Insomnia

Oh man ... what a night.  I  fell asleep just like normal and woke up at 2:30am and could not get back to sleep.  Not for a second.  I got up and had some water and walked around and tried everything and nothing worked.  Thank goodness it's my late meeting day so I will be leaving early.  If I can get home by 3 or 3:30 maybe I can catch a quick nap before my 5 o'clock meeting.

We had a pretty good long weekend.  It did rain Saturday and Sunday, but yesterday was really nice.  On Saturday I picked out my new car - haven't bought it yet but I drove it and decided.  Now we have to get the garage fixed up so that it can hold both cars.  To that end we worked on Monday rearranging things in the shed and moving things in the garage.  We also rearranged the back office/game room and made it more of an office/guest room.  We reclaimed the closet.  It still needs the guts and the doors, but the space is there and we'll be able to store a few things from the garage in there, like Ben's golf clubs. 

Saturday night we had steaks and I made creamed spinach for the first time - it was delicious!  And we played cards and this time I didn't lose.  I won a bit for a nice change. 

The baseball was okay - they lost quite a bit but finally won last night.  I knit and knit on the lace front cardigan.  I so want to be done with that but I've got a ways yet to go.  Maybe I should start bringing it in for noon knitting.

Friday at last!!

Holy cow!  I kept thinking each day was Friday.  Finally it is here and it is pouring rain.  Pouring!  I sure hope it doesn't end up pouring all weekend.  I want to test drive cars tomorrow and it's not too much fun in the rain.

I am hoping to get out of here early today.  Holiday weekend and all.  I got good news yesterday -- we have someone to take over HFF for me and she's sitting in to the meeting now.  I should be able to hand that over in a couple of weeks.  They are hiring someone downstairs (SOM) and that person will take over MBB for me. Hopefully that will happen in early July. 

Oooooo sun! 

I had a lazy evening again.  I wanted to knit but I was tired.  Tonight though I'm going to pick it up.  I want to start something new and I've GOT to finish a project first.  Oh but wait -- I think we're going to Triplehorn tonight.  I definitely won't want to knit when I get home.  Here's the deal -- I don't have any TV knitting projects!  Either it's the Venomous Tentacula, which has beads and is very delicate yarn, or the Lace Front Cardigan, which is ... uh ... lace. There are purl back rows but still you have to keep track.  And the Dune, which is also lace, and has moving markers.  I use that for noon knitting.  So yeah I need a TV knitting project.  But again, I don't want to start another project.  I'll figure it out.

Happy long weekend!!

The early birthday present

I left the office intending to get to the U Bookstore at 9 am yesterday, but I was a little late and got there at 9:15 instead.  And good thing I did!  The Tech Center, where you buy computers, did not open until 9:30 and they had a sign "The line starts here".  There were two people in line and that made me third.  By 9:30, when they officially began the tax free sale, there were nearly 20 people behind me.  I asked for my rose gold MacBook and when the salesperson brought out the box he said, "I wondered who was going to buy these.  We had three of them".  So it was a good thing I got there early!  I was going to spend the afternoon at work futzing with it, but instead I took it home and did it there with a celebratory martini.  I need to change the password to something simpler, because now it uses my iCloud password, which is rather complicated.  And then I need to start migrating files from my work computer.

So that was my evening.  I didn't feel like cooking so Ben did some burgers on the smoker and that was easy.  It was difficult to get up this morning  I kept thinking yesterday was Friday and woke up thinking today was Friday.  It is not Friday.  *sigh*  It's going to be a long 14 weeks.

Just as bad as I thought it would be

Yesterday was the day I finally told the last person I needed to tell about my retirement.  I was waiting to tell her.  I knew she'd be upset and she was.  I need to let it go.  It's just that she's my friend - or she was my friend.  I knew she wanted me to stay on until her block was over but frankly, I don't want to.  And what I tried to get across to her, I don't have to.  I know that the SOM will not leave her in the lurch.  I know that everything will be lined up and ready to go before I leave.  But she's panicked because she has counted on me for last minutes things for years and years and years.  I understand that but it's not about her.  It's about me.  For the first time in I can't remember how long, I won't be having nightmares during August.  Hopefully I won't be getting sick time and again next fall either.  No stress.  Basically, I feel really bad - except I am not going to be working in 14 weeks.  So I feel really happy too.

