Sad sad sad sad sad sad

In as few words as possible -- The Seahawks lost the Super Bowl in the last seconds.  I terrible play was called.  I can't even think about it.  Awful.  Tragedy really.  Now football is over for a few months.  Oh my ...

Other than the game the weekend was pretty nice.  Doggie walks, and chores and a nice dinner out at Purple, although they had no record of my reservation.  Luckily they were able to fit us in.  Otherwise I would have been very unhappy.  It was awfully crowded though. 

From running last week my ankle was quite sore so I took some Ibuprofen and iced it Saturday and Sunday while I worked on my TV knitting project.  I've finished up with the increase section and have now started on the decrease section which is twice as long as the first section giving it an off center look.  I think it's going to be very cool and a good accessory for the spring.

I have gone back to my original plan of Cinque Terre after Florence, so now that I've finally decided I've got to put the puzzle together.  That's on my plate for this week.

Knitting tomorrow and, if the weather cooperates, running today, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  I know . . it seems like a lot and perhaps I should take Thursday off.  We'll see how the foot/ankle/toe feels.

The traffic was quite light this morning and the bus was not full again.  I think more than a few people took today off, or are coming in late after being at football parties.  It's dark and pouring rain.  An accurate reflection of people's feelings this morning I am thinking.

Friday at last

This has been a looooooong week.  Maybe because I've been alone since Sunday night?  Or because it's been pretty quiet here at work ... I don't know.  Another weird thing -- the bus has been very uncrowded and the parking garage as well.  I was a little early this morning and I could have parked on the 2nd floor, but I've been that early before and had a hard time finding a spot.  Plus there hasn't been any standing on the bus for days and days.  It's too early for mid-terms, isn't it?  Maybe it's the flu epidemic.

I love getting home when there is still light in the sky.  I didn't need the flashlight on Tink's 5 o'clock walk last night.  It's still very dark in the morning, although on a clear morning there is a touch is color in the sky.  In another month it'll be much more noticeable.  But it's gotten colder.  The heat kept coming on this morning.  I thought I'd forgotten to turn it down before I went to bed last night, but on checking this morning it was set to 60, as usual.  It kept coming on so it was super cold in there this morning.

I'm looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow and Sunday.  But I've got lots to do as well because all my chores have to be done on Saturday so that Sunday can be dedicated to Super Bowl.  Oh!  Plus we're going to Purple for dinner tomorrow night.  That's a nice carrot for a day spent doing chores.  I'm doing red beans and rice for dinner on Sunday -- no Super Bowl party, just another couple.  I want to watch the game!  I think it's going to be a good one.  I hope.

Progress

Yesterday I was ready to run again and it was good!  I didn't even have to take an extra puff of my inhaler, which is fabulous.  It was run walk run walk but definitely more running than walking too.  When I got home I had a hot bath and this morning I have exactly ZERO aches and ZERO pains!  Woohoo!!  Just to be on the extra safe side I'm going to walk up to the store rather than run and then run again tomorrow.  If that goes well and by well I mean that my foot and/or toe doesn't flare up, I can run on consecutive days next week.  It is supposed to be raining all next week, but unless it is pouring, I don't care.  I'll be out there.

It has gotten just a little cooler and more seasonal.  In fact, there was a bit of frost on my windows this morning.  Just a little though.  I had a fire last night while I was knitting and watching Inside the NFL.  Only one more program to go and then football season is really truly over.  Imagine how much free time I'll have on the weekends.  Staggering the amount of time spent during football season on just watching. 

I am still stuck on what to do for the last part of my trip.  Perhaps I should put that tops on my list for tomorrow.  I have lots of details I still have to iron out - plane tickets for Paris to Venice and things like that.  A mountain of details.  Maybe that's what keeping me from starting.  I don't know ....  I just need to step up and do it!

Incentive or Drizzlefizzle

I was looking for a pattern on Ravelry for my Feederbrook Farms Entropy and came across the Incentive pattern.  It looked fun and perfect for the yarn and yardage so I bought it.  The pattern PDF called it Drizzlefizzle and I think that's as fine a name as Incentive. It's put together a lot like the Venomous Tentacula in that the border stays the same size and the garter stitch top grows.  By the way, I wear the Venomous Tentacula a lot!  As you can see, this Entropy colorway, Q (for Quark, I think) starts out lavender.  It does seems to have quite a bit of brown-y orange in it and a little more than I would like, but as I said, it's nice to branch out color wise.  I can't knit everything in green!  It's good TV knitting.  I will have the bottom portion memorized before long.  Each repeat comprises four rows, two picot edges.  The top part will grow to a certain number of stitches, then short rows, then more growing or decreasing.  And the yarn is lovely!  Soft and squishy. 

So that's what I did last night after Tink's walk.  I wound yarn and started this project.  I was a little worried about Tink but she seemed fine when I (finally) got home last night.  The bus was late and the traffic was bad.  A construction project is going to be started here at the U right in front of my bus stop and the road will be down to one lane.  I suspect getting home is going to be a hassle for a while.

I am looking forward to Inside the NFL tonight, although I imagine much of the time is going to spent on the deflated footballs question.  And then after Sunday football will be over for a while.  I dreamed about it last night, actually.  Someone was asking me if I wanted to watch an arena football game on TV.  I was appalled. 

Today I am going to run again at lunchtime.  It is the highlight of my day.  What does that tell you?

Emma emailed this morning.  She's all set to meet us in Florence in April!  That will be so much fun!!  Now I really really need to figure out the rest of the trip!  I don't want to go further into Tuscany if I have to take Italian buses and I don't want to rent a car.  So ... back up the coast or somewhere else?  Gah!! 

A little daylight

Since it's been so clear lately, I've been noticing that it is getting lighter.  I didn't need the flashlight when I took Tink out last night.  It's still plenty dark in the morning, but I saw the sun coming up on the way to the Transit Center yesterday too.   And warm?  Yes indeed.  Crazy warm again.  I haven't had a fire in days.  I kind of wish it would cool down to normal temperatures.  I like a fire in the evening.

