Of Socks, Knitting, and Travel Weather Worries

Monday night's stitch and bitch was disappointing socially, as no one else showed up, which happens in our group once in a while. However, it was good for knitting: while I waited to be sure no one else was coming, I finished the first sock of the current pair, the one I started Christmas Eve (three weeks and three days, pretty fast for me!).


Isn't it beautiful?


Not the greatest photos, I know, but daylight is in short supply around here this time of year. (I'll try to do better later, maybe in Florida!) The yarn is my beloved Socks That Rock--I love the Lightweight just as much as I did the Mediumweight--in colorway Sunkisssed (sic) Sands, knit in the Skyp pattern that I am addicted to (this is my fourth pair in a row).

I also started the next sock Monday night. Isn't it funny where one stitch leads?

Sock one in background, start of sock two in foreground

Mighty oaks from little acorns grow. No wonder knitters understand the idea of small steps accomplishing big things.

I took out the skein of yarn I want to use next, the Malabrigo my aunt gave me for my birthday. I wanted to wind it the other day, but talked myself out of doing so because it seemed premature.


But. The word they're using to describe Friday's expected snowstorm is "significant". Gulp. It sounds like I'll be spending more time at the airport than I would prefer. Perhaps winding the yarn for the next pair of socks isn't so much getting ahead of myself. I don't really think I'll knit a whole sock and start the next pair in a day, but. (Even if I had the time, would my hands hold up? Doubtful.) Having it at hand might be comforting.

I'm worried that the best-case scenario will involve another midnight-at-McDonald's meal (my flight was delayed last time, though no snow was involved). As long as I get there, as long as I get there...

And if I do make it out of town (crossed fingers, knock wood, etcetera), there is a little good news for me: missing "the coldest air of the season" according to a mid-day report:

Next up – an Arctic blast this weekend bringing the coldest air of the season. There certainly will not be any snow melt going on after our Friday storm.

Highs over the weekend could struggle to get out of the single digits in some suburbs, teens around Boston.

Overnight lows will range from a few degrees below zero to a few degrees above!

Whew!

And then there's this one:

The problem is we could either receive 2-4" or 12".

Yup. That's a problem, all right.

*********
I do have one update for you from last week's snowstorm: the missing newspaper from Wednesday surfaced over the weekend. I believe it must have been thrown near the trash cans at the foot of the stairs that morning, and was unearthed by the digging-them-out project someone was doing this weekend (I thought I mentioned it here, but now I can't find it, soooo..).

So the when will the last snow melt contest will not have a when will the paper surface element to it (not that it's a contest, really). Although yesterday's rain melted some of what we have, there's still a ton of white stuff around.

We really don't need more. If anyone's listening.

Someone else has a complaint as well.

Why did you make me get off your lap? I was comfy. I was sleeping!

What does that mean, foot cramp? {sigh} You don't really love me.

The Could-Be-Worse-but-Still-No-Fun Storm, plus hockey=happy (today, anyway)

Today's weather is bad enough (more on that shortly), but what's making me massively uneasy is that more snow is forecast for Friday. No, no no no! On Friday I am leaving on a jet plane, headed to the only one of the 50 states currently without snow, and I really hope the weather does not muck that up. Oh, please.

Sigh. I predict roughly 72 hours of nerves locally.

Well, back to today. Stormy. Messy. This morning, it was powdery snow, about an inch that I almost could blow off my car. When I was about halfway to work, and it had already taken as much time as it usually takes for me to get all the way to work, I started pondering whether I would have stayed home if I'd known the roads would be that bad. Possibly. But in the end, as I was already out, I persevered, and got to work not too much late, and no damage done.

As for this afternoon, it stayed snow until I read a news story telling me that the snow would change to rain only in Boston and south, but would stay snow for north and west of the city. At that point, where I was (which is very much north and west of the city) it promptly changed to rain. Since that meant potentially ice on top of snow, I left work early (at my boss's encouragement). I was prepared for a truly horrible commute.

How many times have I said it: the key to happiness is low expectations. It was slippery getting to my car, and I had to clear about three inches of wet snow off before I could go, but the drive home was, well, fine. I took it slowly, and there were a few areas of standing water, but the traffic wasn't too heavy and the highways not slippery at all. It took less than an hour; I've had longer drives home when weather wasn't a fact0r.