And today I'm going to get my new computer.  My rose gold MacBook.  The University Bookstore opens at 9 am and I'm going to get up there and get that thing before they run out of the rose gold.  The no tax day is pretty popular for computer buying.

I got my manicure and pedicure and made it home in time to give Tink a nice walk and get ready for the 5 o'clock meeting.  It was done before 6.  Nice.  Chicken for dinner and a movie.  Then to bed to read.  I know - boring life I lead, yes?  I didn't even knit.  Tonight.  Tonight I will knit.  AND at noon. 

Taking steps

I didn't do a lot of real work yesterday, but I did get in touch with the SSA to answer the questions they had on my application.  So that's squared away.  Then I called the DRS and asked for an estimate of benefits and an application.  I could do it on line and actually I think I have a hard copy in my retirement packet from the seminar, but I just really wanted to find out what the amount is that I will be getting.  I have an idea from on line but I would like the final true amount.  I was happily surprised by the SSA.  I'd like another nice surprise along those line.  Also, I've got a financial management firm lined up and I'll be seeing them soon as well.  Ducks lining up.  I love it.  Now I've just got to slog through the summer.

Do nothing Monday is back and I didn't do a danged thing last night except get my food ready for today and heat up some leftovers.  I watched a bit of the Mariners game and then went to read in bed.  I have been in a reading mood lately.  Hopefully I can pick up the lace front cardigan again tonight.  I'd like to push to get that done.  I'm ready to be done with it however I have quite a few repeats of the lace pattern to get through.

Up today - a Zoom meeting at 10:30 and then I'm leaving on the 1:40 bus for a 2:30 nail appointment and my late afternoon meeting.  And then tomorrow I get my new computer!!  yay!  I am really excited about that.  I received my case yesterday from Amazon.   It is going right into the case.

Such a boring weekend!

Oh my goodness!  What a boring boring weekend it was!  The weather was super crappy and there wasn't much going on at all.  Saturday we grocery shopped and watched the Mariners -  good news on that front I guess you could say.  As we wait for football season, it is always nice to have the Mariners be relevant.  Typically they are not.  This year?  They are doing very very well.  I really wanted to get the tomatoes in this weekend and also get the color pots planted and the herbs.  We went off to Fred Meyer and nobody else was there!  We had the entire garden section to ourselves - of course it was raining so it was messy and muddy but I got it done.  So a nice doggie walk in the park between rain storms and knitting and baseball and movies for Saturday.  I have switched back to the Lace Front Cardigan in hopes of getting that off my needles sooner rather than later.  And Saturday night we watched "The Man from U.N.C.L.E" which I quite liked.

Sunday we had some sun and so I took advantage and planted everything around the loads of laundry.  I was very happy to find some tarragon in the herbs section this year.  And the staples, of course.  I got three tomato plants, as usual, and this year I'll use some Miracle Grow.  I'd much rather have too many tomatoes than none at all, like last year.  Tinkie got another walk in the park in the afternoon and that was it for Sunday.  As I said - boring.  Next weekend is a long one and we've got a few things in line for then.  Hopefully it won't be quite as deadly.

Ooooo I am very excited for this week.  I am getting my new MacBook on Wednesday at the U Book Store's no tax day.  A rose gold one!  Finally I'll be able to plug my iPhone and iPad into iTunes.  It's been quite a while.  Otherwise the same old stuff this week.  Fifteen weeks.

Thursday from home

My voice was all but gone when I left work on Wednesday and so because I have been around people sick with nasty colds, I decided to work from home to see what it was gong to turn into ... or not.  Well, it ended up I was fine and that's a good thing.  It was a cold and wet day and I had plenty of work to do, so the day pretty much zipped by. 

I got a little work done on the latest Tentacula during the evening and I got to lay in bed and listen to the rain while I did a little reading.  Ben was in Spokane so it was a quiet night. 

