Yay for the looooong weekend!

Wow, is it ever quiet out there!  The parking garage was only about half full, like this summer.  The traffic going in was minimal and therefore I arrived at the garage 10 minutes early.  We're all leaving early today.  I want to stay for noon knitting, but then I'll probably leave around 2-ish.

I am happy to report that my toe is healing rapidly.  I am SO happy about that!  After having a broken toe last January perhaps I am a little sensitive about it happening again, since it was such an awful experience.  I have this entire weekend to rest it and then I'm going to try running again next week.  Maybe Thursday, since I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday and knitting on Wednesday.  Give it a good bit of time to be all better.

Last night was not very restful.  Tink got me up at 2:30 to go outside and I had an asthma attack at midnight and again around 4.  What is it about this time of year?  It happened to me last year at this time as well.  At that time I was thinking it might be the mold from the leaves, which are all laying on the ground.  I will be exploring all of this with my new doctor next week.  I have got to get a handle on this now.

No knitting last night.  I cooked a nice dinner with hot Italian chicken sausages and pasta and then settled in for some mindless entertainment.  Not sports.  I felt like "Firefly".  Don't you love streaming Netflix?  Anything you feel like watching, pretty much, is there.  In the next few weeks I'm going to revisit Sherlock because the fourth season is just around the corner.

Tonight I'm going to prepare one of my side dishes for tomorrow, the roasted Brussels sprouts.  I have guests bringing dessert so I don't have to make pies, thank goodness.  So basically it's just getting the stuffing ready and the bird in the oven in time.  I can prepare the mashed potatoes and keep them warm so that the only last minute thing I have to do is put the sweet potato casserole in the oven and make the gravy.  Easy peasy.  And I've got two bottles of sparkling wine to keep me company.  They had Nicolas Feuillatte on display this weekend and I should have grabbed a bottle.  Maybe I will treat myself tonight on the way home .... I mean, the cook deserves the real thing, don't you think?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 

Dodged a bullet

During the weekend I moved some furniture around.  In the bedroom I centered the bed so I could hang a picture and centering the bed meant moving the little bench that sits at the end of the bed as well.  Guess what happens when you move furniture around in a bedroom.  That's right - you walk into things that weren't there before.  I walked into the little bench.  Straight on with my foot, smashing my second toe.  It is very painful when one stubs their toe so I really didn't take much notice at first, cursing and calling myself all kinds of stupid.  Ah, but six o'clock rolled around and I came awake from the pain.  Not good.  I got up and put some weight on it and that was even worse.  Dang!  The same foot that I damaged last January.  I couldn't even get any shoes on so I stayed home and got myself to the urgent care center in Woodinville.  I was sure that I had broken that second toe.  The pain level was equal to the evulsion fracture.  They took x-rays and hooray for me, it is not broken!  What a relief.  They taped it up and sent me home.  Ice it, keep it elevated and wear the boot (that I kept, thank goodness) or loose shoes.  It should be okay by the end of the week.  I should be able to run in another week.  Wow - lucky.

Friday night I tried once again to watch "X-Men - Days of future past".  I very much wanted to like that movie, but that was the third time I had tried to watch it and I finally gave up.  It is a terrible movie.  What a shame.  I have liked all of the others.

Saturday I shopped for the Thanksgiving dinner and got the seating arrangements figured out.  For the meal at any case.  And the Huskies played and won, which was awesome.  Actually the football was great this weekend.  Both teams won.  My fantasy team did not and the Sounders lost their match, but I didn't watch that.  I got some good solid knitting time in for my hooded shawl.  Wow, this is a very difficult project but it is going to be incredible.  I took pictures and I'm waiting for them to get to my computer so I can add a little light to them ..... tick tock ...  The beading is really cool.  Ah, the pictures didn't turn out good enough.  There's not enough detail.  I'm only in 10 rows.  The yarn is dark and it's too hard to see.  I'll post pictures when I've got a few more rows. 

It's a super short week, especially since I wasn't here yesterday.  I am going to really enjoy my 4 day weekend.  I am going to do plenty of knitting. 