When I got home last night Tinkerbell was going nuts -- even more than usual.  She couldn't wait to get outside and then she went straight for the greens.  She grazed off and on for about an hour.  When we come in from our walk she usually wants to play ball.  Last night she did not, nor had she eaten all day.  She stayed quiet all evening, but she did finally eat something.  She got up in the night for some water and this morning seemed her normal self.  She's going to be eleven next month. 

I got my latest YarnBox last night.  This month we got Feederbrook Farms Entropy.  I changed my color preference from green to purple because I was getting SO much green yarn.  This one has a little too much brown for my taste, being a kind of gradient yarn.  But I'm going to keep it.  I need to branch out.  Try new colors.

I am proud to say that I booked our stay in Florence yesterday.  I'm still going back and forth about going further into Tuscany.  I don't like Italian buses and that's what we'd have to take.  I think Tuscany is better done by car.  I want this to be a very easy vacation.  So .... back to Cinque Terre?  I have to figure it out sooner than later.

Crazy warm

We're having some sort of freaky inversion or something.  All weekend it was crazy warm!  Yesterday it was 63 degrees and today it will be the same.  Extremely odd weather for January.  I took advantage of it and took Tink to the park yesterday - along with about a billion other people with the same idea.  But I just couldn't stay indoors.  It was like spring!

All good intentions - but I didn't do anything on the itinerary nor did I pick up any knitting.  I wasn't in the mood for Jo's Pride and I am re-thinking the wrap I started.  I think it's going to be too heavy with the chunky yarn in there with the silk and sequins.  So I'm going to have to frog it. I need a good TV knitting project. 

It would be a great day to run.  I am over the soreness, but Tinkerbell is out of food so I'm going to have to walk to the Petco at noon today.  Tomorrow is knitting, so Wednesday is the day for running.  Hopefully Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week.  That would be nice.

It was fabulous!

I was feeling some trepidation about my run yesterday, but it wasn't raining and my foot was just fine, so off I went.  Slowly slowly it went.  I ran a bit, walked a bit, ran some more, etc etc.  At 1/2 mile I stopped for another couple of puffs from my inhaler and then off I went again.  By 1 3/4 miles I was feeling ggrrrreat!  I did my entire 3 miles, about 2 minutes per mile off my usual pace, but that is to be expected.  And am I ever sore today!!  I will walk at lunchtime, rest on the weekend and run again on Monday.  Hopefully I can do four times next week, but I would be happy with three.  I want to work myself up to where I was, four times a week with a day off for knitting.  But I don't want to inflame this foot or toe or ankle.  So easy does it.  But I am super happy.  The sun even came out for a bit!  And the angels sang - softly.

Today I'm going to do my best to finish up the itinerary.  I will book Florence accommodations and do some research into where in Tuscany we should spend the last five days before heading back to Paris.  Steve & Ginny went to Tuscany on a wine tasting tour.  I should get in touch with them.

Nothing much on for the weekend.  A trip to a new (for me) brewery in Woodinville tonight, tomorrow maybe an appointment with the manicurist, and then I'm on my own Sunday through Friday.  I need to visit Trader Joe's to stock up on girlie food - spinach & kale pie, chicken meatballs, salad.   I should be able to get some good knitting done too.  I'd like to get a few hours in on the Jo's Pride and block some things I've got hanging around.  Lots on the plate.

Working on that darned itinerary

Okay I'm getting closer to getting this trip figured out.   Hooray for me, yeah?  I had totally spaced Emma's birthday - April 27.  She does want to meet up and so I think I'll suggest she comes to Florence.  That way we don't have to go way out of our way on the return trip to Paris and can spend more time in Italy.  Perfect.  I'm going to work on this today and try to put as many pieces together as possible.  I was reading a bit about Siena yesterday and got an idea.  The book was talking about wine tasting classes in English.  I had such a fun time last year in Mexico taking that cooking class.  Therefore, I'm going to read a bit more and see about maybe going further into Tuscany (south) and finding some cooking classes.  That would be so cool!

I didn't touch my knitting last night.  It was "Inside the NFL" night and then reading.  I was looking for a new Sarah Dunant book, but she doesn't have one that I haven't ready.  Ah ha ..... but she had written a few books BEFORE I discovered her historical books.  I bought one of those a few days ago and that's what I'm reading.  It's called "Birth Marks" and features a detective named Hannah Wolfe.  It's definitely an early work.  The story is good though.

It's been a long time coming but today I am going to try running again.  Well, it'll be more like walk walk walk run walk walk walk run ..... slowly.  Besides my foot my lungs are out of shape.  As long as my foot is okay I suspect this time it'll take me a good two weeks to get back into a good pace.  I'll go out if it's sprinkling but not if it's pouring, so let's hope for the best.

Tuesday knitting

How many years have I been doing noon knitting?  A long long time.  Now that it's moved to Tuesday it throws my entire week off, especially when there is a long weekend.  Despite reminding everyone on Friday, one of the ladies forgot her knitting entirely.  But there are always books to look over and plenty of idle chat - knitting and otherwise.  I got my Jo's Pride back on track and found a cardigan that I really want to make.  I am feeling guilty about the two projects that I've put aside.  Will I pick them up again?  I don't know.  I might take the alpaca I have for the Iwi pullover and use it for an open front cardigan. 

After having a terrible night's sleep Monday night I was feeling quite sleepy yesterday.  I made a nice fire when I got home and settled in for a night of reading.  Onion soup for dinner and some fresh bread and I was in bed by 9:30 and out like a light.  I woke up one time during the night, which is excellent for me because Tink manages to wake me every night.  Usually it's more than once.

I am getting closer to finishing up my itinerary for the trip this spring.  I want to contact one last friend over there and make sure we can connect.  So I can't finish up until I know if we're going to be going to Belgium or Luxembourg on the way back from Italy.  And then how many nights should we spent in Paris on the back end?  I just have to make the decisions and sometimes that's difficult.  I have been feeling a little wishy-washy lately.  It's a phase.  I hope it hurries away. 

Quite spectacular

Well, does it get much better than this?  A weekend that starts out with a visit to Tiffany's and ends with a football win for the ages.

There was one last Christmas present waiting for me Saturday morning in Bellevue - a cute necklace from the Tiffany interlocking circles collection!  I love it! Especially the little clinking noise that it makes.  I had to have my hair done Saturday morning, so that threw my weekend off a bit, but I got a very early appointment so errands were done early enough. 

