30 June, 2014

Jam packed weekend

And it was!  Busy busy busy and I got SO much done AND had time to knit as well.  Perfect weekend.  Nearly perfect - it did rain a bit.  Speaking of rain -- on my run Friday I got caught in a squall.  I was one mile out and the mist turned to sprinkles and the sprinkles turned to big fat drops.  I had to turn around.  I had no hat, no jacket and my sole pocket was holding my asthma inhaler so I had no place for my phone.  When I got back I was a sodden mess.  My hair was soaked and dripping.  At least it wasn't cold!

This might sound funny, but I do enjoy a trip to the dump.  There's something so cathartic about tossing things into a pit and a bonus that you have cleaned up whatever part of your life that needs it most.  Not to mention the big machinery and you get to see awesome things, like a riding lawnmower tossed into the pit!  Call me crazy.  Mind you, I wouldn't want to work there or go there every weekend, but it has its place.

So -- errands Saturday morning and then the weather changed up and Tink got to walk in a new area.  There is a wilderness area I've never been to that is full of trails and is for walking, horseback riding and mountain biking.  It's HUGE!  And we had such a lovely wander.  The trails are so well marked.  We walked 3 miles Saturday and only got a bit of a sprinkle and the forest canopy kept most of it off the ground.


I had hours Saturday evening to knit and I made the most of it.  I turned on Comedy Central and listened to stand-up while I worked on the Venomous Tentacula.  In the closeup you can see the beads at the top of the open work rows.  I do so love this yarn, Amie.  It was in my stash and it is discontinued unfortunately.  It's a lovely mix of cotton and cashmere in a sport weight - size 5 needles.  With the little bit of extra added weight from the beats it has a wonderful drape.  I can already tell this is going to be my new favorite shawl/wrap/whatever you want to call it.  I also had time on Sunday evening.  This is absolutely perfect TV knitting, especially now that I've memorized the border.

On Sunday I did a little shopping but couldn't find anything I was wild about.  I will go next Saturday after my hair appointment.  I need a couple of things for my trip.  But just a couple. 


27 June, 2014

I am very glad it's Friday

What a week.  And I'm glad it's over.  I could use a little R&R.  Work has been so busy and my mind has been whirring.  Now that the Mandate has been entered, which means that the case is finally over and the courts have held up my original judgment, we start on the final steps, and I must confess it's on my mind.  I'm not worried.  It's just in there mixing it up with all the rest of the things. 

I did have an absolutely fabulous run yesterday at noon.  I ran a full two minutes faster than last week.  Two minutes faster for my 3 mile run!  If I had kept going for another tenth of a mile I would have come close to my fastest 5K.  Perhaps I'll up the distance today if I'm feeling strong.  It is drizzling outside so it should be another decent one.

Unfortunately I had insomnia last night.  I was feeling so wonderful and I did a little tidying and had something to eat, then settled in with some stupid TV and my knitting.  I knit and knit until 9 o'clock when I thought I'd do a little reading.  I didn't turn out the light until 10:30 and I did fall asleep for about 30 minutes or so.  Then I was awoken by noise outside (what are the odds?) and that was it.  I was up until after 1 am.  I read some more.  I looked at news on my iPad.  I watched videos on YouTube - now that's really scraping the barrel, isn't it?  But at least it wasn't kitten videos.  I was watching makeup demos.  Almost as bad, I know.

Well, nothing is up for the weekend and that's fine with me.  I have plenty of things to do.  Too many things.  But then there's only one more weekend to go and that next weekend I'll be off!  And next week is a short week AND we're supposed to get lovely, sunny weather.  I am happy. 

26 June, 2014

Plodding along

I made it through the day yesterday.  I was thankful for noon knitting for an attitude adjustment.  We also had a nice, surprise visit from Peggy!  We miss her at our Wednesday meetings.  Her department moved to the new South Lake Union building and she's not so happy being so far away.  There's a job here on upper campus that she's going for.  I hope she gets it. 

It was nice and sunny in the afternoon.  I wanted to go home early but I stuck it out and got lots done.  But then it was another quiet evening.   I didn't even do any laundry!  I just walked the dog and made some dinner and put my nose in a book until bedtime.  I have so many books on my iPad again -- one I'm currently working my way through, two new ones and then another one I bought at the insistence of my friend Mike and I haven't even cracked that one and then another by one of my favorite authors that I started but just can't get into.  So I need to read some evenings rather than zone out over a pair of knitting needles.  But there is just something therapeutic about knitting, especially when my mind is restless. 

