Weak signal

I haven't been spending a lot of time streaming video on my iPad since I moved into this new place.  I'm either on the Internet or reading.  But last week I was in the mood so I got onto HBO GO to see what was new and found a program I wanted to watch.  But it kept stopping, which makes for a frustrating viewing experience.  I didn't think much of it until I tried again last night and couldn't even get a connection.  So I ran SpeedTest and find that my signal in my bedroom is practically nonexistent.  Not good.  I am going to have to move that modem around a bit to see if I can get a better signal.  Oddly, when I was at my other apartment there was a wall and a small kitchen space between there and my bedroom and I got fine reception.  Even in the office, which was way in the back of the apartment another room removed from the modem it was fine.  So I am hopeful I can get a decent signal back there with a little shuffling around.

It was a busy day yesterday and I was tired when I got home.  Tink got a nice walk in the drizzle.  It hasn't been cold really, just dark and moist.  I've got to run early today because I am proctoring an exam at 1:30, so let's hope this morning stays like this, except perhaps not so dark.   One of my buddies helped me frog some of those silly squares I had made a few years ago and now I have plenty of yarn to finish the Argosy Wrap, which I worked on last night.  Now it's a joy, because the end is in sight and it keeps getting smaller and smaller and smaller.  I have been thinking about where I'm going to be able to block this monster.  I think it'll be too large for my bed.  I do have blocking pads.  The kind that you put together any way you want.  I could put it in the hall, but how will I keep Tink from walking on it?  Yeah ... well I'll keep thinking.

Poor Tink has another ear infection.  I guess her breed is just susceptible to them.  At least I am an observant enough owner to recognize the signs early on before she's really suffering.  I have medicine left over from the last time.  Now it's 5 days of twice a day application and 5 days of once a day. She is such a good dog about it.  Just lays there and lets me clean everything up and put the medicine in the ear.  Actually it must feel pretty good.  I expect it's rather itchy.  Poor little dog.  She'll be better in a couple of days.

I thought Tuesday was Wednesday and today feels like Friday, but alas it is only Thursday.  I'm looking forward to this weekend.  I've got a fun party to go to for the Super Bowl.  But that's a ways away.  Maybe I'll have the wrap finished by then and can start some Super Bowl socks.

I need to let it go

It's the anachronisms in this book.  I know I should just enjoy the story, which is quite good, and disregard the rest.  But it is puzzling to me how these glaring mistakes could have gotten by an editor.  Well, they couldn't have, could they?  It must have been a conscious decision to let them stand for the good of the story.  In that case, how can it be described as a piece of historical fiction when the history part is not accurate?  I know this type of thing is wildly popular.  Witness the HBO series "Deadwood".  I couldn't watch it - it was so violent and the language so awful.  Well -- I need to quit obsessing. 

It was indeed raining at lunchtime yesterday but I went out anyway and had a decent, albeit slower than usual, run.  I can't afford to slack off any more.  February 9 is not that far away.  I am already resigned to the fact that I'm not going to be breaking any personal records.  But I just want to have a decent time.

Another good evening on the Argosy Wrap last night.  I've turned the corner and am now working on the end of it.  I've still got a good few hours on it but I've already started thinking about what I'm going to cast on for next.  I have a good many projects lined up.  Or - hey, here's an idea.  Why don't I finish up a couple of the nearly done projects?  Yeah.  Why?

8 o'clock

Yes ... 8 o'clock.  That is the time I woke up this morning!!  I did wake up very early ... what I thought was the middle of the night ... and realizing I hadn't set it before I went to sleep, did so at that time.  It must have actually been after 6:30 at that point.  Next thing I knew I turned over, stretched and yawned and noticed how light it was.  I hadn't had any alcohol last night before I went to bed, so I wasn't hung over.  But I did take a Benadryl at 2:30 am.  I figured it would be out of my system in four hours but I guess it wasn't.  I jumped out of bed, threw on some clothes and some make-up, got Tink outside for her necessarily quick potty walk, back upstairs, grabbed my purse and I was on the 8:35 bus.  Whew.

Considering how long I've been slacking off, I had a pretty darned good run yesterday.  It was miserable running weather though.  Not only cold, but raining as well.  I got soaked.  I am hoping for the rain to hold off this afternoon.  I can't face another rainy run.  I like the drizzle but those big, fat raindrops are annoying.

I had the occasion to make some chicken soup for a pour wretch with a cold this weekend and last night I had the left overs for my dinner.  Oh it was gorgeous!  I am going to have to make that again soon.  I used parsnips and leeks instead of onions and carrots, but added some carrots too.  It really hit the spot.  Soup, like stew, always tastes better a day or so later, doesn't it?