There are lots and lots of things to do this weekend, considering that last weekend was taken up it will be our first real weekend home after the vacation.  I foresee a trip to the dump and a trip to the nursery.  Hopefully there won't be any rain and hopefully I can get some good knitting time in!

The vacation hangover

That must be what's up with me.  Oh, besides wanting to be out of here, that is.  But yes, a vacation hangover.  I do have a trip to Paris planned for December for Kelli's birthday but I was thinking it might be nice to go to Mexico in November and get some beach and sun and fun.  Maybe an all inclusive in Puerto Vallarta?  I'll look into it.

Yesterday was short day with a 5 o'clock meeting, so I did my morning and headed home around 1:30.  I wasn't very motivated.  I walked Tink and I could have gotten the kitchen cleaned up and did my food for today, but I didn't feel like doing anything but sitting on the front porch in the sun, so that's what I did.  The meeting was fine but somebody got a little pissed off (no, not me) and it ended badly.  Oh my I am SO SO SO done with all this crap.  Unfortunately it's not quite done with me.

I made a nice dinner last night -- a sort of chicken Florentine but in a skillet.  Easy and quite tasty if you like garlic-y creamed spinach, which I do. 

No meetings today but it's noon knitting, which I quite like.  I remembered to bring more yarn.  I'm still plugging away on my Dune.  It's a good noon knitting project and it'll be a nice warm scarf for next winter.

I am getting excited about my new MacBook and I'm looking for a nice clear cover for it so that the rose gold can shine through.  But I want to make sure it doesn't add much weight.  I shall keep looking.

Sixteen week, but who's counting?

Each time I drive down Avondale road these days I think "This is the last time I'll be driving to the transit center in May".  Sixteen weeks to go.  Sixteen long and boring weeks.  In 3 weeks I can make it official and I'll tell the last of the faculty, the toughest one to tell, that I will not be around for this coming September's mess.  It is difficult to hold my tongue.

I have been thinking that I really need to get myself a computer rather than hold on to my work MacBook Air.  I surely could do it, but I can't ... I'm not supposed to .... run my iTunes off of it.  I need to be able to do that!  And then yesterday I walked into the IT guy's office and noticed a card advertising the tax free day at the University Book Store for computers.  Voila!  There was my sign.  I can save $175 if I buy the computer I want at the U Book Store next Wednesday so I'm going to do it.  I'm going to get a 12" MacBook in rose gold.  It is so light!  Basically it will take the place of my iPad, at some point.  The iPad is getting old and is slow.  I will miss the touch bad but I'll bet you I won't be playing nearly as many games when I retire as I am now!

That jaunt up to the book store at lunchtime took the place of my run.  I was ready but that was more important.  Today is early day so no run.  Tomorrow is Noon Knitting.  We'll shoot for Thursday, shall we?

Rhubarb season is here and I can have rhubarb on my diet (almost done .... couple more months to fine tune) so last night I cooked some up.  Oh yummmmmmm.  I am going to get some more.

Where did the weekend go?

It was our first full weekend after the trip and it went by in a flash!  I knew it would.  We had a full day planned on Saturday with a long drive at either end.  We went up to Bellingham to have Christmas in May with Ben's niece and family.  The children were well behaved, the lunch was good and the shopping trip fun.  Not a bad day.  Then we came home and watched a movie.

Sunday was also booked, far in advance, for a trip to Emerald Downs with Ben's work group.  We didn't have to be there until 1:30 so the morning was taken up with chores and laundry and knitting!  Woohoo!  We didn't plan to stay long at the track and in fact made it through five races.  I had a ball - I guess because I won.  Not a lot because I placed only inexpensive bets.  But it was fun all the same and we were out of there around four.  That was grand and we were home in time to watch another movie. 

Therefore, the weekend coming up is full of things I wanted to get to this weekend and wasn't able to.  For example, buying my tomato, herb and flowering plants and getting them planted.  Going to the dump.  Making measurements for re-doing the back office to make it more of a guest room/office/closet. 

