corvikate

Did I tell you about my awesome dog? Well, she is. Yesterday, I had to make a second trip out to see the in-laws because Wally had left his fanny pack in the car when we took them to lunch on Saturday. (He's done it before - I should have checked. Oh, well.) Since I had to drive out there, I took The World's Greatest Dog out there with me. Dolly had a bath (bummer!) on Saturday afternoon, so she was especially soft and beautiful.

I've taken her there once before. Some of the residents respond well to her (the rest have no response at all). Dolly HATED it there. Really hated it. She whined and carried on like she was at the vet's office. I thought perhaps it was from Doris' distress, and this time would be different. Nope: she still hates it. We didn't stay long. (She was my out - I didn't want to get roped into an ice-cream excursion. I didn't say I was a nice person.) We stayed for a few minutes, I made my apologies, and we left.

The route that I take to get to the assisted living facility goes through Fort Bragg. There's a new trail system along the edge of the post called the All American* Trail. On the way home, we stopped and walked a bit of the trail. It was gorgeous outside.



I am a bad dog owner, and always let her off the leash on post. She never gets out of sight, but stays about 30 feet out. She does indeed harass the squirrels, and gets in whatever nasty pond or puddle she can find. I take all the blame. Luckily for me, there were no creeks or puddles for her enjoyment, so she's still clean.

One nice thing about living in North Carolina: I took this picture on November 15, 2009:



It was 75 degrees outside.


*All American is the nickname for the 82d Airborne Division, which is headquartered at Fort Bragg. As a specialty division (paratroopers), they came from all over the country, unlike most Army divisions, which used to be made up of people from the local geographic area. We are very proud of our (crazy-ass) paratroopers. I asked David why he would jump out of a perfectly good airplane - he says those are Air Force planes, and it's better to get out of 'em as soon as possible.

Last weekend, I went to a women's retreat at a Baptist camp at the NC shore (Fort Caswell on Oak Island, for those who might recognize it). I had had a sore throat for a couple of days before, and was feeling pretty crappy, but I went anyway. I woke up on the first morning feeling 100% fine. In fact, I'm still feeling great.

When I was 11, I went with my cousins to Delaware to visit their grandparents for Easter recess. I had strep throat and the doctor's little paper envelope of penicillin. I took my pill the first night and forgot all about it the rest of the week. Didn't get strep again for about 10 years, actually. My cousins' grandmother, Ellen, told me that the sea air will cure most anything. It sure works on sore throats. Thank you, Ellen (for that among other things).




There were lots and lots of raccoon tracks on the beach. There was also a fairly bold fox, but I didn't get a picture of him on Saturday afternoon, hanging around the old fortifications.

We went to the nearby town for shopping and hanging out. The local maritime museum has succumbed the pirate craze. Hey, whatever gets the kids in the door.




As David's wife, I am contractually obligated to take pictures of any swords I see.


I went with my friend Mary. I'm glad she came with me - I enjoyed her company, and we got plenty of time to talk about every kind of thing. I've gone to this retreat three times now, and I really enjoy it. There's lots of free time to go walk on the beach and/or hang out on the porch listening to the waves, watching the birds, knitting, or some happy combination of those. This year I saw an osprey stoop and catch a fish. I know flying is what they do, but it's still awesome to watch them fold their wings and drop like that.

A wonderful weekend at the beach!

...was a bust. We put out pumpkins and got dressed up but had very few trick or treaters. I know that friends in other neighborhoods had ghosties and goblins to spare, so it must be the area. David loves Halloween, and went all out getting dressed up and setting out fun stuff in the yard. He was pretty disappointed at the turnout.


(That's his pumpkin in front. Bah, humbug.)

It was also hot that day - 80F and humid. Yuck. Luckily, the next day it reverted to a respectable 50F. It's November, damn it, cool off already.

Sunday afternoon, I took my friend Mary out to see the in-laws. We had a document for them to sign, and Mary's a notary. I have to say that having her with me made the trip much less of a drag. We went out to dinner afterwards and enjoyed it very much.

That's all I know.