My trip is in the forefront of my mind now, even though I have two weeks and a couple of days to go.  From experience I know it will zip by.  Perhaps this weekend I can put a few lists together so I don't worry myself into a tizzy about forgetting things.  As I said, as long as I can get certain things buttoned up here at work I'll have a worry free vacation.  And oh my friends, I SO need a vacation.  I need to walk around in Paris and get centered.  It's going to be very different in the summer, I know that.  I also know I can still find what I need there.  And I'm not just talking about cheese!

25 June, 2014

Not in a very good mood

You know, I'm starting to think I should have stayed home today -- I'm in a terrible mood, I have a splitting headache and in fact I ache all over.  But I'm here now so I'll just get on with it.

As predicted, I had a super busy day yesterday. I had to put the chairman off until 2 pm to meet with him.  I had absolutely no time to run, but I did need to stop at the market so I took the opportunity to get at least some exercise and walked up to the grocery store at noon and then took the bus back.  I couldn't have run anyway if I had the time because in the morning when I was putting my apples away on the shelf I hit my knee on the sharp drawer pulls on my desk!  I mean I really hit it hard!  I nearly blacked out.  Good thing it's noon knitting today.

My big thrust is getting the new web site finished and up and running.  I was supposed to present at the faculty meeting so I could run the faculty through the new site, show them how to tweak their pages, etc.  So I had put off doing the fiddly bits because I had other things to take care of.  Now the faculty meeting is today but nobody is around to attend so we've put off the unveiling of the site for another few weeks.  But I still need to get it off my plate since I have a million and one other things that I need to attend to.  So today I should, hopefully, be able to finish that up and get on with some real work.  As I said, I need to get in a particular position before I can know I'll have a worry free vacation and by hook or by crook I will get there!!

I was pretty tired after the day I had and went home and did chores, my hair, cooked some dinner and then knit until I couldn't keep my eyes open.  No TV, nothing but the click of the needles and my thoughts whirring.  The Venomous Tentacula is zipping right along.  I brought it in for noon knitting rather than the Iwi.

Typical June gloom.  Maybe that's why I'm in such a bad mood?  The sun has been coming out in the afternoon.  I'd like some blue sky in the morning please.

24 June, 2014

A sore throat in the summer???

Well that's now how we want the summer to start, is it?  My friend Bill got back from France last week, his wife was ill right away, but Bill came to work and then he was out on Friday.  Well he managed to leave a little something behind and I woke up yesterday with a blazing sore throat.  I stayed home but I'm in today.  I truly have just too much to do and I couldn't do it from home because I didn't have my laptop.  I skipped a meeting yesterday and did what I could from my iPad but today I am here.  I am doing better.  Yes, the throat is still sore, but the body aches have gone away so I think I'll be fine.  I'll get out at lunchtime for a nice walk.  Yesterday I stayed in bed all day long.  All.  Day.  Long.  Ick

The weekend was quite fun.  It took us over three hours to get up there though, because Monika thought the ferry across to Southworth would be the fastest way to go.  It turned out it was not, but no matter.  We still had plenty of daylight when we got up there.  Saturday, the first day of summer, was an absolutely gorgeous day!  Beautiful sunshine and quite warm.  We drove into Shelton to do a little shopping and poking around at galleries and parks.  Tink was happy walking around with us and getting all sorts of attention.  We found a funny little outside market where I bought some cookies in the shape of a Westie and a couple of pasties that had way too much crust and not near enough filling.  Our main goal was to find the seed beads I needed to start my Venomous Tentacula.  We had to start at Walmart (which was just as bad as those pictures on the internet) because there are very few stores in Shelton.  I got the crochet hook there but didn't even think to look for beads.  After spending the entire day going to the two yarn shops in Shelton and other odd places we went back to Walmart and they had tons of beads!  Then we went back and I got to start it.  Doing beads with a crochet hook takes a little getting used to but now I've got it and this thing is flying off my needles.  Maybe pictures tomorrow.


Sunday night I got a start.  Have you ever seen a bat?  Besides in the zoo I mean.  Well, check this out.  This was in the patio table umbrella, which hasn't been opened for nearly a year. That is a bat.  It was so small!  I thought it was a gigantic bumblebee for a second.  It was a little stunned but it woke up quick enough and few away.  Crazy!


I have tons of work to do and I had better get at it.  If I don't get everything buttoned up nice and tidy I won't be able to enjoy my vacation!