I did end up going to bed rather early and read, finishing The Double Game finally.  Before that I got another few rows done on the Argosy Wrap.  I am going to have to unearth some more Noro Kureyon and I know where I'll get it.  I have some squares I started for a blanket I will never finish.  Might as well put it to good use.  It's my favorite colorway too.  It'll be perfect.

Just a taste

First college football disappears, but the NFL quickly takes over those Saturdays.  Then the playoffs and then ... no football.  Oh there was the Pro Bowl on Sunday, but not until 4. And it's really not a very exciting game.  Time lay a bit heavy on my hands this weekend.  I know it's like this every year and it just takes a few weekends to get a new flow going, but it wasn't easy this weekend to stay busy.  I got a taste of the future.

I finished up the cowl on Friday and gladly used it Saturday and Sunday.  It was cold and wet and windy, but Tink was happy for all the walks I could give her.  Saturday was chore day and I gave my teensie apartment a good cleaning, although I am not yet able to really move around in my sleeping space.  Just another few weeks and I'll be able to get that furniture out and put smaller pieces in there and then I'll have a bit more room.  But as it is, I actually cannot maneuver the vacuum anywhere except the one side of the bed.   So I spent a bit of time grumbling to myself about how I cannot wait to get this place finally put together.  I will be much more comfortable.  I can't even wear my jewelry because I can't put it away yet.  That's starting to really bother me.  But ... patience.  Just another couple of weeks.

I had a hair appointment Saturday afternoon and I was going to take Tink with me on the bus, but the weather was so awful and wet I thought it would be better to just let her stay home.  It's very easy to get to the salon and back on the bus, so I didn't even consider Zip Car.   I was realizing this weekend it's been two full months since I've been without a car and I still haven't used the Zip Car.  I keep saying I'm just going to go joy riding on a weekend.  But none of the really cool cars are kept in the close Zip Car lots.

My poor stylist was having a very bad day and she was late because her 15 year old client had chosen a hair color and then after it was done, hated it so thoroughly that she was crying.  Poor Dana, my stylist, was trying to change the color to something the girl would accept and at the same time, take care of me.  She was in bits.  I forget how everything to a 15 or 16 year old girl is HUGE.  And the girl's mother was fanning the flames.  It was crazy.  What a burden it is to be a teenager.

So Sunday came around and Tink, bless her little doggy heart, let me sleep in.  Oh it was luxurious.  I didn't get out of bed until around 9:30!  I made myself a cup of coffee, put it in a travel cup and I let her take me on a long, long walk.  It was very cold but she hasn't had a nice hour walk for a few weeks.  At my other place I would walk her for at least an hour both Saturday and Sunday, but there aren't the same kinds of neighborhoods in my new area.  Nonetheless there are some lovely little hidden parks and we are finding them.  Then off to get my manicure, pick up some lunch and .... tick tock an entire afternoon in front of me with nothing scheduled and no football.  That means knitting, of course.  I picked up the Argosy Wrap and got to work on it and made some good progress, starting the decreases to finish this monster.  It is like a Dr. Who scarf.  It's enormous!  But if this weather keeps up I'll get lots and lots of use out of it.  I'll have to use the panorama feature on my iPhone camera to capture the whole thing.

Early morning

I have an early meeting this morning and so decided to take the bus right before my normal bus to arrive in time to grab a cup of tea and head to the meeting.  I was groggy.  Tink woke me up at 4 and I had a hard time getting back to sleep because I knew I was going to need to get up earlier than usual.  And then I did get back to sleep, but had a falling dream so my sleep was much disturbed.  I checked my OneBusAway app to get the exact time of the bus I needed to catch, but I didn't have it on the right bus stop so I ended up catching an earlier bus and so I was here in my office a full 30 minutes before the meeting.  Ah well ....At least now I will have plenty of time to find the meeting room.  I know the room number but I am not at all sure how to get there.

I got a bit more done on that cowl last night.  It is getting more difficult to unravel the yarn from the sweater now that I have used up the body and gotten up to the joining of the sleeves.  I had to cut the yarn and start at the bottom of a sleeve.  It looks like I'll have just enough yarn to finish the project.

No big plans this weekend except to clean my little apartment and hopefully get the rest of the pictures hung.  A long walk or two with Tink is also on my list as well as getting my hair done tomorrow.  No football really.  The ProBowl on Sunday but that's not such an interesting game. 

I did not get to run yesterday.  I MUST go out today.  I feel like a slug.

