Rhinebeck, Day One (after a short un-health update)

Well, here I am, such as I am. After having a slight headache yesterday, today I woke with a slightly stronger one, that got worse through the morning, until I had to leave work because I couldn't concentrate (on much beyond how my head hurt and my stomach was rolling, anyway). Funny how an editor needs to have her brain to work!

I came home, got in bed with a blanket wrapped around my head and a purr-ball by my side, and dozed for a few hours. Got up around 4 with the head much improved, but the stomach still crazy-upset. My system is weird, right? I've tried a ginger ale and some Tums, but it's still rock-and-rolling down there. At least the head is better! I hope that lasts. Meanwhile, I am making hay while the sun shines, so to speak. Let's talk about Rhinebeck! I don't have pictures of Sunday's haul yet, but we can cover some ground with what I do have.

As always, it's a short trip with a lot crammed in, and so is a little stressful for me. That said, it's wonderful, and I can't imagine I'll ever not want to go. We did talk about going up Friday afternoon one year, to have time to look around the area since it's so beautiful, so we'll see if next year is that year.

Saturday morning I drove to the house of the friend who borrowed her sister's van so we could road-trip it. She's a very experienced, knowledgeable, and fearless knitter, so we'll call her the Wise One. I left my car there (since overnight on-street parking is allowed where she lives), and we went to pick up the others in our party: first, a New Knitter who we had lured into coming with our tales of Rhinebecks past; next, a knitter who belongs to our stitch and bitch group on Ravelry though she Never Comes to Meetings, and who we'd only met when she joined us for the North Shore yarn crawl a few years ago; and finally, Wise One's niece, who I think is 13, and who came last year as well. She's a nice kid, but with an appalling amount of energy (more on that later). Then we were away!

We left the final pick-up around 9:30, and arrived at the festival around 1 o'clock. The drive was pleasantly uneventful, with the foliage still beautiful though past its peak. I ate my lunch sandwich early (since part of the fun of being a grown-up is that you can eat your lunch at 10 if you want to), and then took my turn of driving the second half of the trip. And you know where my first stop was:

Hooray for The Fold! Look at all that Socks That Rock, and that's just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. Wowza. I had some fun there (Saturday and Sunday, in fact, but let's stay chronological).

I had a commission from another knitting friend who couldn't come this year (giving the lame excuse of a 25th anniversary trip, whatever), and asked me to get her a skein. I've talked up my STR love so much that she recently decided to try it herself, but the skein she got was mediumweight, and when the socks started coming out too large, she decided to give them to her father (who loves the socks she knits him) and get another skein for herself. I was able to find a skein of lightweight in a similar color to the one she got and liked, so let's hope it will do for her.

I met Drin while I was there, which was fun: I was telling Niece that the button that I'd picked up with the mushroom on it (picture to come) was for the designer, Mushroom Knits, and how she's the designer of my all-time favorite sock pattern, and she was right behind us! We talked about her patterns (which were why I went back Sunday), and she showed me how her Ribbed Mitts pattern looks with yarn held singled versus doubled, as well as with and without a thumb. Cool!

And for me? Two skeins of the lightweight:

Then I got a skein of mediumweight, in a nice teal, for the fingerless mitts. Drin's pattern!

After that? Well, it's a happy blur of yarns and yarn things and yarn people, who are by and large very happy with where they are. I only experienced two not-happy people the whole weekend. The first was on Saturday: I was in line to pay for some yarn, and the woman behind me was a total crab, muttering about how the women at the front of the line were "having a coffee hour" and should "just go on the internet for lessons", presumably instead of talking to the woman from that booth. I can't comprehend how you can stand there with your arms full of wonderful yarn and be so cross! I said something about how I'd only been there for an hour, so I was still excited about it, and she said that she'd only been there an hour, but she was fed up and had decided to get some yarn and go. Huh!

[The second woman was in a different booth; I'd seen her talking to another customer, and thought she worked there, but when I asked her to be sure, she gave a very short, "Yes." So I asked her how much the lovely skein of 100% cashmere was, and she snapped, "Eighty-five dollars," as though I had criticized her mother. So, you're working in a booth that doesn't price the yarn, either on the label or with a posted list, so people have to ask, it's really nice and therefore expensive, and this is how you treat someone who might give you money? Well, guess what, honey, I can afford your yarn, but I choose not to. Thanks anyway.]

Back to Saturday! I had a wonderful wander through a lot of the booths, without feeling the pressure to see everything; hooray for being able to go both days. At one point, I stepped aside for a little out-of-the-crowd time; the area that on Sunday was to be crammed with people watching the punkin chuckin' was quiet and lovely Saturday afternoon.