20 June, 2014

A little springtime left

I woke up last night to the sound of rain.  Pouring rain.  Summer officially starts on Saturday and spring is making its last stand, I guess.  It's not raining this morning, so I don't mind.  In fact, I saw bits of blue sky up there.

I'm heading out after work to go up to Alderbrook, staying at a place right on the golf course.  I'm not going to golf this time though.  Monika doesn't golf and I don't think it's fair to leave her alone with Tinkerbell and go golfing with her husband and Ben.  Not fair at all.  So we'll sleep in and walk Tinkie and go into Shelton to the yarn shop and maybe even visit that cute art gallery I liked so much last time.  The weekend is supposed to be nice.

Emma is getting excited about our little road trip to Brugge.  She's found a dog friendly hotel that looks very cool.  I haven't been to Brugge since my very first time in Europe, the summer I turned sixteen.  A long long time ago.  I barely remember it, although I do remember it was lovely.  A lot like Amsterdam, with all the canals.  But in Belgium, so the beer is going to be delicious! Oh I can't wait!!

I had another great run yesterday.  This time I changed up my music to ballads and I realized I've been starting off too fast.  Slow and steady to start is the way to go.  Then I can pick up speed and I didn't have to stop at all until the very end.  Plus, I didn't need an extra puff again.  That's really good.

I have another busy day, plus I'm going to have to stay another hour until Monika is done with work and we can leave.  No matter.  I have my knitting with me. 

19 June, 2014

They are NOT supposed to leave early!

Darn buses.  I know that you can't count on anything along the route, but at the transit center the bus is not supposed to leave early!  This morning I was loaded like a pack mule (I know, not a very pretty picture) and I couldn't run for the bus and away it went!  That steams me boy ....

Yesterday was another super busy day and noon knitting was a welcome respite.  It was only Monika and myself.  People are always so busy in the summer.  But we did fine and had a nice, productive hour away from the chaos.  We are going to Alderbrook this weekend and there's a fun little yarn shop we're going to visit in Shelton.  The weather should be fine as well and we can stop to visit John Sundsten and get some fresh oysters right off the beach!

Things are topsy-turvy for me this summer with a two week vacation right in the middle of things.  I suspect it's going to be a long, dark winter with my November trip off the table this year -- again.  Last year I couldn't go away in November because of the January trip and this coming year it will be .... well, who knows.  Getting ready for the curriculum change is going to be chaos.  Hopefully by the spring things will be on a path and I can get away for a few weeks.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.  My head is spinning.  There is just too much to do and I am multi-tasking to beat the band.

And it's only Thursday!!!!

18 June, 2014

Ah hah! I think I've found the answer

My iPhone battery life has been just terrible and I finally purchased a big battery case for it.  I know that my silly games do eat up the battery.  I play word games with friends all day off and on, but that didn't seem to be entirely the problem.  Finally the penny dropped.  It's my Bluetooth headset!  It's not so bad when I'm listening to an audiobook or to music actually on my iPhone, but if I'm streaming, like with the new Amazon Prime Music app --- well, that does drain it like crazy!  I do love my Bluetooth headphones though.  What to do?  Perhaps I should get myself a new pair of iPhone headphones to use when I am not active, but just sitting in the bus or whatever.  I'll think on it.

Yesterday was absolutely insane.  The chairman came in with a request and I spent 90% of my day working on a spreadsheet for him.  I ran at noon but it really sneaked up on me!  I was so busy that it was 11:30 before I knew it.  The good thing about my runs lately -- I haven't had to stop for an extra puff from my rescue inhaler!  That is HUGE news!  I feel great.

Noon knitting today and that's good because I haven't touched it since Sunday.  I need to get myself some TV knitting.  But I'm afraid that if I start something else I won't finish this Iwi and I want to wear it!!  Maybe that'll be enough to keep me on track with it.

It was cold again yesterday but it feels like it's warming up a bit today.  June is so hard to take sometimes.

17 June, 2014

Pet Peeve # ..... oh, I lost count

What is wrong with people??  How many times have you had people come up to you when you're listening to your iPhone or whatever and just start talking at you?  It has been happening to me a lot lately and it drives me CRAZY!!  Can't they see I have earphones on?  It's obvious I'm listening to something and they just start talking.  If I need to speak to someone who is obviously listening to some device I get their attention FIRST before I start speaking to give them time to get the ear buds out of their ears or the headphones off their head and then I ask my question.  I snapped at someone last night.  Idiots.  They are all over the place.