The distraction of anachronisms

I really love historical fiction and my latest audiobook is set in 1699 in the colonies.  The story centers around a magistrate and his oh so logical young clerk and the trial of a witch.  It is a large book and it is broken into four parts for the audio version.  During part two I began to be aware of some glaring anachronisms, like medical treatments and diagnoses not known at that time, and the description of garments that wouldn't have been worn then, ridiculously modern turns of phrase - things like that.  It is so distracting to me!  The story is good though, so I will finish listening.  I just prefer more accuracy.

My new hat was a big hit at noon knitting and it was suggested to me that I make a cowl to go with it.  That is a perfect use for the rest of that sweater and I couldn't wait to get home and get started.  I chose a simple pattern because the yarn has a thick and thin quality that does not work well with patterned stitches.  It is a few rows of ribbing and a few rows of plain knitting.  It'll be perfect with the hat.

It rained yesterday for the first time in 12 days and it has warmed up some.  I absolutely must run today and so I am glad it's warmer.  I've got only a little more than two weeks to get into shape for that race.  I have to stop being so lazy.  Now that football is over - well, all except the Super Bowl - I will have more time on the weekends to get out and get moving.  Tink will be very happy.

The cutest hat ever!

The Tassel Hat by Diane Serviss is unbelievably cute! While looking for a different type of hat  - not a beret and not a ski hat - I ran into this pattern and I am so glad I did.  I finished knitting the back of the head last night and couldn't stop until I finished making the tassels.  Since I am using the yarn directly from the sweater as it unravels, the yarn is kinked up.  It doesn't show in the body of the hat, but the tassels are curly, which I think just adds to its whimsical appeal.  Adorable. 

It was a hard slog at work yesterday since I was still in vacation mode after my long weekend.  I so wanted to run, but I had twisted my knee while climbing a few flights of stairs carrying my suitcase from the train station up to the street level on Monday.  I really could have used the endorphins and the fresh air.  No running today either, but tomorrow and the next few weeks I have GOT to get out there every day that I can to get ready for the Love 'em or Leave 'em race February 9.  Thankfully we have been having decent - cold but dry - weather.

Tink was still rather quiet yesterday which made it easy for me to finish up my hat.  She's always kind of snoozy for a few days after coming back from a stay at the Dog Resort.  I am hoping that the weather will be decent this weekend and I can take her for a long walk someplace new.  We have lots of uncharted neighborhood to explore.  I am sure she'd appreciate a few new smells.  I have noticed now that there is not any grass for her to roll in she stays much cleaner.  In fact when I picked her up Monday the girl at the counter wanted to know how I kept her so white!  Which is amazing considering she was always looking rather gray a few weeks after a grooming.  Oh she wants to roll.  It was a chore a couple of weekends ago when I took her to Green Lake.  All of that goose poo around - I had to keep sharp to keep her clean.

My new pet peeve

When I arrive at work I cross over a bridge from the upper campus and enter the Health Sciences building through two sets of doors.  The first takes you into a vestibule where you can go up or down stairs and the second takes you right into the building.  The right door is equipped with automatic opening devices for disabled people, but many able people tap on those plates so they don't have to actually open the door.  I am able bodied and I open my door myself.  However,  and this has happened more than once, someone behind me will hit the plate to open the door while I am walking towards it, causing me to nearly walk into the swinging door!  It makes me crazy!  It's dangerous as well, since I nearly got hit in mouth last time it happened.  Nearly.

I had a love long weekend.  The weather in Portland was absolutely perfect.  Yes, it was very cold, but also clear as a bell.  The hotel was right on the river and luckily an upgrade was in the stars and a river view.  The first room was on the top floor and from what I could see briefly it was a lovely room.  The reason I only had a brief look was someone was in the room!  Not actually physically there, but the bed was unmade, there was a briefcase on the floor and a bottle of wine on the table!   Thank goodness nobody was in there!  How embarrassing.  The front desk apologized all over themselves and a better room was offered.  Done!

Portland is a wonderful place to walk and so of course I walked and walked and walked and walked!  Cold and beautifully sunny.  Sunday was football.  It would have been nicer if the Seahawks had been playing, but it was fun all the same.  The train ride back home was uneventful.  I actually spent the entire ride reading, which was such a luxury.  On the way down on Friday evening the mountains were visible.  St. Helens was incredible.  I didn't notice much scenery yesterday and by the time we got into Washington the clouds were back.