Sunday was THE game.  The Seahawks won and are going to the Super Bowl again, this time to play the Patriots.  The game was extremely exciting and went into overtime.  The Seahawks were behind for most of the game, so the comeback was one for the ages.  And Green Bay was floored.  They thought they were going to win, for sure.  Now we wait for two weeks for the Super Bowl.  I do NOT want to go to a party.  I want to watch the game.  That might mean a little white lie here or there, but completely worth it.

Yesterday was pretty quiet.  The weather was decent, so I took Tink to Cottage Lake park in the morning, and then then for another long walk in the neighborhood in the afternoon.  I did laundry.  I went to the mall.  I knit on Sunday, late into the night, so I wasn't really in the mood for that.  I read.  And read.  It was lovely.

It's about those Christmas lights

In our little cul-de-sac neighborhood a few of us put up Christmas lights, some more elaborate than others and some done by professionals.  The first house with lights had them done professionally and I was in awe of those men up there on that extremely steep roof, lining the dormer windows with lights.  They must be on a timer, because I notice in the morning when I'm walking Tink that they go out at 6:45 am.  Now though, everyone has taken their lights down except these people.  Still on the timer.  I suppose they want to get their money's worth, having them done professionally.  But hey, enough's enough. 

What's on for the weekend?  Ah .... Seahawks football, that's what!  If the Seahawks beat Green Bay this weekend they're going to the Super Bowl, so that's all that is on everyone's mind, on the radio, talk on the bus, etc.  I don't know yet if we'll be staying home to watch.  I would much rather do that than be with a bunch of people, half of whom are really not interested in the game.  Yeah, well we'll see.

Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which means a long weekend for me.  I've got an appointment for my hair and then that's about it.  Sleeping in is going to be tops on my list.  I have a couple of things to exchange so if I don't get that done Saturday I can take care of it Monday.  And maybe I can find my knitting mojo.

Just one more episode

That's what happened to me last night.  I stayed up way too late catching up on the Showtime series "Episodes".  The new season is just starting and I never finished season three.  I didn't finish it last night either, but I got close.

Therefore, I am sleepy today.  Soon I will go outside and walk around and try to wake up.  It's cloudy, but not yet raining.  I think it's going to start raining and keep on for a week.  Hooray. 

I miss my LYS.  The store didn't go out of business, but moved up to 65th & Roosevelt, which means it is not a visit I can make at lunchtime.  I guess I could walk up to Bartell's and get some Kleenex.  I like to have a destination at lunchtime.  I stay out longer if I do.  Otherwise I get cold, just strolling around listening to my book.  I am still listening my way through the Outlander series.  How many months now have I been listening to those books?  I can't remember.  Three at least, maybe more.  I need to find a book for my Kindle app though, for reading at night.  I finished my book while I was sick.

Could the flu shot have helped?

Friday I didn't last long at work.  At lunchtime I went out for a walk thinking that maybe I'd feel better after some fresh air, but I kept feeling worse and worse and just went home finally.  I was dragging and achy all weekend. 

The football was good though.  Seattle won again.  Now we're in the NFC championship game with Green Bay this Sunday here in Seattle.  That'll be a good game.  I had also been looking forward to the first college national championship game - Oregon Ducks vs Ohio Buckeyes.  Not a great game.  The Ducks were beat soundly.

I ended up staying home from work both Monday and yesterday. I made it in today.  I am feeling better, at least the continual body ache is gone.  I'm a bit stuffier than I have been, but I am not tired.  Let's see how the day goes.

Not much knitting done either.  I did a few rows on a spring shawl I'm doing but that's it.  I need to get my count right on the Jo's Pride.  I think I messed it up at the last noon knitting.  I need some quiet time to do that.  Maybe tonight, but I doubt it.  I'm not in the mood.

A big ol' dose of vitamin D

It is getting colder and it's very foggy today.  It started out that way yesterday as well, but the sun did come out and I took full advantage of it, going on a long walk at noontime with my face to the sun.  It was wonderful and really did make me feel better.  After lunch I even got myself together enough to book some places for the trip.  I got AirBNB going and booked a place in Paris, near to where I lived, but closer to Place des Voges (one of my favorite places).  And then I booked a teeny weeny place in Venice.  It is small, but the price is right and it's away from the tourist section in a neighborhood.  Just what I'm looking for.  Next is Florence, then Cinque Terre and from there I am not sure.  At least I've finally got a start on it!

I can't warm up.  The bus was cold this morning, despite being packed as usual.  I was restless this morning.  I kept waking up and I don't know why.  Was it because Tink was restless?  Because I was cold?  I don't know.  It's just annoying and now I'm groggy. 

This weekend is all about football.  And next Monday is the first college championship and that will be a good game, I am hoping.  I want to get some good knitting done and that's about it.  Here's to a nice, quiet weekend.

It's all about the timing

And I can't seem to get it down!  I knew that this week the traffic would be much worse than the past few weeks because of school starting up again.  Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I just barely made the bus.  This morning Tink was quite efficient in her morning routine and therefore I pulled out of the driveway at 6:50 rather than 6:55 or 6:57.  The traffic was bad up until about 124th, where people can cut off to get to the 405.  Typically it's just as backed up after that but this morning it was smooth sailing and I got to the parking garage with 10 minutes to spare!  Ah well.  I'll get it.  I just want something between having to cool my heels waiting for the bus and having to dash down the stairs and run for it.

I got a good little run at my itinerary yesterday, but I am still having a hard time with it.  I feel like things are just about to burst wide open though.  I'll have it finished in a week, maximum.

Noon knitting was fun, after a little break.  We're moving it to Tuesdays to accommodate a regular meeting that has been scheduled for one of the ladies on Wednesdays.  That's going to make my week feel a bit off for a while. I wonder how many times I'll forget my knitting? I only got 1 1/2 rows done because I was yapping and lost count on the wrong side row.  I will have to find some quiet time this weekend to fix it.  Last night was "Inside the NFL" and early to bed to read again. 