Despite the rainy start to the day I did get in a nice run at noon time.  It was chilly but not raining and I felt strong.  It was raining again this morning but it has stopped so we should be good to go at lunchtime again.  I haven't been able to recreate that incredible run so I believe there was a little glitch with my app, but as I said - no matter.  I'm back to where I was and even running two miles more in the week, so I'm happy.  Twelve miles a week is decent.  I should start looking for a couple of races for August and September.

I had a text from a friend in Paris.  I'm going to be using their flat, which is SO nice of her, although I'm going to miss seeing them.  I guess her cousin is going to be there during that time as well, but we've met and it'll be just fine sharing with her.  I won't be spending that much time in the flat except to sleep anyway.   I am getting excited.  Very excited.  My friends Bill and Patricia are coming back tonight from a week in Paris for Patricia's birthday.  I hooked them up with my friend who owns the pub because they wanted to watch some World Cup action and I thought Eoghan's pub would be perfect.  I hope they did connect.

And speaking of World Cup action - the US played Ghana yesterday.  Here's a pointer friends - if you set your DVR to record the match, make sure it's on the English station rather than the Spanish station.  It makes it much easier for everyone to understand and enjoy.  Just sayin'.

16 June, 2014

It's still spring

And it's acting like it.  Official summer doesn't start until this coming Saturday and it's really spring-like today.  Well, all of the weekend I guess you could say.  Cloudy, a bit breezy and plenty of rain.  The gardens love it but people are getting a bit cranky.  Me?  Nah, not really.  I have only four more weeks until my vacation so I'm walking on clouds.

I did pretty well this weekend, although I did not get up to Shane to get my earrings fixed, which is too bad.  But there are only so many hours in the day and I couldn't fit it in.  There was shopping and errands and chores and a party - and that's just Saturday!  Sunday was laundry and more chores and food shopping interspersed with doggie walks.  But ... but I did manage to carve out a nice chunk of time Sunday afternoon and I got lots done on the Iwi.  It's starting to look like something.  For a while there, with the asymmetrical start to it, it wasn't looking like much of anything.  But this yarn is gorgeous ... if you can get over the splitty nature of it.  It is very light and oh so soft.  I sure hope it doesn't start itching once I get it on, like what happened the last time I tried alpaca.  Time will tell.

This will be a very very busy week for me.  I have SO much to do at work all of a sudden.  And that's the way it seems to go these past few years ... nothing much going on and then *bam* I can't catch a breath.  Time will fly by and then before you know it I'll be on a plane.

In the meantime - I will look forward to my run and hope it's not pouring rain.  I do have a rain jacket so it'll have to be awfully wet for me to give it up.  I didn't run that fast on Friday so I think there must have been a little glitch in the app.  That being said, I ran pretty darned well, and right at pace where I was before I hurt myself, so I am very happy with that. 

13 June, 2014

A very wet Friday the 13th

It is really coming down today.  In fact, it's been raining all night.  I am quite anxious to get out to run today, so I hope it's not raining this hard at noon.  I had an astonishing run yesterday.  I ran my fastest 3 miles - ever.  According to my app I was running 10.31 minute miles.  The fastest one mile I have on my Nike app is 10.37.  However, I did lose a good bit of historical data when I got my latest iPhone.  That being said, I don't remember ever running less than a 10.30 minute mile and I have never run 3 miles at that pace!  I want to get out there again today and make sure it wasn't a fluke! 

My luck has been just crazy good lately, hasn't it?  Last Friday I noticed one of my diamond earrings was gone from my ear.  Before I really started panicking I looked carefully at the scarf I had been wearing and it wasn't there.  Then I cast my eyes down and there it was under my desk!  I never did find the back to it, which is why it fell out in the first place.  I knew it was a little loose.  But imagine -- I found that earring!  That was very lucky.  And this weekend I'm going to the jewelery store for a new back! 

I am a bit forgetful this morning - I forgot my iPad and I forgot earrings (speaking of earrings).  That's not so bad.   I had a little bit of mini-jet lag going on from the quick trip to Nashville.  I'm all caught up now and ready for the weekend.  I've got one party and lots and lots of errands.  And oh I really REALLY want to carve out some time for some knitting!!  I'm getting twitchy.

12 June, 2014

One month to go!