And as long as I was there, I took some pictures of the yarn so far:

Specifically, the STR that you already saw above, and... a skein of Sock Dream from the Periwinkle Sheep:

I'm hesitant about the color, since knitting in dark yarns really needs good light, but by the time I got to the booth*, it was this or purple, and I think I would wear dark grey socks more than royal purple ones. This is the same yarn that I got last year, with birthday money from my grandmother; it has 10% cashmere, and I really love the socks I made with it. Possibly not the most sensible fiber to use in socks, but really, nothing about hand-knitting socks is that sensible.
*I guess next year, this should be my second stop!

Then there's some lovely blue sock yarn from the vendor that I see at Apple Festival and at Rhinebeck.

I saw this skein before I could reach it, and I knew it was meant for me when a customer nearer to it reached out a hand and I panicked, thinking she was going for it. She wasn't, and I grabbed it as soon as I could. Mine! Blue, soft, and again, 10% cashmere.

There was a non-sock yarn purchase, as well. When I saw this one, I told the woman that she couldn't have dyed it better for me if she knew me. My colors!

There were two skeins, and I took them both (thank you again, mama, for the birthday money!). They're half tencel and half merino, wholly soft and completely lovely.

Wait, I forgot a sock yarn! And yes, another that's, say it with me, 10% cashmere. This one is a new brand to me, from Bittersweet, a line called Glamour Gams.

So squishy soft. Love. And also love this, a little project bag for carrying my sock around in. A little variety soothes the soul.

Photography finished, I took out the sock to work on it a little, which is also soothing. Here's where it was.

Wide stripes are a fun change. This is Felici from Knit Picks. A few rounds, and I was good to go on. I liked this building:

And was so stunned by this man's hair that I had to Kinnear him. Is that all one dreadlock?

It really seemed as though it was. Whoa. Just, whoa.

Now, some lovely mittens on display:

I love that poem.

That's it for festival photos on Saturday, but I did get some pictures of the fun menu at the Eveready Diner, where we had dinner (and breakfast, but I'm getting ahead of myself).

I think I will leave you there for now, as NESN, god bless them, has another Quest for the Cup 2011 game on tonight, and it starts shortly. I heated up a chicken pot pie that I hope will settle my stomach down, and since that's ready too, I believe I will take the hint and get off the computer.

Coming soon: Sunday at Rhinebeck!

LOLs and Pretty Trees

Last night, I felt much like this:

This morning, it was more like this:

And although today didn't go that badly, except for the cat vomit on the bed tonight, SO not what I needed, oh and the supreme irony of going waythehellandgone to UPS after work to pick up a package from last week, and arriving home to find a notice on the door that UPS had been by today, and couldn't deliver another package (why does everything need a signature all of a sudden?), but I am so tired and sore and out of sorts that now I feel kind of like I need this:

So rather than providing any sort of detail about the wonders of the Rhinebeck trip, I will give you the beauties of the foliage, un-commentated-upon, and hopefully tomorrow will be more ... well, maybe it will be less ... well, you know what I mean. Enjoy the pretty trees. I'll be back when my brain is.

Rhinebeck, Whew!

I'm home, safe and sound.

I got a LOT of lovely, lovely yarn.

I am EXHAUSTED. So much fresh air, walking around, and carrying (my arm muscles are actually sore).

For an introvert used to a lot of quiet time, 36 hours with people is a lot. I'd still rather do Rhinebeck with friends than alone, but I was so happy to get in my car (parked at one friend's house) and be alone again.

Home and cuddling the kitty is good. (Alone with Carlos is my kind of alone.)

Much more later!

Time to Get Packing!

(Yet here I am, blogging...)

The latest on the weather forecast in Rhinebeck makes me laugh at the idea that they claim to know ahead of time: from a previous forecast of a 60% chance of rain Saturday, we're now down to 10%! Partly cloudy Saturday, and mostly sunny on Sunday with also a 10% chance of rain (earlier today it was 0%, by the way). Ha! I'm still going to wear my boots, because it's raining there today so the ground will probably be messy and the grounds are not all paved, but at least we shouldn't be dealing with rain and umbrellas and all that. Hooray.

I have my packing list drafted and crafted, ready to go when I finish here. Up to a few years ago, I used to write out a list every time I was going away, and finally I copped to the strategy of keeping one on the computer. Then, when I realized I was changing certain things back and forth based on my destination, I started keeping multiple versions. Now I have "going to Grandma's and staying at the house" versus "going to Grandma's and staying at the motel"*, I have a list for flying (which is generally but not exclusively to Florida these days)(and not often enough, either), and I have a separate one for Rhinebeck.
*They're not very different, but hey, they are different.

It's broken down by what goes in the overnight bag (clothes, bath kit, and "things"), what I want to have access to in the car, and what I want for the festival itself. I figure out what I'm going to wear, what I need to do before I leave in the morning (you can't pack your glasses Friday night if you need to use them Saturday morning) ... planning is part of the anticipation is part of the fun!

