first couple of days but other than that it was painless.  Coming home I didn't want to sleep and I stayed up until a normal bedtime and Sunday I was fine.  I must say though that I went to bed rather early on Sunday and again yesterday I was quite tired when I got done with work, skipped the laundry and just loafed around, did some knitting(!!) and went to bed a little later than Sunday.  I have been sleeping straight through, so I think today I am completely over it. 

Tonight I MUST do laundry no matter how tired I am.  My laundry card never turned up, not that I actually expected it to.  In the next couple of nights I should finish up the cowl I have been working on and then maybe I'll finish the Cloisonne jacket.  I also need to get back to running.  My cough is gone and I have no excuses.  I want to go to the post office at lunch today and tomorrow is noon knitting, so I will set Thursday as my first day back out running.  It is lucky I have a meeting in January in Hawaii.  I will not be able to be lazy and put on any winter weight.

I got an email from Icelandair asking me to please give them feedback on their service.  And I will gladly oblige.  I hope that I never ever have to fly Icelandair again, or if I do I will only do so if I can upgrade to Saga class, which sounds like just normal economy to me.  The seats are excruciatingly uncomfortable and only made bearable by sitting on a pillow.  The service is nonexistent after the first drinks and food run.  On the positive side, they do give you a little bottle of water when you board, there are foot rests, which are key for those of us with stumpy legs, and the TV in the seat back is on so that you can watch a movie while you are taxing and reaching cruising height.  That's it.

Another busy day ahead of me.  I'm going to need that walk at lunchtime.  It's cold outside.  I hope it isn't going to be raining.

Back to the real world

I have to say, that was the BEST vacation I've had in a very very long time.  It exceeded expectations a thousand times over.  And I believe I've finally found the cure for the teary days that seem to follow every wonderful vacation.  Basically it seems that crying over leaving people almost negates the good feelings.  I prefer to remember the wonderful time and not concentrate on the fact that those times aren't likely to be happening anytime again soon.  Oh ... I am so inarticulate sometimes!!  I prefer to think of those goodbyes as an au revoir rather than an adieu.  Much more sensible and much less crying. 

I returned home Saturday evening -- 6 o'clock Seattle time but 2 AM body time.  I had to stop at the grocery store to get something to eat, not knowing the status of my kitchen, and I couldn't remember my pin number.  I had a house sitter while I was gone taking care of Tink and my apartment.  I didn't know what to expect when I walked in but what I saw was quite amazing.  He had rearranged my furniture.  Not drastically, but significantly.  I like my things where I want them, so I had to re-rearrange my furniture.  He had also saved all my newspapers.  Who has time to read two weeks worth of newspapers??  He did all sorts of strange things and it took me well into Sunday to get my place back into shape.  Unfortunately I had lots of laundry to do and I couldn't find the laundry card.  I called him and he described where he had left it but alas, it was not there and he had no other ideas where it could have gone.  My guess is he left it in the laundry room and someone took it, since it had at least $20 credit.  "Soooorry" he says ... not unlike how a child would react to the parental "Tell your sister you're sorry!".  That made my Sunday a bit easier since I couldn't do laundry.  I will call the apartment office today just in case someone has turned it in, but I'm not holding my breath.

It looks like I'm going to win my fantasy football matchup AGAIN this week if my opponent's last guy doesn't score over 20 points.  Why didn't this happen at the start of the season?

I did not pick up my knitting once while on vacation.  I was too busy having the time of my life.  I will have to get busy soon - I have so many projects to finish.

But work is what is on my plate for now.

Friday late afternoon

After my late and lazy morning yesterday I made up for it with a long walk. I circumnavigated Buckingham Palace, saw a changing of the guard and then just wandered. I found a little something for my sister and that's about it. I headed back to the hotel to get my bags a little early and to a nice surprise - no waiting needed. Since our tickets for the Leonardo exhibit weren't until 4 we had pleny of time for tea. The first place we tried was too busy, having recently become popular by a visit from Kate Middleton, so we went to a most beautiful club. I do believe that part of the tea ritual is food - little sandwiches and scones and such, but I wasn't hungry so we just had the tea and plenty of jabbering. I I seem to have been trying make up for a few years of silence. Kind of embarrassing really. Next we headed off to the National Gallery for the Leonardo exhibit. Even though there is a limit of 150 people per half hour it was packed. I am glad we saw it but wish it had been either a little less crowded or in larger rooms. The drawings were incredible. And then off we went to Windsor. Traffic was bad but we made good time and got checked into the most wonderful hotel before 7, then headed off to dinner in a beautiful old place on the river. It was the best Thanksgiving EVER. Today was another beautiful day, no clouds and mild temperatures. I woke up with a smile on my face. We toured the castle which is right across the street from the hotel. Silly me, I didn't bring my camera but snapped a few shots with my iPhone. It is quite spectacular. I am so glad we saw it. Lunch and then back to the hotel to regroup. It is getting dark now but I have spent the last 1 1/2 hours wandering the shops trying to get used to being on my own again. When Emma and I were in Paris I saw a scarf at the Sunday market. It was only 10 euros but I loved it, unfortunately I couldn't decide which color so I figured since it was at the market they would be all over the place. So I wentin to every women's shop looking for that scarf to no avail. It was something to do to keep myself busy until the worst was over. Now the big chore -- I have to get my bags organized. I need to be at Heathrow at 11 am tomorrow and I want to be ready to go tonight. You can't have the high highs without some lows thrown for balance.

