My early birthday present

I bought myself an iPad!! I lllove it!!! It is the most extravagant birthday present I have ever given myself. This year I mire than deserve it. Excuse the cliche... Color me happy.


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Ah the little things in life ....

Because I wasn't expecting anything, when I opened my mailbox last night and found not one, but two new magazines ... ahhh, a girlie evening awaited.  The new Interweave Knits and the new InStyle magazines both arrived on the same day.  It was gorgeous yesterday and I had a super fabulous run at lunch.  Sometimes taking a break can be the best thing for my speed and endurance.  I felt like I had wings on my heels.  My intention was to get home, walk Tinkerbell and then workout and when I found the magazines that was the rest of my evening planned.  But while I was walking Tinkerbell one of my neighbors called out to me, asking if I was going to the party at the pools.  I had completely spaced the party and so I asked if there would be wine there or ...?  He said he was sure there would be something and I should definitely come and meet my neighbors ... blah blah blah.  I didn't want to be rude so I said sure and when our walk was finished I changed into some shorts and a T-shirt and reluctantly went downstairs.  And it was definitely NOT my scene.  The drinks consisted of water, sugared sodas and juice boxes and one of the men was at the grill cooking hamburgers and hot dogs.  Since my last encounter with a hamburger was still vivid in my memory, I wanted nothing to do with that.  I grabbed a bottle of water and introduced myself to some of my neighbors and left a few minutes later, my excuse being I was going to get some salad.  Which I did and I went back upstairs and drank some wine and read magazines.  It was a fine evening, ending up with some football news.  Thank goodness for the NFL network.

I spent all last year, it feels like, making myself as unattractive as I possibly could (and still live with myself) so it is a joy to me now to be again interested in fashion and looking my best.  It's fun!  I forgot how much I liked to read fashion magazines and pine for shoes I will never ever be able to a) afford or b) have someplace to wear.  Slowly but surely I am becoming more and more social and that seems to grow.  The more social I am the more invitations there are and the more opportunities to do fun things.  Ah .. I guess FUN is the word for the day.   When I have someone urging me to make some time in my schedule for a dinner at Canlis, well it hardly gets better than that.  Tonight though it's just a sleazy bar crawl, which can be fun and you are guaranteed a laugh or two. 

I am going to save Saturday for Tink and me.  It's going to be a nice day so we'll have a super long walk, and I can do my chores and shopping and get in some good knitting and maybe even watch a few movies.  If it's not raining on Sunday I think I'll go to the driving range.  I've got a friend badgering me to go golfing with him and I don't want to get out onto a course again without spending some time at the driving range.  It's too embarrassing.  And just think -- in a few weeks we'll have football on Sundays!!

Wait .... is this a punishment?

I few weeks ago I ran into a custodian in the hall and asked him if he had a mop I could use to clean the filthy floor in my office, since it is never ever washed.  That's when I was told the little secret - if you want your office floor cleaned regularly you must make the request.  Ah ha!  So that I did, and the next day my floor was clean and ever since, every month at some point the floor is washed.  Unfortunately .... I don't think they are very careful with it because this morning while the floor is clean, it smells icky.  It will air out now that the door is open but ... come on!

I had another lazy, self-indulgent evening last night.  It was good!  Tinkie got three small walks and I watched the NFL network, now that I have it turned on and there is actually some football news out there.  The Seahawks have let our quarterback go -- to Tennessee where, it turns out, he'll be mentoring Jake Locker, the Husky who was taken in the first round.  And now the Seahawks are left with Charlie Whitehurst and we'll be getting another couple of quarterbacks.  I heard Matt Linehart's name bandied about since the coach was his college coach.  And Tavaris Jackson is coming from the Vikings.  It'll be a shake up.  And not too many weeks from now!

I was thinking about going down to Oregon this weekend but have shelved that plan.  Scott and Debbie are working at the Oregon Jamboree all weekend so it wouldn't be any fun for me there.  Oh well, I've got the following weekend to look forward to!

I worked a bit on the little bolero at lunch yesterday but nothing last night.  Maybe tonight I'll feel like knitting.  I am almost done with the sleeves on the Kaleidoscope cardigan.  That's good TV knitting.  It's pretty nice outside so I am going to get back onto the workout wagon, run at lunch and workout in the evening.  I certainly do NOT want to grow out of these awesome jeans.  I'm wearing the second pair of my nice jeans today.  They're perfect as well.  I'd rather be wearing shorts though.  I hope we get some more nice weather soon before it's autumn.