Of course, the rain will mean flooding, and probably ice on top of snow and slush, so I'm not exactly cheering about this storm, just giving credit where it's due. The winter weather really is no fun, though ("If you are me, which I am," as Laurie said today).

Yesterday's Bruins game, on the other hand, was nothing but fun. When you win 7-0*, you aren't doing too much wrong! Chara got his first career hat trick and looked touchingly delighted, Bergeron got another goal and assist (he's on a roll lately), Thomas made some stellar saves ... good times.

*With other recent wins at 6-0 and 7-5, they seem to have less trouble scoring these days than they sometimes have.

It was the first game of a home-and-home with the Hurricanes, so they're down in Carolina tonight, and I hope the Canes don't get their second wind. Build on the win, Bruins, build on the win. I love to watch you ... not sucking.

Yes, I'll say it again: the key to happiness is low expectations. Agree? Disagree? Discuss.

A Monday Afternoon Randomness

I'm thinking I should write this now, since my late afternoon and evening are busier (doctor's appointment, stop at the store, stitch and bitch), and right now is laundry-time, which comes with built-in blocks of free time between. And by should, I don't mean ought to, obligation, get it over with. I mean that I want to write, to send my words out there, and even though I usually work on the blog later in the day, that doesn't mean I have to.

The company where I'm working right now gives us Martin Luther King Day as a holiday, so I am home today. What makes this even nicer is that:

• the Bruins traditionally play a matinee on MLK Day, so I'll get to watch that (hopefully this ends up being a nice thing);
  
• the only benefit I get there, as a temp, is paid holidays (no vacation, no health insurance, no nothing else), so I will actually get paid for a day of sleeping in and lazing about, with a few chores; and
• I'm expecting this job to end any time, have been for a week or two now, so it's an added bonus that I get it at all.
  

And not only is today pleasant, but yesterday was peaceful and serene, without the get-ready-for-work-ness that Sunday usually brings. Yesterday's post showed how the cats spent the day, and mine wasn't much more strenuous than theirs. Well, my back still hurts a bit, and my hands are sore, but nothing major.

On thing that has me nervous is the storm they're forecasting for tomorrow. At this point, they're calling it a "wintry mix", which means it could be rain, snow, or a mix of both with ice. Yuck! Would you send nice, warm, rainy thoughts my way? Because I am not ready to shovel again yet.

Now, I want to share a few things that have caught my eye lately. Something here for everyone: if you don't like the first item, keep looking!

An amazing and entertaining video of a little French girl telling all about what happens in Winnie the Pooh. She has some imagination; I'm pretty familiar with WtP, and don't remember hippos or monkeys. Something about how into the whole story she is really made me smile.



Next, I can't imagine arranging my books this way ... but isn't it strangely beautiful? More gorgeous bookshelf photos here.


Absolutely amazing video of a year's photos in two minutes. Watch the seasons flash past.



The seasons really do go by in a flash, don't they?

Did anyone else love Mad Libs as a kid?



I did.

This and That Briefly, Then Cats

Before I get to the main reason for posting right now (insanely cute cats), I have to share two photos of extremely dubious boots. Extremely dubious. As in, who makes these things?

First, high-heeled work boots. Uh. Yeah.

Second, these are spike-heeled, red lace, and can you tell the non-red part is see-through?

Also, look where the newspaper landed yesterday. I had to use a yardstick to lever it within reach. You'd think the guy doesn't want a tip ever again.

I had friends over for dinner last night. Pretty table!

Now on to the main event! The cats have been extra cute today. Perhaps they are trying to make up for the meowing-to-be-fed-early-this-morning-and-then-hardly-eating-any-of-it. Or perhaps it is a total coincidence.

Carlos in dive pose.

Close up of dive: too many paws for one cat, surely.

Carlos and his friendly foot-warmer.

He is not kicking her here. He is fast asleep.

Upside-down-head tuck pose.

Furry yin-yang pose.

With dive pose, no extra charge.

Snow Is a Four-Letter Word. So Is Pain.

Yeah, it's pretty. And?

So, this exercise stuff is totally overrated. What is the appeal supposed to be of all these sore muscles? Anyone? Bueller?