Lazy morning

That is what having WiFi in the room does to me. Here it is after 10 and I am still in my nightgown drinking tea and messing around online instead of being outside exploring. I will get going in a minute. I just want to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving. I am thankful that I am here with a wonderful couple of days yet to enjoy, and not somewhere else cooking a meal for thieves and liars. I guess anyone would be thankful for that.

Isn't a martini a martini?

Yesterday we got quite a late start for Trier. I learned that Trier is the oldest German city with some incredible ruins. We got there around 4 when it was still light and set off for the shopping district. There is a city gate that is just amazing. It is Roman and dates from the 2nd century AD. We are so lucky that the Christmas market had just been set up. It was very picturesque and on the way back to the train station it was dark and all of the booths were lit. It was so pretty. I found some awesome boots and a cute top and Emma got a few things as well. A very successful trip. When we got back to Luxembourg we arranged to meet Emma's boyfriend, Fred, at the restaurant of a friend -- very trendy place. I ordered a dry vodka martini up with an olive. A few minutes later he sets a glass down in front of me - a tall glass with ice in it and a lemon slice on the rim. Hmmmmm. I took it up to the bar, apologized and said I didn't want to tell him his business but could I have this martini in a martini glass with no ice and an olive? The he proceeds to tell me that is what I asked for (in my hand) and what I was describing was a martini cocktail. Now I have spent a few years behind a bar on both sides. You give the customer what they ask for, you don't argue. Well, a normal person perhaps. I described again, vodka and dry vermouth. What I got was vodka and lots of sweet vermouth. It was disgusting. We did not stay for dinner. It was a struggle but I got everything in the two bags. I keep wondering what I have that is taking up so much more room. I did get some cough medicine and some lovely massage oil at Harrods, and that is heavy, being liquid. I am a complete failure at packing light. I have other good qualities. Tonight I am in a lovely boutique hotel very near the palace and having a kind of martini in the bar. I have compromised my normal don't buy WiFi at the hotel rule because I don't know this area very well plus we will be leaving from here tomorrow for tea and the Leonardo exhibit so if I want to hang out and wait here I will be able to be on line. It is nice out so I will go exploring for dinner a little later.

Out of the basement!

Yay! I have won my fantasy matchup three weeks in a row now. Of course since I lost so many I am still down there but 9th and not 10th! We had a long day in Paris yesterday. Both Emma and I wished we had another day but we managed to do and see nearly everything and everyone we had planned on. We never got to have a nice dinner out. The timing was never right. There is a restaurant we wanted to go for duck but it had closed. It was a gorgeous day again so we spent a good amout of time, after meeting Eoghan for lunch, just wandering around. I got some great pictures of the fountain at Beaubourg and bought a small tote bag since packing light hasn't really worked out that great. I haven't bought much but Emma's mother sent over two Beleek pieces and I couldn't resist a candle from Esteban yesterday. And we are going to Trier today to do a bit of shopping. I need a flatter pair of boots. I know just the style I want but every pair I saw in Paris was crazy. The train ride back from Paris was nice because we were in 1st class and it was direct. We were both so very tired but Emma's brother was I. Town for just a few hours so we went to meet him. And he was late arriving so we didn't get to bed until 3 this morning. We had a super safe ride home. A policeman friend of Emma's happened to be out at the same place and took us home. Tomorrow it is back to London.

Our last day in Paris

We have really lucked out with the weather here. And although it's cloudy today it is still not cold. We spent most of last night at the Green Linnet gossiping with Eoghan and watching American football on TV. He finally got the Red Zone and so I got to keep up with my fantasy team. I have one two more players to give me points but I am already WAY ahead so it looks like I am going to win again. Nice! We had such a gorgeous ramble yesterday. It was 60 degrees and sunny and the tourist were out in full force. We hadn't slept much Saturday night even though we were in bed before midnight because there was a club across the street and we had to have the window open because it was so very hot. We heard horns and music and more horns and screaming and think even gun shots. ;-). Last night was much quieter. The evening we got here we went into the Marais to find a little cafe for dinner and found a Brasserie where we got a teensie table under the awning. As I was preparing to sit down a man came up behind and a tried to put his arms around me. At first I thought it might be an old friend but when I turned around it was a total stranger! creepy French guys! We don't get our train until after 7 tonight. Besides meeting Eoghan for lunch I am not sure what else we will do. The is so much to choose from.

It is magic

The weather in Paris is spectacular!! Warm and sunny. I am taking lots of pictures. The last couple times I was here there was scaffolding around Notre Dame and it is done now and just incredible. The detail is marvelous.

We had brunch in Saint Germaine at a champagne bar and now strolling around. Ahhhhhh.