Tink woke me once for a drink of water, but otherwise I slept like a baby and I must have gotten a solid 8 hours, taking that into consideration.  That being said, I am still SO tired!  I know it's got to be because of the constant darkness.  I wake up in the dark.  I drive to the parking garage in the dark.  It dawns on the ride in, but unless I get outside at lunchtime I don't get any appreciable sunshine because it's getting dark when I catch the bus home and by the time I'm there walking Tink it's dark again.  Some years the seasonal darkness doesn't bother me that much and others .... this is one of those years I guess.

Getting bogged down

I don't understand exactly how or why it happens.  It is like when I lose my  knitting mojo.  Procrastination at its worst.  I can't seem to get out of this rut!  But I must get myself back on track.  It could be just seasonal malaise because of the lack of daylight.  Perhaps once I start (there's that word - start) planning my trip things will loosen up.  Or maybe if I could just get myself running again, that would do it.  I am expecting that I should be able to get out there and at least run a minute walk a minute by next Monday.  I think I am being overly optimistic that the pain from my foot will disappear.  I may just have to deal with it.  Whatever it takes. 

How difficult is it going to be to stay awake at my meeting this morning?  At least I have some work to do today and noon knitting to look forward to.  Since I didn't pick up my knitting again last night.  I caramelized onions last night.  I have never really done that before, not correctly and not on purpose I should say.  It takes about 45 minutes to do it right, but yummmm.  A great addition to a steak.

Time to start planning

I made the plane reservations months ago, but I haven't really gotten down to setting my itinerary for the three weeks in April and May.  And I have GOT to start planning!  I have fourteen weeks to go, and I've not gotten any farther than a vague idea of where we should go.  I don't know why I'm having such a hard time with this but the time has come and plans need to be at least starting to be formed.  I did figure that taking the train to Venice, while a fun way to go on a sleeper, is a waste of time and money.  So we'll fly to Venice from Paris.  And then?  Florence I think.  After that?  I am torn - I am not all that keen on Rome and instead maybe we'll go to the coast.  I don't want this trip to be one mad dash after another.  I want plenty of time to just sit and absorb.  It's been so long since I've spent any time in Italy.  I think the last time was when I was living in Paris and my friend got married in Italy.  That's nearly 15 years ago -- well, it will be 15 years in June.  Isn't that crazy?

Do Nothing Monday was glorious.  The house was clean, the dinner just needed to be heated.  A couple doggie walks, a nice hot shower and in bed with a book and a nice glass of wine at 8 o'clock.  I know it sounds slothful, but a couple of hours in bed with a good book is a luxury.  And not something that you can do in the spring and summer when it's still light outside!  I guess I must have had my fill of knitting, what with knitting five hats before Christmas and then my stay-cation day knitting.  I haven't picked up either piece since Friday, or maybe Saturday.  Tomorrow is noon knitting so I know I'll get at least two rows done then.

I am really anxious to start running again.  My asthma is finally back under control.  My foot .... a little dicey, especially after that incident last month.  But I am wearing high heels to work and changing into my running shoes in the afternoon for a long walk.  The high heels are a challenge but I believe as long as I keep switching back to flat shoes after a few hours it'll be fine.  In other words, I have been able to keep from aggravating it to the point of needing to ice it.  By the middle of this month I should be out there doing my 3 miles.  I WILL be out there.

I did not want to get up

Oh dear.  How hard was it to get up and out this morning?  Ridiculous.  I had such a wonderful week and a half.  It was so relaxing.  Getting back into the routine of going to work was terribly hard.  I didn't stay up too late, thank goodness, so I wasn't really tired this morning.  But it's dark and it was pouring rain and I knew the traffic would be awful.  I was right.  It was bumper to bumper nearly all the way to the parking garage, then there was the search for a parking spot.  It was that full.  And I'm wearing very high heeled boots and I had to "run" for the bus.  I was carrying my week of lunches and fruit and milk in a bag, purse on my shoulder and holding an umbrella.  I wasn't so much running as kind of walking fast.  I am sure I looked quite foolish.  But I made the bus and I got a seat, which is more than I can say for the people who got on later. 

So what did I do with the embarrassment of time and leisure?  I cooked Christmas Eve dinner, I had a lovely Christmas day.  A fun little overnight in Bellingham, some great shopping.  I knit nearly every day, I slept in and that was perhaps the best part of the entire stay-cation.  Tink got some nice long walks, although my plan of driving to a new park every day did not pan out.  The weather wasn't fabulous.  It was, in fact, quite cold.  I took a vacation from blowing my hair dry - just let it go wild for a week.  I watched quite a bit of football.  I cooked some fabulous meals.  I worked on my Jo's Pride, but that it slow going!  Seriously - it's 30 minutes for each row still, even though it is decreasing.  But size four needles with sock yarn, that's small.  It's gorgeous, but wow, it is a slog.  I think I spent two hours on it one day, maybe three.  Then other times I would just do a couple of rows.  I am now on row 18 of the decrease section, which was started after 28 rows of the border.  This decrease section goes for 45 rows.  You do the math .... I'm going to have days into this by the time it's done.  For TV knitting I started a fun triangle that I am going to put tassels on the three corners.  It will be a great spring scarf/wrap.

I did a fair amount of reading and not any binge TV watching.  While it was cold, it was not raining or snowing outside and I just don't feel right having the television on during the day - that is unless it's a weekend and I'm watching sports, or I'm sick in bed.  Otherwise I just like the silence.  I am very proud to say that Christmas got cleaned up Saturday - the tree, the decorations outside all put away.  And good thing too, because it started raining on Sunday and it would have been much easier to put off.  Now it is done and put away. 

Of course there were two work related emails that I made the mistake of looking at, but I am proud to say that I did nothing about them.  I wanted a real vacation plus it irks me that people wait until the very last minute.  So I have a full plate this morning.  I should get to it.

Why that hat didn't look right

I had been working on my last of five hats for kids.  The final one, for a two year old, was Troll.  It's a cute little pattern with a pointy top.  But it just looked wrong somehow - as in the body of the hat before the decreases was as big as the hat I made for a six year old!  I finally took another look at the pattern and realized that the measurements were in centimeters rather than inches.  *sigh*  I had to unravel three inches of knitting.  After that it was quick and now I've got five cute little hats all ready to be wrapped up. 