Who else will be at Rhinebeck? Based solely on blogs I read (and Ravelry), I know that Drin, the woman who designed my favorite-ever sock pattern, will be at Rhinebeck, so I can thank her in person (she's even going to be at The Fold's booth, where they sell my precious Socks That Rock, so it's already my first stop); the Yarn Harlot will be there (not as an author this year, but as a knitter); Anne from Knitspot; and Bezzie from Random Meanderings (as she says, "assuming no one gets a stomach bug, mystery rash or it promises to rain a lot"). I'm pretty sure I'll be able to bring myself to say hi to Drin, but I imagine that even if I see the others (and I would recognize the middle two at least), I won't be able to bring myself to accost them. Hi, I'm socially awkward! How are you?

*****
A couple of Y-related notes: I was going to go next Wednesday, but the pool is closed Wednesday for a meet. So then I thought I would go Thursday, but a friend is going to here from out of town and I'm having dinner with her*. Should I still try to go after dinner, or is that setting myself up for failure? Or is it more of a failure to keep putting it off? I can go Friday. Have to consider. I will of course report back.
*Getting this program started is important to me, but she lives in Minnesota, and I don't get to see her very often. 

As for the locker question, the woman at the Y told me that anyone is free to use a locker during a visit*, but if you want to leave things there from one visit to the next, you have to rent it, for an extra $10/month. She said that it's nice to be able to leave shampoo etc there, and you can run your swimsuit through the "salad spinner" until it's almost dry, then hang it in your locker and it will dry the rest of the way.
*I ought to ask them: I assume you can bring your own lock** to use during that visit, but I'd better verify. Even if I bring no other valuables, I have to have my car key with me, and I'd hate to think someone could take that!
**And then I'll have to get my own lock. I do own one (from high school, thank you!), but it's on the storage area in my basement. Actually, I wonder if a little travel lock would fit?

If this becomes a regular habit, I can see where that might be preferable to hauling things back and forth, but to start, I'm going to consider the carrying part of my workout.

*****
Watching that Bruins game last night was painfully awesome. I've missed hockey so much! Last night should have been the 4th game of the season, the home opener ... damn them all. I told myself that I wasn't getting excited about the potentially promising news in the lockout this week, but I'm cast down anyway now that it's all falling apart. Whatever, NHL/NHLPA. Whatever. Anyway, it was wonderful to listen to the skates and the whistles and the thumps, to hear Jack's enthusiasm and Brick's insight, and even knowing that the Bruins would win, I got irritated by Montreal scoring and excited when the Bruins did. It was great. Damn it.

Looking at this fan art about hockey made me feel better. I highly recommend it, for other hockey fans, if you need to get the taste of the lockout out of your mouth.

Also check out the store: there are about 50 shirts there that I want.

There. I feel better now.

Off to pack!

Hockey, Food, and Foliage

The NHL and the NHLPA are going back and forth again, which is potentially good but also might lead to absolutely nothing but falsely raised hopes. Ahem. God bless NESN, they're showing a Bruins game tonight. I recently caught a re-run there that they had billed as part of the Quest for the Cup, meaning that it was part of the playoff run from 2011, and this is, too. Hockey! Bruins hockey! Just when it's getting cold and dark and hockey should be on TV, and it isn't, but here it is, kind of. Far, far better than nothing. (And beating Montreal! Knowing the outcome of the game isn't all bad. Far less stressful than the first time around.) Just hearing hockey noises is so great, even from the other room.

Now, on with the show! Believe me when I tell you that I am fully aware of the irony inherent in the contrast between what I'm writing about today and what I wrote about yesterday. I hope that the coming months will be more about yesterday's topic and less about today's, but in truth I have enjoyed today very much. I'm stuffed, though! Yes, it's all about food today. I even finished the day with grocery shopping!

First, you may recall that this summer I mentioned getting a cake from a local bakery via a Groupon, and how delicious it was. The same bakery ran another Groupon, and this time I decided to treat my co-workers to a cake. There are about 20 of us in the office now, and aside from my own birthday there are two others that I know of, a wedding, and an anniversary all in October. And Halloween, as someone else mentioned! Plus, it's really good cake, and I wanted it again. So why not?

Damn, it was good. And there's still half a cake left for tomorrow. Happy Friday! Hey, it's still October.