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Wow

I can't even begin to describe our debauched evening Friday. Our train was due to leave at 1 and we woke up at ten to 1. We did not make that train, but got one at 2:30. Oh what a wreck we were. At present we are sitting outside the Green Linnet. It is really warm and nice here. We will go for dinner soon.


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Where was I?

That last post was full of typos. The iPad is hard to type on at times and I was in a rush. I think it mostly made sense. So .....after the encounter with the weird American I was off for a gorgeous dinner and awesome evening. Wednesday morning I got up and out and off I went to the Royal Academy to see the Degas exhibit. Wonderful! I learned so much. He was quite avante garde for his time. Then more wandering through St. James. I was strolling down the street and came upon what I later learned was St James palace and witnessed a mini changing of the guard. Just me. I snapped a couple of pictures from across the street. It was cloudy and I don't know how they turned out yet. I did buy an adapter so that I can download pictures directly to my iPad but I haven't tried it out yet. Dinner that night was at the Oxo Tower. Incredible company and incredible views. Too bad it was too cold to sit outside but still we could see a lot. It was just magical. So now I am in Luxembourg. The trip over was so easy. The airport was quiet, no lines anywhere. The flight was about a third full and only lasted an hour. We were served a beautiful little sandwich and a glass of wine, then we were there. Emma collected me by bus. We went out for Italian dinner and then out for the rest of the night at a few bars. Luxembourg is so ....well it is like a fairy tale. There we were strolling down cobblestone streets in the fog. Emma says it reminds her of Shrek. I twisted my ankle on the cobblestones but it is fine today. I barely felt it last night. Absolutely no knitting. I don't even know why I bothered bringing it. Tonight most likely we will go out for a few drinks after dinner. Our train to Paris doesn't leave until 1 tomorrow so we can sleep in. I keep hearing Frank Sinatra singing "Fly me to the moon".

Thursday in London City Airport

This is the best airport! It reminds me of how Burbank was a few years ago except the shops and restaurants look much nicer and the security screening was a breeze with nolines Andre got to keep our shoes on. I have been having the best time in London. Tuesday after a nice day at the V&A museum and a quick stop at Harods and Harvey Nichols I had a little rest and then got ready for dinner. I was a bit early so stopped in at the lobby bar for a cocktail. I was sitting there minding my own businessmen this American man started talking to me. Believe me I have heard some big lies in my day, but this guy .... He actually told me he used to work for the CIA!! Thank goodness about that time I got a text ... Oops. Time to board. To be continued

Home is where the heart is

Home at long last. Had a great long ramble yesterday, champagne for cocktails and ... Well just the most delightful evening in history.

Today I set off for a museum, getting lost twice on the way. It is sunny so who cares? Now late lunch. Free WiFi is everywhere. It is very handy.

I am going to stop in to Harrods and Harvey Nichols on the way back to the hotel, a little rest then dinner.



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Gotta love Starbucks

I am sitting here watching the world go by. Free WiFi and you can't beat that.

I seem to have given jet lag the slip. I stayed awake until 9 last night after virtually no sleep on the plane. I feel great.

Had lots of sun yesterday but clouds today. I do not care. I am happy!!


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The requisite airport cocktail

I had to get to the airport WAY early so Omie would be on time. No matter. There is football on TV and cocktails. I am SO excited.


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In retrospect .....

perhaps having a house guest the week before a big trip is not a good idea.  But I really didn't have much to say about it, since he wanted to be here for his brother's birthday. And also if I hadn't spent over a week in sick time I might have had a little more flexibility and been able to go home early.  It's water under the bridge now anyway.  He's having a fine time, it's just that I'd like to be able to spend a little more time with him. 

We did have a super fun evening out to dinner with friends.  Great food!  And tonight it's family dinner at a kid friendly place that I don't hate.  ;-)  And then tomorrow .... tons and tons and TONS to do!  I love the run up to a trip.  It's always such a relief to finally get to the airport, get through security and sit in a nice restaurant and have a drink and relax.  That's when vacation starts.  The airport is now SO much nicer than it used to be.  It's the only good thing to come out of the heightened security measures.  The restaurants are all nice and there's plenty to do if you have to wait.

I have decided to take needles and yarn to work on a pair of socks while I'm gone.  I really don't expect to have that much sitting around time, but if/when I do, I'll be set.

Oh what a relief!

I had a very long and productive meeting yesterday afternoon and left feeling like things are finally in the correct hands and moving forward.  And now I can have a wonderful vacation without a single worry in the world.  How great is that??

I have plenty of little details to handle these next couple of days and I am very glad we have Friday off because I'm going to need every last minute.  I could have done a few chores last night since my nephew was out all night but instead I caught up on some TV and turned in early.  I was tired but then I ended up awake in the middle of the night for about an hour.  I got back to sleep okay and I feel darned near 100% today.  I'm still a little bit congested and cough now and again but definitely better.  It has been almost 3 weeks since I've had a run but honestly it's not even on my radar.  I am still that congested that a run would hurt rather than feel good.  Who needs that?