Pop in and pop out

It's going to be a funny morning for me.  I have a dentist appointment at 10.  I made the appointment when I got my last cleaning and when I was still at Thornton Place.  When I lived over that way I would make my appointments for the morning, go straight to the dentist and then to work.  But now I have to come in to work and leave from here.  It's only a 30 minute bus ride.  It's raining but not cold, thank goodness.  I do have a little walk. 

Oh I am so sleepy this morning too!  I stayed up too late last night.  I dropped right off when I got to bed but 6 o'clock was a surprise to me.  I thought it was still the middle of the night.  Don't you hate that?  Plus yesterday felt like Friday.  I wish I could say I was knitting, but I wasn't.  I still haven't finished the first row of the new project.  I tried at lunchtime yesterday, after a little walk,  but I got an email I had to attend to, so I only got one repeat done before I went back to my office.  I hope to carve out some good knitting time this weekend.  I have lots of errands on Saturday but if I get on the road at a decent hour in the morning I should have some time in the afternoon to myself.

I've got to make my shopping list for Thanksgiving dinner today so I can get that shopping done as well.  It won't be hard once I get going.  The biggest challenge is going to be getting the seating arrangements for people to watch the game after dinner.  We'll have to try out several configurations this weekend to make sure we know what we're doing and if we have to borrow chairs, which I think we will.  It's an open floor plan so I can move my little two person couch from the dressing room out to the kitchen and two people can sit there and see fine.   That will require taking all of the leaves out of the dining table that we will have put in earlier that day.  And shuffling a lot of stuff around.  Maybe all 15 won't stay for the game.

A step slow

I was sleeping SO hard this morning, deep in a dream, when my alarm went off.  I don't know how long it had been going before I finally came out of it.  As usual, I hit the snooze for another ten minutes.  Usually I use those 10 minutes to go through email, figure out what I'm going to wear, steel myself to get out of the warmth, but this morning I went back to sleep and that made me a little behind.  I did know what I was going to wear, but I was just so slow!  Tink didn't help matters either.  During her walk she would just stop, right in the middle of the road.  Listening or smelling to something, I guess.  But she wouldn't get her business done and I had to leave.  I didn't even get a coffee before I was on the road!  And good thing because the parking garage was nearly full when I got there.  I made my bus, but I sure had wanted that coffee.  I got one when I arrived, but it would be really wonderful if someone would put a coffee cart at the transit center.  Not likely though.

We had a new person at our knitting group yesterday and she is very very nice.  I hope she wants to come back.  I didn't get to do too much chatting though because I was casting on 357 stitches!  I got them done and a few repeats of the 22 stitch pattern for the border.  And this thing starts out on the first row with beads.  I am going to have to get another vial of them this weekend because I weighed the remaining and I don't have nearly enough (I need 470).  Unfortunately these are the beads I bought when Monika and I were searching for beads in Shelton and I ended up going to Walmart - which I hate.  And now they're the only ones who sell these particular beads, which are absolutely perfect for the yarn.  I found one in Lynnwood near Alderwood mall, which is fine because I need to go to Sephora anyway.  So guess what I'm doing this weekend?

My friend's daughter started university and had chosen to go to Rochester, NY.  About as far away from here as she could get.  And guess what?  They're having an epic early snow storm!  Poor girl.  Her mom told me yesterday that she had ordered a new coat.  It's 18 degrees there!!  Yipes.  I wonder if she's still happy about her choice?

A little relief

Thank goodness it is a little warmer today.  It wasn't even down to freezing this morning and I did have the window open last night.  A little.  I still woke up stuffed up so ... what's up with that?   There were some sparse ice crystals on my vehicle but nothing like the past week or so.  What I am concerned about is the driveway.  It's steep and I am so afraid of falling on it when I take Tink out for her morning walk.  She pulls sometimes, seeing a phantom bunny or something.  I definitely need to get a bag of salt this weekend to keep that clear.

I chose a pattern for the YarnBox KAL, using my Neighborhood Fiber Co. Rustic Fingering yarn in the Edgewood color.  Oh my goodness, it is the loveliest teal. I'm going to do Jo's Pride Hooded Shawl by Sivia Harding.  It uses beads too and the teal ones I used on the Venomous Tentacula will be perfect for this.  I got the yarn wound last night and today at noon knitting I'll cast on.  It goes from bottom up, so I've got to cast on more than 350 stitches. 