Then, I mentioned that one of the birthday-related offers I received was from Not Your Average Joe's. I don't actually eat at NYAJ's that often, but their food is good, and I was willing to give them my e-mail address in exchange for such offers. I looked at the date the offer expired, and at my schedule and plans, and decided that an early dinner tonight, right after work, was about my only chance, and would fit in well enough before my trip to the grocery store (both are nicely convenient to work, in fact, and by the time I was ready to head home, the highway traffic was reasonable). I had nice mustard-crusted chicken, with garlic mashed and green beans and bread and a salad, and crème brûlée cheesecake, and leftovers for lunch tomorrow, all for $15 (which included a tip on the full amount, don't worry). Very nice.

It's not all food all the time here, though. The trees are just gorgeous this fall. There's a red tree I pass on my way to work that looks like it froze just as it burst into flame, and an orange tree at work that simply glows, even on a cloudy day. It's a good year for foliage, and I'm constantly tempted to stop for photos. Here are a few I've managed to capture.

This time of year may be getting colder and darker, but it's beautiful, and the air smells so good. I love it.

Y? Well, Y Not?

Tonight after worked I stopped in at the Y to see what it was like, the first step toward joining and getting swimming. Well, if Internet research counts as the first step, this was the second, but the first step out in the world. I'm trying not to lose momentum on this idea, even though it's such a busy time of year. Either the doctors are right, and exercising will lead to losing weight will lead to curing all my health-related problems, which would be great, or they're wrong and they can shut up about it.

Do I sound skeptical? I am. I admit that I don't believe that losing weight will help the arthritis in my hands, for instance. Yes, the exercising might, granted, but doctors are always "If you'd exercise and lose some weight..."

Not that I really think they'll shut up about it, even if I'm not successful. Whenever I am unsuccessful at exercise, which is every time I try, it's always because I didn't try hard enough, or long enough, or the right kind of exercise, or I wasn't eating well enough (read: little enough), or there was something I was doing wrong. Yes. I sound bitter. I feel bitter.

However! I went to the Y anyway! The nice woman took me on a tour of the facilities, gave me a pool schedule and a one-week pass so I can try it, and they're even doing a food drive so that if I join in the next few weeks and bring in five non-perishable food items, they'll waive the joining fee. So there we are.

We meaning me, literally, but you, vicariously. Keep asking how it's going, if I don't bring it up, would you? I want to try this for a few months, at least, and really give it a chance. A little external motivation, gently applied, would be appreciated. After remaining pretty much at the same weight for my months of unemployment*, I've put on a few pounds since I went back to work, and I didn't have a lot of "give" in the wardrobe to start with, if you know what I mean. And I expect you do.
*Not an ideal weight, mind you, but it stayed fairly level. Next best thing, really.

Right now, here's how I feel about this plan.

But I will persevere. Shortly. Next week, actually: there's no point in starting to use a 7-day pass the day* before you go out of town for two days. But next week. I'm thinking Wednesday or Thursday. We Shall See.
*No, I'm not going out of town tomorrow. I had something else I had to do tonight, and have plans tomorrow night. Friday's open, and that's the day before I go out of town. See? Makes perfect sense in my head.

Does anyone else swim for exercise? Want to advise on the advisability of goggles, or any other tool, technique, or equipment? They don't require swim caps; do I want one anyway? Will I want to rent a locker there? I'm thinking I'll just load up a tote bag with my stuff and keep it in the car, at least until that gets old. What haven't I thought of? (I know, epic question.)

Shaking Things Up

Okay, I just felt an earthquake from all the way in Maine*! Not that I knew what it was at first, of course. I was at the computer when I felt the table start to shake. The lamp vibrated, and I could feel it through my feet. My first thought actually was earthquake, but it seemed so unlikely that I started to wonder if my downstairs neighbors were up to something. I stood up and moved to the doorway, to see if anything else was visibly shaking, but the lamp seemed the most bothered by it. Carlos clearly noticed it, but didn't care in the least. It must have lasted at least thirty seconds, maybe longer. And via Facebook the word spreads .... How the world has changed in my lifetime.
*Roughly 90 miles away, apparently.

Anyway! Today is one of the few days in October where my calendar has nothing on it. It's nice, that blank; even though many of the things are pleasant, it's been good to have a day when my after-work plans involve "maybe the post office, maybe the library, then home to putter about" instead of "be here at this time then try to get there by that time". Particularly since I got home to a we-missed-you notice from UPS. Since when do my contact lenses require a signature? Since never before, I swear, they came in the regular mail! It's not like going to pick them up is a huge deal, but adding one more thing to the list is not pleasing me. Grump.

In good news, however, my vacation request for Christmas-time was approved today. We get the actual day off, of course, which is Tuesday this year*, and I'm taking the rest of the week! Ahhhh. Including weekends, that's nine straight days off! And then work Monday, and have Tuesday off for New Year's. Ahhhh.
*Which means, of course, that in 2013 it's the least-desirable day, Wednesday. Urgh. Oh well, try not to borrow trouble.