Not that I have a problem with not being an exercise type, since I have a strong feeling that exercise causes stupidity. Exhibit A: the young woman jogging on the road tonight, in the dark, wearing dark clothing and nothing reflective. That's damn stupid any day, but the day after a blizzard, with roads not completely clear and drivers trying to see around massive snow piles and drive on roads that are often plowed to be narrower than usual ... certifiable. I happen to think that all the joggers (and the cyclist) that I saw out tonight are crazy, but the others all reflected, which shows some brains.

So anyway, it took another two rounds of shoveling* this morning before I could get my car out, and that's with someone else having re-dug-out (yes that's a word)(kind of) the end of the driveway (where the street-plows have gone by and piled up more slush and sludge). I went out first thing after confirming that the office was open today, then came in and showered and got ready, and did the last clear-off-the-car layer. My back hurts, my arms are sore, my hands** ache.

*For a total of six rounds, whoa. I'm kind of glad I didn't keep track of how long I actually shoveled; I think ignorance is, if not bliss, at least better in this case.
**Yes, my hands. We'll blame their weakness on the arthritis. All I know is, they ache generally, and at lunch, I found the process of getting the fruit portion of my meal, peach halves, into bite sizes to be very uncomfortable. And I've been trying to 'type lightly' today, which is working about as well as you might imagine. Is it time for more ibuprofen yet?

But though the side roads were pretty messy, and even secondary roads not great, the highways were fine, almost bare pavement and all, so driving didn't seem like a totally stupid thing to have chosen to do. The plow guy said he would be back today to "clean up" when the cars weren't there, so I was hoping to return to clarity, in the snow-underfoot sense. However, apparently he was lying to me, as I returned to exactly what I left. Oh well.

Meanwhile, I did get a bit of a scare with the car this morning. When I first got on the highway, traffic was pretty heavy and slow*, though not more than on a bad day. When it finally got to the point of relatively free motion, I noticed the car was really rattling once I got to about 40mph. Bad enough that I sidetracked to the garage I usually go to, which conveniently was not far from where I was when I decided that the shaking felt too bad to ignore.

*I typed "snow" first! It's on my mind, all right.

Turned out, it was the snow built up in the rims of the tires that was to blame. The guy said it's not uncommon, and it throws the balance of the car off enough to cause the shaking. He had a guy go out with a tool and clear out the rims, or at least break up the snow in them, and it was fine when I got back on the highway, no shaking. So slightly scary, but ultimately no big deal. And, of course, learn something new every day.

In less positive though extremely minor news of the day, I wore my boots to work (naturally) but forgot to bring shoes to change into, and there was a Globe story this morning mentioning that "a few hearty souls braved the elements", to which I say honestly! Hardy! Not hearty. Sigh.

*********
A month or so ago, I stopped maintaining the list I'd been keeping of books I read. Although this was a tool I enjoyed keeping up for several years, I'd started forgetting to update it, and one too many mistakes moved it into the "too annoying to keep doing" category. I was sorry not to have the information, for reference and for nerdly-stat purposes, but it felt like time to stop.

Then this week, I read the nth reference I've come across recently to Goodreads, and thought that perhaps it might help me do much the same thing. If you're not familiar with it, Goodreads is a website where you can list what you're reading, rate it, and review the books if you wish. I started using it, and I think I like it.

How it works is, I search for the book I want, and add it to my "bookshelf" as one that I have read, am reading, or want to read*. I can also create other "shelves" as I desire, so that I can track books recommended by certain friends, or library books, or what have you.

*Eventually it may also remove the need for the list I keep of upcoming books I want to read when they're published. I already found a couple of upcoming books by favorite authors that I didn't even know were due. Woo! Two tools replaced by one sounds good.

Because it's not a listing of all books I own, I don't have any pressure to "get it all in there". I'm adding books as I read them, and having fun looking up authors and linking to them. I've found books I want to read, and added them to the to-be-read shelf.

Basically, the early signs are good for me liking Goodreads. Have you used it? Heard of it? What do you think?

It's Officially 'Why The Hell Do I Live Here' Weather

Oh, mama. My back hurts, my arms are shaky, and I'm so sore and tired that I could fall asleep right now. It's not due to the laundry, either, though I did get 6 loads done (mostly sheets and blankets), and am happily All Caught Up.