It was so wonderful to get my doggie back.  We had a nice quiet evening.  She went straight for her chewy and after a good chew, went to sleep as I knew she would.  She's always very tired after a few days at the Doggie Resort.  I am so happy she likes being there.  I got lots of work done on that hat and tonight will finish it up.

And now it's back to work.  And it's cloudy and dark and I'm sleepy and wishing I had another long weekend.  But I'll have to wait for February for that.

Old dog, new trick

Tink was absolutely perfect on her bus ride yesterday!  I had given her a normal walk after work and then went upstairs to get her food and her short leash, then off we went to the transit center.  The bus we needed to take, the 41, arrives at the transit center from downtown and then goes on out to Lake City.  My only concern about this ride, being that it was taking place during rush hour, was that the bus would be full and we'd have to stand.  That would make it very uncomfortable for her, with all those strange feet and legs around her.  But the transit center is the final stop for most of the passengers, since it's a park and ride lot, so we had room to sit.  She stayed quiet and calm for the entire ride, which was only about 15 minutes.  Then I walked the block to The Dog Resort and dropped her off and then caught the bus back home.  The entire trip, including a stop on the way home to pick up something for dinner, was done in less than an hour.  Not bad. 

And there I was - an entire evening alone to get myself packed up for a long weekend and then do whatever I wanted.  That was knit and catch up on some programs I had recorded.  It only took a few minutes to gather my things together and pack them up, then I poured myself a cocktail and picked up my project.   The new season of "Girls" started on HBO last weekend, so I watched that and a couple of other things, all the while working on that cute hat.  It was a super awesome evening capped off by a great night of sleep.   The quiet and not having a doggie snoring at the foot of my bed - that makes for an uninterrupted night.  Ahhhh

I put my lace blouse project bag in my suitcase.  I don't know if I am going to have that kind of time this weekend, but if I do I'm all set.  I didn't bring the hat because it is attached to a sweater, and I have so many books to read that I am hoping I will be able to get some reading done. 

Looks like the weather is going to be decent in Portland.  By decent I mean neither raining nor snowing.  The cold I don't care so much about, but I plan on doing a bit of walking while I'm there and I'd rather not be slogging through the rain.  I'll miss my dog but it's going to be nice to not have to worry about walking her, especially in the nighttime.  I know she's having a ball at the kennel.  She never even looks back when I drop her off!

A second chance

In the cold morning yesterday, I wished I had put on a hat.  All of my hats are in a box on a shelf in my (only) closet.  I need to find a way to make them more accessible but that's going to have to wait another couple of weeks until I get rid of the current wall units and dresser and change to the new, smaller pieces.  Then perhaps I can find a way to either display them or make them easier to get at.  But I digress -- I was thinking about hats and decided I would like a new one.  I have had a pattern in my Ravelry library for a few months.  A cute hat, very different from the usual berets and cloches and such that I make for myself from time to time.  I don't even know if it'll look all that good on me, but it has been nagging to be made.  However, it calls for super bulky yarn, which I simply do not use any more.  I think of it as the yarn of beginners.  It's colorful, it's easy to see your mistakes and the product appears quickly.  So my choice to make this hat was go purchase some bulky yarn or double up some yarn I already have in hopes it will come out to the right gauge.  But yesterday I thought of a third solution - recycling one of my older sweaters, all of which are sitting in my office.  Perfect!  There was a gorgeous subject right on top, in all of its bulky glory AND in my favorite colors!  I started unraveling it as soon as I got my evening chores done and cast on.  It's moving along quickly - of course - and very cute already.  I hope I will wear it.  I am knitting it directly from the sweater - in other words, I just got the unraveling going and rather than roll it into a ball I am turning straw into gold.  If I don't finish it up tonight though I don't think I'm going to want to take it with me on the train like that.  I will have to give that some thought.

Tonight Tink will have her first public transportation ride.  I have to take her to the kennel tonight and taking the bus is the logical choice.  It will be an adventure.  She's such an attention hound, I suspect she'll just love it.

My sniffles are well under control and I wish I could say that for the rest of the office.  I am thankful that it didn't get worse.  One day of the blahs and I kicked it! 

Into a cloud

The sky was perfectly clear when I left home.  I could see the mountains clearly on all sides and a perfectly pink con trail of a plane in the sky.  It was gorgeous.  And then, the closer I got to work the cloudier it got.  It's very strange.  It was almost foggy, the clouds are that low.  I am hoping that the clouds will warm things up.  It was well below freezing.  I know it was exceptionally cold last night because Tink was not only on the bed all night, but came to cuddle up with me in the middle of the night, which she very rarely does.  And then wanted to get under the covers.  Again I will say - I don't mind the cold.  It is not snowing and that's all that I care about.