I'm hoping that this will minimize my post-holiday crash. I felt like it took me most of January to recover from last year's (and then I got laid off, boom). I never was particularly resilient, and the "the older you get, the more so," as the saying goes.

Finally, here's a fortunately--unfortunately for you.

Unfortunately, Carlos has to be on antibiotics while we try to figure out why he had blood in his urine.
Fortunately, he loves pill pockets, so giving him the pills is easy!
Unfortunately, they've given him awful diarrhea.
Fortunately, probiotics are supposed to help with that, and
Fortunately, he loves the taste! I sprinkled the first packet over his food tonight, and he gobbled it. But,
Unfortunately, now he wants more, and is turning up his nose at the same food without the special topping.

Sigh. Isn't it always something?

If you really loved me...

Some Updates: birthday, lost card, health of various peoples

Thank you for the birthday wishes. No wonder I enjoy October, busy as it is*: it celebrates me. I've never understood why some people don't want to celebrate their birthdays. Why don't they find it fun? I mean, I can get as depressed as anyone at my increasing decrepitude as I age, but if you want to give me cake? I'm there!
*Halfway gone already! Whoa.

For my birthday, my mother sent me some fun money, and (in addition to yarn, of course; more on that to come) I thought about getting the first season or two of The West Wing on dvd. Looking on Amazon, however, I saw that they had the entire series, all 45 dvds and a list price of $300, marked down 47% (it's at 46% as I write this, still a deal). I pondered, briefly, and then clicked through. Fun! That should arrive this week, and I look forward to playing around with it. (In other dvd news, my darling brother sent me the first series of the modern-era Doctor Who, since Christopher Eccleston is [as I've mentioned before] my favorite Doctor, and I've already dipped into a few episodes. Fantastic!)

Mum also sent a small travel photo holder that she'd found and filled with baby pictures of yours truly. I love it!

I've been bringing it to work, though not leaving it there at night (following my own policy of not leaving anything that would cause me anguish if the building burned down overnight), and I keep smiling at baby me. In one of the pictures (lower left), my grandfather is holding me on his lap. Like a good adult, he is smiling at the camera, and like your average baby, I am unaware of its existence (in the picture next to it, though, I do have the classic "what IS that?" blank baby stare at the camera). Instead, though my body faces the camera, my eyes cut sideways, and I'm looking up at him as though he was the greatest thing in the universe. Wonderful thing to have.

*****
 So, about the credit card, no, I haven't found it. Blogging about it seemed to help me stop the futile repeated searches, which is good for my sanity, but it did not enable me to suddenly find the card is an obvious but somehow previously shielded spot. Bummer. I mean, it's good that I'm no longer lurching in desperation and bafflement from one spot to another and back again, but honestly, where the hell is it?

*****
In grandma-health-update-land, my grandmother, who had to go back to the hospital less than a week after getting a pacemaker, is now happily back home again. I don't know that we're out of the woods yet--she's 98, after all--but it's hopeful. I don't want to think any other way.

*****

Does it seem to anyone else that taking antibiotics and probiotics simultaneously means they would cancel each other out? Apparently they don't ... but doesn't it sound like they would? (Not Grandma--Carlos, this time.)

*****

I've been keeping an eye on the forecast in Rhinebeck for the trip. 

Eight days out, it predicted 58 degrees and a 60% chance of showers Saturday, partly cloudy and high of 55 Sunday. 

Six days, 61 and a 40% chance of rain Saturday, then 60 and a "few showers" Sunday. 

Five days, 62 and a 60% chance of rain (again) Saturday, then 60 and still a "few showers" Sunday. 

We'll see how it changes over the week!

*****
Tonight was my fourth acupuncture session, though I'm inclined not to count the one two weeks ago, when I had a headache going in. I don't know that I'm actually "getting anything" out of the sessions generally, but it was really hard to relax and lie at all still for that one. Otherwise, the process has been interesting, sometimes slightly painful, overall relaxing. Clearly it hasn't cured my headaches yet, but I wasn't really expecting a thunderbolt. I'm willing to keep trying it for now.

...And that's it for tonight!

Briefly, of head and health thoughts

Health is on my mind today, not in small part due to losing this afternoon to my wretched head. I wrote once before, almost a year ago, about how I was considering trying swimming as a potentially "less repugnant" form of exercise. I never got

last year, between deciding to commit and the holiday season, and then the post-holiday hangover and getting laid off this year. But here we are again, and I'm once more considering the possibility. There's a nice new YMCA in a town not far from home, in the direction of work, which would be convenient for after-work stops. So, maybe.

My head feels tentatively better now, and I did get my laundry done, last night, and this morning, so that's good. But the weekend is incontrovertibly over, which is always a sad feeling. Still, Rhinebeck gets closer! Two days of walking around with yarn and yarn people, ahh. Eyes on the prize. Take that, Sunday night!