The clouds moved in this weekend and it looks as if they are going to stick around for at least this week and beyond.  Well, we always always ALWAYS have a crappy Memorial Day Weekend and since that's coming up in two weeks..... draw your own conclusions.

Work?  Oh it is such a chore to get here.  Today I'm going to get back on the running horse so that's another hour or so out of my day.  Otherwise it's just bleak and icky and meetings.  I am trying mightily to put a good face on it.  I don't like to hurry time but that being said ..... whew.

Not to be a whiner ......

But we have a heck of a weekend ahead of us and it's the first weekend after our trip!  I really really wanted to get my garden going.  I need to plant the tomatoes and get the color bowls done.  It's just not going to happen though.  We have our Christmas in May lunch with Ben's niece and her family.  We have been trying to get this set since Christmas but weekends are so difficult, especially since her husband travels for business.  So that's Saturday.  And then Sunday we've got the day at the racetrack, which is going to be awesome but again, I have other things I'd like to be doing.  It will all get pushed to next weekend and that's going to have to be okay.

I took off from work yesterday for an appointment downtown and because of buses and connections and the bridge being open, I just headed home when I was done.  It was a bust.  This guy is much more than I need for my paltry  "wealth".  I just need some advice.  He made a referral for a guy in Kirkland.  I'll look into it.

Well, meeting time.

Pretty much normal

Well I think today I am finally over the jet lag which, by the way, lasted much longer than usual.  I have no idea why, but I am thankful it's done with.  I had a super terrific night's sleep and am refreshed and ready to go.  The weather, by the way, is just gorgeous again.  This weekend it's going to be cloudy unfortunately.  We have plans to visit Ben's niece and her family on Saturday and Sunday we're going to Emerald Downs, for a day of racing with a group from his work.  It would be nice if the weather cooperated for that, don't you think?

Yesterday was noon knitting and a rather boring day.  Today I've got a meeting at 9 am and then at 1:30 a meeting with a financial advisor who I have been trying to get time with since March.  I have some very basic questions about what to do with my finances when I retire (77 days, 7 hours).  I also signed up with the SSA yesterday.  The wheels are rolling!

No knitting last night.  I had chores and cooking and just didn't feel like it.  I need to decide what to do with the lace front cardigan.  Do I keep going even though the dye lots are off?  I really should pick that up again since the lace is easy and TV knitting and not so fussy as the lace weight mohair I'm working with.

After two trips to Europe with the soft sided bags that turn into back packs I believe I've decided to forget that.  No matter how I try to pack light, they end up being way too heavy to carry on my back for very long.  I think I'm better off with a wheeled bag.  Plus I will be checking my bag when I go to Paris in December.  Neither Kelli nor I like to "schlep" our bags onto the plane.  Ben, however, insists. 

Catching my breath

Yesterday I felt pretty normal although I got very tired in the late afternoon.  Today I'd say I'm 99%.  I had a great night's sleep and I feel pretty good this morning.  For some reason jet lag was not so easy to get over this trip.  But I did much better than Ben, who napped extensively on Sunday even though I told him he should stay up.  Because of that he didn't sleep Sunday night much at all.  I think he's over it today too, finally.

We got home Saturday after an long and uneventful trip home.  Because I had trouble checking him through all the way to Seattle, we got to CDG about an hour earlier than we normally would, just to make sure we could handle whatever was up.  Turned out it was nothing, but better safe than sorry.  I watched movies pretty much the entire day.  I tried to sleep on the Iceland to Seattle leg, but I could not. 

Susan, Ben's sister, had retrieved Tinkerbell from the Doggie Care Resort for us, so she was home when we got home.  And all groomed too!  It was great to have her there.  We were too exhausted to go to the store for anything to eat, so we foraged in the freezer and I managed to stay up until 9. 