Also, I am ready to kill Miri, who has had a Major Day of Random Meows, but that has nothing to do with anything else.

And anything else means snow. Buckets of it. I don't know exactly how much my town got, but nearby towns have reported 17 inches and 23 inches, so it's somewhere around there. Unofficially, a buttload of snow.

I really wish I had spent my snow day like this:



But such is not my life. If reincarnation is true, I want to come back as the cat of someone like me. I would make an excellent pampered housecat.

Anyway! On with the story. The morning wasn't too bad. I woke around 7, and peered blearily outside:


The view convinced me that no, I really wasn't going to work, so I happily went back to bed.

A few hours later, feeling cozily well-rested, I went downstairs to see if by chance the newspaper delivery person had attained relative-door-aim (not his best skill on a clear day).


It would appear not. I went down around 11 for Shoveling Round One, and dug out the landing and stairs, without encountering the Globe.


It may surface around April or May, is my guess.


Morning conclusion: beautiful, but troublesome.


For you see, though we have a guy plow out the driveway, he doesn't dig out the cars. So here's where we were for Shoveling Round Two, around 2:30 this afternoon. It's like a game: can you spot the car?


And here we have: found it! AKA shoveling off the windshield, aka Shoveling Round Three, 4 PM.


Shoveling Round Four was done around 6 PM, and no pictures were taken. I didn't get the car fully dug out, but my body informed me that I was done for the day anyway. But here's a crappy from-the-window photo, so we can play another game.

See the two mounds? On the left is my car.

On the right is the snow I piled up uncovering it.


And the plow guy left us this pile by the door. It's hard to tell from this angle, but I estimate it to be 4 to 5 feet tall, and maybe 6 feet by 8 feet. Ish.


Who wants to start a pool on when the last of it will melt?

Looking Past the Snow

Given what's headed our way:


I'm glad to have something to look forward to. (If you're not familiar with such maps, I'll break it down for you. The green is rain, the purple is a mix of rain and snow, and the blue is snow. Lots and lots of snow.)

What is it, you ask? Well, let me set up the story.

I've never been particularly fond of math, but I like numbers, and patterns, which at times has led to odometer-watching near milestones like the recent 55555 and the upcoming 56789, or being pleased when my phone number has 42 in it--twice. Now here's the latest story.

On 1/10/11
I made a reservation for 10 days from today
(which is 1/11/11)
and my flight leaves* at 1:11
(Even the street number of the airport parking is 111)
*Or is scheduled to leave, at any rate

How very binary it sounds.

Yes, my friends at JetBlue decided to have another fare sale, and I decided that a few days in the relative warmth of Florida, hanging out with mama, sounded blissful. I mean, look at the weather there versus here:



The job is very much winding down, so they won't miss me. Carlos will, but he'll be okay. I expect my unemployment will last more than a few days, so he will get extra laps and snuggles soon enough.

Really, I have to go: I just unpacked the shells I picked up last time, so I need to go get more!


In other milestones, Miri has now been a resident for 2 years, and Carlos for almost one year. They were both cuddled up with me when I woke up this morning--well, okay, technically Carlos was cuddled up with me, while I'm sure Miri thought of herself as being cuddled up with Carlos--but it was warm and soft and furry and VERY hard to get up.

As the screen shot at the top of the post indicates, we're having major snow tomorrow, at least a foot of it, and if I'm not excited about the cold and the mess and the shoveling (and I most certainly am not), I look forward to sleeping in; I judge myself quite non-essential personnel, who need not brave the snow and wind to get to work.

Now I'm off to watch the Bruins game. Which team will show up? The team that blew a 2-0 lead in Montreal Saturday night and lost most ignominiously in overtime, or the team that came back from a 2-0 deficit in Pittsburgh last night to win 4-2? You just never know who you'll be watching. (Edited to add: my goodness, 6-0! Wasn't that a pleasant surprise. And my favorite, Bergeron, with the hat trick. Ahh.)

Gotta Go

Kitty needs a lap.


Now.