Alarms

When I was a teenager and a young adult I slept hard.  In order to get up in the morning I would have to put my alarm clock across the room so that I would need to get out of the bed in order to shut it off.   The alarm itself had to be very loud and annoying - no music.  Music would just become part of my dreams.  I believe this is pretty typical behavior.  These days I have my clock right by my head and the alarm is music which slowly, very very slowly, fades in.  Of course I hear it almost right away.  I sleep very lightly most of the time, especially when it is nearing time to get up.  Often times when I'm taking Tink around the gardens in the morning I can hear an alarm clock wailing away somewhere on the second or third floor in a bedroom that faces the courtyard.  This morning it went on and on and on for the entire time we were out there, which had to be at least 5 minutes and maybe more.  That person sleeps HARD.  If s/he were my neighbor I'd be banging on the door.

I had a very bad day yesterday.  Monday it was raining, and I was not feeling well so I didn't get my run nor did I work out in the evening.  Yesterday it was also raining and my knee was feeling a bit dicey so I had a walk instead of a run, but that didn't lift my spirits one little bit.  I had an indulgent evening and I am feeling pretty good today, but I won't run because it's Wednesday and we've got noon knitting and then I've got a meeting at 1.  I'll get back on the fitness routine tomorrow.

Kelli and I shopped at the outlet mall when I was in California and I treated myself to two pairs of really REALLY nice jeans which I had to take to get hemmed up.  I picked them up yesterday evening and I'm wearing a pair right now.  I can't say that they're worth the MSRP and even at the outlet mall they were a splurge but they do fit like a dream and they're very comfortable and they look nice.  The woman who hemmed them matched the thread perfectly.

Because I have been feeling down I thought it might be nice to get away this weekend and go to Oregon to visit my friend Scott and also I have a couple of friends from high school down there that I could visit as well.  I can't decide if I should do it or not.  It's a very long drive - 5 hours.  And I will be going away the following weekend so ...... well, I go back and forth.  Should I?  It would mean changing an appointment I have Friday - *if* I could change it.  gah ..  I'll keep thinking.

The problem with being a delicate flower

I indulged myself Sunday evening and ate a delicious hamburger with bacon and cheese and jalapenos and  ... oh, who knows what else.  Then topped it off with a side of garlic fries.  My mind lllllloved it!  My body?  Not so much.  In fact it didn't want any of it and made that perfectly clear yesterday.  I lasted at work until about 11 and then took the show to my apartment where I laid low for the rest of the day.  The good news is that I actually did ten rows on the Milanese Shower Bolero. 

The rain persists.  It was raining hard yesterday evening when I took Tink out and it's raining again this morning.  And chilly.  It feels like autumn already.  Oh.  Wait.  I promised not to complain about the weather any more, didn't I?  I want to start planning my Europe trip but I am going to make myself wait until I get back from Las Vegas before I do.  It is still SO far off.

I've got a meeting this morning.  This week is going to be busy.  I do hope to be able to get a run in today.  I feel fine now so it would only be not happening if it is pouring outside.  Sprinkles I can deal with but not a downpour.  If that is the case I'll work extra hard at home tonight.

Finally some good news

I haven't read the article yet but from the headline it looks like the football strike is over.  Oh we all pretty much knew they wouldn't NOT have football but it's good to know that it's all over and they can start training camp on time.

We had an absolutely stunningly beautiful weekend.  Today it is cloudy and windy and was even sprinkling when I was walking into the building but the entire weekend was gorgeous so I don't much care if it's nasty today.   Although, if it's raining at lunchtime I will indeed put on a hat and the waterproof jacket.  I do not want a repeat of last Friday.

I had a funny experience yesterday evening while eavesdropping.  It isn't something I would do on purpose, but I was out and my friend had gone to the restroom, so I was sitting along at the bar and heard these two guys talking about someone they knew who pronounced the word "women" as "woman".  The same whether he was talking about one woman or more than one woman.  That is something my soon-to-be-ex does and I couldn't believe that there was more than one person with this ridiculous affectation so I excused my interruption and asked them who they were talking about.  Yup.  Same guy.  Oh heavens, did we laugh!   Then we had to talk about why he would do such a ridiculous thing.  I did point out that he mispronounces quite a few words, actually.  Sometimes the mispronunciations were so crazy that I didn't understand what he was trying to say!  For example, for jaguar he says "jag wire"!  I said I thought it was some sort of affectation that he thinks makes him look edgy or cool, when in fact it just makes him look ignorant and uneducated.   They agreed.  I got quite an earful.  Poor guy.  It would just kill him if he knew how his contemporaries in the business talked about him. 