July 12 I will be on my way to Paris!  One month to go and it's going to be a busy and difficult month.  But oh then ..... ah yes.  You know, I have been trying NOT to think about it because I start dreaming about all the places I'm going to go, and the little special things I miss that I'm going to be able to enjoy, however briefly.  The sounds and the smells, my favorite streets and my favorite people.  Ten days to cram all that wonderfulness into my brain to remember and take out and examine.  Oh --- warm goat cheese salad at a nondescript cafe and gorgeous coffee and surprisingly good wine at the most unlikely places, smoked salmon on a baguette with sweet butter and champagne.  And my people - my friends that I see oh so briefly and oh so rarely.  If I start thinking about those things I cannot sleep.  But I can indulge myself in a little daydream the daytime once in a while.  Soon. 

In the meantime I had a trip to Nashville.  Oh dear - what a slog that was!  First of all the shuttle picked me up at 3:30 am for a 6:30 flight.  One of the wonderful things about getting older is being TSA pre-screened.  That means I generally zip right through the lines and there I was with plenty of time before the flight.  The Starbucks was open, thank goodness, and I was able to fortify myself with a tall skinny vanilla latte before boarding the airplane full ... FULL ... with families with cranky and sleep deprived toddlers.  Crying and complaining and generally being uncomfortable children.  Seattle to Atlanta, then two hours in the airport before heading to Nashville.  I got there at around 4:30 and a quick shuttle ride took me to the meeting hotel, Sheraton Music City.  Right in the middle of an industrial park.  No sidewalks.  No businesses.  And a long way from downtown and anything else to do or anyplace else to eat. 

The meeting was not great.  I can't put any more shine on it than that.  I did learn a few things, but other than that it was one of the less stellar IAMSE meetings.  The worse I've been to, in fact.  I did manage to get into town on Monday afternoon, taking a shuttle that dropped us off at the corner of 5th and Broadway, right at the top of the Honky-Tonk row. It might have been fun had I not been alone, but as it was it was just tawdry, hot and stinky, and full of the worst kind of tourist. 

Seriously, I've got to stop complaining, don't I?  In that case I am not even going to start with the trip back home.  I got in very very late/early and stayed away from work yesterday, trying to recuperate.  I've done quite well and I'm looking forward to a good run this afternoon.  Back on track, one month to vacation.  I've got my work cut out for me and I'd better get to it!

06 June, 2014

Walking on sunshine

Yes, I am still "pinch me" happy.  I must be really annoying to be around!

I am so busy at work.  Yesterday I barely got up from my desk and had to skip running since I had to leave early to get to an appointment at 4.  I found, when I got there, that I had rubbed every trace of makeup from my face during the day! 

My plan was to get my things together for Nashville and then knit, but I got derailed a bit.  I got my things together just fine, had some dinner and then settled in to read rather than knit.  I'm going to take it with me, my knitting, when I go to Nashville.  I am sure I'll be able to get some nice quiet time there and make some inroads on my Iwi. 

Yesterday morning I woman got on the bus with a dog in a baby carriage!  She made us get up so that she could flip up the seats and use the handicapped space.  And then - get this - and then when the bus got to my stop and I got out with a bunch of other people there was a man in a wheelchair who could not get on the bus because it was very full and she was taking up that space!  Can you believe that??  If I were the bus driver I would have made her get her fat ass out of that space.  But there you go - I'm NOT a bus driver.  Thank goodness!!


05 June, 2014

A message from the lawyer.

Yesterday was a busy day and I felt terrific.  Then in the afternoon a message popped up in my inbox from my lawyer.  My heart always jumps a bit when I see that, not knowing whether it's going to be good news or bad.  But it was the BEST news!  The State Supreme Court unanimously denied my ex's petition to hear the case.  It is over!  All we are waiting for now is the court's final official judgement to be served and then he has to pay me.  I am not sure of the timetable.  So I am very very happy - an understatement, I know.  Thrilled. 

It's going to be difficult to concentrate today but I am so busy.  And I have to leave a little early to get to the salon by 4 o'clock.  My stylist has just gotten back from a month in Italy (lucky girl) and she can't do me, but I have to get my hair done before I leave for Nashville so I am having another stylist tonight.  Dana has written everything down so it'll be fine. 

Can you see me smiling?  I can't stop.  woohoo

04 June, 2014

I am sick to death of stupid people

Seriously.  Fed up.  Is this burn out or are there more stupid people out and about?  Or within earshot?  Good heavens.  I think I'm going to stop reading my Facebook page.  It could be that it's time to clean out my friends list again.  Rant off.