Yup, it's Sunday night already

Wow, I'm some tired again. It hasn't been a stressful day or one of great exertion--paying the bills, balancing the checkbook, reading the Sunday paper--but the emotional stress of taking down the holiday decorations, or the physical stress of getting even a small tree out of the house without leaving all the needles behind, or, well, something has me tired.

Still, it's been an accomplishy day. The dishwasher got emptied, the checkbook* is balanced and no troubles appear immediately ahead (keeping fingers crossed), the tree is out and all the Christmas stuff is packed up and ready to go downstairs to await the next time.

*actually a spreadsheet, but somehow balancing implies checkbook to me.

I got some good kitty-cuddle-time, and the snow didn't amount to much. Plus, there are two garbage bags of stuff (first of many!) in the car ready to drop off at the Salvation Army, mostly sheets and towels from the closet-organizing I got done last night (I had a lot more than I ever needed, and really, why give it house-room?).

And when I saw this today:


I got to wondering. If you were a cat, do you think you would be a nose-tucked-in-tail sleeper?


Or a paw-over-eyes sleeper?


For myself, I can't decide.

Saturday Night, Post-Laundry and Mid-Closet-Cleaning

Well, there's nothing like eight loads of laundry to wear me out! I hadn't "gotten around to it" for far too long, and six loads of clothes and two of towels was a great help in getting caught up (sheets and blankets next time). But with two flights of stairs between me and the machines (in-unit laundry next time, cross my heart), I believe I did 28 flights of stairs this afternoon, and I am pooped. Still, it's a feeling of accomplishment not to be scorned.

And because of that, and because there is a Bruins game tonight, I hope you will see why I am going with the look-at-the-pictures blog post tonight.

We've had a dusting of snow yesterday and today, and this morning I heard an odd noise and looked out to see this guy across the street.


Yes, he's using a leaf-blower to clear the steps and sidewalk. Good lord, man, pick up a broom already.

I saw this bumper sticker driving home the other night, and maybe it was just the mood I was in, but it made me feel rather cross.


Because sometimes we have to do things that aren't fun. To pay the bills, for instance. And it's hardly fun to clean up when someone's been sick, or to do eight loads of laundry, for instance, and yet, someone has to, right?

Meanwhile, I want to get a magic marker and correct this sign. Illiteracy bugs me!


"Comming" soon indeed. Grumble, grumble.

Fortunately, there are sights like this one to comfort me.


Synchronized kitties make me happy.


So does a cat sleeping on my lap, which I had last night, and hope to have again tonight. May your evening give you something you like similarly.

Slight Updates (to drugs and job ap)

Ahh, Friday night.

Follow-up to yesterday's whining: I spoke to Miss Thing at the Doctor's office this morning, and the doctor wants me to make an appointment for a physical, which doesn't surprise me, as it's been a while since I had one. I go to the GYN regularly (since he dispenses the magical period-regulating prescription), but the primary-care doctor of late has only been for oops stuff that's come up, like the tendinitis, which even then tends to end with referrals elsewhere.

The doctor thing, you know? I suppose it's natural as I get older, but how many doctors are in my life? I know, this list will only get longer, but jeepers already.

There are the regular doctors:
PCP: general doctor stuff
Dentist: teeth (duh)
Gynecologist: duh
Neurologist: migraines
Ophthalmologist: eyes

There are the doctors I've seen for one thing or another:
Endodontist
Orthopedic Surgeon

Then there are the doctors I should also see, or will see soon:
podiatrist (recurrence of plantar wart on foot)
allergist
rheumatologist (arthritis)
[Edited to add] dermatologist [thanks, Shelly]

Plus I think I'm going to try acupuncture, as a friend recommended the acupuncturist who cured her migraines. May work, may not, but I think it's worth a try. (Anyone been punctured? Happy stories to share?)

As for today, my symptoms were, thankfully, less than yesterday. I took a Benadryl last night, unable to bear the ever-dripping nose, and then was suddenly stricken with exhaustion around 8, and in bed by 8:30. I know I'm tired if lying on the couch watching hockey takes too much effort! I turned the game on to listen to in bed, but fell asleep before it was over (not that I missed much; too bad the team that played for Boston during the first period didn't show up for the rest of the game). And did I ever sleep deeply. Benadryl doesn't usually do that for me, so who knows.