A Quick Cat

As I said when I shared this picture on Facebook recently, "Either you are cat people, or you aren't. I are."

I was unloading the car today after some errands, when I noticed one of the neighborhood cats crossing the street. I would never let my cats outside (well, not the ones I love, anyway)(Miri), since it's a busy neighborhood and people cutting through often go way too fast. However, I won't let that stop me from saying hi to one, so I clicked my tongue the way cat people do to cats, to see if he wanted to say hi.

Well! He turned toward me with alacrity, showing more trust of me in an instant than Miri has in 3.75 years put together.

As you can see, he inspected the trunk of the car, to see what I was doing, and was very interested in being patted.

Big toes!

I didn't realize it at the time, but in looking back, I think this is Marcel, the cat who helped me put out a basil plant in 2010. No collar tag this time, and he's picked up a facial scar:

But otherwise, don't you think it's the same cat? Very friendly, anyway, which after the anxiety princess is much appreciated.

Plenty to tell you, but plenty to do tonight. Forget striking while the iron is hot, I have learned to strike while the head is not hurting! It was bothering me somewhat today, but for now the coast is clear. Allons-y!

Almost to that Weekend ... Allllmost There ...

Finally, finally today the sun was shining. It was so wonderful! There was some sun last Friday when I was driving to NY, but mostly it's been grey and rainy for October so far. And this time of year, when the trees are turning beautiful colors, it's a shame when the sun doesn't shine on them and show them to full advantage. They grey is gloomy, and rain hastens the fall of the leaves, and I just really needed sun. Ahhh. Blue skies, dude. I kept looking up and smiling. Kind of extra bummed that dark comes so early these days, though.

I went to my other knitting group last night, and it was a very nice time. I'd thought about not going, since this is such a busy week for me*, and just heading straight home instead. But I don't want to cancel the fun things, and leave only must-do items; that's no way to happiness. Though it got me home late, it was a pleasant and relaxing experience, which is all to the good. I finished the secret Christmas knitting project I was working on (on to the blocking!), and got a sock going so it's in place for purse knitting.
*So far, at least, next week looks much calmer, thank goodness. I'll try to keep it that way.

What's that you say? Wasn't I already in the middle of a sock? A red one? Yes, keep me honest, why don't you. The red sock that I was working on, well, we're spending some time apart. The combination of splitty yarn and blunt needles led to a mild crisis over the weekend, and while I didn't lose my cool, I could see the meltdown coming right at me. Best to put it aside. I want pointier needles for sock knitting. One of the women at the group last night recommended Lantern Moon Sox Sticks, so I'll take a look at those; maybe I'll see them at Rhinebeck or at Webs. The ones I was using on those are Clover, I think (too lazy to check), and wow, very blunt. That may work for some people, I'm not judging, but ooh, not for me. My usual needles, KnitPicks, aren't super-pointy (and are wearing down with use), but they're better than those. I know I could get sharper ones in metal; wood and bamboo just aren't as hard. But since I like the feel of wood/bamboo far better than metal, I just need to find the best I can in that medium.

I think I won't talk about what I should be doing tonight, if all was right with the world, namely watching the Bruins season open. Yeah, let's not go there. No good can come of it. (Though I will say, to all parties involved in the ongoing non-negotiating: Fuck you. That is all.)

On to cheerier topics! My birth day has passed, but that doesn't stop me from continuing to celebrate the season! Sub-topic: Birthday Wishes in the 21st Century

I'm old enough that birthday greetings that don't come in the mail*, over the phone, or in person still can surprise me just by their form. I don't object to them, mind you: e-mails, Facebook wishes, and even a celebratory text are nice. Just not what I grew up with, is all I'm saying. (Get off my lawn!)(Not really!)

*I got some nice birthday cards, and my mother and brother each chose one with a cat picture. Go figure, right?

The e-mails started last week, some from friends but mostly from the various rewards and bonus programs I'm signed up for. Airlines and restaurants and randoms, oh my! Some with offerings!

• AirTran Airways: double rewards credit on my next flight (this calendar year)(not going to happen)
• Not Your Average Joe's: complimentary entree and dessert! (by 10/23)(will try to make happen--anyone around here want to go with me?)
• Panera: a "special surprise" (60 days)(oh yes, curiosity makes a good excuse)(though I wish I knew whether to go in at meal time or for a snack)
• b.good: free burger (7 days)(maybe)
• JetBlue: $50 off a vacation package (not going to happen)
• Disney Movie Rewards: 100 bonus points (nice, but essentially meaningless)
• The optical shop (where I got my first glasses at age 7): no special offer, but a gif of balloons and confetti that was quite cheery
• Norm Thompson: 21% off my next order (may you feel like you're 21 again)(expires in a week; probably not going to happen)
• Vanguard: birthday wishes and a reminder to verify my beneficiary designations (ooh, fun)

 None of it beats what I think is my all-time birthday card from a business, which wasn't even for me. Years back, when I lived in Charlotte, I got a card from Saturn. On the outside, it said, "We've heard something about your Saturn." Inside, it went on, "It gets around pretty well for a one-year-old!" Yes, they sent my car a birthday card! And as you can see, I haven't forgotten, though that was 1995.