Two weeks until Las Vegas.  I can't wait.  It's going to be hard going to get through these next two weeks. 

Miscalculation

Yesterday before I went out for my run I walked down to the end of the hall and looked outside to gauge the precipitation.  It looked to me as if it was still misting, like it had been in the morning.  Therefore I did not put on a waterproof jacket  nor did I wear a hat but instead went out as usual with a scarf for my brow and a light jacket.  Oh what a mistake that was.  In the time between my peek outside and getting there myself it started to rain in earnest.  I got soaked to the skin!  Yes, it was actually a very good run but I was dripping when I got back inside and I was so uncomfortable.  I do keep a clean dry towel in my office for such occasions so I dried myself off and put my regular clothes back on right away rather than wait until after lunch, which is what I usually do.  I had to completely reapply my makeup because it was washed off and pull my hair back because it was dripping wet.  Normally I wouldn't have bothered but I had a second meeting at 1:30 so I wanted to look at least half way presentable.

I had to cut out a little early to take care of Tink's ears and the rain had stopped and it was a decent evening.  After her walk and my workout, while I was cooking my dinner, I started messing with my iPhone.  I had to install new iPhone software and new iTunes software, then I downloaded a bunch of stuff - new  TV show I want to try out, and the first season of another that I never got around to watching, as well as a new audiobook.  My inner voice has an Irish accent these days.  I just finished "Minding Frankie" and today started the latest Benjamin Black, "A Death in Summer".  I don't mind having an Irish sounding inner voice.  It's kind of soothing.

It looks as if we'll be getting a decent weekend with plenty of sunshine and even some warm temperatures.  I have a thousand and one things to do tomorrow and I hope I can get a bike ride in on Sunday.   I'd also like to do some knitting!  What the heck is wrong with me???  I was seriously considering picking up the Milanese Shower Bolero last night - not that I did, mind you, but I was thinking about it.  Perhaps Saturday afternoon after I have worn myself out doing chores, I can pick it up.  I hope so.

Well, let's get this day started, shall we?  Then before I know it - the weekend!!

Ups and downs

Yesterday afternoon the sun came out and it was a beautiful, warm and sunny evening.  Just like summer!  But for some reason I just couldn't shake the blues.  I don't get it.  I got tickets to a comedy show that I really want to see when I'm in Las Vegas and that should make me happy, don't you think so?  I'm just a natural complainer I guess.  I truly am excited about the Las Vegas long weekend though.  And I have a perfect place for Tinkerbell.  When I called yesterday to make her reservation the woman on the phone gushed, "Oh Tinkerbell!  We love Tinkerbell".  I nearly suggested that they pay ME rather than the other way around, considering how excited she seemed. 

Because I was blue and feeling self indulgent I only had a light workout after work and Tink's walk and indulged myself with a lounge on the couch, watching TV accompanied by a nice bottle of Chardonnay.  There is one nice thing about living in an apartment complex..... when I took Tink out for a little potty stroll around the gardens there were people out on their patios cooking dinner or just enjoying the air, so I could have a little chat and feel not completely alone.

Needless to say, with the exception of the hour at noon yesterday there was no knitting done.  Maybe I'll feel like it tonight.

I hope to have a decent run at lunchtime today.  It is cloudy and dark and misting at the present.  The good thing about that is that I seem to have awesome strong runs when the weather is like this.  Someone once told me it was because of all the oxygen in the air.  I don't know if I believe that or not, but I am looking forward to it anyway.

Record breaking

I had an incredible run yesterday at lunchtime!  I brought my super light shoes in from home for a change.  Also, I was listening to music rather than my audiobook, which is what I have been doing lately.  Those are the only two changes I made and it seemed to do the trick of stepping up my game, as it were.  I ran the fastest mile I've done since I've been using the Nike + GPS app on my iPhone.  I started using that app February 2th and have run 123.4 miles while using it.  Yesterday I ran a mile in 11:15.  Granted that's not a 10 minute mile, which is where I would like to be, but it's pretty darned good.  I was very pleased.  And I wasn't gasping for air and I had gas in the tank when I finished my 30 minutes.  My next race is not until September.  I'm going to work hard for a better time. 

The weather is just horrible.  Cloudy and cold, breezy and sprinkling.  I know we had some good weather a couple of weeks ago and we do have the odd day or afternoon here and there but  ... that's not summer!  I suppose if we do get some decent and hot weather I'll be complaining about that so I'll shut up about it.  It does get me down though.