While I'm very glad not to be sneezing my head off today, it's still a relief that, since the appointment I made is for March first*, she sent in a refill on the prescription to cover me until then. Because if my sinuses were that unhappy yesterday, it may come back, and I don't know how I'd survive the next few months if that were the case. Better safe than sorry.

*Physical on the first, jury duty on the third. That's going to be quite a week!

It was kind of weird, making an appointment when I have no idea what I'll be doing then. Working? Hopefully. But I don't know where, I don't know what schedule ... weird. I'm ready for some continuity of employment, here.

Speaking of which, I applied for that job Wednesday night. Although the application had one of those "click here to apply through our website" buttons, it was thankfully NOT one where you then have to re-enter all the information that is already on your resume. Those really annoy me, you know? Is it actually too much to ask that the employer looks at my resume? I mean, I know, they probably all use scanners and search-keyword tools and no actual human is looking, but let's pretend, okay? (On the scale of Luddite to tech whiz, guess which end I'm closer to?)

Anyway, this one was just a portal (if I'm using the word correctly), where you entered name and contact info, then attached your documents: cover letter, resume, and red-lined application (the job listing included errors for the applicant to "catch"; pretty clever way to weed out those who shouldn't be proofreaders, if you ask me). So I sent it all along, and pretty quickly received the auto-response e-mail assuring me that they'd received it, and don't-call-us-we'll-call-you.

And now I wait. Which leads to:

Topic: Fantasy
Sub-Topic: Related to Job Hunting

It's not like I don't know that when I apply for a job, I am not going to hear from them the next day. I know that, a, I'll be lucky to hear back at all, and b, if I hear back, it's probably just an auto-response of "we got ur app, don't call us plz", and c, if I do by chance get more than that, it Absolutely Will Not Be Right Away. (Oh, and d: if I actually get an interview, that doesn't mean anything more than that will happen.)

And yet. Apply for one job, and the next day my heart leaps to check e-mail. And oh, the droop when only the usual messages are there! The Fantasy has me casually looking at e-mail and finding an eager message offering me the job, at a fantastic salary, and asking when I can start. Yes, the Fantasy doesn't even want a mere interview, but jumps the process to get to the good part.

Well, as someone said, if it wasn't for leaping to conclusions, I'd get no exercise at all. Happy Friday night.

A Drug Story (not the good kind of drugs)

A few years ago, my prescription allergy medication ran out and I didn't get it renewed right away. It was January, and I figured I could wait a little while, what's blooming in January?

And one day a week or two later, I started sneezing. I sneezed, and sneezed, and sneezed. And I called the doctor's office and begged for a new prescription, and got it filled that night, and all was well in the sinuses again.

And yet somehow, when I realized I was running low of my last bottle of the stuff in December (as in a few weeks ago), I thought I would be okay to lower my dosage and make it last until I could be bothered to call the doctor's office (which isn't hard, I don't know why I put it off). And today, I've been sneezing more than usual, my nose is running and running and running, and my head feels like it's full of cement. Ah. Two plus two equals oy.

Yes, I called the doctor's office today. I left a message at 10:30 this morning with the usual laundry-list of information they require, including my phone number. I gave them my cell phone number, and left it on all day in case they called back.

They didn't.

Before I left work, I called the pharmacy to see if there was a prescription called in, but there wasn't.

I got home and found a message on my home machine, left at 11:30, asking me to call back about my message. (You know, the one where I left the number I could actually be reached at? That message.)

The office is now closed, except for emergencies (and no matter my nose, I don't really think this is an emergency. A major honking annoyance, yes. One that was easily avoided if Little Miss Thing had used her brain, yes. But not an actual emergency).

I was prepared to not get the prescription today, and was not even mad about it. I mean, it's my own fault for letting the situation go this far. But now, when it's possible we could have resolved it today, if they had called the number I left for them?

Now I'm ticked.

Allergies. Good times.

Quick Proof-quest Note

The last month or two, my job search has been in the holiday doldrums, something that I was more or less at peace with. I know that December is about the worst month to be looking for a job, and the fact that I wasn't finding openings I wanted to apply for did not surprise me. "Wait for January," I told myself (and others). "January will be better."