I was under the weather all day, but since we were so short handed and two other people had to leave early, I stuck it out.  Everyone is so scared of catching the flu, and since I have a fun weekend away coming up I am perhaps a bit paranoid.  I'm still a little sniffling this morning, so it's just a little cold I guess.  I relaxed last night, did some good knitting and went to bed early.  I now have another new book in my queue.  A friend recommended - no, insisted I buy, the book he is currently reading.  He's a friend that always gives me good recommendations and so I downloaded it as we were talking on the phone.  So that's 2 new ones and one 80% read on my iPad, and two by my bed.  And so of course, going to bed early my thought was that I'd finish up "The Double Game".  But once I got into bed and got warm I was out like a light. 

Noon knitting today.  I brought my lace blouse in again and, not thinking about that, I wore a black cardigan so of course it's going to be covered with white fluff.  Ah well .. nothing I can do about it now anyway.  I also remembered to bring my Denise set so I can add a little length to the circular needle.   This project grows and grows.  I don't think I can get another two rounds on that length. 

I'd like to get some socks on the needles for train travel time Friday.  I have some Kureyon sock yarn that I can't remember the reason for buying.  It does make good, warm socks.  The last pair were unfortunately felted by accident.  Perhaps this time I should make them a little larger than usual and felt them on purpose.  I find it useless to make socks that cannot be put into the washer and dryer.  I rarely remember to remove them from the washer and then find little baby socks in the dryer.  I learned my lesson and now don't buy sock yarn that I intend to use for socks that doesn't go into the washer AND dryer.

That grotty feeling ....

Something is going around the office.  Of course it's been all over the papers that we are having one of the worst flu seasons in years so I think some people take that information and make use of it, if you catch my  meaning.  Although I know for sure one is actually sick since she was hacking and coughing around here for a few days.  The point here is that I am not feeling all that chipper myself this morning!  Nothing I can really put my finger on -- a little tickle of a cough, drippy nose, headache.  No sore throat so I shall keep my fingers crossed that it is nothing but the sniffles. 

I spent yesterday evening tidying up my teensie place.  I didn't get around to getting a mop this past weekend and I must put that on top of my list.  This place is so small that I go crazy if anything is out of order.  But the good news is that it doesn't take long to put things into order.  I wanted to knit but instead spent time on the phone and lazy time with some silly TV.  Since all my chores are done maybe tonight I can do some knitting and some reading too.  I have 3 books I haven't even cracked and one left to finish!  Oh .. and I started a new audio book.  I just LOVED the Tom Wolfe one.  Yesterday I started a new historical fiction, this time set in the American colonial time.  So far it's a good listen.  It's called "Speaks the Nightbird".  It is starting out well. 

Tink was restless last night and snoring as well.  At one point - I think it must have been around 3 am - she went out to the living room and started chewing on a bone!  Silly dog.  Maybe I'm just tired this morning. 

You can't get away from the pigs

I must admit to being entirely amazed by how slovenly people can be.  I wasn't as much amazed when I was living at the other apartment, but where I am living now it is quite unusual.  Still it happens and just stuns me.  The way the community is set out, instead of grass parking strips there are little gardens with drought resistant plants.  These little gardens are around the entire block that encloses the creek and all of the buildings.  Sunday when I was walking Tink toward the path around through the creek I found a large Christmas tree that someone had abandoned right there in the little garden!  Just dumped there!!  Can you imagine? 

Well, the Seahawks season is over.  They played Atlanta on Sunday in a real nail biter.  And they came back from a 20 point deficit to one point ahead.  Then Atlanta came back with 35 second left to play and scored a field goal!  A real heart breaker.  But they played so very well.  If the team doesn't lose too many players in the off season we'll have another killer team next year.  In the meantime I'm going to have to root for San Francisco in the divisional game next weekend. 

It was crazy cold this weekend but thankfully clear so no snow, but plenty of ice.  Tink got a wonderful long walk around Green Lake on Saturday in the brilliant sunshine, along with what looked to be half of Seattle out enjoying the weather.  She needed the exercise.  I don't have a really good long walk for her from this apartment.  I mean there are no good parks nearby.  There are city streets, but she is too easily distracted by the people and it makes it difficult to get any pace going when she's stopping to get petted by each and every person walking by!  She is being boarded at the kennel next weekend while I go to Portland and I had to get her Bordatella updated on Saturday so I got to weigh her.  She was getting a little to heavy and now that there is no pantry cupboard for her to scratch at, she is getting fewer treats and she's lost a pound.  She's perfect now.