Thank goodness for noon knitting, otherwise I wouldn't get any work done on my projects!  Yesterday evening got all messed up and I wasn't having my dinner until nearly 8 o'clock!  Then it was walk Tink, finish watching a program I had recorded and started and then it was time for bed!  I just feel a bit guilty because I know my sister wants those mitts but ah well ... that's the way it goes.

The plans for the Las Vegas birthday bash are coming along nicely.  It looks like we've all got rooms at the Mandalay Bay, which is handy.  Now I've got to research tickets for a show Saturday night.  I would really like to see Ron White if the prices aren't too steep.  I do understand that the weather is going to be super super hot and I most likely won't want to be poolside.  But I'm hoping to get at least one dip in the pool.  Maybe in the morning when it's not too hot.

Football?

It's getting close to the time when training camp should be starting and still the lock-out is in place.  I know we will have college football regardless of the outcome but it just won't be the same without NFL football.  I don't suppose anyone is truly willing to forgo any part of the season so a deal will be done, but maybe later rather than sooner.  I know it's silly to fret about it but I do so look forward every year.  Nothing for it - just have to wait like everybody else.

Today is the day I have to give the iPad back to the folks downstairs.  I guess I'm just going to have to get creative and find a way to get one of my own.  I have learned from this all too brief try-out period that I don't need the one with 3-G coverage.  So right there that saves me over $100 plus another monthly fee.  Maybe when I'm in Las Vegas I'll win some money.  heh

I started searching for flights for November yesterday.  I had a quick little chat with Emma, who is still doing training in Chicago.  So near and yet so far!!  It is going to be super fun to spend some time with her again!  So, as I said, I started searching for flights and I found a new -- well, new for Seattle and me -- airline that has the best prices so far and a pretty good schedule.  Iclelandair offers flights from Seattle to London for nearly $300 less than the lower BA flights I was able to find.  Nothing booked yet but so far they are looking like the best choice.

I didn't get to run in shorts yesterday because it wasn't nice until later in the afternoon.  Then it was gorgeous!  And warm!  That lasted into the evening.  It's supposed to be nice again today - not hot but pleasant.  I suspect we're not really going to get a summer this year.  My life is so ... so weird right now anyway, I guess it doesn't matter.  If things work out with the meetings my chairman has asked me to help with then I'll get to go to Hawaii in January so I can have some beach time then.  Oh!  And it's going to be blistering hot in Las Vegas so maybe I can have some pool time there if we can find a place with shade and misters.  That reminds me -- must get a new bathing suit.  Maybe this coming weekend.

No knitting last night.  I feel like a naughty girl - projects lined up and mocking me.  I will bring my mitts in for knitting tomorrow.  I really do want to get those done for my sister. 

Still nothing finished

Sad but true.  I could not get going with a knitting project this weekend.  I did a little bit on the mitts and a little bit on the cardigan, but neither one was completed.  I got up at a decent hour on Saturday but it was gloomy and misty and just plain icky outside.  I tried to get a long walk in with Tink but it was raining too hard and I wasn't dressed for it, so I put her back in the apartment and did my grocery shopping, hoping the rain would stop enough for us to get a good walk in.  We had another short one and then I spent the entire afternoon just lazing around, a little knitting, a little reading ..... just boring.  I really wanted to go for a bike ride or go to the driving range but the weather was not cooperating.

Sunday was just as bad, weather - wise, but I had ALL my chores to do since I had been a lazy girl Saturday.  After cleaning and laundry and two medium walks with the dog, I headed out for some shopping.  I had to replace the doormat that was stolen a few weeks ago [I know ... who would steal a doormat??] and I needed to find a compact carpet cleaning machine.  I have had workmen in my apartment a couple of times to fix the dishwasher and the leaking bathtub tap and they (he?) left dirty, greasy footprints on my carpet.  The spot cleaner is not doing the job and since I left the nice one I had gotten last year at my other house when I left, I had to find a replacement.  There will be painters coming in and out to paint the balcony railings this week and when they have finished I can clean the carpet and hopefully it will stay clean for a while! 

I am loving my new hairdo.  Dana did a great job with the haircut and she toned down the highlights a bit.  I feel like a new woman.  I can't wait to get my name changed back.  I was really hoping it would be done so I could get a new passport before my trip in November but, alas, it doesn't look like that's going to be happening.  No use getting upset about it.  This is a process.  Step by tiny step.

It's going to be nice today.  Maybe even over 75 degrees!  I might be able to run in my skirt at lunchtime, depending on the clouds.  They were disappearing pretty quickly when I was coming in to work.  I love running with bare legs.  It feels like I am going so fast! 

Shocking!

