The Clear the Decks, Pre-Holiday Post of Random

So yesterday was pretty weird. I've heard of the 24-hour flu, but who gets a ten-hour bug? Me, apparently. I've had "headache hangovers" before, but they don't generally leave me deciding that no, I don't have the energy to lie on the couch, better go back to bed. Weird.

The irony: I just saw the headache doctor last Monday, for my annual* check in appointment. I told him that I wished I was getting fewer migraines (while admitting that anything over zero is too many), but that I don't currently feel up to the experimentation required to try a new regimen (migraine treatment is very try-and-see). He said that I could try increasing the dosage of the drug I'm currently on, which might help (there are no guarantees in migraine treatment, either), so we're trying that and, well, we'll see.

*Annually was actually in July. I had just switched health insurance, and rather than call all over creation to find out the details that hadn't arrived yet, I put the appointment off. Ah, procrastination! It took the bottom of the pill bottle to remind me that, oh yeah, I have to go see him before I run out.

The answer to yesterday's question was, somewhat. The good news is that I did get a second wind last night, which enabled me to accomplish a few things instead of mourning the entire day as a waste. Given how much it bugs me to have clutter all over the kitchen table, and dirty dishes on the counter, you'd think I would make more of an effort to keep those areas under control. You'd be wrong, though, or at least they're the first things I lose control of when time gets tight. It does feel good to have them clear again. Though sadly, I did not find the item I mislaid before Rhinebeck, which I thought might have been sucked into the paper-bog on the table. Fortunately, it's easily redone, but it's going to bug me until I find it again, whenever that may be. Probably in six months, or a year. Yeesh. Ah, well. Life is imperfect.

One thing I forgot to mention yesterday is that on Saturday, I started a new knitting project, and am most happy with it. I was itching to have another project on the needles; the socks are going fine, if more slowly in these blessedly-free-of-subway-commuting days, but I wanted something else (I'm not a monogamous knitter these days). What hampered me is having all this lovely new sock yarn that I am eager to play with. And don't suggest that I use some for something other than socks; it's a sensible idea, but I want socks from all of it, so no. I went around and around with my Ravelry queue and my stash and pondered and suggested and rejected and so on.

Finally, I married a double-knit hat pattern I'd marked as a way to ease my way into double knitting, and the lovely, lush alpaca-and-silk I picked up at Rhinebeck (the yellow, sage, and periwinkle), and decided that they would work together. I hope! There's always the possibility that the hat won't fit, in which case I chalk it up to good practice time, frog it, and start again, or that I'll run out, which I don't think I will but who knows. Still, it's fun to try something new in the knitting world, and when it works, it makes me feel wicked smart. Plus, when I get it done, this should be a wonderful hat, soft and warm.

The best news of all, today, is that I leave for the mom-visit tomorrow. Hooray! The prospect made a drippy, gray Monday much more bearable.

In conclusion, I want ask you something. Yes, you, you look like you have some advice for me. What kind of netbook do I want?

I'd like to get one within the next year, both for travel and for simple household use away from my desk/desktop. I want to get one that can handle my needs without straining, and doesn't have bells and whistles I don't need (like gaming). My needs are thus:

• Internet usage, primarily e-mail and blogs, but also basic googling and whatnot. And blogging!
  
• Photos, so it needs enough memory/strength/whatever for the big files. I don't have to keep every photo I take on there, but on a theoretical vacation for a week or two, I don't want to max out my storage.
• Light word processing, maybe, unless that complicates things enough to not be worth it (I can always draft in e-mail and copy later).
  

I understand the benefit of going to a store and playing with the little buggers, to test the personal keyboard comfort level and so on, but still I'd love to hear input on brands that are good or bad, experiences, etc.

All right, folks, that suitcase isn't going to pack itself. Time to turn on a hockey game (not the Bruins, they're off until Thursday) and check that list. I may or may not blog from Florida; if not, I'll catch you on the flip side. Have a good week!