No knitting at all on the weekend.  I wanted to knit but the games were all too exciting and I don't have any plain TV knitting.  Maybe I should make that a priority.  I have a lot of chores this evening but I'll put that on the list too.

Oh how easy it is to forget

My asthma hasn't been an issue for months, thank goodness.  But still before I go running I use my inhaler, because it is exercised induced normally.  Yesterday I forgot and it wasn't until I was just stepping on to the trail that I remembered.  But my lungs were clear and I wasn't about to turn back since it was very cold and sprinkling.  I knew if I went back in I would most likely talk myself out of going back outside.  So off I went at my normal pace.  It is the cold air that causes the constriction and the colder it is the worse it gets, so it wasn't long before I was really feeling it and cursing myself for forgetting.  I made it through the entire 30 minutes, but I was slow.  You can bet I won't be forgetting today.  It is not going to be raining icy needles today.  It is clear and even colder.  This morning it is below freezing. 

My evening was so nice and quiet again.  I was really in the mood to read.  My sister gave me two books when I was down there at Christmas and I've got a new one on Kindle I haven't even started and one I have yet to finish.  But I was also in the mood to knit.  (Oh that Argosy wrap .....)  I have yet to find the perfect knitting spot.  Nothing will be as good as the comfy chair and ottoman I had to give away - at least not in this apartment.  But I think I can find a spot on my couch that will work.  It just needs to be configured.  Last night I only got a few rows done.  Between finding the perfect spot and playing with Tink, the evening flew by and pretty soon it was time to turn in.  I had stayed awake way too long the night before.  I ended up watching a pilot of a new show by Nick Kroll that is going to start on Comedy Central on the 16th.  I love the way iTunes gives away pilot episodes.  And that was it -- too tired to read.  I slept like a stone.

Busy football weekend coming up.  The highlight will be the Seahawks game Sunday morning.  Fingers crossed.  They are playing Atlanta in Atlanta.  Well, they beat last weeks opponent at their home field.  It could happen again.

My poor soaked orchid

After finding my yellow orchid soaking in a pool of water - and I still don't know who did such a thing - I did my best to dry it out.  Also I put it on my desk where it would get some nice filtered light.  Unfortunately all of the new growth is brown and dead and I'm going to have to cut the stems back all the way.  Also, I lost three leaves.  I haven't given up hope yet.  If it stops shedding leaves it might yet come back.  On the other side of the coin, that inexpensive purple one I bought at Trader Joe's right after I moved into my new office is going great guns.  I have a new bloom and 4 buds just ready to burst open. 

I had some errands to run after I got home - in the pouring, icy cold rain I might add.  In fact, there was snow mixed with that rain.  It was a mess.  Thankfully I didn't have far to go.  I wanted to get cozy and do a little knitting.   I had worked on my lace blouse during noon knitting yesterday but I couldn't pick it up again last night.  Tink was feeling frisky and that project is one that takes concentration.  And oh my does it ever shed!  That angora yarn is gorgeous but it shows up on everything.  I wonder if I'll ever be able to wear this sweater.   So it was silly TV and nice, quiet time.  I stayed up way too late playing on my iPad.  I don't think I turned out the light before 10:30, which is late for me. But I feel fine today and I'm looking forward to my run at lunchtime.  My ankle is just fine.

This is the time of year when we have weeks and weeks of dark left and I get itchy feet.  I have a little three day weekend coming up later this month and I'm going to Portland on the train.  But I've got to get a March trip on my calendar soon or I'll go crazy.

My new apartment complex has an online presence, as do most these days, and each day we get an email with the previous 24 hours of comments and discussion.  I was surprised to read that there is a woman who finds the place way too noisy to be able to work at home.  She called the walls "paper thin" and complained about the gardeners blowing leaves in the morning.  Now I didn't hear a thing when I was home Tuesday.  Yes, I'm on the 4th floor which helps, but paper thin walls?  I hear the garbage trucks coming in to pick up the bins behind the clinic, but it hardly even registered.  This is a huge complex though with quite a few buildings and they are all different.  I guess I lucked out.

Dark and wet

That pretty much describes the past 24 hours and, most likely, the next as well.  The clouds have moved in, the temperatures have risen and it has been just pouring.  Even the dog is not excited about going outside.  Oh, she goes.  But he's not unhappy about going back in either.  I am thankful it's not snowing.