It was so quiet on the way to work that I again had time to stop at Starbucks.  This time I thought an eggnog latte would be perfect, seeing as it's Christmas Eve.  Then when I got to the garage I parked on the second floor!  I think there were five of us on the usually standing room only bus.  I won't be staying here long today.  I've got a 2 o'clock manicure appointment and then I've got to get home and get the dinner ready for tonight.  And then ..... ah then I've got a week and a half to do nothing, and plenty of that!  My main occupations will be doggie walking and knitting, with a few naps thrown in for good measure and some TV binge watching.  It's going to be awesome!

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas. 

Christmas Eve Eve

There was even less traffic today than yesterday.  I was so early this morning on my way in that I had time to stop at Starbucks for a nice seasonal beverage.  And still I didn't have to hurry to get the bus.  Plenty of time. 

It is really quiet around here and since I have nothing to do (!), boring as hell.  If I didn't have to save these days for my 3 week trip in April and May I surely wouldn't be at work.  As it is, I could have gone home early yesterday except the house cleaners come on Monday, so I couldn't be home anyway.  I left at my normal time and got home and .... they hadn't been there yet!!  And that threw my entire evening off.  By the time I was done walking Tink they had arrived, so I had to put her in the truck and away we went to sit at Triplehorn.  The beer is awesome and there's football on TV AND I can bring my dog.  It's not all bad.  It just wrecked my evening.  I'm hoping I can make it up today.  If I can get my manicure appointment moved to today rather than tomorrow, I can get that done and tomorrow just go right home and get everything ready for Christmas Eve dinner.  So we'll see.  If not my plan for tomorrow will work fine.

I didn't get my last hat finished last night but tonight for sure.  Then I've got a few more gifts to wrap - 10 more, actually.  No, twelve.  But they don't all have to be done by Christmas because we're taking four of them on Saturday. 

Fantasy Football is over.  I wasn't last.  That's all I can say about it.  I had such high hopes though!  I got the first pick.  Next year will be my year!  Yeah.

Winter solstice!

Hooray!  Now the days will start to get longer.  Slowly slowly.  It's the mornings that really get to me.  I hate having to get out of bed in the pitch dark.  Plus when I go to walk Tinkerbell it is likewise pitch black outside.  Since we really don't have street lights to speak of -- two for the entire cul de sac -- I need to carry a flashlight when I am walking her.  It's just that much more difficult, hands full of leash and flashlight, trying to get the bags out of the holder and open to pick up her mess.  Throw in an umbrella and it's really a handful.

It was an awesome football weekend.  Plus dinner at Steve and Ginny's, which is always a gourmet treat.  Now there's football on Saturday and Sunday so we got to watch part of the San Francisco game on Saturday.  But Sunday was the day and we saw the Seahawks beat Arizona, which was fabulous.  Now they're in the playoffs for sure.

I don't know how it happened, but I have been nominated to cook Christmas Eve dinner.  Only seven people though, so it won't be bad.  Plus I'm going to be getting off work early on Wednesday.  It'll be fun.  And easy.  I'm letting people bring things this time.  I'm making the roast and potatoes and I have a dessert, others are bringing salad and vegetables and starter. 

It's a short week and I am so glad for it.  I can't wait for my little vacation.  I'm going to sleep and every day take Tinkerbell to some park or other for a walk.  We can go to Marymoor and to Duval for the river walk.  Then there are other parks around that I haven't yet explored.  I won't be going to the Paradise Lake conservation place though, because that's a bit too remote to go on my own. 

It was very very quiet at the parking garage.  The upper floor where I park was nearly empty.  And the traffic was practically nonexistent as well.  I was super early.  I'll try to go a bit slower tomorrow.

Oh the peace

It is very quiet this morning.  The transit center parking garage had empty spots where I never see them.  The bus is not packed, in fact there's room for everyone.  I wish I was one of the lucky ones off already, but then again I suppose they're going to wish they were me when I have three weeks off in the spring to wander France and Italy.  So, it is totally worth having to come to work.

I had a lovely walk down to University Village again where I found my Metaxa and got myself a little Christmas Jagermeister.  I popped it into the freezer while I was doing my hair and had a little while I was knitting.  Very festive.

I was hoping to finish up that hat last night, but it's a little slower going than I thought because of counting rows and figuring out which row gets the decrease.  The pattern author made a chart.  I think she could have done it a little better though.  But I just have to keep up with where I am in the patterning of k 3 rows and p 3 rows.  It's a little ridged hat.  Very cute.  I just need to concentrate and I can get that one finished off in less than an hour.  And that leaves me with only two more to go!

The lamb shanks are in at the store, so I can stop by on the way home and then make it for dinner tomorrow.  This had better be good.  Although I've never made anything out of this particular cook book that wasn't awesome.  I can get it into the cooker when I am done with my hair appointment tomorrow and then finish up with my errands so the rest of the weekend can be devoted to wrapping gifts and finishing hats and watching football.  Sounds awesome, doesn't it?

This week is just crawling by

Oh heavens!  It's only Thursday!!  Oh I need a break something fierce.  Soon.  Well, not that soon, but soon enough. I am working today, tomorrow and then next Monday, Tuesday and half of Wednesday.  Then I'm off for a week and a half. Most everyone else is already gone.

I got two rows done at noon knitting yesterday on my Jo's Pride.  Only two more rows to go of the border pattern and then I can split it into three sections and, hopefully, it'll start to go a bit faster.  It now takes me 30 solid minutes to do a row.  That is so slow.  I despair of ever finishing this thing.  I did buy the extra beads I needed last weekend so I am going to keep plugging away.

In the meantime, in the evening I am furiously working on hats for children.  I've finished two so far and started a third.  I need to finish five for Christmas.I can get one finished up in two work evenings but I think this weekend if I put my mind to it I should be able to get all of the rest of them done, plus get all of the packages wrapped. 

For TV while I'm knitting I've been catching up with the Sherlock episodes I never finished last year.  The last season will be starting up in January, so I want to be sure I'm up to date.  It's such an excellent show.  I had forgotten just how much I loved it.  Plus I like the images of places around London.  I can recognize a few places I've been.  I swear in the episode I watched last night they were filming on the street of a hotel I have stayed a few times.  Then I get sad ...