I was not expecting a magical fairy-wand-wave on January first, or even January third, and certainly I didn't get one. Even when we make sharp delineations between periods of time in our heads, in real life, the lines are not usually so clearly drawn. Instead of striding crisply into the new year, poised and ready, I sort of stumbled over the threshold, metaphorically speaking, holding my aching head and tripping over my sweatpants. And that's okay.

Today I came across a job listing I want to apply for. It isn't perfect, but it's very good. And just reading it made me feel better.

Off to apply. Cross your fingers, eh?

Is Too Much, I Will Sum Up.

Oh! Ahem. Hi, there.

Yes, I went missing here for a couple of days, didn't I? Sorry about that. I mean, it probably doesn't bother you, but I like to keep up to date here, and missing more than a day or two makes me a little twitchy. (What does that say about me? Discuss.)

Nothing major happened over the weekend, other than my feeling a bit under the weather. The on-and-off headache, on-and-off upset stomach, on-and-off sore back ... yeah. And note to self when scheduling over the holidays next year: having your period the week after Christmas is inadvisable. You are going to need the extra energy for holiday recovery. Plan ahead for that.

TMI?

So, I spent a large portion of my glorious three-day weekend lying on the couch, which made Carlos at least very happy. I did get out on Friday with my friends as planned, which was fun while my head held up. Fortunately, I got through the movie without trouble (we saw The King's Speech, and all loved it), but the headache spoiled my enjoyment of dinner afterward, and my friend kindly brought me home early so I could jump right into bed. I've never been a big New Year's Eve party-goer, but in bed at 8:30 may be a new record for me.

Then Sunday, I went to the grocery store, and other than the five years shaved off my life when the car in front of me getting on the highway decided to stop* until the coast was clear, it was a satisfying out-of-the-house experience.

*There are entrance ramps in some places, on some highways, where you are supposed to stop, then merge, but this wasn't one of them. I was convinced I was about to be rear-ended by someone who quite rightly would not expect cars in front of him to be stopped.

Overall, it was the sort of weekend where emptying the dishwasher felt like a decent-sized accomplishment.

Aaaand then yesterday? I had the on-again, off-again headache for most of the day, not too bad, but it ramped up in the late afternoon, changing my plans of going to stitch and bitch to surviving the drive home, which was ... unpleasant, especially there at the end. (I had to wait at the train crossing--of course--and when I'd waited through the flashy-flashing lights and the clang-clang-clang of the actual train and then the barriers didn't go up because, yup, now we have a train going the other way to wait for, well, I was pretty much crying. Three minutes can be a very long time.)

The pain got truly awful, Level 10 misery, but finally it washed out again and left me feeling limp but euphoric. There is simply nothing in the world like feeling fine, after wishing for death (not literally, in the sense that I could never Do Anything to bring it on ... but with my worst headaches has come a sad understanding of why people might be driven to it. You get to the point where anything that stops the pain seems good.).

Anyway ... you can see why I didn't have the computer on last night. Though I did get to watch the Bruins win one for me, which was nice of them. (I kind-of-listened to the first period on the radio, in bed, and was feeling well enough for TV by the second period.)

In other news, I am now the world's most paranoid driver. After 25+ years of driving (which is mind-boggling, but that's another topic) without a ticket, I've now gotten two within three weeks. WTH?

This has left me feeling an odd mix of stupid and confused. What am I doing differently? Am I more careless? Why me? Is it just bad luck? Is it going to keep happening?

Both were when I was driving somewhere I don't usually go (Providence and Lowell). Should I stop doing that? (Kidding ... kind of.)

I already didn't like driving in cities. Now I'm completely paranoid about it. (Is it paranoia, or are they out to get me?)

The first was for failure to stop at a stop sign, and I will admit that I did not fully stop. I was following a friend, on unfamiliar streets, and didn't want to lose her. Bad luck to get caught, sure, but I did it and have to pay the price ($85, to be exact).

The second, though, is bothering me. I'm on a city street, two lanes each way, with traffic light after traffic light. The light turns green, the cars ahead of me move, I move, and then the vehicle in front of me stops, leaving me in the intersection. He doesn't move, the light turns red, and I'm stuck. (To the tune of $150 this time.)