I worked from home yesterday and I'm happy to say, my new place is a joy to work in.  It's quiet, the light is good and my desk is comfortable.  I had given the IT guy at work a heads up and sent him my IP address, so when I did need to get onto the departmental server it was seamless and quick.  Perfect.  It's always nice to check these things out when it's not crucial.  Now if I get sick this winter I'll be confident I can get anything done from home.

In the late afternoon I hung a few more of my pictures and set up the front entryway to be a little more handy.  I put Tink's leash basket up there as well as a little table for my keys, and finally hung a mirror outside of the bedroom so I can get at least a partial look at myself.  I'll need to get some help to hang the larger pieces and the mirrors and I'm not yet certain of where the photos of Paris will go - most likely down the hall wall.  Baby steps. 

It's curriculum meeting day as well as noon knitting so no running for me.  I'll be fine - there is still more than a month to go before the race.  I don't like running in the rain, so if it's just too icky tomorrow I guess I'll try our fitness center at my new place.  It's very nice from what I remember of the tour. 

I finished the hat last night and tried to work on the Argosy wrap but I got sidetracked by a phone call.  I brought the lace blouse for noon knitting.  I don't suppose I'll get much done, but I'd like to try anyway.  Now I'd better have something to eat before the meeting.

It was all about football

My weekend -- football, football, hang a picture, football.  There were a few doggie walks and some meals, a little laundry, but otherwise that was about it.  I was planning on running around Green lake Sunday morning before the games started but Saturday night I stepped on one of  Tink's toys in the hall and twisted my right ankle.  Not good.  When I woke up Sunday it was sore and a little swollen so that was out.  I spent the day with it up and iced and today it's really pretty good.  I won't run today and we'll see how it goes tomorrow.  I want to do that race in February and I'm not going to risk getting out there too early.  This is the ankle I tore up all those years ago and it has never been entirely right since then.

The BCS game is tonight and is definitely going to be better than last year's snooze of a game.  The big ... no huge ... football news of this weekend is that the Seahawks beat the Redskins and will move on in the playoffs.  Next they play Atlanta, and they're not going to be easy.  It was a good game and I went up to Steve and Ginny's to watch it.  It's always much more fun to watch a big game with lots of good company and food.  Steve made chili and because Dungeness crab is in season, a gorgeous crab bisque.  And of course, incredible wine. A super fun afternoon made especially wonderful by a win.

I did very little with my apartment this weekend, on purpose.  I just needed a weekend off.  I didn't get to sleep in since I had to get Tink to the groomers by 8:30 Saturday morning.  Maybe next weekend I can sleep in.  I did however want to hang more than one picture but that got sidelined by a particularly exciting game Saturday.  Ah well.  I am getting clearer ideas about where I want to put everything, which is good.  And I did buy a lighted mirror for the bathroom.  Thank goodness the counter space in the bathroom is very generous and there is plenty of room for a mirror on a stand.  This bathroom is very much like a hotel bathroom and we all know what I think about hotel bathrooms.  They all seem to have been designed by men with no thought to how a woman is going to put on her make up.  The lighting is atrocious and the mirror is too far away.  The mirror is a perfect solution and is on a stand that is tall enough so I don't have to bend way over to get my make up on.  I love it.  Every little step makes the place better and better.  The bedroom is still the biggest challenge.  I can't use my jewelery cabinet nor can I get into any of my dresser drawers without laying out on the bed.  It is not going to stay that way much longer.  Hopefully by the end of this month I can have it all put together.

Last week I broke my perfect tea mug.  It kept it hot, was pink, had a nice lid but was also glass.  It was perfect and I knocked it off the counter and it broke.  So now my tea is cold before I'm done with it.  I must find another perfect mug.  I just don't like those metal lidded cups.  They're okay from time to time, but not every day.  Something will turn up.

Not so bad

It was so pretty yesterday when I went for my run.  Clear and very cold, so I was happy to have the new jacket on with the hand covers.  It was a difficult run, but I did better than I thought I would, which is always nice.  I have been such a slug for the past few weeks.  I signed up for the race on February 9, so there's no turning back now.  I'll be ready.  That's 5 weeks from now.  It's on my favorite route - Green Lake - and I am going to work up a strategy to deal with the bottleneck on the path.  I don't know what yet.  I have seen some people just run off the course and run around the bottleneck.  It seems like cheating but really - it's just a race for fun.  Actually, that seems the only way around it.

The clouds moved in and by the time I took Tink for her 7 o'clock walk it was sleeting.  Ick.  It has warmed up, thankfully, or it would be snowing today.  As it is it's just raining and warmer.  I don't mind.  Not that I have any real say in the matter, do I?