My sister always picks up a book at the airport and then, if she finishes it while she's visiting, she leaves it with me.  That is the book I have been reading these last few nights - a book by Anna Quindlen, whom I quite enjoy.  Ah, but this particular book, "Every Last One" contains a shocking scene about half way through.  It was so unexpected - well, I had to put the book down a chapter or so after that because I just couldn't face any more at that point.  Maybe it was the adrenalin or something but I couldn't get to sleep and couldn't get to sleep.  I'm working from home today so I got to sleep until 8 am so I don't feel bad.  Yes, I am going to pick that book up again tonight but it won't matter if it keeps me up.  Or, actually, I could just keep reading and keep reading until I can't keep my eyes open!

My squeaking about my chilly office DID in fact get some action!  There is a woman in our office who can get things going with the building staff and I had a man come to take a look at the situation and he did, in fact, agree that it was way too cold and he's working on it.  In the meantime I asked permission to work from home today.  This is a new thing, the asking for permission.  I have to have a good reason in writing to present to the Administrator  -   I am having issues with the ventilation in my office -  and she approved.  She also mentioned the office in the other wing that I might be able to "use".  "Use" as in it's not mine indefinitely but until someone with more clout wants it.  It's away from our wing but I don't care.  She's going to ask the department Chairman and see what he thinks.  Fingers crossed now!

When I got home last night, guess what was in the vestibule in my building AGAIN!  Household garbage in the wastepaper basket!!!  Oh that just makes me CRAZY!!!!!  I got Tink and on our way for our walk I stopped in at the office and complained again about it.  I am 100% sure it's the same lazy idiots who did it before and when we got back a half hour later there was one of the office girls in rubber gloves going through the garbage to find something with a name on it.  She also said she's pretty sure she knows who it is.  Pigs!

I've got a hair appointment late this afternoon.  The metamorphosis is nearly complete.  The haircut, or rather shaping, will be the final step.  I'm already used to the straight hair.  It is a bit more work but I'm on a new routine so that I don't have to spend 30 minutes of my precious morning time blowing my hair dry because, know what?, I won't do that.  I can do it after my evening workout and that seems to be the way to go. 

I have hopes of finishing at least one of my knitting projects this weekend.  I should just concentrate on the mitts.  I could finish them up in a few hours, I am sure.

64 degrees

That is the temperature in my office this morning.  One of my friends loaned me a thermometer yesterday so that I could know exactly how cold it was in here.  Not that it helps in any real way because I can complain until I am blue in the face and nothing will change, but still.  Knowledge is power.  However .... this may be a moot point in the very near future.  As I was having lunch yesterday our part-time handyman said to me, "I hear I may be moving you soon".  What's that??  I said ...."Oh no, not me.  I know that so-and-so is moving but not me".  And then he said something to the effect that I will be offered a spot in the new wing that a faculty member is vacating to move into this wing!  Holy cow!  That would be SO awesome!!  An office with a window!  But since no one has said anything to me yet he was either misinformed or they're going to surprise me so I must pretend I don't know anything about it.  But oh ... wouldn't that be wonderful?!!

Even though my office was cold and uninviting as always yesterday, outside it was glorious!  A surprise sunny day in the midst of a week of predicted clouds and drizzle.  It stayed nice all afternoon and evening.  Not warm exactly but decent.  The clouds and drizzle are back today but I still feel buoyed by the sunshine I soaked up yesterday and the hopes of a move.

The sunshine put me in a wonderful mood (again, also the potential of a new office) and I had a nice evening.  I did get some knitting done.  I was talking to the ladies at the noon knitting yesterday and I'm not the only one who has a hard time knitting in the summer.  It's logical.  Nevertheless I spent a couple of hours, with breaks for Tink play time and walks, working on the mitts for Kelli, then read until too late, as become my custom lately. 

I am still enjoying my iPad.  I have to give it back next Tuesday and then start scheming on how to get one of my own!  Oh, I will hate to give it back.  There's another meeting of the committee today.  I am not going to take it with me in case they decide to snatch it back early!

The logic escapes me

I found a notice at my door yesterday when I got home telling me that starting next Monday painters will begin to repaint the apartment balcony railings.  And then the note went on to list the various items that were not allowed on the balconies themselves including barbecue grills and furniture.  That last one had me baffled.  It's a balcony and we are not allowed to have a patio chair?  I don't see how that can be.  I will take my two chairs off the balcony anyway so that they don't get paint splattered and put them back out when the work is done.  No one has said anything so far, so perhaps they  just mean inside furniture.  Do I even need to say how much I *hate* apartment living??  It is a situation that will not go on forever, I know.  And even though the other party may drag his feet as much as the law allows, there is a end to this. 