Noon knitting today and I may be able to get another few rows of the cowl done.  I really don't know how big to make it, so I'll be asking for opinions as well.  It could be that it's finished and I don't know it.  It's kind of hard to try on with the needle in it and I don't feel like putting all those stitches on waste yarn.  I think I'll go find a pattern on Ravelry that is something like what I'm trying to do and find out some measurements.

Tied for last place

I did win my matchup this weekend, much to Omar's chagrin.  But I'm still in last place.  So much of it is sheer  luck but still I was sure I'd do much better this year than last considering I got to choose my own players.  The guys who win this year after year spend an incredible amount of time on it and I'm just not willing to do that.  And they're always making moves, trading players and that also takes a lot of time and effort.  I'm never going to win the whole thing, but it's fun to watch the matchups every week.  There are a few more weeks to go. I could move up.  Stranger things have happened.

One of my meetings downtown yesterday got moved to today so I drove in rather than taking off super early to bus back home to get the car, like I did yesterday.  We had another evening in, watching the Monday night game and then I turned in early.  I have been running on a sleep deficit these past few days because of the time change and staying up late with Omie plus I'm still getting over this cold.  Finally I woke up feeling normal and not dragged out and tired!  It's such a relief.

All my big knitting plans for pre-vacation have gone by the wayside.  I don't think I'm going to get anything finished that I wanted to.  I didn't even pickup the cowl lat night.  That is the one thing I might be able to finish but I'm not counting on it.

Perfectly happy

You know how sometimes you'll just be sitting there and you realize that you are perfectly happy at that time and place?.  This weekend I got that feeling just sitting there watching football with my  nephew, my doggie by my side, knitting in my lap and a beer at my elbow, my fantasy team was winning and I have a wonderful few weeks to look forward to.  Oh .. and it was sunny outside.  Truly an embarrassment of riches - the simple pleasures.

I have a busy week coming up.  Busy at work and after work too.  I am truly going to be very ready for a vacation by the time Saturday rolls around.  There wasn't much running around to do this weekend except pick Omie up at the airport.  The rest of the time we pretty much stayed close to home.  Tink got walks and we watched football all day yesterday.  Unfortunately the one I am winning against this week is Omar and he is not at all happy about it because he needs to the win to get a secure spot in the playoffs.  He does have a pretty good chance of beating me tonight since he's got the QB and a good receiver in the game.  I'd like to win, of course, but not at the expense of him getting into the playoffs.  Obviously I don't have a chance, even if I were to win every matchup left. 

I'm going to pick up an adapter tomorrow for my iPad so I can download pictures directly from my camera.  While you can take pictures and video from the iPad it's a bit unwieldy and I don't really want to be dragging it around with me while I'm out walking and sightseeing.  I need to take lots of pictures on this trip.

We changed the clocks this weekend and it makes it a bit nicer getting to work.  I wasn't really liking waiting for the bus in the dark.

All the football meant that I got a ton done on the cowl.  It is going to be very luxurious and warm.

Getting the train back on the track

Besides having the cold of the century these past couple of weeks there has also been a disturbance on the legal front.  My attorney had a nervous breakdown.  Seriously.  I finally have an appointment early next week with my new attorney and we've already had a brief exchange, so things are starting to move again.  Thank goodness.

My two weeks of laying around have also given me a brand new appreciation for my hand knitted socks.  They have been the perfect cozy companion to my flannel jammy bottoms.  I had no idea I had knit so many pairs!  But they all came in super handy and I think that'll be my portable project for my trip - a new pair.

Yesterday evening was nearly normal.  I cooked myself another nice healthy dinner and watched a little TV and managed to stay up past 9 pm and I had a great night's sleep as well.  I have lots of little chores to do tonight to get ready for Omar's visit.  I know he's going to be cold, coming from California.  I haven't even had to turn my heat on in my apartment yet because it stays so warm up there but I imaging he's going to need it on.  I don't like electric heat.  It's so drying.

Work has calmed down considerably.  It's very quiet here today.  I have lots of little housekeeping type of things to do and I brought Tink in today because I have a hair appointment after work, so I am going to take her for a nice long long walk at lunchtime.  I hope it's nice like it was yesterday.  Beautiful blue sky and all the trees changing colors.

Real progress!

Finally finally finally I am feeling nearly normal!  I definitely had a better night last night and there were only 3 cough drop wrappers to clean up this morning, which is a definite improvement.  I don't feel like going out for a run, but I do feel quite a bit better and I expect to be able to make it through an entire day today.

That was not the case yesterday, but I made it until 3 which I considered pretty good.  I got a little knitting done at noon knitting but nothing at home in the evening.  I was pretty worn out.  I made some soup and had a sandwich and tried to stay up past 9 but it wasn't in the cards.  Tonight I WILL stay up and try to get back on a normal schedule.  I was hoping to do a little jet lag sleep experiment next week but since my nephew is here next week it would be a little difficult to get up earlier and earlier in the morning with him sleeping in the living room.  So I will instead just concentrate on being 100% healthy.