Any fun card stories?

In Which I Admit to Idiocy

I blog about a lot of things, various topics and random thoughts that cross my mind, but I don't often blog about those (thankfully rare) moments when I feel like a true idiot, when I've done something (or not done something) that makes me feel like I ought to have a keeper. Although in general writing often makes me feel better, or helps me work through something, there are times when dwelling on something just makes me feel worse, and who needs that, right? But this one is unresolved and driving me crazy, and I'm hoping that writing it out will help me solve it.

The short story is this: I lost a credit card. The slightly longer version is that it came in the mail last Thursday, and while I am 99% sure it is in my condo somewhere, I Can Not Find It Anywhere. Which is making me nuts. Let me say that again:

NUTS

It doesn't feel hyperbolic to say that I have looked everywhere (four times), even though strictly speaking that can't be true because I haven't found it, so there's somewhere I haven't looked. But where is it? Where? I am going batso nutso over here.

It came Thursday. I took it to the computer to activate it. I signed the back. I remember looking at it, noting that the square where my picture is supposed to be was blank white instead, and wondering if I should call AmEx, or call Costco, or bring it to Costco in person.

After that? Well, on Thursday night I was packing for my weekend trip, and I have no further memories relating to the card. When I pulled out my wallet over the weekend, I noticed that it wasn't in there, felt mildly surprised, and thought, "Oh, I must have left it by the computer to call about it." But I got home, and it isn't by the computer--though the paperwork that came with it is. It isn't on the kitchen table, no matter how many times I look (and when I was looking again last night, I spilled a glass of water all over everything, which was the straw that broke the camel's back for my mood last night, as you can imagine; frustrated plus over-tired is not a good look for me).

I am not the most classically organized person, but I can usually find things by putting them where I think they should be, or where I'll expect to find them. In this case, in my wallet, by the computer, and on the kitchen table all make sense to me. Nothing else does, though I have looked in all sorts of places anyway, because it has to be here somewhere. It has to!

It isn't stuck in my purse somewhere other than my wallet; I took everything out of the purse and used a messenger bag for Apple Festival on Saturday, so I can say that for sure. Which didn't stop me from taking everything out again, just in case. And then everything out of the wallet, even though I've looked and looked there already.

I don't remember what I was wearing Thursday*, but I've checked all the pockets in the dirty clothes and it isn't there.
*Even by Sunday night, Thursday seemed like a long time ago.

I have looked all over the place, in case I put it down somewhere while I was thinking of something else, since I was thinking about packing more than anything else that night. Nowhere to be seen. And because I was packing, I was all over the place, so it could be anywhere. I walk from room to room looking around, thinking it will be somewhere obvious.

But it is nowhere.

I've used the same petsitter for, what maybe eight years? So clearly I trust them, with my home and my belongings and my cats, and I really don't think they took it. All the same, I checked the card's account online, and no one has used the card. I do think that if they took my card, they would have started to use it right away, before I noticed it was gone, right?

I keep thinking about it, and when I'm not home it seems that it must be in one of the obvious places and I just have to go home and I'll find it. Under the table! Maybe it fell on the floor. Under the printer! It could have slipped under that, right? This has not worked out so far, and when I'm home I find my brain keeps going around and around, uselessly: "Where IS it? It has to be SOMEWHERE! How can it be GONE? What kind of IDIOT loses a credit card--a CREDIT CARD--in her own home? Where did it GO? It HAS to be here somewhere!" And so on. I've been reduced to saying, "I wouldn't have put it there," with certainty about some spot, and then looking anyway because I can't keep looking in the same places where it isn't.

If I accidentally threw it out (which, seriously, how would I do that? but who knows at this point), it's gone, because the garbage is gone. I took a quick flip through the recycling and didn't see it, but I will go through Every Single Piece Just In Case.

But, really? Where is it? Where?

I just want to find it and feel stupid specifically about where it was, instead of feeling generally stupid and perplexed. Where is it? Where is it?

Hippo Birdies to Meeeee

Tonight after work I swung by the library on my way to acupuncture, then went to have dinner with family friends (which was awesome, my all-time favorite birthday meal [steak, mashed potatoes, and peas, plus a Pepperidge Farm coconut cake for dessert] and they sent me home with leftovers), then I stopped to buy cat food, and so it was almost 9 when I walked in the door. And now it's time to get ready for bed.