My run yesterday was most satisfying - not quite up to speed but still a good run.  The rain held off but it was cloudy which didn't do my mood any good.  After my workout in the evening and after dinner I actually saw blue sky - it was the nicest part of the day and it lifted my mood some, so Tink got another good walk.   I had a lovely evening ahead of me and I couldn't make myself pick up any knitting at all!  I had a good book to read, and my iPad to play with and TV that I had recorded not to mention two DVDs to watch.  An embarrassment of entertainment riches.  So I wallowed in it - watched some TV, then played with the iPad.  McG had told me about yet another English TV comedy series he had found on Netflix and I promised to take a look.  It was okay - a little broad for my taste - called "The IT Crowd".  He gets something in his teeth though and goes after me and after me until I at least take a look.  Sometimes he can be very annoying.   Last night was one of those nights.  He kept calling me to help him search for something on his computer.  Really?  You don't know how to use the search function??  If I could have reached through the phone I would have slapped him.  But someone came to his door so he had to hang up and then I turned the phone off.  Problem solved.  I read until late but slept soundly.

It must have rained in the night because the ground was wet in the morning although I saw patches of blue through the clouds.  I don't have much hope for decent weather though -- not according to the app I have on my iPhone (and my eyes).  But it's noon knitting today so at least I don't have to worry about running in the rain.  And maybe we'll get some good weather on the weekend.  I would like to go to the driving range.

I cannot kick the Monday blues

Yesterday was not a very good day.  I was feeling the Monday blues big time.  The weather could have something to do with it -- the clouds rolled in Sunday evening and it looks like they are going to stick around all week.  I thought maybe my run would pull me out of it but it didn't.  I just couldn't get it going.  It was one of those running experiences that feels like I'm wearing ankle weights.  Dissatisfying.  When I don't have the right energy I can't get that endorphin rush.  And I had to wear a hoodie ALL DAY in my office, the air conditioning is so cold.  I have been told nothing can be done about it but ... well, the squeaky wheel, etc.  I plan on doing a little squeaking.

My evening wasn't much better although I felt a bit stronger on my evening workout.  Tink and I had a second walk around 7:30 and it was starting to sprinkle but never really rained hard.  I finally made my reservations for the Las Vegas trip in August.  My sister hasn't yet come through the with discounted rooms at Mandalay Bay and my friend Monika texted me that she found a great airfare/hotel deal through Expedia.  I checked it out and ran it past my sister.  She said to book it, which I took to mean that we most likely couldn't beat the price so it is done.  I'll be in LV August 6 and come back home August 9, which  means we'll have three days and nights and I'll have an extra day after I get home to recuperate, should I need it.  Hopefully I can get in to see a comedy show and maybe one of the old fashioned Las Vegas shows as well.  There won't be too many of us there, but enough for a really good party -- 10, I think, is the current count.  And we know it's going to be hot and sunny!

I picked up the Kaleidoscope cardigan last night and did another few rows on the sleeves.  I have just under 2 inches to go before the ribbing and then the button band and it's done.  The mitts .... well, I want to dig around and find the pattern I was using last winter for the convertible mitts.  I liked the thumb gusset on that pattern but I can't remember exactly how it goes.  Finding it .... that's the tough part but I am pretty sure I know where it is.

Well fingers crossed I'll have a good run this afternoon and pull myself out of this funk.  It's killin' me!!

Email overload

I like the columns by David Pogue.  He's a tech writer and he reviews new things and also from time to time writes about tech issues.  Last week he wrote a column about email, echoing many of my sentiments about it.  Mostly that there is just too much!  Partly it is my fault for giving out the address, of course, but I would like to hear about, for example, a sale at a store I frequent.  But every day?  That is overload and therefore I end up deleting the messages rather than reading them.  It seems to elementary to me - if there are too many messages people aren't going to read them.  Well, this person anyway. 

The weekend was mostly nice and sunny.  My routine got interrupted though so I ended up having to skip my manicure and pedicure but it was totally worth it.  Saturday after taking Tink for a long walk I got my bike out and drove south to meet a friend for a 20 mile bike ride.  It was GREAT!  I had *such* a nice time.  I haven't been on my bike for months - since I moved out on my own.  And the trail we took was much quieter than the Burke Gilman.  Way less traffic.  It felt just wonderful.  I wanted to go faster but that's okay, I still had a fun time.