I'm sleepy this morning.  I stayed up too late watching the two hour finale of "Once Upon a Time" that I had recorded.  Well, I didn't finish it actually.  Maybe tonight after "Inside the NFL".  I should really go to bed early.  I don't like being tired and I know I won't get much sleeping in done on the weekend, with all the preparations I need to make for Thanksgiving.  But then I'll have a four day weekend.  No, not really -- you can't count Thanksgiving as a holiday since I'll be cooking and such most of the day.  But believe me, I'm not doing a single thing but knit and slob around for the remainder of the weekend.  Shopping?  Not on your life!  That Black Friday crap is for the birds.

I moved up a spot

Okay!  I won my match up last night and now I've moved up a spot, finally.  It is not likely that I will make the playoffs but at least I'm not last!  That's tough to take, especially since I got to pick first.  However, my first pick has yet to play and I doubt even if they do reinstate him, he'll be any use to me at this point.  What luck.

It is supposed to be warming up, but it's not here yet.  The clouds have moved in so maybe tonight I'll be able to open the window.  I have been waking up all stuffed up, even though the heat is off.  I like to have fresh air when I sleep but it's been just too cold to open the window.  The last time I opened it, the first night we had really cold temperatures, I dreamed I was sleeping next to a broken window. 

I have yet to decide if I'm going to cast on something for a YarnBox KAL, and in the meantime I've been sitting idle at night and going to bed early to read.  The good news is that I'm catching up on my reading.  Not a bad thing.

The doors were hung and tonight the hardware goes on.  But the linen closet door must be ordered, custom made, and it's going to take at least one month.  Arghghgh!  SO annoying. 

By the end of this week I must have my shopping list ready for Thanksgiving.  I figured out I need a 22.5 pound turkey for 15 adults if I want leftovers.  That is a big bird!  Now how many pounds of potatoes?  How many vegetables?  Should I double the sweet potato casserole?  I have a wonderful recipe from Cooking Light that I took to a Christmas party a few years ago.  I'd like to find that again.  It's nice and fluffy, and no marshmallows!  Perfect.  I'd better get my work done before I start thinking about this.  But how odd it's going to be, having Thanksgiving at home.  Ah well.  Things change.  Sometimes for the better even.  And, as we've seen, sometimes most assuredly not.  But one thing I know for sure, you can't stop it no matter how much you wish you could.  All you can do is remember and be thankful.  That I can do.

Lots of errors and not so much comedy

My whole weekend was work work work and football football football.  The bright spot is my fantasy team.  Both my opponent and myself have one guy in the Monday night game and I'm up more than 20 points.  So .... I might win this one after all.

Otherwise the football games were not much fun this weekend.  The Huskies had a chance to win over the number 14 team and pretty much gave the game away at the end.  All they would have had to do was kneel down and let the clock run out and win by two points.  But no, the coach called a running play, the player fumbled, the Arizona team got the ball and there went the game.  Terrible play calling.  The Seahawks ..... what can I say.  Injuries are killing them along with penalties.  Kansas City has a stout team this year and their stadium is as loud as the Seahawks stadium.  We were doing okay though, and ahead, until our center got knocked out of the game again.  The second stringer didn't know the plays, and it went downhill from there.  Good thing it was the morning game and there was plenty of sunshine.

Ah but still very very cold.  It's supposed to start warming up to more seasonable weather this week, which also means the clouds and rain comes.  But I will take a little rain in exchange for warmer weather.

Saturday night I met up with an old high school friend, which was fun.  But that was about it for the social side of the weekend.  The rest of the time was spent running around and painting doors.  They are all done but weren't quite dry last night.  They were painted outside, but the sunshine goes away so soon that we had to move them inside.  Tonight they'll go up and the hardware will get on a little at a time.  The linen closet door .... *sigh* ..... was purchased, but it didn't fit.  So it was exchanged and the other door didn't fit either -- way too small.  Now a custom one must be ordered and I sincerely doubt it will be finished by Thanksgiving.  I am bummed about that.