So!

I hope it's soon. But I ain't promising nothin'.

Yes, I'm Here. Sort Of.

Home again.

So tired.

The trip had many good points, but my grandmother's health is a bit worrying right now. She had a pacemaker put in on Friday, and one can't expect a 98-year-old to bounce back quickly. Still, I worry about her, and about my aunt taking care of her, and wish I was closer and could help more.

From the time I got home last night until I got into bed, and then again this morning* from before I got up until I went to shower, Carlos had a bad case of the Random Meows. I can't help worrying, since we're waiting for the test results for what might be causing blood in his urine. Maybe he feels sick! It's far more likely that he is unhappy I went away, and is expressing his discontent that I was attempting anything non-cat-related like unpacking or brushing my teeth or working.
*Happily, not so much tonight.

So! I have So Many Pictures to show, and stories to tell, and So Little Energy. And time. I want to get to it, but, you know. I had stitch and bitch tonight, tomorrow is acupuncture and dinner with family friends, Wednesday is Other Knitting Group (if I have the energy), Thursday is contact lens appointment, Friday is doctor and then dinner with friends ... Saturday I have the whole day planned for my collapse.

And laundry.

If Spam is Good for Nothing Else

It's good for a laugh! (Click on it to see it bigger.)

I am so sure that the FBI is sending me an e-mail with the subject line:

Re: Your Funds Has Been Approved Act Fast !!!!!

Ha!

I am, of course, getting back to them via "e-mal" as soon as I finish this. (You can spell "beneficiary" but not "mail"?)

In Which I Reappear, and Then Disappear

So, guess what?

Yup, headaches. Or possibly one headache that came with an intermission. Hard to say for sure.

I started to feel a little off Monday afternoon, and by the time I left work, I wasn't up for going to stitch and bitch; it seemed like a better idea to go home and get to bed early. I ended up in bed before 7, ridiculous even for me! But I didn't have a headache Tuesday morning, which seemed a worthy tradeoff.

Unfortunately, the pain started to come back in the afternoon. It wasn't awful before acupuncture, but it got worse after; I'm not saying acupuncture made it worse, since unfortunately nothing with my migraines is that straightforward. The needles might have made it worse, or maybe it was going to anyway, who knows? All I know is that I went home and to bed; was awake for over an hour around midnight wanting very urgently to die if that would stop the pain; finally threw up and was able to get to sleep again. It wasn't too bad this morning, and at least I was able to get to work and be semi-functional, if not fully my normal self (such as it is). Right now it isn't bad, just a sort of awareness of my head, and tenderness at the back of the skull. I'm grateful that's all it is.

Meanwhile, I leave town Friday morning for Apple Festival, so tomorrow night I am more likely to be packing than blogging. Not saying I definitely won't blog, just that I may not find the time. Living before blogging, you know?

I have a lot going on in October, and I'm trying to walk the fine line between being aware of and ready for everything, and panicking about how much there is. I know, I say the same thing every year: good stuff, but too much of it! This year *should* be better, since I have that weekend between trips. But in addition to the weekend travels, I have about 8-9 social plans (mostly knitting-related) and 8-9 medical-type appointments--mostly the acupuncture, but also contact lenses and the dentist and my primary doctor, as well as a haircut. It means a lot of evening plans, one way or another. With the knitting, in particular, I have to balance how enjoyable and relaxing it is once I'm there, versus how stressed it may make me to get ready to go. Sometimes it's worth it, but not always.

Random Thoughts
As an acknowledged word nerd, it is no surprise that I get a daily grammar usage tip e-mail from the Oxford University Press. They give a few entries and then end with a quote, and recently there was a lulu:

"I would prefer to allow a drunken surgeon to operate on my brain with a chainsaw than allow a computer to correct my grammar." John Humphrys, Lost for Words: The Mangling and Manipulating of the English Language 37 (2004).

Yow!

*****
In the "if you're going to do something, do it right" category, I must unfortunately give a failing mark to Rhinebeck's website. Well, maybe that's too harsh; not an F, but a D. It is semi-functional, and I have been able to use it to confirm the dates, find the link to buy online tickets (the cheapest option), and view the map of the grounds. However, when the website states, at the end of September, that certain information is Coming Soon, or even worse, will be added May first? Not Good. When the book-signing page gives both 2011 and 2012 authors (not a good idea to begin with) without saying which is which? Bad. Sorry guys, I love you, but you're letting us down on this.

Also? Spell-check. Use it. Because "imformation " has no place on your site.

*****
One of the stops I made Saturday with my friend was at a cheese shop, where I bought a piece of caraway gouda. Which makes me think of this: