Vacation here we come

I can't say for sure how long it has been since I've been on vacation this week.  I think maybe 15 years, but more than 20.  Medical school starts the day after the September holiday and so I always have to be here.  Not this year though.  This year we don't start our portion until the 14th and so here I go - a September holiday!  We're leaving Saturday morning, coming back the following Saturday evening and then I'll have two whole days to get back into the groove before I have to go back to work.

There's lots for me to get done this morning.  I have to leave around 1 o'clock for an appointment downtown - which I hope doesn't take more than an hour or so.  I have tons of things to do at home before I leave but since the plane doesn't take off tomorrow until 1:30 I will have plenty of time.

Last night I got started on the picot bind off for the Starry Night.  It's rather time consuming but I do love how it looks and it will give the piece a little weight.  It's rather small so blocking aggressively is going to be what I'll have to do.  Even so I suspect it's going to be more of a kerchief than a shawl.

I've also got to do some serious studying for my fantasy draft.  I haven't done much but I'll print out all of my cheat sheets, take my magazine and keep up with things while we're gone. 

Now to work.

Enjoy it while it lasts

Well it looks like today is the last day of sunshine for a while.   A storm is moving in with rain and wind.  Is it not a perfect time to head south for a vacation?  Yes, yes it is!

I nearly finished the Starry Nights shawl yesterday at noon knitting.  I've got one and a half rows to go before I bind off.  I was going to finish it last night but I got caught up in dinner preparation and catching up on some shows so tonight is the night.  Ben's golfing so I'll have the entire evening to myself.  My only question then is should I wind up the Ancient Gryphon yarn when I finish the shawl?  Maybe I'll wait until I get back from California.

Work is busy busy busy.  It sure makes the day go by faster.  I heard yesterday that the SOM is now paying 25% of my salary and the department is over the moon.  I'm pretty happy too knowing that I am golden for this year.  I just have to make it through the year which is going to be a slog at times.  Ah well .... when you can see the light at the end of the tunnel it's a bit easier to withstand the slog.

A visit to the vet

When I got home from work on Monday I found yet another puddle left by Tink.  This summer she has left a couple of puddles during the night which I just supposed were from her drinking more water than normal.  But during the day?  And then I realized she's been licking herself more than usual.  So I put 1 and 1 together and came up with UTI.  I called the vet first thing yesterday morning and got an appointment for 2 o'clock.  On her morning walk and got a good sample to take in with me.  She'd not been lethargic and everything seemed normal except for the puddles.  The urinalysis didn't show anything and the vet gave me a choice of putting her on a broad spectrum antibiotic and come cream for her irritated hoo-haw  or culturing the urine so we could see what is growing and treat that.  I chose that option and went out of there with a considerably lighter wallet and some cream for her nether regions.  Hopefully by Friday we'll see what we have growing.  I hope that's all it is.

For my birthday Monika got me a Yarnbox classic, the type I had discontinued.  That was in the mailbox on Monday and it is awesome!  A beautiful green color of a DK weight from the Verdant Gryphon.  I am considering making another Venomous Tentacular from it. 

I worked on my Starry Nights last night and brought it in today.  I am very close to being done.  It is a very small shawl - more like a lacy scarf.  I don't think I'll actually use it but it is fun to knit. The yarn is so soft.

Vacation -- come on!!

Pre-vacation week

Oh it is going to be a very interesting week, starting with a meeting this morning.  I cannot wait to dig in.

I didn't last the entire day on Friday.  I was just SO sleepy and nothing much was happening, so I took off a little early with the intention of having a little nap.  It had a nice rest anyway - don't think I dropped off.  The good news was that we didn't have to wait but could start the game right away and then stop it during dinner preparation.  It was a better game than last week, but not awesome and they lost by one point.  Good thing it doesn't count.

I did get to sleep in on Saturday though and it was glorious!  A nice long, deep sleep and a lazy breakfast.  And then ... chores.  I smacked my elbow right into the door jamb at one point and it still is aching!  There was no knitting at all this weekend because of it.  And having fun.  Saturday after all the chores were done and I was cleaned up off we went to the Triplehorn for the 3rd annual  Hoardfest.  It was much much better than last year, music-wise.  I actually enjoyed the bands.  We didn't stay very late - mostly because the beer is just SO strong.  And it was hot and sunny. 