The only good thing about being sick these past ... wow, nearly two weeks ... is that I haven't been obsessing about my upcoming trip and now I've got to play catch up to get organized and ready, not to mention work.  And so .....

Round Two

Okay, here we go once again.  I played a little fast and loose with the snooze alarm button this morning and ended up having to drive in.  The windows were frosted and I don't have an ice scraper so I sat in the car while it defrosted and then got caught in traffic on the way in to work.  I believe I would have gotten here at the same time if I had just taken a late bus but at least I can make a quick getaway if need be.

I spent a great part of yesterday sleeping again!  I know!  I can't believe I can sleep at all since that's what I've been doing for more than a week, but there you go.  I cooked myself a real dinner - chicken and vegetables - and ate it.  My appetite has really taken a hit with this bug but I know I need to eat.  It's just so difficult when you're not hungry for anything. 

Anyway, I'm here and I've got to pull it together and get some work done and get organized.  I wish I didn't have a meeting first thing, but I do.  Hopefully it will be interesting.

Enough already!!

Yesterday did not go according to plan. I only lasted until 11, then I threw in the towel and headed back home to bed. I thought for sure I would be good until after lunch but I guess I just jumped the gun.

Today I will take it slow. One more sick day, and no sudden moves. It is beautiful and sunny, but quite cold and Tink is in no hurry this morning to wake up. So I will drink hot tea, relax and kiss this cold goodbye once and for all. I have too many fun things on my plate to waste any more time on this cold!


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What can I say?

This is the WORST cold I've had for years!  The entire week from Monday afternoon is just a blur.  I was expecting to be feeling better this weekend but I was still dragging and didn't get nearly as much done as I wanted to, instead spending the greater part of both days reclining on the couch watching football or snoozing. All I can say is thank goodness I got it NOW.

All that free time and no knitting to speak of.  What a waste.  I did a few rows on the cowl yesterday and a few on Saturday and that's about it.  No energy and no appetite.    Oh well -- no place to go but up.  I woke up at 4 am when the cough suppressant wore off and I couldn't get back to sleep.  I'm at work now and I've got plenty to keep me busy but I expect to be fading quickly.  Hopefully tomorrow will be much better.

Waiting for the cold medicine to kick in

No knitting. No ranting. Plenty of coughing.


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I tried to outrun it

I really really did! But it caught up with me yesterday. Now I am flat on my back, raging sore throat, and I can barely speak. All that clean living for naught. On the positive side, at least I got it now and can be fully recovered when it counts. And also it is good that I didn't get it a few weeks ago. If I am going to be under the weather I guess this is the best time.

Of course work doesn't stop, not with this class anyway. I hope I have enough loose ends tied up so I can get a little rest today. I want to be back to work tomorrow or Thursday at the latest.


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Monday already

Wow, this weekend flew by and I was not ready for that alarm this morning despite having gone to bed quite early.  I know it's just pre-vacation excitement but it's annoying to have to rush in the morning.  It was not a good weekend for football - not for Seattle anyway.  Saturday the Huskies got just crushed by Stanford.  I had a girlfriend over - her husband had told her that she was not fun to watch the game with .... I suspect that comment is going to come back to haunt him .... so she came to my place with pizza and salad and knitting and we watched the game until the beginning of the third quarter when it was just getting ridiculous.  We switched over to a silly movie and had a great evening. 

As I predicted I got beat in my fantasy league, although not as badly as I had thought I would.  I have one more player tonight but so does my matchup so I am pretty sure I'm cooked.  Tink and I had our normal long long walk and then I settled in to clean closets.  Not a fun chore but one that must be done and it was not so bad with football in the background. 

Then that was it.  Nothing too exciting.  I knit on my new convertible mitts, getting the cuff started.  But it's slow going with that mohair.  Once I get the cuff done it's going to fly off the needles.

It's going to be a very busy week so I'm going to get at it.

Now I get it

I know why I was so groggy yesterday and again today.  I had forgotten about the dog Wednesday night but when it happened again last night ... or should I say early this morning ... it all came back to me.  A little dog starts barking and doesn't stop for hours.  This seems to start around 12:30 or 1 and last night continued until past 2:30, which is the last time I checked the clock.  It must have stopped some time soon after that.  I tried closing the window, I tried putting my head under the pillow but the barking came through.  It's a small dog so it's a sharp bark.  I cannot understand what could be going on but it's clear that the dog is alone otherwise the owner would surely wake up.  And the dog is either on the balcony, which is prohibited when no one is home, or in a room with the window open.  From the volume I would guess the dog is in the living room and barking through an open sliding door.  Hopefully we can get to the bottom of it today.  I'm going to call the management office this morning.  I will bet I am one of quite a few complaining this morning. 

I had such a great run yesterday.  I just love running in the mist.  It's refreshing and I swear that I get better oxygen transfer breathing in the moist air.  When I came in and went to lunch I ran into a friend of mine who also runs and she agreed it's her favorite weather as well.  We seem to be in the minority.  I might get another chance today if the mist doesn't change to drops.