I knit a hat this weekend.  I needed TV knitting and I didn't want to fuss with the beaded project.  I am debating whether to join one of the KALs on the YarnBox group page on Ravelry.  I have some lovely YarnBox yarn that would be perfect for a fancy lace project.  But which one?  I need to decide soon.

Will I run this afternoon?  I very much want to but still am having problems with the ankle.  I think I'll give it a try.  I don't like to waste this sunshine.

More time than I thought

Silly me.  I have two weekends before Thanksgiving, not only one.  That makes it not quite so daunting a task.  What I don't get squared away this weekend will be moved to the next.  I can maybe get out into the garden to clean up the tomato bed.  I never did get around to that last weekend. 

I had quite a frustrating day yesterday and I was glad that I got to go out to run in the sunshine.  The cold sunshine.  But the mowers were working on the trail and had mowed down the wild fennel, so it smelled just awesome in places.  I did have to stop a few times, and at just about the first mile I had to take a couple more puffs of my inhaler.  And my ankle hurt a bit .... so it wasn't the most satisfying of runs but I felt pretty good all the same.  I am not sure I should do it again today.  I might wait for next Monday.  My ankle still is hurting today.  I don't know why ... maybe just a hangover from the whole broken toe issue.  There was a lot of soft tissue damage as well.  Oh .. and I've been wearing high heels this week.  I just llllllove my new red suede ones -- zippers up the back and open cut work up to the ankle.  And very high heels.  Super cute!

I watched Thursday night football and that was about it last night.  I don't have an easy project to knit plus I was just wrung out from my terrible day at work.  I didn't even cook dinner.  I made some toast and put some left over turkey meatloaf on it.  I am most thankful that it's Friday.

It's still a shock

This cold snap is such a shock to the system.  Just a couple of weeks ago it was so very warm, and now ..... oh my goodness!  When I got to the parking garage yesterday evening at 4:30 the puddles at the top were frozen!  I'm not a big fan of cold weather and that's why Seattle is nice, because it's usually so mild.  This is quite early for this temperature.  I do remember us having snow at Thanksgiving before, but it's very rare.  I think the last time I remember is like 1979 or maybe 1980.  Not that we're expecting snow, but I'm just saying it does get that cold now and again.  And I do not like it.

But ... the good news is that it's sunny.  It was gorgeous yesterday and it looks to be another nice day today and tomorrow.  I'm going to run at lunchtime today.  I am quite looking forward to it.

Noon knitting was yesterday but Monika forgot her knitting.  It was only three of us, since MaryEllin is off recruiting in Austin -- she's not getting the cold weather.  I suspect it's quite hot down there.  I worked a bit on the Melon stitch stole and last night I went through a couple of my newer books to find some new projects.  Again, I must take some time and go through my WIPs and either pick up the ones I have started or frog them and regroup.  I don't think I'll actually ever do that complicated cabled hoodie I started a couple of years ago and that yarn is really nice.  And then there's the Alpaca Iwi I started and haven't picked up in a while.  I do like that sweater .....  See?  It's not that easy.  I just don't have the time I need to work on all the disparate projects.  At this time of the year I need something in my hands when I'm watching football or else I feel like I'm completely wasting that time.  And there's a LOT of football on this time of year.  So I need easy projects and harder projects for when I'm just relaxing and knitting ... the Zen part of knitting.  But then I find a need and slip a little accessory in here and there, like the Brown Eyed Susan.  Not complaining.  I just need about twice the hours in a day and only have to work the same amount of time.  Or stop working.  That would be nice.  Maybe someday.

Hooray for four day weekends.  It's Thursday already.  Only one more morning to get up this week and then a good weekend.  I have SO much to do though.  I'm cooking Thanksgiving dinner the following Thursday for 15, so this weekend I've got to get the logistics down.  It's a newly remodeled house, but still small.  How to fit 15 eating and then reconfigure and fit 15 comfortably to watch the football game.  I'm going to have the game on not only in the great room, but also in the bedroom (a few people could recline on the bed and watch if they wanted) and also in the office/video game room, although that TV is on an HD antenna.  I've got to make sure the game is on the local station or it won't work unless I put the Google TV on there and stream from my iPad .... maybe.  Ah well, that's what this coming weekend is for.