So - lunchtime today it's back down to University Village.  I need some Metaxa for a lamb shanks recipe and they didn't have any in the small Safeway near my house.  There is a larger liquor store affiliated with QFC down there and hopefully they'll have some.  And not a huge bottle either, because I just need 1/4 cup!  It should be a tasty dish.  I'm still waiting for Safeway meat department to let me know when they get the lamb shanks in, however.  That's one of the things about being out so far.  I do have nice grocery stores near enough, but not near enough to stop by on the way home.  I make a special trip on the weekend, but I didn't do it last weekend because I was busy with Christmas shopping.  Oh well, not a big deal.

Third re-set was the charm

I was really scared my iPad had something really wrong with it yesterday, but after re-setting it three times it just popped up like normal.  And for that I am thankful!  I use it so much.  Lately every pattern I've been knitting has been a PDF opened up in iBooks.  It's so handy that way.  And my reading at night - books on my Kindle read on my iPad.  All of my magazine subscriptions are on my iPad.  I am pretty attached to it.  Understatement.

We had such a fun lunch yesterday.  It wasn't raining, but cold.  Nevertheless most of us walked to Ivar's.  I had worn my super awesome red suede shoes, but also brought walking shoes because it's kind of muddy on the way to Ivar's.  And earlier in the morning I had to dash off to the dentist for a fluoride treatment and those high heels are not conducive to dashing.  BTW, that fluoride treatment tastes terrible!  Let's hope it works.

All of my Christmas gifts to my sister and nephews were wrapped and sent off yesterday.  All but one - a T-shirt I had ordered on line for Omie and which had said it was estimated to arrive December 18 - 22.  I got it in the mail yesterday!  You see, I ordered it off Amazon and I chose the item that had Prime, assuming it would come in two days like most of the Prime items.  But after I ordered it the arrival date estimation was much later, so I sent off all the other presents.  And then it comes.  So I've got to get that in the mail this morning.  I'll just send it USPS Priority.  It'll be there in plenty of time.

I am looking forward to noon knitting.  I'll be doing the first work on Jo's Pride since last week!  I've been working on the kids hats, nearly finishing the second one last night.  I can get that finished up tonight.  Then only three more to go!

What is wrong with my iPad???

Something strange is going on and I don't like it at all!  I was on my iPad and it just froze.  I tried the hard restart and now it's stuck on the screen with the apple logo.  It won't do anything!  This is not good.  Not good at all.  I use that iPad all the time.  I'll have to do some searching.

A quiet day yesterday.  I had a nice walk to University Village to pick up Ali's last gift and something else for Omie.  When I got home I hauled everything out and got it all wrapped and into the shipping box.  Yay me!  It's going to be sent today.  I feel good about that.

Today is our staff lunch and before that I have to get to the dentist for my fluoride treatment.  I am hoping it does the trick with the sensitivity issue.  If not, I don't know what I'm going to do!  It is really bad.

(and still the iPad is stuck on the logo screen)

Tink got me up at 1:30 in the morning to go potty!  This is happening a lot lately and I'm not liking it a bit.  I took her outside at 8 o'clock and watched her do her business so .... do you think it's because she's getting older?  It's annoying as hell.

The cold is back!

Thursday we had a fun holiday party.  It was stormy and I got word the bridge was due to close, so I took off early to make sure I could get over the bridge.  The wind was blowing, off and on, but when I got home I could see patches of blue.  That didn't last long.  The storm really got going later in the evening and branches were coming down all over the place.  I had planned on working from home so I could attend a meeting, but the meeting got cancelled.  I worked from home anyway and I'm glad I did.  I found out later, when I went out for groceries, that the road I take to the transit center was closed, as were a bunch of other roads around my area.  The woman in the floral department at the grocery store hadn't been able to get home the night before and had to spend the night with a customer!  Every road she attempted to go down she was turned back because of branches over the wires.  Crazy.  Then the temperature started to go down yesterday and this morning everything was frozen.  It took me a couple of tries to get the door open on my poor, frozen vehicle.  Very annoying.

Saturday it was up and out early to get to the Alderwood Mall to finish up the Christmas shopping.  And good thing we were up early because it was a freaking mad house!  But everything is done except for a trip to Keihl's this noon time, since there isn't a Keihl's at Alderwood Mall.  I don't mind.  It'll be a nice walk at lunchtime and even though it's cold, it's going to be sunny.  Then tonight I will get everything wrapped off to be send to California tomorrow. 

I wanted to knit on my Jo's Pride this weekend, but I gotten into hats and I've made one and almost finished another.  I'm making five of them, for little kids.  It really doesn't take long and it's perfect TV knitting.  Like watching the Seahawks beat San Francisco.  Sweeeeeet!  Plus I almost got a hat done.

Nothing much to do here at work now until the quarter starts in January.  I happened to mention to my chairman and the administrator both that I was quite available to help with anything they needed because I was at loose ends.  Well, that's not exactly how it went.  The Chairman asked how I was and I said bored.  He asked why I wasn't in France then!  I told him that I specifically did NOT go to Europe this fall because he had intimated that we would be VERY busy and I should stick around!  Ah ... yes, well.  Ahem and cough cough ... So hopefully he'll come up with something interesting.  And in the meantime I will most likely be leaving early and/or working from home.  My office is about as clean as I can make it.

Christmas party today

In my department, we have two holiday parties.  One for the entire department, usually early in the month (today) because many people take most of December off.  As soon as the last final exam is done (tomorrow) people just disappear until January, when the winter quarter begins.  And then, later in the month, the staff have a nice lunch out in a restaurant and we exchange gifts - white elephants at the restaurant.  It's fun and that will be next week.   Today we all bring a side dish or dessert - I brought a salad - and the department supplies ham and turkey and wine and .... stuff.  It's a nice afternoon and not much gets done afterwards.

I proctored that exam yesterday, three hours on my feet walking around the lecture hall.  Thank goodness I have my book to listen to while I monitor bathroom breaks and make sure people aren't cheating.  The other proctor from the Department of Medicine sat at the front of the room, playing on her iPad!  Seriously.  What kind of deterrent is that? 