I started a hat Sunday evening and worked on it a bit last night while watching an awesome bowl game.  By the second half the Ducks were running away with it, so I retired to watch something on my iPad.  I didn't even make it all the way through it (the first show of the second season of  "The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret") and that's okay.  I needed a good sleep and I got it.  It makes SUCH a big difference being in a quiet environment.  I knew the freeway noise, and other parking lot noises, bothered my sleep but I didn't realize exactly how much until I moved here.  It is SO quiet.  I love it. 

I am making this hat out of left over bits of cashmere.  Thank goodness I didn't throw out any cashmere yarn!  I got a little crazy, cleaning things out.  But not so crazy that I'd toss perfectly good cashmere yarn!  I'd like to work some on the lace blouse, but I can't see that I'll have much free, quiet time this coming weekend.  It's not TV knitting and there are bowl games on tonight and tomorrow, and Sunday is the Seahawks playoff game.  Plain knitting or no knitting.  It's going to be very exciting.  All that and errands too.  Tink is getting groomed and not a week too soon.  I hate to bathe her when it's so cold but I had to on Sunday, she was so dirty.  Well ... here's to Friday.

When a favor isn't a favor

It almost feels wrong to rant about someone trying to do something nice ... but I can't help myself.  I have a gorgeous yellow orchid that had bloomed and when I moved there were no blooms on it but I always leave the stems for a few weeks to see where the new growth is going to come from, and then trim the stems at the appropriate place.  To my delight, there was new growth in several places.  Orchids only need to be watered every 2 to 4 weeks, depending on the size of the pot, etc.  As I was getting ready to go to California I took the orchid to the sink to moisten the roots and found it sitting in a puddle of water!!  And that means it had to have been sitting in that puddle since I moved into the apartment, which at that point was one week.  The only thing I can come up with is that one of the people who helped me move took it upon themselves to water my orchid!!  I drained it, of course, and hoped for the best.  But it looks like all of the new growth is dying now and I'll have to clip it back all the way.  grrrrr ..  The one I have at work is doing great and has a new bloom and five more big buds.  I was telling my sister this story while I was in California and she says she has a friend who has a few in her place of business - a Pilate's studio - and people are constantly watering her orchids.  Crazy.

I am listening to Tom Wolfe's latest book, Back to Blood, which is narrated by the actor, Lou Diamond Phillips.  He is mispronouncing words though and it's driving me crazy.  One of the main character names is Ghislaine, which he pronounces Jizz Lane.  Otherwise he's doing a good job.  Typical Tom Wolfe, but that's why we like him.

Today I will finally be able to run after a couple of weeks off.  It's going to hurt and it's terribly cold.  But I received a wonderful Christmas gift from my sister - a new running jacket with the long sleeves that have a thumb hole.  This is a very useful feature in this climate.  I'll be signing up for the February 9 Love 'em or Leave 'em race, which can be very very cold.

Happy New Year!

It seems very weird to have had a work day in between Christmas and New Year's Day.   I can't even remember how long it's been since I've worked on that day.  But it was okay - very quiet.  I got out of here early and took Tink for a nice long walk in the cold sunshine.  We found a new little park-ish walk across 5th avenue.  There the recently uncovered Thornton Creek continues and a lovely little walk has been made in a green belt between some apartment buildings and the library and community center.  It's really nice, but because it is usually dark when I'm walking her, whether it's before or after work, the only time I can enjoy it right now is on the weekends.  We will definitely be going back.

I went to a fun party and actually stayed up to ring in the new year.  Usually I'm fast asleep by midnight.  It was fun.  We ate and drank and played cards.  I really really wanted to sleep in Tuesday but that was not to be.  The good news is that I got the Christmas tree out of my minuscule apartment and after vacuuming up all the needles I didn't do anything but knit and watch college football bowl games.  The good ones are still to come, but the two I saw were entertaining. 

As much as I want to finish getting my apartment together - and believe me, I REALLY want to finish getting it together - I have decided I'm going to give myself a break.  I am going to decided where I want to hang all of my pictures tonight and then just rest the rest of this week and this coming weekend.  I think I'm overly tired and I need to recoup some of my energy or I'm going to get sick.  I know exactly what I want for the new pieces, so it's just a matter of purchasing them and getting rid of the old wall units and dresser.  It will be nice to have them, but it's not necessary right now.  I think I need a weekend of nothing at all to do instead.

I am looking forward to noon knitting today and then tomorrow I've got to get back on my running schedule.  Today I'm going to look up the date of the Love 'em or Leave 'em race and maybe even sign up if registration is open.  It's always nice to have the race on the calendar.