Cold cold Wednesday

What an awesome four day weekend!  I got almost everything done I had hoped to do.  That's pretty good, don't you think so?

Saturday was rainy and that meant I wasn't about to go out into the garden to clean up the tomato cages.  I got a little shopping done, did a little visiting with friends -- one of my friends just got back from visiting his family in Yorkshire and brought me back some tea, so I picked that up.  And then it was time to get ready to go out for dinner and listen to some music. 

A table had been reserved and the woman who made the reservation had requested that it be not to close to the stage, since last time we were right next to it.  When we got there it was indeed about three or four tables from the stage, but the woman seating us suggested we move the party to the back of the restaurant, as far away from the music as possible.  Not a good sign.  We asked about who was playing and she said it sounded like bad Karaoke.  And she was right on.  It was terrible and we were all very happy we had moved before it started.  And I was disappointed.  It would have been fun to dance.

Sunday was also not very nice and that was a day that consisted of football, laundry and knitting.  I finished up a cute little beret using the beaded yarn, Lousia Harding Grace.  I made some modifications to the pattern to make it a slouchy beret.  Will I wear it?  Maybe.   It's awfully cute but a little big.  I might put some elastic thread in the band to tighten it up a bit.

Monday I had a hair appointment set for noon and the new house cleaners were set to start at 10 that morning.  Perfect, right?  I got up, dressed, picked up a last few things around the house and took off with Tinkerbell at a little after ten, figuring that maybe they were running a little late.  I stopped at the store and got a coffee and croissant, picked up the items I needed for dinner that night and then took Tink to the park at Cottage Lake, which is right next to where my hair appointment was and right across from the grocery store.  All of this just about a mile from my place, which makes it pretty convenient.  Otherwise I'd have to go all the way in to Woodinville proper or the other direction to Duval to get any groceries.  So off we go to the park and I've got one whole hour before my hair appointment.  Lucky Tink.  Twice around the park.  Then it was noon, got my hair done and got back home around 1:30.  Guess what?  They hadn't been there!!  So I was stuck - I couldn't do anything because I didn't when when they could arrive.  Finally, around 4 o'clock they show up.  Great.  I took Tink and off we went to the Triplehorn to wait.

The Triplehorn is awesome.  It's a brewery so you can bring your dog!  Or your kids even.  It's like a pub in Europe.  I don't know specifically how they get around the laws here but I don't care.  I love it!  And the beer is out of this world.  So - we waited and waited and drank and watched Monday Night football.  It all worked out okay.

Yesterday I had in mind to get the last room squared away - or at least start.  I did a fantastic job - I got my Wii hooked up and running.  Perfect.  But then I found out that Nintendo no longer supports online gaming with Mariokart anymore - well, not on the Wii platform.  The Wii U is the new platform.  I don't think I'll be getting one although I really really enjoyed playing online.  But the room is nearer to being done, that's the main thing.

Now it's Wednesday and we're all back at work.  Hoorah for noon knitting so the day won't entirely suck.

Classic cuisine

Sometimes it's fun to make something old fashioned for dinner.  Last night that was beef stroganoff from the Betty Crocker cookbook and it was just delicious!  I couldn't make myself use full fat sour cream, nor use an entire 1/4 cup(!) of butter to cook the mushrooms and onions but otherwise I just followed the receipe.  It was the perfect comfort food dinner for a stormy night.

And what a storm!  It was so dark when I got to work, but at noon it was rather nice outside so I thought it safe to walk to the grocery store.  However, it was the eye of the storm and as soon as I got outside it started up again, whipping my umbrella inside out a couple of times.  I took the bus back from the store, that's for sure.  By that time it was really dumping down rain and I would have gotten soaked, carrying that heavy bag of groceries back to work.  It was still very windy when I was driving home from the RTC and on Avondale Road I saw something floating down in front of me, narrowly missing getting hit on the windshield by a branch! 