I didn't start those mitts last night after all.  I think I'll start them tomorrow afternoon before the football game starts at 5.  I need to have a good chunk of time when I won't be disturbed and that's most likely on a weekend afternoon when Tink's had her 1 1/2 hour walk and is ready to snooze for a few hours.  After being alone all day she really does need some attention so it's hard to get more than 20 or 30 undisturbed minutes.  So I worked on the cowl when I could snatch a few minutes.  I don't know who I will be giving that to.  I don't think it's Emma's style.  She prefers deeper colors.  I might just keep it.

I anticipate a good football weekend, although I'm not sure I can say I anticipate wins.  I do believe the Huskies will give Stanford a run for their money, but their quarterback, Andrew Luck, is about the best in all of college football.  It's going to be hard to beat them.  If they did though, that would be awesome.  I need to fiddle a bit with my fantasy team today but I think I'm going to get crushed this weekend.  Ah well - nothing new there.

Somebody slap me

Yet another groggy morning!  I was that close to a cold shower this morning, just to jolt some life into myself.  I settled for a cold slap of water in the face but it didn't work.  I guess I stayed up too late reading last night, which is so easy to do.  At least I'm not sick, like way too many people around here.  I am living a healthy life, eating well, exercising and TRYING to get a decent amount of sleep in order to keep the nasty bugs away.  Thank goodness the sick people are staying home rather than coming in to the office. 

The weather changed yesterday, it got cloudy although not any colder and the rain should be starting any time.  It was sprinkling last night when I took Tink out around 7-ish.  I hope it's not raining for my run today.  I am going to have to face the fact that sooner or later I'm going to be running in the rain so I should just shut up about it.

I finished the beret last night but neglected to take any pictures.  Maybe this weekend I can do that.  I think this will be closet cleaning and switching weekend and picture taking could fit in nicely.  I wanted to start on the mitts after finishing the beret but it was too late so I did a few rows on the cowl and then went to bed to read for what turned out to be a much longer time than I had planned.  Hopefully I'll conk out rapidly tonight.

I had a super successful and happy day yesterday, solving a knotty programming problem in the mid-afternoon.  Now the rest of this week is smoooooth sailing.  I have plenty of things to do and no rush at all with any of them.

Oh!  Some student is heating breakfast in the student lounge and the aroma of bacon and eggs is wafting down the hall.  I am SO hungry.  I have a terrific reason to have bacon coming soon - my  nephew.  But in the meantime I'll be good and have oatmeal and strawberries.

That doesn't happen often!

Yesterday I went downstairs to the Hospital cashier to pay what I assumed was my final bill for my emergency room visit the day before I went to Las Vegas and the follow up clinic visit.  You know how it goes - you get bills from the primary provider and then from your insurance company and then another bill from the primary .... around and around and it's very confusing.  I trotted down there with my last two bills and asked the woman behind the counter to please tell me what the balance was and I'd pay it.  She went to her computer terminal and clicked and clacked for a while, then came back and informed me that I owed 1/10th of what I had assumed I owed and, bonus, it wasn't due until the next billing cycle!  Wow.  That was a very pleasant surprise.  How often does that happen?  Not very, is my guess.

I had another awesome run yesterday in the autumn sunshine.  Pretty soon the trees will all be turning but right now -- and I think it's a little late, actually -- there is still a lot of green out there with a few bright trees.  It was supposed to be rainy today but I woke up to clear skies.  No complaints here.  And no running today since it's noon knitting. I should be able to put that beret to bed, then I think I'll start on the convertible mitts.  I need a pair with thumbs to take on my trip for every day use.

I got a call from the newspaper a few days ago (I get home delivery of the Sunday paper only) telling me that for the next couple of months I would be getting the daily paper for free.  Since I finished my audiobook on the ride home yesterday I picked up my paper from the lobby and took it with me on the bus.  At the top of the front page are descriptions of top stories in each of the several sections.  Here's one that made me laugh, for the cooking section:  How to make 'Chocolate Better-than-Sex-Cake'.  Yeah.

What I have on my plate today - a programming mystery that had me in knots yesterday afternoon.  I have to figure it out today and I am NOT looking forward to it.  Wish me luck.  I'm goin' in.

Fantasy WIN!

This morning was another one of those when the alarm goes off and I am wondering -- why is the radio playing in the middle of the night?  I stayed up too late last night.  After dinner I was going to watch the second half of the football game since I had one more player on my fantasy team to get points.  However, I was SO far ahead that I didn't even bother.  Yes, yes I won my matchup this week!!!  Oh, I'm still last to be sure, but at least I don't have a perfect record any more.  Next week I play the leader -- it's going to be ugly, especially since Tom Brady has a bye and he's my guy. 

After I finished that cute cloche this weekend I cast on for a beret using some gorgeous green mohair I bought a summer ago.  I've never been able to decide what to do with it but I figured a cute beret would be just the thing.  And then I can make some convertible mittens with the left over yarn from both those projects since the yarn colors harmonize.  So anyway, it's good TV knitting at this point - around and around.  I settled in to watch Terra Nova, took Tink for one last potty run, fooled around with my iPad and before I knew it, it was WAY past bedtime.  I'll be checking out early tonight for sure.