It was storming quite seriously on the way home and traffic was just horrendous!  The bus was late and then it took me over 30 minutes to get home.  I was late, poor Tink, but I hustled her right outside where the wind and rain were soaking the both of us.  My umbrella blew inside out!  Luckily no trees came down and the electricity stayed on.  I had a nice shower, blew my hair out and called it a night.  I cuddled up in my blanket with my Wilted Warlock Hat project and watched "Inside the NFL" and caught up with an episode of "Once Upon a Time".  Dinner?  Cheese and crackers and Italian salami.  Cooking was not on my agenda.  I wasn't very hungry anyway.  I am feeling a might peckish this morning though.

I am loving that hat pattern!  Well, the yarn is yummy too.  But I think I'll make a couple of them for Christmas gifts if they turn out as cute as I think they will.  I should be able to finish up this one tonight.  I don't think I will be gifting this one.  I will have to keep it because the first couple rounds of the striping are kind of weird in the back of the hat.  I can hide it but I wouldn't want to give it to someone and I can't fix it after the fact.  I just had forgotten about hiding the jog and I can do it on the next one.  Super cute though!

An early night indeed

I really REALLY needed to catch up on my sleep.  I was in bed at an indecent hour, figuring I'd read for an hour or so.  But you know what?  I fell asleep almost immediately!  And I pretty much slept through the night, too.  I do feel rested.  I guess I did need it.

I am going to miss noon knitting today because I've got to proctor an exam from 10:30 until 2.  Can you think of a worse time?  I am going to be absolutely famished!  Maybe I'll get a sandwich to take with me.  Yesterday at lunchtime I had my own noon knitting, taking my Jo's Pride downstairs to the med school lobby where there are comfy seats with good arms (for putting my beads) and lovely natural light.  I got two of the more difficult border rows done.  And to have some TV knitting, I have started the Wilted Warlock Hat using the Techno from my Yarnbox Luxe, striping with one of the yarns from an earlier box.  It's an easy knit and it's going to be cute and very warm.

Speaking of warm -- it was over 60 degrees yesterday!  Crazy!  Lots of wind and rain.  I wasn't needing to be out in it anyway, except for doggie walks.  It was too nasty to go out at lunchtime and today ... my lunchtime will be inside.  Next week I am going to start running again.  I am sure of it!

I am looking forward to "Inside the NFL" tonight.  The Seahawks beating the Eagles is going to be big news.  It sure is nice now that the Seahawks are good for a couple of years in a row.  When they were mediocre they never got much coverage on the show but now .... every week they are featured. 

Another successful Do Nothing Monday

After that busy weekend I was ready for a night of sloth.  I'll make up for it tonight, but last night I did nothing much at all.  I wound a few balls of yarn and started a TV knitting project.  And I re-heated the soup I had made on Sunday and that was dinner.  I didn't empty the dishwasher.  I didn't start the laundry.  Nothing much constructive at all.  I watched a silly movie and was in bed by 9 to read.  Asleep by 10.  I think I could have fallen asleep at 9 and maybe I'll do that tonight, because I am sleepy.  I did not get to catch up on my sleep on the weekend. 

The weather has gone from super cold to almost warm.  We are supposed to be getting some heavy weather these next couple of days - a windy, wet storm.  I must say, I prefer that to the super cold we had. 

It was crazy at work yesterday.  As in super quiet.  The chairman's assistant was home sick,  the woman who has the office next to mine in the suite was home sick (she's "sick" about once a week and she only works four days in the week!) and the IT guy, who has the office on the other side of me was at a meeting all morning.  Monika doesn't work on Mondays, which left me as the sole occupant of the main office.  The administrator was here, thank goodness, because I don't know anything at all about checking in packages and the workings of the copy machine. 

Tomorrow I am going to have to miss noon knitting because of the exam I have to proctor.  Yesterday I walked up to the PetPro store to get Tink's food and my foot was pretty good.  Also, I walked up two flights of stairs at a good pace and I was NOT gasping and using my rescue inhaler!  Progress!!  I think I will be able to run again next week.  Won't that be nice?  I just can't wait. 

Oh now I must stay awake.  I have been drinking the tea my friend brought from his trip home.  It's Yorkshire Gold, which is a much stronger breakfast tea than I normally drink.  And the bags are huge.  I can get two cups out of it.  I need strong tea this morning. 

It's early yet

It's not even my sister's birthday yet and the tree is up and decorated!  Typically I wait until the 15th of December to get my tree because that's what we did as kids.  My sister's birthday is the 14th and my parents always wanted to make sure Christmas didn't start until she had a real birthday.  But this year is different.  I am making up for basically having to skip Christmas last year.  The tree makes the entire house smell so nice!  Tink has taken to curling up underneath the tree.  I wanted to get a picture of that but every time I would sneak up there to snap her she'd get up.  I'll keep trying.  It's really cute.

I bathed her yesterday and so in the evening I didn't want to let her out in the back on the long line because I didn't want her to get under the deck or roll in something nasty.  So I put on my coat and shoes and walked her outside to let her get her business done.  Well, something was out there.  I have no idea what, but she went crazy!  She was dashing all over the yard, sniffing and whining and she tried to get under the deck.  Whatever it was, she wanted it!  Oh the poor thing.  She whined and whined at the door when we got back in.  What a hunter she is.

I didn't get any knitting done at all this weekend and I am just aching to work on that project!  It's not football knitting nor movie watching knitting.  It's a sit in my room quietly type of project and I don't get much of that kind of time.  Maybe I can carve some quiet time out for myself this coming weekend, although I do have a lot of shopping to get done.  I"ll have to start early on Saturday.  I've got to get my sister's birthday gift in the mail tomorrow and the Christmas presents the following week. 

In the mornings I walk Tink before I leave for work and if I'm wearing nice shoes or high heeled ones I don't put them on until after the walk.  So I put on my Keens and we had our walk, then when I got back I put the leash away in the closet, slipped off the Keens and put my slippers on and got my coffee ready for my drive.  And then, coffee in hand, purse over my shoulder I started out the door.  Ah!  Thank goodness I realized I was wearing my slippers still!  What would I have done had I gotten to the bus in my slippers?  Turned right back around, that's for sure.