This morning it's beautiful outside.  The trees are all gold and red.  I pass by several farms on my route down Avondale Road and the mist was laying on the fields this morning.  Beautiful.  Also, I could just see the moon in the sky.  I think it's going to be nice this weekend and I'm taking a long one.  It's Veteran's Day on Tuesday and I'm taking Monday as well.  From the look of the traffic this morning I suspect quite a few people are taking today off too.  I really need to get out in the garden and get the tomato cages off the dead plants and stored.  Well I have big plans for my four days off, with some fun in there as well Saturday night with dinner and music ... maybe dancing if the music is conducive to it.  And football.  I'd also like to finish up the last room, getting the Wii hooked up to the TV, and hanging the last of the pictures.  We'll see.  Oh ... and blocking that wrap.  Yes, some knitting too.  I noticed I messed up the 1x1 ribbing on the hat I just started so I've got to tink that back.  See?  Lots and lots and lots to do!

As dark as night!

There is a storm coming through today with high winds and lashing rain.  It was sprinkling when I left Woodinville and at the RTC the sky was bright and I was contemplating putting my sunglasses on.  However, as we got on the freeway heading to the 520 bridge the sky got progressively darker and the rain started coming down harder.  By the time the bus dropped me off on Pacific Avenue it was pouring rain, the sky was pitch black and the gutters were raging rivers.   I had to jump over to cross the street to my building.  I was planning on walking up to the grocery store at lunchtime, since I'm not keen on running in the rain and wind, but if it's a gale, as it is now, I'm going to skip that and stop on the way home instead.  I just don't like doing that because the store is always so full of people doing exactly the same thing - stopping for dinner on their way home.

I got re-started on the Melon stitch project at noon knitting yesterday but Monika had brought in some books and I finally found a pattern that I could use for a slouchy beret using the Louisa Harding Grace Beaded I picked up a few weeks ago.  First things first - I had to hand wind it because even though you can use a swift with beaded yarn, using the yarn winder is not possible because the beads get caught in the metal eye.  Lucky for me, I had my recorded "Inside the NFL" to watch, so after dinner that was my project.  It took almost an hour to wind those four balls, then I cast on the 100 stitches and started the 1x1 ribbing.  That yarn is SO nice!  Silk and merino, so it's soft with the nice weight of the glass beads.  The beret has a simple leaf pattern in knits, purls and yarn-overs.  I want to make it slouchy so I'm going to add another entire repeat of the leaf pattern before I start decreasing.  I have four skeins of this yarn which is not enough for a real shawl or stole and a little more than I would need for a normal beret.  So - slouchy beret instead.

I had my manicure and pedicure last night on the way home, which means that I was very late getting home and it was pitch black and raining.  I was having the devil of a time seeing, which was odd since the headlight switch had just been fixed and both headlamps working again.  Or so I thought until I pulled up into the driveway.  It turns out the right headlamp is AGAIN not working!!  No wonder I couldn't see properly.  It shouldn't be so dark when I get home tonight.  Maybe it's just loose.  I hope.

I am looking forward to my four day weekend.  I made an appointment to get my hair cut on Monday and I cannot wait.  You know that point when your hair is just too long?  I passed that about three weeks ago. 

Recipe for a nice evening

I found the latest issue of Interweave Knits in my mailbox when I got home last night.  So after Tink's walk and getting my little chores done, I sat down with a martini and relaxed.  On first time through, nothing is screaming at me to be made, but I'll go through it again at noon knitting for a better look.  I've been through a bulky knits phase already, and that seems to be what this issue is about.

Thankfully the drain was fixed at the parking garage and I didn't have to wade through a lake to get to my vehicle last night.  We'll see after the next series of rainy days whether it is truly fixed.

There's a meeting this morning.  The curriculum committee meetings have been cut down to every other month and will be phased out when the new curriculum starts next September.  So this is my last year with this committee.  There doesn't seem to be a place for me in the new structure.  Which doesn't break my heart. 

Well, I'm on for Thanksgiving dinner this year. I'm okay with that too.  That means I get to have everything the way I want it.  I am NOT going to be having a potluck Thanksgiving dinner!  Period.  If people want to bring something they can bring wine or flowers.  It's only going to be a dozen or so.  Fifteen at the very most.  I can handle it.  One year I made Christmas Eve AND Christmas dinners - both different menus - for 12 people one night and 15 the other.  Fun.  It's all about organization and planning.  And lists. 