The trip --- well, it was great as usual.  My friend Deirdre always rents the best places and she and Eoghan are so much fun to be with.  We spent Saturday through Thursday with them in Corgoloin, a little village outside of Beaune.  We visited some sights, ate some great meals and relaxed.  Thursday night we took the night train from Dijon to Milan, then from Milan to Monterosso where we spent Friday through Sunday.  We love Monterosso but I think we've done with the Cinque Terre.  Monday off we went to Rome, which was just as noisy, crowded and annoying as I remember.  We walked and walked and saw the major sights, but outside.  No standing in lines for us.  And then Thursday we flew back to Paris and spent two days there.  We did a very touristy thing and rode the tour boat on Friday and otherwise just walked and ate and enjoyed the great weather.  There is never enough time for me in Paris.  I'm going back in December to celebrate Kelli's 60th birthday.  Cannot wait.

I was anxious to knit and Sunday I worked on the mohair Venomous Tentacula for a while.  We went to Costco for supplies and we went to bed early.  And Monday I took the day off to get my hair done and because I had the vacation time and then spent the entire morning - I got up at 5 am! - getting my check.  Ahhhh ...... and now, you know what?  All I am thinking about and working towards is September 2nd - my last day at work.  Yesterday I spilled the beans to the School of Medicine.  They were not happy but that's the way it goes.  *I* am happy.

I won't bury the headline

Well now, you'd expect me to be talking about my trip, but the REAL news is that finally finally FINALLY my ex stepped up and paid me!  Hooray!!  After four long years.  I can hardly believe it myself.  Now I don't every have to think about him again or deal with him again.  Done done D-O-N-E!

Now for the trip - it was awesome.  But I have a billion things to do.  It'll have to wait.

Yay for Thursday

Oh it is finally Thursday!  Yesterday was SUCH a day!  It's lovely when I'm super busy because the day flies by, but it was also aggravating.  Plus I had to work a little late, missed my regular bus and then the next one was late!  I barely beat Ben home last night.  Now that I am that close to vacation the alcohol ban was lifted and I had a wonderful bottle of sparkling wine to ease my frustrated mind.  And for dinner a great steak salad with left over steak from the night before.  Steak salad is one of my very favorite things.  What's another you say?  Pizza ... which I haven't had since January.  So that's what is on for tonight.  When I get back from vacation I am going back on the diet to lose the last few pounds but there was no way in hell I was going to stick to a diet in Europe, so this is going to be absolutely wonderful.

I am working here until I can't stand it any longer - probably around 1:30.  Then off I got to run a few errands and get a manicure and pedicure.  Then home to do a final load of laundry and pack.  I know I will pack too much.  How many times have I said I want to pack light?  A million?  But I'm going to take 3 pairs of jeans, a pair of shorts, a couple light dresses, five or six tops, shoes ....I'll try to cut it down.  I've got to lug the thing, or wear it.  We're carrying on.  It's Ben's preference and I pick my battles.  I can carry on if need be.

Well I've got a few bazillion loose ends to tie up.  I am going in.

Two more days

It is so very difficult to be here when I'm not that busy and I am looking forward to an exciting vacation.  Yesterday the morning just dragged by.  I had one meeting and that was it.  And I wasn't hungry for my lunch, so I just stayed in my office and took off at 1:30 because of my late meeting.  Of course I was hungry by the time I got home, but I wasn't about to eat my lunch at 2:30, especially since I wasn't all that keen on building another big salad.  So I cleaned up the kitchen and then Ben was home because he wasn't feeling well.  Too excited and stressed is what I think. 

The late meeting was pretty easy and then it was dinner time.  I was about ready to eat anything at that point.  I made some asparagus and we had lovely steak.  I wasn't as dead tired as I had been the night before and so I stayed up and got caught up on Once Upon a Time.  And then read for a while.  It was quite warm yesterday and it stayed warm all through the night.  Tink mostly spent the night on the floor under the bed. 

Another nice day today, Noon Knitting Wednesday.  As I figured, only one run this week but I'm okay with that.  I'm a little sore but not too bad. 

No knitting.  I wanted to take up the new Venomous Tentacula I'm doing but thought better of it.  I need some quiet alone time to really get back into the swing of that.  It is going to be really really pretty though.  I brought my Dune for today.  It's a good noon knitting project, especially since I won't be using it until next fall.

Oh please make the morning zip by.