Sunday I had to get my contacts ordered at Costco and do grocery shopping.  Poor Ben was not feeling great - I think the food he ate at Hoardfest did not agree with him.  He stayed home and I went to the mall to get a couple of things for vacation and then a nice early dinner at Steve and Ginny's with McG.  Great salad and wonderful salmon.  Cooked perfectly. 

Well ... off to my meeting.

Hooray for Friday

Oh am I ever glad this week is over.  I am SO tired.  I can't figure it out.  Maybe it's because the clouds are back, but I can't seem to wake up.  I was busy yesterday and I felt like I was walking with lead boots.  I have a busy weekend ahead of me, since we're leaving on vacation next Saturday.  I sure hope I perk up!

It's Seahawks tonight - the second preseason game.  I'm looking forward to that this evening and then a nice long sleep in tomorrow before I dig into my chores.  Next week I really need to start getting into my fantasy football team.  I need to be super prepared when I go to California since we're having the draft on that last Friday night.  I'll have to be ready to go before I leave since we'll be running around having fun and I won't be able to study too much directly before the draft.  I'll have to sign up for ESPN Insider next week too.

The students will be back next week, starting their orientation and clogging up the parking garage and bus.  Ah well ... twelve months to go and then I am free free free.  Tick tock, it's going to be a long year.

I am getting the feeling of autumn in the air - just a teensie bit - and it's darker in the mornings.  So of course my mind is set on Europe - can I make it work this year?  But no, I cannot.  I take this next week off to see my sister and I will be back to zero vacation days.  It grows quickly enough but I'll have to wait until after the first of the year. 

And there's another blog post that is just whine whine whine.  Enjoy.

When noon knitting sucks

I honestly look forward to my Wednesday noon knitting with the ladies.  It is usually fun and relaxing.  Yesterday?  Not so much.  There was a new person who joined us, plus one of the newer ladies had a bazillion questions.  When I finally got down to starting my own project I started on the wrong row in the pattern so when I figured it out I had to tink back almost 100 stitches.  By this time is was nearly time to leave, so I didn't re-start the row.  I was all wound up!  Not fun.  Plus it was very very hot yesterday. 

I didn't finally relax until nearly six o'clock.  I had to stop at the grocery store for things for a cold dinner and the guy at the deli counter was SO slow!  But I had a new episode of "Hard Knocks" to watch, and that was nice.   I did finally relax, but it was too hot to knit, even with the fan.  It's much cooler today and raining on the way in.  I can't wake up!  I need a vacation.  [whine whine whine]

Catching up

Oh how I love going to the gym in the summer time!  When I got to the locker room at the IMA I was the only one in there!  What a rare occurrence.  I was so tired yesterday though and while I managed to get through my 30 minutes of cardio, it was tough.  Hopefully Thursday it'll be better.

I went to bed ridiculously early last night and slept the sleep of the dead.  I know I woke up once but only briefly.  I do feel a lot better rested today.  It's going to be a very hot day today so I can't count on any good sleep tonight.  It'll be time for the fan again.  I just thank goodness I'm not in Thornton Place anymore.  It was brutal last summer and it wasn't near as hot for so many days as this summer.  I wouldn't have been able to handle it.

Noon knitting today and I've brought my Starry Summer Nights with me.  I want to button that project up before I go on vacation.  Speaking of vacation ... will I bring a project with me?  You know, I bring projects and I never ever knit on them!  I do remember knitting on something when I went to Hawaii once but that was avoidance knitting.  As in I didn't want to interact so therefore I knit.  I will be happy with the company this vacation, for sure.  So .... maybe not.

Big doings

Things have been very strange at work lately and yesterday it got really interesting.  The Chairman's secretary sent out an email that the chairman had called a staff meeting for 11:45.  He never calls staff meetings and the administrator is out on vacation.  He also called a faculty meeting directly before it so we all knew it was big news.  My money was on him stepping down and sure enough, that is what happened.  He is going to just run the Willed Body Program and we have an interim chair.  It will take at the very least 18 months to do a proper search to find a new one and by then I will be gone.  Or at least down to 40% time. 

This step is really a very good thing and it has already made my life easier at work.  There is no ambiguity about what the heck he is doing.  I just wish the meeting we're having next Monday could be happening this week, but alas Andy is gone for a holiday he had booked before this whole mess started so we wait. 

In a few more weeks Do Nothing Monday night will have a football game component.  But I did fine lounging in the back garden enjoying the weather and some nice wine.  I sleep so much better when it's not so hot, but it's going to be really hot today and hotter tomorrow.  I can't remember when we've had such a solid summer.  It's been quite a while.  I do notice some leaves changing and the light is just a little different.  I am not sorry to see autumn coming.

Two weeks until vacation

Friday we had quite the thunder storm.  It poured!  And I was worried about poor Tinkerbell all alone at home.  The storm had blown over by the time I got home and, of course, she was fine.  It was such a change from the hot hot summer we've been having. 

It was game night and we made a nice pizza and watched the first pre-season game.  Our two draftees were awesome but otherwise it was pretty boring, as we knew it would be.  But hey, it's football. 

Saturday morning we took off early to Flower World and I bought lots of pretty things to put in the planters and a Rosemary bush for a spot in the back.  Then I got to work cleaning out the debris from the older planters and planting the new things.  I am very pleased with the results although I need a few more plants - always need more plants I guess.  Then it was off to the nail salon and a trip to Trader Joe's and that was my Saturday. 

I had forgotten Ben's golf tournament Sunday.  So there I was with an entire morning and part of the afternoon to fill up with .. knitting.  Not all knitting - I did some chores.  I am trying to finish up that silly ArtYarns Starry Summer Nights shawl.  I got a one-off Yarnbox Classic for my birthday present from Monika and that's going out today, plus I've got a few other (million) projects in the wings.  Just waiting for some cooler weather.  This is not the time to have a blanket's worth of knitting on your lap.  Or even a cardigan.

This is a weird morning - the Chairman of the department has called a staff meeting!  He never calls staff meetings plus the Administrator is on vacation .... so the news is either going to be really good or really bad.  Stay tuned.

If it wasn't for bad luck ......

What is it with me and buses?  I always seem to be having some sort of mix up or other.  Yesterday I took the bus to Northgate so I could pick up some face cream and save myself a trip to the mall during the weekend.  I got there just fine but the getting back to work .... not so fine.  I waited on 5th for the 68 bus, assuming that it would be going to the University.  Ha!  Plus, oh it was late.  So I waited about 20 minutes for this bus that took me around the corner to the transit center across from where I used to live.  It was then that I realized that I had mistaken the 68's route.  It is not circular!  I then caught a 67 which is the bus I used to take to work.  I could have walked over to the transit center after my purchase and caught a 67.  Well at least I figured it out because I have to go back today because I got the wrong cream.  *sigh*

It was nearly 90 yesterday but the clouds moved in and now it's not even 70 and it was thundering and raining this morning.  I wonder if I should have given Tink a pill.  Well, too late.  Hopefully she won't be too freaked out.  The rain shouldn't last and I should be able to have some good garden time tomorrow.  I plan on going to Flower World in Maltby.  It's supposed to be very cool. 

I am SO looking forward to the Seahawks tonight, although I don't think any of the first stringers are going to be playing.  It doesn't matter.  It's back, that's all.

When do you call it finished?

I know that many many people post their projects on Ravelry and keep up with the progress of the item by posting pictures and then post a finished date.  I call a project finished when it is blocked but I think some people call it finished when it comes off the needles.  Unless you can wear it or use it I don't think you can call it done.  But I am a very picky and precise person so .... you can ignore this rant. Here are some pictures of the lovely shawl being blocked.  I am sorry that the beads don't show up as well in the photos.  They really pop in real life. You can kind of see them in the picture on the right.  Or if you look very closely at the bottom of the tear drops on the left.  I am anxious for it to dry but I won't be able to use it for weeks and weeks if this summer keeps up like it has been. 

We had thunder showers yesterday and the air is moist today but it will still be in the high 80s.  I think Friday it's supposed to cool down.  I hope it's nice on the weekend though because I want to work on the garden and the planters around the patio and porch.  I just don't like to garden at all when it's cloudy.

I had a quiet evening last night and will again tonight, hopefully.  Tomorrow night?  Ah, the first pre-season Seahawks game!!  Woohoo!!!

Finished Shangri-La

I finished binding off the Shangri-La shawl and it is SO gorgeous!  It needs to be blocked so I don't have any pictures.  I brought it in today to show the noon knitting group before it's blocked and tonight when I get home I'll give it a good soak and pin it out.  I need to be aggressive about it so that the nice mesh work can really show off the beaded tear drops.  Hopefully we'll get a winter this year so that I can wear it.

I worked from home yesterday afternoon after spending the morning at a doctor's appointment.  We've finally got all of the dosages right so with any luck I won't have to see her again until next May.  It just doesn't make any sense for me to drive to work after a morning doctor's appointment though.  It is expensive - tolls both ways and parking - and it takes an hour.  All of my files are on the cloud now so I took care of business as well as let Tink in and out a million times.

Since my Shangri-La was finally finished I decided I'd knit up the project from the Yarnbox ArtYarns shipment.  It's gorgeous yarn but I'm not crazy on the colors.  And right now I need a small project.  It's still so very very hot and not weather to start a sweater, which will be my next big project.  A lace panel drapey cardigan.  Monika made it and it's a great pattern.  But I'm weeks away from that.

What else?  All I can seem to do is complain about the weather.

Super Duper Birthday Weekend

I had a wonderful weekend!  It started out with a work at home day Friday because I had someone coming over to clean the furnace ducts. Actually I thought they were just coming to give me a bid, but they just started doing it and I had nobody else coming to give me a price so I just let them go ahead.  It needed to be done and they were done in 30 minutes.  The price was fine and I'm happy. 

Saturday and Sunday I got a lot of knitting done and I've finished up the body of the Shangri-La and I started the picot bind off last night.  However, after the third one I realized I had forgotten the bead!!  There is absolutely no way in the world to tink back to add it so I put it down.  I need to have all my wits about me when I do this bind off and I was distracted by the first pre-season game.  Ahhh, football. 

My birthday celebration Saturday was low key but really nice.  First I slept in, then after breakfast went to the mall where I got a new Seahawks 12 jersey.  Then some grocery shopping and a light lunch.  The main event was dinner at Preservation Kitchen.  It was super good. 

Sunday was a lazy day.  We had a party planning meeting at 3 o'clock and otherwise is was just knitting and football.  I don't feel bad about it at all.  It was still my birthday.  Next weekend I'll work on the planters and otherwise be more productive.

Mists

Yesterday evening the rains came and it really poured.  It smelled so nice - wet earth.  And it sounded lovely too.  I had had a bad day yesterday - except for noon knitting - and it was rather soothing.  This morning it's not actually raining, but still the air is wet and it's misty.  It won't last long, but I think this cooler weather will be with us for a while and for that I'm grateful.

I managed to dial in to my meeting yesterday and get on the correct bus - yay me.  The meeting went on long enough for me to get to the Transit Center, drive home in horrific traffic and walk Tinkerbell.  In other words, it went over time.  I just don't know ..... things are SO weird and things are still up in the air.  It is not going to be easy to get through another entire year of this, but I must do it.  Day by day.  Today I get to go to the gym.  There's a good thing.

I've got to get the heating air ducts cleaned before we turn the furnace back on this year.  After that remodel and the floor refinishing the ducts were NOT cleaned and I believe it did not do my asthma any favors.  This year it will be done - the sooner the better.

My Shangri-la is getting to have some weight and substance and it is such a comfort to work on.  I got another couple of rows done yesterday between noon knitting and the evening stupid TV time.  (Although stupid TV time now includes football news so that's good). After I finish the next beaded row I will take stock of my yarn and see how much further I can go.  I think four repeats and the edging will be fine, especially blocked, but if I can make it another repeat I shall do it because I like my wraps to be long.

Oh I hope I can stay awake.  While I love this cloudy weather it does make me sleepy.