A close win

I won my match up last night!  I really didn't think I was going to pull it off, but one of my guys got healthy and the QB threw to him and there ya go!  But it didn't change the standings -- I'm still 8th.  I wonder how much different it would have been had Adrian Peterson been able to play. 

That nasty lady who cut me off and then gave me the finger was at the bus stop last night.  I gave her the evil eye.  She didn't notice.  Maybe it wasn't evil enough.  I stared at her anyway.  She got on a passing bus and went to the next stop to wait.  So, maybe she recognized me after all?  I did send an email about the flooded top floor of the parking garage but it was still there this morning.  Annoying.

I really wanted to run yesterday but my back is still tweak-y and it was raining.  I think I should just wait and start up again next week, unless I am feeling super duper Thursday or Friday.  I don't want to make it worse, you know?

I wanted to block the Brown Eyed Susan last night, but the evening got away from me.  Somebody was supposed to stop by between 6:30 and 7 to talk about setting up a house cleaning schedule, but he never showed up!  And didn't call either.  And considering that I saw Tink sleeping on my last item that was blocked and set to dry on the floor, I think I'd better wait until this weekend.  I'll bring it in to noon knitting tomorrow for show and tell anyway.

I did all the math and set up my vacation days for now through the second week in May.  Now I just have to bite the bullet and actually make my plane reservations for April.  It's six months away, but the latest thing from the travel sites is that you need to make international reservations at least(!) 24 weeks in advance to get the best price.  I've found good prices but I am still not sure of the departure city.  I must put that to the top of my list for this week.

So it's election day today and I am hoping that means that the terrible signs will be gone from the sides of the roads soon.  I have noticed something this time around - the vast majority of political signs are in the Seahawks colors and some even have a little swoop somewhere in the logo that looks suspiciously like a Seahawks logo.  Don't you just hate politics?  One of the signs is different and makes me laugh every time I see it.  The candidate's name is Pedro Celis and his sign says "Vote for Pedro" in large white letters and then his last name and the position underneath.  That is of course a slogan from "Napoleon Dynamite".  Cute.  Now get those signs gone tomorrow!!

Little back spasm

It doesn't take much sometimes and that was moving a bit of furniture.  I twisted a bit and when I woke up Thursday morning I did not think I could be comfortable sitting at a desk all day.  Both Thursday and Friday were spent reclining and using my awesome massaging heating pad.  Oh I have definitely had worse tweaked backs.  This was pretty mild, considering.  I was lucky that I could spend the time letting it relax rather than having to make it worse.  Thankfully I had some extra large Ibuprofen tablets from when I broke my toe, which helped.  And, bonus, I didn't have to rake wet leaves this weekend!

I did go up to the mall on Saturday, the first of November mind you, and found not a few stores with considerable Christmas decorations and music already!  Oh that makes me absolutely nuts.  What?  Are we just going to skip over Thanksgiving?  I know it's a losing battle, but the day after Halloween?  Really?

It was also the weekend for turning the clocks back and I am grateful for the extra light in the morning.  Oh, but the parking garage!  What a freaking mess!!  The entire half of the top of the garage, the open air part, is a lake. I saw one guy get out of his vehicle with this pants rolled to the knees and wade through in rubber sandals.  I think I'll try to find somebody to complain to.  It must just be a matter of a plugged drain, but it's been weeks now.  Enough is enough.

Last night I stayed up way too late finishing the Brown Eyed Susan.  I only had two rows left of the lace edging which I finished up while watching the football games (both Seahawks and Huskies won this weekend) and then there was the crochet edging bind off left to do and I started it and I just couldn't put it down.  It was SO cute.  So I kept going and then wove in the ends and voila!  It's done.  It needs a little blocking, which I can hopefully get to tonight.

So here it is November and I am NOT looking forward to getting on a plane in a few weeks.  It feels strange.  But I have a trip in six months to get ready for and that'll have to suffice.

Besides the Huskies and the Seahawks winning, I am pretty close on my fantasy match up.  My regular QB and best wide receiver are on a bye this week, but I am only 17 points behind and I've got two guys tonight.  My opponent doesn't have anybody.  But the chances of my guys, even together, getting 17 points is not good.  Not impossible mind you, but just not good.  I'll watch the game anyway, just in case.