November is shaping up to be a stellar month!  My nephew is coming to visit for a week before I leave for Europe and he's always a joy to have around.  I don't know what we'll do exactly, but he has a friends and relations besides me and he always keeps busy with them when he visits.  I feel bad that I will have to work most of that week, but he sleeps late anyway so it shouldn't be a problem for him.  It'll be a problem for ME getting up in the morning, I'll bet.

It's shaping up to be another gorgeous day for running.  I was thinking yesterday about which is better -- the spring runs or the autumn runs.  At this point I would choose the latter.  After running in the heat for weeks and weeks it is such a relief to be in the cooler air.  When spring comes around it is delightful to run in warmer sun but winter running isn't as bad as summer running if you discount the rain.  And I don't go out when it's slippery and icy anyway.

The inadvertent long weekend

Thursday evening I went home, all excited about upgrading my iPad and iPhone software to the new iOS5.  And guess what?  So were about a million and one other people!  What an exercise in futility and frustration that was!  I hadn't even thought about all the other people doing it and by the end of four hours I had an iPad that was only half way updated and had 35 gig of "other" on it that I couldn't figure out how to delete.  I slept okay but when I woke up Friday I felt terrible.   I assume it was my body's way of telling me that it had had enough stress and drama and needed a break, so I called in sick and got to relaxing.  I slept in a bit and basically just vegged.  I finally got the iPad and iPhone updated, got some laundry done, did a little knitting and that did the trick.  I woke up Saturday feeling tip top!

My goal this weekend was to finish the Cloche Divine and I did finish it yesterday.  It is the cutest hat ever!  I wish I had a proper hat form to take a photograph but the only one I have is flat topped and it doesn't suit this hat.  I wore it today.  Besides being just a little bit itchy at the forehead, it looks perfect.  I was working on the short rows and picking up stitches for the bow on Saturday while I watching the Huskies demolish the Colorado Bufs.  What a great game!  But oh my hands hurt! It was not an easy knit but truly worth it. 

Saturday was my fun day -- I walked Tink in the sunshine, got a couple of errands out of the way and then just spent the entire afternoon knitting, watching football, napping and ended the day with two movies.  I downloaded "The Bridesmaids" to watch on my iPad in bed and it was hilarious!  I'm glad I didn't wait for it to arrive in my Netflix queue. 

Of course, all that lazy time on Saturday meant that Sunday was a big work day but I managed to knock it all out by 2 pm and had the entire rest of the afternoon to continue where I had left off on Saturday.  And wow -- guess who won her  Fantasy matchup?  Yay me!  Actually, I have even more points to come because I've got a guy in the game tonight as well.  Whew!  I thought I was going to end up with a perfect record.

I think I've decided to forgo the Dawg Dash this year.  While I walking Tink Saturday night I was thinking about the upcoming race and realized that instead of looking forward to it I was dreading it!  Not the actually race itself - I love to race.  But the mob scene it is going to be is a real turn off.  There are going to be thousands and thousands of people there.  Parking will be a nightmare, even though there is a lot assigned.  I'd have to get there way early and stand around for an hour before the race ... it's just not fun for me.  And running is all about fun.  Therefore I will enjoy my afternoon runs and look forward to the next one around Greenlake, which will be in February.  Oh, I know there are probably a few other smaller ones I can do as well.  I think I'll end up missing all of the traditional November ones because of my trip schedule, but that is a small price to pay.  Maybe I can do the Jungle Bell run this year!

Drama drama drama

It has been a little over a week since that terrible afternoon but is beginning to calm down, thankfully.  I think the worst is over and I have a good understanding with the course chair who agrees that her husband tends to get "a little hysterical".  Ya think?  I hope we've heard the last of it, truly I do.  I noticed yesterday when I got home that the flowers I had bought - beautiful Stargazer lilies - had finally all opened and the scent greeted me when I came through the door.

I am looking forward to my run this afternoon.  It was clear this morning and quite chilly.  I could see my breath.  But that means that it should be perfect for a noon time run - sunny and not too warm.  I should sign up for the Dawg Dash this afternoon or tomorrow.

I was all excited yesterday to get my software updates downloaded for my iPad and iPhone and that's what I started as soon as I got back from walking Tink.  What I forgot is that my connection in my office is wireless.  It is so fast that I forget I'm not hooked into the internet.  So I started this huge download but it timed out after an hour so(!).  I will have to try again but next time link into the wired connection.  Unfortunately that's not the easiest thing to do and requires me crawling on my belly and getting behind the TV to the Wii console.  It's doable but not comfortably.  Maybe I can update from my laptop here today.  I'll give that a try.

Tick tock 

Official count down starts today

.... and oh, I am SO ready to have a vacation!  These next few weeks are going to crawl but I don't mind.  Anticipation is not a bad thing, is it?  Some days I am thinking about the wonderful meals I'm going to have and all of the smells and tastes I've missed so much.  The voices I've missed hearing and the streets I've missed walking along.  I don't want to sleep a second while I'm there, although we all know that's not realistic, but you  know what I mean.  But I don't have time to daydream this morning.  I'm busy busy busy again. 

