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.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

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.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

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. 

Hah! Don't mess with me.

After sharing experiences with several other people yesterday, I came to understand that the person who was so rude and abusive to me makes a habit of this type of behavior.  It was no surprise to anyone that he acted like that!  When I went to the IT guy immediately after the event to head off an end around move I was sure the jerk was going to make, I got full cooperation.  He's made an enemy of everyone in the department.  He is, in fact, a bully.  I would be willing to bet that he treats the people under him even worse that he treated me and I doubt any of them would make a complaint.  So I wrote to the administrator (even though I had been in her office and told her the whole story) a short statement about what happened and I ended by saying if he ever treated me in such a disrespectful way again I would make a formal complaint against him.  She is going to bring him in for a "little talk" and involve the chairman of the department.  That should slow him down for a while.  Creep.

My evening was nothing special and no knitting was done.  I am hoping I can spend a good bit of time on Sunday and maybe even finish that Cloche Divine.  I have appointments on Saturday and then dinner with my old high school teacher so that pretty much wipes out that day.  Gosh, I have been so busy this week I don't even know who the Huskies are playing tomorrow!  Well, things will slow down next week, thank goodness!

When things go bad at work

Yesterday was quite an unusual day.  I had a run in with someone who made me SO angry I was left sputtering and speechless and fighting - not always successfully - tears!  This bastard spoke to me with astonishing rudeness, telling me if I was going to work with him I "had better learn to cooperate"!  He is a faculty member who has been here nearly as long as I and has just joined the team to teach a course that starts next Tuesday.  His wife is chair of the course and she decided to bring him on to teach a couple of classes.  And even though he was at the meeting we had a month or so ago when we met to talk about the scope of revisions possible on short notice, he obviously didn't pay any attention and just went off on his own direction and then showed up in my office making ridiculous demands.  As he left my office, storming out and leaving an "or else" hanging in the air, the chairman of the office was coming down the hall.  He took one look at me and we went into my office where I unloaded on him.  He was angry and wanted to talk to the guy, but I told him no, but that I'd send him that way if he starting being abusive again.  Then I took the story to the administrator who knows what an ass he is, since I'm not the only person to complain about his people skills.  Then I composed an email to his wife, saying that I thought there might be a disconnect with some members of the team on what revisions she had asked for and what they should consist of.  Aaaaand ..... less than 10 minutes later I got an email from the creep saying that unfortunately he had been under the impression that he could make modifications to a certain document and now that he couldn't there were a few other things that needed to be updated.  No "I'm sorry" or "my mistake".  What an ass.

I was wrecked.  That kind of emotional stuff is not my thing.  Drama is not my thing.  It makes me feel terrible!  My sister called while I was waiting for my second bus so I got to tell her a bit of the drama and then while I was walking Tink I listened to her continuing tale of woe.  I needed to shake myself out of that funk though.  It was raining and icky outside so there was no sunshine to jolly me out of it.  I had to pick up a pre-order at Macy's so I did that and then went to the grocery store, sang out loud to the music and bought myself an expensive bouquet of flowers - not on the budget but I needed them!  And a little piece of chocolate for later.  After a shower and a martini and some stupid TV -- a new episode of South Park -- I was feeling much better. 

I don't think he would have gotten to me as much as he had yesterday if I wasn't just right up against the wall.  Anatomy is winding down and I am beyond busy, putting out fires and getting the exam set up as well as a million and one other details.  And then to have this Neanderthal come in and start treating me as if I were  ... well, I don't know what.  Who treats people that way?  If I had had my wits about me I could have slowed him down and explained things more clearly.  Well, maybe I could have.  It seems to me I was articulate and making sense but there wasn't a recorder going so who knows?

Anyway I'm back today and feeling stronger and I swear, if he comes near me again I'll blast him with The Look.  Oh, wouldn't it be great if you could really zap people with a look?  Now that's a super power I could get behind!

The perils of forgetting your sunglasses

It's dark and cloudy.  I didn't pop my contacts in this morning after a day of staring, unblinking I would imagine, at my computer screen had left me with irritated eyes.  So I ran out to the bus stop not remembering to switch into my sunglasses.  As I was getting my audiobook fired up along comes our neighborhood 7th Day Adventist, trying to get people to take a copy of  "The Watchtower".  She's got quite a little racket.  She lives in a highrise building across the street from mine - it's a retirement place.  In the mornings she walks up an down both sides of the street, loitering at the bus stops and asking people if they need something to read on the bus.  I spotted her game immediately when I started riding the bus.  Thanked her and declined and that's about the time I started making sure I had my armor on before going to the bus stop.  Ah but this morning ..... as she was approaching me I realized I had my regular glasses on.  I did have my ear buds in my ears but it's the eyes.  I waved her off and switched out the glasses.  You'd think after all these months that she'd know better than to approach me but I guess not.  Funny thing -- a few months after I met her and would see her around the neighborhood as I was walking Tinkerbell I had a dream.  In the dream I was passing the bus shelter and I looked in.  Sitting on the bench was a woman, her back to me, smoking a cigarette and drinking something from a paper bag.  As I got closer she turned and it was the little Watchtower lady, only she looked devilish.  Every time I see her now I think of that and have to suppress a smile.