Now that's more like it

Ah yes.  Rain, mist, and well above freezing.  The snow is gone from the grass and no ice on the windshield.  Yesterday was the last day of Histo, today is the last day of the other med student classes, then finals next week.  I've got to proctor one exam.  Then I'll have two weeks to get the grades in from Anatomy and get ready for the one class I have for Winter quarter.  I think it's going to be a very very quiet month.

I got my first Yarnbox Luxe box yesterday.  We got four skeins of yarn - two each of Blue Sky Alpaca Metallica and Techno.  Plus some fancy stitch markers and a copy of Pompom magazine (a British publication we don't often see around her) plus two more patterns.  A dozen patterns in all.  I was hoping for cashmere, actually.  They got cashmere in the last Luxe box so I guess that was a vain hope.  The Metallica ... wow is it ever soft.  Baby alpaca and silk.  Insane.  The other, the bulky Techno, is incredibly light.  I have no idea how I'm going to use these yarns, but use them I will.  I am considering discontinuing my regular yarnbox after this next 3 month subscription is used up and then just keep on with the Luxe.  I have SO much yarn.  Truly I don't need any more right now.  I will think on it.

Big weekend coming up.  We're going to get the Christmas tree on Saturday.  And Sunday is a big Seahawks game against the Eagles.  Tink is going to get a bath Saturday morning, and I'm hoping to be able to get a few hours in of quiet knitting.  Maybe go out for a drink or something Saturday night or have somebody over for some games or a movie.  Calm, no hassle.  No snow!  Sounds nice, doesn't it?

Dark dark dark dark

Despite the clear skies, it is so dark all of the time.  We are approaching the shortest day of the year and none too soon.  During the week it's hard for me to get any good sunlight.  Today I'm going to take my lunch hour to walk up to Trader Joe's.  I know it might be raining, but I don't care.  I need a little vitamin D.

I got two rows done at noon knitting yesterday on my "Jo's Pride".  So I now have six more rows to go of the edging chart and then I break it up into three - left, center and right.  I sincerely hope this starts to get easier.  I know it'll be a bit faster because it's a bottom up project so I've got as many stitches on the needles now as I will ever have.  My only concern is that the chart for the left and right sides has only been written for one side and you've got to read it backwards to do the other side.  What's the big deal, you say?  Trust me, it's not as simple as it sounds.  Hopefully I'll get the hang of it.  I am hoping the repeats are shorter than the 22-29 repeats I'm working with now.  That'll make it much easier.

I was so early to the parking garage again this morning.  I wish I had stopped for coffee but I was not sure exactly where to turn and I had someone right on my bumper, so I missed a Starbucks.  Ah well, no matter.  I've got a nice cup of tea now.  And at least it's warmer!  Thank goodness because I don't know how much more of that cold I could have taken!  It's tough when it comes so early in the season and so out of the blue.  Now we'll have some rain for a while.  I will try not to complain too much about it.

A new G.P.

I've been putting this off, but finally because of the asthma I had to get an appointment with a new doctor.  I saw her yesterday and I really like her!  Hoorah!  She gave me a couple of new things for my asthma and I slept great.  It's amazing how much easier it is to sleep when you can breathe.  Just sayin'.  Now if I can just figure out what my trigger is for this time of year, perhaps I can avoid it next year.

I worked from home the rest of the day, since it's nearly impossible to get to work at that time of day.  Tink was not very helpful.  It was sunny outside, so she wanted to be out on the deck.  But then she'd get out there and get cold and want to come back in.  And out.  And in.  Quite annoying.

The cold continues, although it is supposed to be warming up today and we'll be back in the 40's with rain.  Ahh, Seattle.  I finally broke down and wore a knitting hat when I walked Tink yesterday evening -- not that I don't have about a million of them -- and it really does make a difference in comfort in this type of weather.  I even wore it to work today. 

I did get a couple more rows done on the border pattern for the hooded shawl.  This is a slow slow project.  I am hoping that once the border is done and it's broken down into two sides and the center it'll go faster.  I hope.  It's got to be done by January to qualify in the KAL.  I should be able to get a couple of rows done at noon knitting today.

I lived to tell the tale

First of all -- Man!  Is it ever cold!!!  Well below freezing this morning.  And what a morning, too.  First, the garage door wouldn't open.  It would go up just a bit and then go back down again.  My vehicle is not in the garage so it's not crucial.  I went out the front to get mine started while I walked Tink.  But it was SO cold that I couldn't get the door open!  Earlier while I was dressing I had boiled some water to heat up my commuter mug.  I was going to make an eggnog latte to take with me on the drive.  I grabbed that mug after tugging and tugging on the door, and poured the hot water over the hinges of the door and that did the trick.  That ate up 10 minutes.  I walked Tink but then there was no time to make a latte.  Traffic was rather light so in hindsight, I guess I could have taken the few extra minutes to make the latte, but you really never know.

So, how was the Thanksgiving dinner?  It was good!  When I think back a few years ago when I was forced to make a big meal for a bunch of ungrateful people, this was just a pleasure in comparison.  It came together easily, everything was delicious and the company was wonderful.  And then afterwards, after cleaning up and moving the extra table, we all sat down and watched the Seahawks beat San Francisco!  Perfection!!  And I got to use my big mixer for the first time - the big Kitchen Aid mixer.  I used it to mix the sweet potato casserole because I doubled the recipe.  It really worked well.  I'm going to use it again.

Friday I started with an eggnog latte to start the Christmas season.  I'm going to really enjoy this Christmas since we didn't have one last year.  I got my house back in order and in the evening watched "Christmas Vacation" and drank eggnog out of a Wally World punch cup, just like the movie.  It snowed Friday night, but just a little.  It was so cold that the snow stayed the whole weekend. Well, we still have it actually.

Saturday was knitting day and I finished up the first 14 row repeat of the border pattern and started on the second repeat.  I really wanted to relax this weekend and that I did.  With the exception of getting the outside lights up yesterday, it was pretty darned relaxing. Except for the nights.  I had bad asthma, waking every three hours or so.  I am looking forward to getting that handled tomorrow!

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.