The clouds never really cleared yesterday, although I did see a little sliver of blue sky when I was out for my run.  A good run again.  Now that I'm doing 3 miles rather than 30 minutes I am quite sure I'm going to knock at least a minute and maybe even more off of my PR 5K time.  I won't know until the end of the summer though, because there aren't any races I want to do in July.  Maybe the end of August.  I'll look around.

I did feel super good yesterday after the 9 hours of sleep I had Monday night.  I stayed up later last night, knitting on the Iwi and reading.  I had pre-ordered a book that was delivered to my Kindle Sunday, but I want to finish what I am reading now and save the new book for Nashville.  Or for traveling there and back.  The latest weather forecast for Nashville is thunderstorms the entire time I'm there.  Which is no big deal since I doubt I'll have much time for wandering and being a tourist anyway.  I went through the program again last night.  They are keeping us busy.

Today is not only noon knitting but the last Curriculum Committee meeting of the year.  Hopefully we'll get some more concrete news on the new curriculum, which we need to start working on this fall.  Maybe they'll postpone it for another year but I doubt it.

03 June, 2014

Yup. The middle of the night.

I made my airport shuttle reservations yesterday and they are indeed picking me up in the middle of the night.  3:30 am to be exact.  Give or take 20 minutes.  But I just didn't have any other option.  I had to get that 6:30 am flight so that I could be there at the hotel, checked in and freshened up and ready to go at 6:30 pm.  Of course, I could indeed miss that first evening.  I did a few years ago when the meeting was in Portland, Oregon and I took the train down.  The train was running late and I was so late that there wasn't any room left in the meeting hotel and I got put into an even nicer hotel across the street.  I liked that. 

Even though I was totally groggy and sleep deprived yesterday I had my run and it was pretty good.  My allergies have been pretty bad lately and I needed to stop and have a couple of puffs on my inhaler about a half mile into the run, but after that it was fine.  But was very glad it was Do Nothing Monday, because when I got home that was what I did -- nothing.  I mean I walked Tink and played fetch and had some dinner.  As much as I wanted to do a little knitting I was just too out of it.  Truth be told, I was fast asleep by 9.  Maybe even 8:30.  Seriously.  I knew there was a good possibility that I'd wake up after a couple of hours but I was trying to read and my eyes kept closing.  I did wake up at 11 but I went right back to sleep.  I guess I was really sleep deprived.  We did get after it this weekend. 

Groggy as I was, I was tempted to just skim over an email I got in the late afternoon about some "minor" changes to the autumn schedule.  But I thought better of it and thankfully, too!  I caught an error made by the scheduler in the SOM and set it to rights, getting an "attaboy" from the boss in the process.  Hopefully today will be less stressful.  I don't mind busy.  I just don't like stress.

Here's something else I don't like - stinky people on the bus.  There's no getting away from it, but I can gripe about it now and again. 

02 June, 2014

The birds birds birds

I am SO groggy this morning.  The birds started up at 4 am.  I closed the window but it didn't help much.  I put a pillow over my head and that was a bit better, but I have lots on my mind and I didn't get much more sleep, or at least not restful sleep.  Ah well.  I'll be awake for sure when I run.

Friday afternoon four of us went up to spend the weekend in a condo at Birch Bay.  The weather was sunny, but really not all that warm.  There was a little yarn shop and Monika and I spent some time poking around there.  Tink got some great walks and we cooked a couple of really good meals.  The condo itself was pretty bare bones, a family's weekend retreat that was put up for auction at a fund raiser I attended a few months ago.  But it was out of town and that's all that really mattered.  I got a little knitting done and I picked out a pattern for the sock yarn I got from my latest YarnBox.  I thought this, Venomous Tentacula, would be perfect.  Plus it has beads!  I haven't knit anything with beads for ages and ages.  But first I have to finish my Iwi and it is going slow.  I'll have to pick up the pace.  I wish it was bus knitting but it's too fiddly with the lace and the splitty yarn and the small needles. 

I am super busy at work - going from hardly anything going on to super busy.  Crazy.  I have a busy week ahead of me and then Saturday morning I'm catching the plane to Nashville.  It leaves at 6:30!!  And I'm going to be taking the shuttle to the airport and you know that means I'll be picked up in the middle of the night.  Maybe I can sleep on the plane but I won't count on it.

And now .... six weeks to Paris!  Six weeks!!!!   So I'm glad I'm busy.