Early run

It started out nice and warm yesterday and got hotter and hotter as they day wore on.  I decided to try to beat the heat and get out to run early so I headed out at 10:30.  That was a good decision it turns out.  It was plenty warm at 10:30.  I had a decent run, especially considering it was the first one since I had been sick with bronchitis.  Unfortunately I believe it's going to be the only one I get this week.  It's my early day today and I've got a few things to do before I head home for my late meeting.  Tomorrow is noon knitting and Thursday I'm leaving early to start my vacation.  But once is better than none, yeah?

I was SO so so tired yesterday though.  Not just because of the run.  It was all I could do to stay away until 8 o'clock.  I did my chores and had dinner and cleaned up and then went into bed to read.  I lasted about 30 minutes before I had to shut off the light.  I needed it.  I feel pretty good today.

There are still a lot of details I need to nail down before the trip as well.  I need to get a fire under me!!

Such an early spring

No complaints, but just an observation -- we are having an incredible spring.  Again this weekend it was approaching 80 degrees.  We spent a good amount of time out of doors and on Sunday driving around with the top down.  I went to the mall Saturday morning to get some jeans that fit.  Oh I had forgotten how much fun it is to shop when things look good on you!  Not to say that I don't want to lose a few more pounds, but at least now I look like myself again.  I got some nice comfy sandals and a pair of jeans at the Gap and another at Macy's.  However I ended up going back to Macy's in Redmond on Sunday because I had to switch out the jeans.  The sales person had given me the wrong cut when I changed the ones I tried on - regular length - for the short length.  And I wanted to see if the Gap had the flare jeans I had wanted to buy in Alderwood.  And they did, so I ended up with three pairs of jeans and a cute T-shirt dress.  Very good shopping this weekend.

Sunday I got the raised bed and all of the hanging planters cleaned out and new dirt in the raised bed.  All ready for when I get back.

And now to make it through four days and then vacation.  Four days.  Beautiful days though.  It's going to be hot again today.  I think I'll have to get out for my run by 10:30 this morning.

Yay Friday!!

Oh joy!  Next Friday this time I will have left Tinkerbell off at the boarders and I'll be getting ready for the trip.  Yesterday I got all of my tickets and AirBnb confirmations printed out.  All are correct.  Now just wait wait wait wait

The weekend will be fun.  Saturday I am going shopping and Saturday night a party.  Sunday?  I don't know.  Maybe just knitting and if the weather is fine go out in the garden and do a little clean up.  I can't plant until we get back.

I didn't touch the new Venomous Tentacula last night.  It is a project that needs some good light.  It should move quite quickly though.  I need to get back on it.  It will be a perfect spring wrap.

What else?  All I can think about is vacation.

I feel lighthearted

This day has a wonderful spring feel to it.  It's cloudy but there are patches of blue around.  And vacation is closer and closer.  Today I'm going to print out all of my train tickets and plane tickets and AirBnB confirmations.  And at noon I'm going to walk up the Ave and buy the thing Deirdre asked me to bring her.  This weekend I'm going to the mall on Saturday to buy some pants that fit.  I can't believe how crazy this sounds, but about two weeks before I decided to get back to "normal" size I threw away about 10 pairs of jeans.  Now all I have are HUGE ones and I haven't wanted to buy interim pants because I feel so guilty about throwing away all the others.  So this weekend I will get a couple pair of jeans and maybe a pair of shorts.  When I get home I'll have about 15 more pounds to lose so later in the summer I can get more if I need to.  I suppose I will.  Tops?  I've got tons of those.  Thankfully I didn't throw out everything that didn't fit.  Just the jeans.  But my logic was that jean styles change more than top styles.  And that is true so there was a method to that particular madness.

Saturday evening it's dinner and cards and Sunday?  Hmmmm .... I think I might start going through my cosmetics and all of those cosmetic bags I seem to accumulate from Clinique gifts with purchase.  I need to throw out the old stuff and the stuff I'll never use and pare that down.  I am going to be carrying on so I need to gather all the small sized bottles and jars.  I really really am going to be traveling light.  I am hoping we can do laundry at the gite in Corgoloin before we head to Italy. 

Now to make it through the day.