The cop said that I shouldn't have gone into the intersection until I knew I could get through it, and of course I know what he means. It annoys me when cars gridlock an intersection that they can see isn't moving. In this case, though, when I went into the intersection the light was green, and the traffic ahead of me was moving, and because the vehicle in front of me was a big SUV, I couldn't see around or past it to tell that the traffic was backed up and about to stop. With a green light and the cars all moving, who assumes they'll have to stop? (The car behind me had to back up to get out of the intersection when the light changed. That's not wrong?) I just don't feel that my guilt is as clear-cut in this one.

Sigh. Both cops told me that if my record is clean (which didn't they just spend ten minutes in the patrol car checking?), I can go to court and appeal the ticket, and would most likely get it removed. But the amount of money I would lose by missing work (if I'm still working) is more that the cost of the ticket (especially to go to Providence). Plus, after the first ticket, I suppose my record isn't considered clean any more. Assuming RI told MA, which I think I have to assume they did, or will.

The Mass cop didn't have me sign the ticket. I wonder if that invalidates it? Wishful thinking.

Sigh. I have the money. This just isn't what I want to spend it on. But I guess I should be glad I have it. And hope my insurance isn't about to skyrocket.

Still, if you're driving around here and see someone doing one mile per hour below the speed limit, stopping at lights that look like they might be about to turn yellow, that would be me. And I must say, doing 55 on route 3, while being passed by cars going 65-80, feels kind of surreal. And not a little dangerous.

What else, what else? Well, to no one's surprise including my own, I re-gained a few pounds over the holiday season. And by "a few" I mean four. Which isn't that much, but I want to lose them again at once, since my work slacks are a little snug now.

So once more, I transition off the Eating Everything I See and Want Eating Plan, and return to the decidedly less fun Put It Down, Being Hungry for Five Minutes Will Not Kill You Eating Plan. (Though that little box of See's chocolates that I got for Christmas is not going in the trash, no sir. Baby steps. Mmm.)

And since, not at all coincidentally I'm sure, my right knee is suddenly and startlingly painful when climbing stairs, there is some exercise in my future as well. Sigh. It was a little ouchy recently, but carrying groceries upstairs Sunday had me gasping. Time for the exercise bike to return to its primary function (and what do I do with the clothes currently draped on it, eh?). Walking outside is unlikely to appeal to me for a few months (avowed weather-wimp here), but the bike may as well earn its real estate in my living room.

Which puts me squarely in cliched resolution-land, doesn't it? I've read a lot of blogs in the last week that were doing a year-end summary, an assessment of resolutions kept in 2010, or an announcement of aspirations for 2011. Some were more interesting to me and some were less, but in any event they got me thinking. One of the "things" going around the blogs is choosing a word to use as a sort of talisman or touchstone, and while this doesn't quite click for me, there are a few phrases that have resonated with me, that I want to keep in mind:

• There is seldom just one right answer. Too many options can paralyze me, and I have to remind myself, there is not one right answer and infinity-minus-one wrong answers.
  
• If that's the worst thing that happens today, it will have been a good day. I tend to get easily annoyed (oh, hush) by stupid little things, and I have to remind myself, not the end of the world.
  
• I very rarely read my horoscope, but on Saturday for some reason I looked at it when I read the paper. It started out okay, but the end hit me:
  

  Throw procrastination out the door. Start the year off fresh by getting all the odds and ends tied up. Wipe your slate clean so you can focus on the exciting future goals you set. Not everyone will be happy with your choices but it's you who must find peace of mind.
  

  Well, wow. Okay, then. I have been trying this year (by which I mean last year, 2010 as was) to listen to myself and my needs, to do what I need to do for myself without worrying about what it looks like or sounds like to others. If I need to turn down a party invitation, or don't answer the phone because I have a cat on my lap, I don't have to get my decisions validated by others.

Did you make it through all that? Wow, go, you! As a reward, here are some random pictures. Since I don't drink hardly at all, I don't regularly go into liquor stores. Which means when I do, I have fun with the wine bottles and their labels:

I love the hippo. If Shiraz tasted like Coke, I would buy this.

Well.

Pretty!

Cute! And ... a little odd.

Bears ... in a boat ... telling jokes?

Not wine, but look! Vodka in a crystal head!

Who could resist that?

Words Fail Me in the Face of the Cute