Sunday was not quite as nice as Saturday but I had lots of chores to do anyway so that's fine.  I have lost my knitting mojo again.  I think I maybe worked two inches on the sleeves of the cardigan and nothing at all on Kelli's mitts.  I just wasn't in the mood.  But I've got to get on it this week and get those done for her. 

Also this week Kelli is going to nail down the hotel room situation for my birthday in Las Vegas.  Supposedly her boss is going to hook us up with some discount at the Mandalay Bay.  I need to know soon so that I can let my friends know and so that I can make reservations. 

On my way home Friday I stopped to get a new hair dryer and some product and now I have a new hair do!  The metamorphosis is nearly complete.  I have an appointment Friday and I'm going to have Dana sharpen up the layers so my hair looks better when it's blown straight.  I quite like it.  It's a nice change, especially since my hair always looks such a mess in this weather. 

Well this is a surprise

I hit the button to go to my blogger compose page and the interface is completely different!  Usually the changes are implemented a bit at a time but this is ... entirely new.  It's a very clean interface but it's going to take some getting used to and exploration.  Not now though.  I've gotten a slow start today.  I went out to hear some music last night and didn't hear my alarm this morning -- which means I must have just turned it off when it did register.

I got a HUGE ego boost yesterday afternoon.  It's nice when they come when you can really use them.  I was standing waiting for my second bus on the way home yesterday on the narrow street that is one of the reasons I don't ride my bicycle in to work these days.  I had my ear buds in and I was just pacing up and down waiting for my bus when I heard a bus honking.  One of the men standing there with me looked at me and said something I couldn't hear because of the ear buds.   I took them out and he said, "Did you see that?".  "No, but I heard the honking".  "Well, that bus driver was looking at you and didn't see the bicyclist!"    I don't suppose I'd be so happy about it if the cyclist had been hit, but it ended well and I'm going to enjoy it.

The weather has changed around and I was so cold yesterday I kept my coat on all day!  I warmed up when I ran, but then got another chill.  This damned air conditioning!  And there's nothing I can do about it.  It's very annoying.

After I got home, walked Tink, worked out and then got showered and ready to go I didn't have any time at all to knit.  I was hoping to finish those mitts up this weekend but I'm going to have to put in some big chunks of time to make that happen.  So far I don't have anything concrete on the books so maybe I can make it happen.

Enchanted

As I feared, the iPad has captivated me.  It took a while to get the Wi-Fi connection at work and I was a little confused at first.  But as I walked the corridors with it I managed to snag the signal and then didn't have any trouble with it the rest of the day.  The battery life is incredible.  We had a couple of Apple representatives at our meeting on Tuesday and they were saying it has a 10 hour battery life and followed that statement up with "and that's with normal usage").  So many times a mobile phone will tout some ridiculous battery lifetime but once you listen to some music or play a few games the battery is drained.  Not so with this this iPad.  I messed with it for hours at work yesterday, then took it home and watched Netflix and several other shows through the wireless connection and it still had over 40% by the time I went to bed.  I haven't even scratched the surface yet with regards to its capabilities as a classroom tool. 

The pool area was getting a lot of use yesterday, even as late as 7:30 when I took Tink out for a potty run.  I think the water would be much too cold for me yet.  It was hot yesterday - over 80 - but even so I don't think those pools would be near warm enough.  The children on the other hand were having a ball.  I am SO happy I didn't get an apartment on the courtyard side of the building.

Despite having an easy evening - just lazying around basically - I am groggy this morning.  The clouds have moved in and it was misty on the way to work.  I will have to wear long pants for my run today.   Regardless of whether it's cloudy or sunny, my allergies are still going crazy!  After walking Tink yesterday I was sneezing and sneezing.  There was lots of freshly mowed grass and she loves to roll in it, but when I'm in allergy mode all I have to do is see grass and I start sneezing.  It's a bit awkward at times.

I spent the entire noon hour yesterday working on those mitts but didn't even take them out of the bag when I got home.  I am sure the iPad will loosen its hold on me at some point and I can get back to it.  This weekend, perhaps.

I need to start making concrete plans for my birthday in Las Vegas.  It is a bit difficult though because I am at my sister's mercy when it comes to the hotel since she is supposed to be setting up a group discount for us at Mandalay Bay.  If I don't get something from her this weekend I'm going to have to start bugging her daily.  I need to make air reservations soon.

Then ... when the August trip is done I can start making plans for my European vacation in November.  That's going to be fun fun fun.  Fun.  I don't care at all what the weather is like.  I just want to see my people.  I miss them all SO much that it hurts sometimes.  That light at the end of the tunnel is just a pin prick now but I know it's growing every single day.