I am sore today!  My run yesterday was awesome and I've been doing my half hour at home as well.  These workouts I do at home rely on the Wii platform and rubber tubing for some upper body work.  The tubing I had was too weak so I got a package with 3 different levels.  I was doing an upper body workout yesterday, alternating sets of push-ups with shoulder presses.  I am really feeling it this morning in my back and shoulders - in fact my shoulders were so sore last night I had a hard time dropping off.  Plus on the last set I was really working hard to do that last lift and the band slipped and smacked me HARD in the back.  I didn't even bother to take a look.  I am sure I've got a huge bruise.  Luckily I won't be wearing anything with a bare back for a while.  It could cause a few questions.  Or raised eyebrows at the least.

I know it's a few weeks away, but I've been exploring different jet lag reduction options.  After a few nights I have decided that the Chinese herbs are not an effective sleep aid.  They work great for my friend Monika but don't work at all for me.  In fact I think they make me sleep lighter.  I had another of those nights when I was awake four times from noise that I would normally sleep right through.  Basically I want to sleep on the plane and sleeping sitting up is very difficult.  I don't want to get a really strong pill from my doctor because they just make me too groggy and I need to change planes in Reykjavik.  If I could stretch out on the plane then that wouldn't be a problem because six hours reclining works.  But sitting up, six hours of snoozing is less than optimal.  If I start getting up earlier the week before I leave - by 30 minutes each day - then when I leave my body clock would be closer to where I'm going.  It will be a good experiment any way.  I'll be arriving on a Sunday afternoon so if I'm exhausted I can always go to bed early.  It's just that I've only got two weeks and I don't want to waste any time sleeping when I could be doing ... well, just about anything else with my friends.

Just because it's October ....

is it mandatory that the buses have their heat cranked up to one hundred degrees??  Good heavens ... I got on the bus this morning and almost expired from the heat.  Thankfully it was my short bus ride or I would have had to take off my coat - it was that hot.

Despite my debauched weekend, I had an awesome run yesterday.  I was surprised considering all the ridiculous food I ate -- bacon and cheese and butter ... tequila and beer and wine ... ergh -- but it didn't seem to affect me, thank goodness.  I was almost at the end of my 30 minutes when my phone rang, so I listened to my sister as I cooled down.  She usually knows better than to call me during lunchtime but it was special circumstances.  I also got another earful on the way to work today - my rule of no talking on the phone while on the bus just slightly compromised.  I have my earbuds in and they have a microphone.  I listen and don't say anything except every once in a while I bring the microphone up to my mouth and say "uh huh" as quietly as I can.  And still I feel awkward.  I only did it on the first, short, bus ride.  After that I had to cut her off.  She's fine.  Just a little disturbance in the relationship force.

Last week I ordered a pair of boots that I thought would be absolutely perfect for my trip and they were in the office yesterday when I went down to talk about the ridiculous suggestion that Tink was urinating in the apartment.  [Definitely got that straightened out.  Idiots!]  Anyway, the boots are just perfect!  The heel is just right - not too high that I can't tromp around in them all day, but high enough to look good and not let my jeans drag.  They can be cuffed and worn with leggings or skinny jeans, or straightened to wear under flared jeans.  And best of all, they're booties rather than full length boots so they will save lots of space in the suitcase.  The bad thing about packing light is that everything  must coordinate so generally you are stuck with black and white and a couple of accent pieces.  This far outweighs the plus side, which is being able to get from one place to another without exhausting yourself.   I am very happy with this purchase.

I slept very lightly last night and kept waking  up.  I don't know why because I was very tired when I finally turned out the light, but it seemed like every little noise brought me up from the depths.  I must have gotten enough sleep because I feel fine.  And good thing too, because I have tons of work to do.

Oooo! I'm just so mad!!

While I was gone this weekend the maintenance staff were supposed to take another  look at that big wet spot in my dining room and and spot on the ceiling of my bedroom and take care of it, or at least diagnose it.  When I got home there was a note from them in the door - a form they leave whenever they visit your apartment when you're not home.  And on the bottom they wrote that the spot was dog urine and I should make an appointment with the office to have it cleaned!!!  Dog urine??!!  That is just so stupid that I can hardly believe it.  First of all, Tink is WAY too small to be able to create that much urine.  And *if* it were urine don't you think it would smell?  If that huge spot had been all urine my apartment would reek!  Oh ... I am just sputtering mad.  The office was closed yesterday so I couldn't speak to anyone about it so I'll have to address it when I get home.  I hope I'm more calmed down than I am now.  Every time I think about it I just start steaming.

I didn't come home angry yesterday.  I was all relaxed after a nice weekend eating good food and laughing and walking in the woods.  Kate only spent Friday night and she left on Saturday after lunch.  John's lovely daughter came up on Saturday and she was great company.  She brought her knitting and I was kicking myself for having forgotten mine.  It's very cozy sitting in front of a fire and knitting with someone.  I know -- sounds geeky, but it's nice.

Before Kate left on Saturday we went way up into the hills behind and across the street from the "cabin" and the water to search for mushrooms.  We found tons of chanterelle mushrooms and cooked some of them up with garlic and butter for lunch.  Oh ... it was heavenly.  I made a yummy curried chicken with peppers and mangoes and for dessert a fresh peach cobbler.  Tink had a bad night Saturday with a stomach upset so I was up quite a few times walking her around the garden while she ate grass and watercress and who knows what else.  She was fine on Sunday but I was groggy.

Three weeks until the Dawg  Dash so today I've got to start training in earnest.  And it's going to be a huge week so I'd better get on it.

Hood Canal

The sun is coming out. It is so pretty here.