I had a pretty good run yesterday and I was very lucky because I managed to get it done right before the skies opened up and we had another HUGE storm.  It was definitely chillier than it has been last night.  I had to close my bedroom window a bit because it was just too cold for me to sleep comfortably. 

Wednesday is noon knitting and I've brought my cardigan in since I don't think I've done a single row on it since last Wednesday.  I did knit on the little cowl last night while catching up on "Terra Nova" - my new guilty pleasure.  Half  "Lost" and half  ... well, I don't know but there are dinosaurs.  It's pretty silly but so far it has kept my interest and it's good knitting TV.

Here comes the weather!

I almost wish I had buttoned the lining into my trench coat this morning.  It's blowing and definitely cooler.  I woke up in the middle of the night to a big storm and I was thinking that if it kept up I was going to have to run on the treadmill after work.  But this morning, although it's chilly, the wind has done its work and the clouds are moving so it's not raining now.  I'd much rather run outside than in the stuffy little workout room.

Yesterday was crazy busy and the final for Anatomy.  I brought Tink with me so I could stay for the last party and I did until after six, which is not usual for me but everyone was having a good time.  Plus - bonus - I didn't have to make dinner because I ate plenty of pizza.

I didn't even bother watching the Monday night football game.  I had already lost my matchup by 2.5 points!!!!  My team is the worst and there are no good players left out there.  These guys I play with are super smart.  In fact I don't think they do anything else during the fantasy football season except work and keep up on the fantasy teams.  Any time a good guy is available they snatch him up so no one else can get him.  Of course, that's how you win but frankly I don't have that kind of time to devote to it.  Lesson learned.

I did a bit more work on the spur or the moment cowl I started.  I think I've found the ideal project for chunky yarn - a cowl.  Not that this won't be nice, because almost anything made from mohair is nice, but even on size seven needles it's not a speedy knit.  I did a row of eyelets.  I won't make this a huge one, but maybe two or three more sections topped with eyelets.  Then I'll try some pretty ribbon in there to see if I can get the effect I'm going for.  If so, next time I'll work it up with larger needles.

I still haven't signed up for the Dawg Dash, which is the 23rd.  If I am still feeling great by the end of the week I'll do it.  It is a fun event, and there's free parking AND they've changed the start of the race to be on Montlake rather than inside the stadium.  I hear that the attendance is up over 300% from last year!  Everyone wants in on the historic occasion - the last time you can run around the stadium track before the renovation.  And for me, it's the first race I ever did.  I'd like to do it.

Where did the weekend go?

Last Friday was super hectic and I couldn't wait to get home and relax.  And that's what I did.  I was exhausted.  I wasn't even able to carve out any time to run Friday.  All I wanted to do was sleep and after Tink's 9:30 walk I went to bed and played with my iPad for about 5 minutes before I conked out. 

I woke up nice and early on Saturday, which was good because I had a million things to do.  The weather was pretty nice and I headed off to Starbuck's for my coffee and then we took a nice long walk.  It was a day of grooming - first manicure and pedicure and then off to the hair salon for the works.  I asked my stylist to take off some of the length and she did.  It feels like more than the two inches I asked for, but actually I think it looks pretty good and even those two or so inches make it easier to blow dry.  Faster anyway.

Saturday evening I had an old friend over for dinner.  He is an incredible guy.  He was my high school anthropology teacher and he just turned 70 on Friday and he is crazy in love!  It  never goes away, obviously.  He's giddy as a school girl and a joy to be around.  He had a lovely evening catching up.

There was no Husky football on Saturday so I had to get my entire football fix on Sunday.  I did have a fare amount of running around to do but managed to see the Seahawks beat the Giants, which was amazing!  I also had a delicious little nap in the afternoon when the laundry was finished.  And, as I had planned, I got a good bit of knitting done.  I found a way to justify starting some new projects.  I need gifts to bring with me on my trip.  So to that end I started a gorgeous mohair cowl with some left over lace weight mohair in two colors.  It is just beautiful and soft.  I'm thinking of making some eyelets and threading velvet ribbon through at intervals.  It would be very feminine and useful at the same time.  Just a thought.

Hooray, I have found a housesitter who is also willing to take care of Tinkerbell while I'm gone on my trip!  That is huge news and I can hardly believe my luck.  I have one more thing to check off my list -- I'm going to get a flu shot next Monday.  I'm not taking any chances getting sick either before or during..  I know I can't protect myself against everything, but I'll be safe from the flu at least.

And now to start this horrid week.  I am still smarting from that drama last week.  I wish I could forget it but since it concerns the course that is just starting it's difficult.  Today shouldn't be too bad though - I proctor an exam at 12:30 and have a party with the students at 5:30.  Tink is in the car, since she can't be left at home inside for all those hours so I have a reason to take a couple of breaks outside and give her some walks.