My hair is out of control

I am thinking about making a change.  This time of year it is so difficult to keep my hair looking decent.  The drier air means less curl so by the end of the day my hair is a mess, especially if I've had a run.  Last time I had my hair done I asked her to blow it out straight and I liked it.  My sister was trying to strong arm me into having a smoothing treatment while I was in LA but I was not quite sure about it and would rather have something like that done by the woman who is used to my hair.  And then if one gets a smoothing treatment the hair has to stay straight until it wears off.  I think a better solution for me would be to have her make the cut a little more suited to a straight style and then I'll have the option.  I just know I have to do something different.  Just because.

The weather is summery again today!  Yesterday I did indeed get to run in my running skirt and it was just wonderful!  Since I'd been off for most of two weeks I didn't exactly burn up the trail, but I kept a steady pace for the entire 30 minutes and was only short of 2.5 miles by a touch over 2/10ths.  Not bad.  

I had hoped to do a good bit of knitting on the fingerless mitts for my sister and watch a movie last night, but neither of those things happened.  After Tink's long walk and working out, phone calls and dinner that pretty much took up the evening.  I headed to bed a bit early to read but some idiot was outside setting off more fireworks so Tink was a wreck.  That should be the end of it though.  Next year I'm going to get her some doggie Valium.  My friend Andy did that for his dogs and he said it helped a lot.

This morning I get to pick up an iPad to use for 2 weeks!  I am excited!  Although I am sure once I get my hands on one it's going to be very difficult to give it back at the end of the two weeks.  And it's for work so I can't really download all my stuff onto it.  By the end of the two weeks I hope I'll have a pretty good grasp of its classroom pros and cons. 

Noon knitting today so no running, which is fine because it's even warmer today.  I brought the mitts in hopes I can finish up the first 3 inches and be ready to start the thumb gusset this evening.  Again, there's something about knitting when one is obliged that rather sucks the fun out of it but it is a labor or love and therefore a bit less sucky.

Oh this real world!

These week long vacations are tough.  I was just getting used to being a lady of leisure.  I am glad that I came back from California on Sunday, even though it was a long travel day.  I was able to get organized, get my laundry done and do some serious relaxing yesterday.  I tried to go to bed around 10 but the fireworks were really bothering Tink.  I'd just start to drop off and then boom! She'd start trembling and try to crawl under the duvet, but that would be too hot, so she'd come up and try to burrow under the pillows .... it was tough.  I did wake up refreshed and not tired, luckily.

While I was visiting my sister she was complaining about her hands getting freckled from driving and she asked me to make her some fingerless mitts.  Considering that I hadn't really gotten a project together for the trip, that was perfect and we had a lovely time picking out the yarn in a gorgeous shop on Ventura Boulevard.

Shopping seemed to be the main thrust of the California portion of my vacation.  My sister and her boyfriend have just moved to a house in Sherman Oaks and it is still just getting put together.  The guest room is my sister's dressing room/office and for most of the time I was dodging boxes to get to my little sleeping couch.  As much as she wanted to get things put together, it was also her vacation time so she didn't spend much time on that.  On my first day there we went to the Outlet Mall, which is an exhausting shopping trip at the best of times.  I had a bit of fun though, and found a couple of tops, a great dress and two awesome pairs of jeans.  They need to be hemmed but ... well, they're just awesome!  On Wednesday we met a friend in Santa Monica and strolled through a few stores at the new mall and I snagged a gorgeous pair of shoes.  Two days of shopping pretty much did me in, but that didn't stop my sister from dragging me to yet another marathon day of shopping.  I didn't get anything that trip except very hungry.

The weather is amazing here!  Summertime temperature and blue skies.  I will be running in my skirt today, that's for sure because it's already warm.  And I think it's going to be a busy week.

Poor doggy

It has been a nice, quiet and productive day. Now Tink is
freaking out from the fireworks. Not fun. Poor puppy.

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The real world

I have a 2 hour layover in Oakland. If all goes well I could be sitting in my own apartment before 7 pm with Tink by my side. I am mostly looking forward to sleeping in my own bed!!!


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Shopping fatigue

My sister seems to be able to shop indefinitely. And on an empty stomach. I can't. We did have a celebrity siting at Macy's. I saw Cheri Oteri in the shoe dept. Now I would like to see a nice glass of wine and a plate of snacks!!


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I am still awake!!

It is called vacation. But it is a work night. So my sis is in bed and I am awake. I have sent out the notice. I think everyone I know is asleep. I am not so inclined.


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