Memorized

My Shangri-la is coming along nicely.  Now that I have the pattern memorized it is really zipping by.  I got another two rows done last night before I crashed and I will get two more done at noon knitting today.  Because I'm now working from the previously knitted portion of the Jo's Pride it is going to be difficult for me to judge if I will have enough yarn to add another pattern repeat.  But I'm a week or so away from having to make that judgement.

Yesterday was another present day on my birthday week.  This one a bottle of a liquor I am fond of.  But it can't keep up, I'm sure.  But while it is happening I'm liking it!!

The clouds have rolled in and with it cooler weather.  No rain though, which is what I was looking forward to.  And it won't last long either.  We'll be back in the 80s by Friday.

Football .... that's basically all we're hearing about now.  Especially after that horrible end to the Super Bowl.  Preseason games start on the 11th, I think.  Although the Hall of Fame game will be on this coming Sunday.  Guess what I'm going to be doing?

Hooray for the birthday week!

The best week of the year.  We'll discount the time spent at work, of course.  I doubt the gifts will continue every night, but last night I got a wrapped gift to begin the birthday week.  What was it?  Only a copy of the Fantasy Football Index!  Okay, it's just a magazine, but it's a great fantasy football start for me.  I got the email yesterday to join our league and this year I'm going to be prepared!  So besides studying this magazine I'm going to join the ESPN Fantasy Insiders.  I'd just like to be in the playoffs!  I don't need to win the whole thing, which would be awesome.  But being in the playoffs would be great too.

I finished up the laundry and had a pretty lazy evening, which is how I like Do-Nothing Monday to be.  I even got some knitting in, albeit with the fan blowing straight on me.  I needed to get to bed early and I had a nice night, for the most part.  It was bloody hot, but fans work well enough to let me fall asleep.

I wanted to go to the gym yesterday since I wasn't able to go even once last week.  But I had to go to Northgate because I did not want to have to go to the mall on Saturday plus I was totally out of Chanel mascara.  It took as long to go to the mall as it does to go to the gym.  Not that anybody notices anyway.  Today it's gym time.

I think we might get some more rain tomorrow.  At least it's cooling off this week and I noticed that finally my tomatoes are starting to put out some flowers.  The cherry tomatoes have fruit on them but the other two, with the exception of the 3 tomatoes on the Early Girl that were there from the beginning.  So maybe by the end of August we'll have some tomatoes.

Not what I expected

Friday was a very busy morning, plus it was Seafair weekend and the Blue Angels were flying, so I90 was closed making 520 impassible.  Therefore I was picked up very late and we didn't get to the ferry line until after two.  It was packed!  We didn't end up getting on the ferry until 5 o'clock.  No matter.  We had a vacation mindset, and cocktails.  After checking in to the hotel we went out for a meal and then walked the town.  The music ..... mmmmm, not exactly what we were expecting.  After doing a bit more research we found that this is mostly a workshop type of week culminating in various concerts around town.  This is acoustic blues, not dance music. 

We had a wonderful breakfast and then drove around, visiting the historic fort where the workshops were being held, among other things.  In the afternoon we walked around all of the galleries and shops and I fell in love with this clock.  The little swirl is blurred because it is the pendulum.  I just LOVE it and so I bought it.  A birthday present to myself, a week early.  I didn't have anything particular in mind to buy myself this year, so I am very happy I found this.

We had a little rest and then went back out for a late lunch and then, since we weren't all that enamored with the music we settled in on the balcony with snacks and lots of tequila and played cards.  I was the winner.  I cleaned everybody out!  That is the first time we've played poker and I was the big winner.  The downside is that I had to buy dinner, but it was well worth it.  And we laughed and laughed.  I was sure my stomach was going to be sore the next morning, but it wasn't.

We got up and out in plenty of time to make the ferry without having to wait in line.  We couldn't pick Tink up until 3, but that gave me time to shop for food and start laundry.  Oh it was hot.  Too hot.  The weather is supposed to cool down a bit this week and I can't wait.  Hopefully we'll get some rain as well.

Things are absolutely bizarre at work.  My sanity is hanging by a thread.