So the week before last, I drove to Connecticut, New York, and New Hampshire. I used up every bit of my paid leave, and even took some leave without pay to do it. Back to going in early to make up for going to the dentist. Whee. But the trip was great, and very worthwhile. I left Thursday at noon. I took the scenic route going up, driving to DC to spend the night, then going northwest into Pennsylvania and east on I-84 into Connecticut. That drive was wonderful and pretty right until I got to CT, then it was not pretty and damn slow. But I did eventually arrive at my destination, and not too late.

My cousin's wedding was the next day, and it was a great time. The wedding itself was lovely (and mercifully brief, for a Catholic service - I've been to ones that warped Time itself). The priest was very informal, entertaining, and chatty during the service. The reception was great - it was at a country club and the leaves were all turning and quite lovely. My cousin and his new wife are great people, and I was glad that I was able to go.

The next morning, my Mom and all her siblings got together for a birthday brunch for my Aunt Jean. The siblings are rarely together in one place, as they live in 3-4 different states (depending on where Aunt Jean is staying on any given day - she moves around a lot). The spouses were there, plus me and my cousin AnnMarie, her husband, and their lovely red-haired daughter Ellie. Ellie's very calm and sweet, though like all babies, she has her moments. (She was quiet as a mouse through 80% of the wedding, but that last 20% was taxing her patience, you could tell.)

After the brunch, I drove to see my father in New York. Daddy is quite a character, and we always have fun together (at least, since I survived adolescence and moved out.) I was only able to spend about a day and a half there. We went to see my cousin Cathy in Schenectady, and her daughters and granddaughter, Sydney. She was quite the charmer, even though she insisted that my name is Susan. No, I said, it's Kate. No, your name is Susan, she said emphatically. Whatever, shorty. We played and visited, then she threw her arms around me, gave a big sigh, and said, "My Susan!" I said, honey, you can call me whatever you like. (She did decide that I could be Kate after all. She's a reasonable child, it just takes her a while to change her mind.)

The next day, I drove up to New Hampshire to see my Aunt Jean on her (actual) birthday. The GPS suggested that I take the Mass Pike east to I-95, but I decided to go north and take Rt 9 across Vermont and New Hampshire, before going north to Center Harbor and on over to Aunt Jean's place. What a pretty drive, even in the rain. My Aunt MaryLou made a delicious dinner (as usual), followed by cake and presents. I only got to spend the night before I had to head home, which was a drag because it's lovely there and there's tons to do. But I had to get back to NC in time to work on Friday.

I drove back the most direct way, which was I-95, mostly. I stopped in NJ and spent a night, then got on the road again at 7 am the next day. I was careful about the drive - I didn't want to end up in DC traffic (especially in the rain), so I stopped between Baltimore and DC to eat breakfast and read the Washington Post cover to cover (talk about a luxury). I spent an hour there, and so missed the bulk of the traffic entirely. I got home at 5 pm on Thursday, absolutely beat. I love travelling, I love driving, but two 8 or 9 hour days behind the wheel wear me out. I drove a total of 2,100 miles all together. Not bad! If I had stayed to the direct routes, I would have gotten fewer miles, probably spent as much time or more in traffic, and certainly missed some lovely scenery.

Most importantly, I got to spend time with a larger part of my family than I usually get to see, which was absolutely worth while. Spending time with my in-laws reminds me that not only do we not live forever, but sometimes we disappear while we're still alive. I don't want to only see my loved ones in the hospital or at the wake. As long as I was in the same general area, I had to go visit. Those drives were 300-500 miles between destinations. It was still closer than North Carolina. And it was worth every minute.

I use up my paid leave at alarming rates. I can't seem to get ahead at all. So, when I need to take some time, I will often some in to work early for the rest of the week so that I can leave at noon on a Friday, for example. In September, I had to do that for our friend's wedding, and then for our SCA event. This week, I thought I was going to need to do this to make up for jury duty on Monday (didn't get selected), but it turns out that my company will pay that time after all. So for the past couple of days, I have come to work at the regular hour of eight. (In NC, we work 8 to 5, as businesses decline to pay us for our lunch hour. "Right to work" state, you know. I'll just save that rant for another day.) It's a luxurious feeling, after racing to get here at 7 for two or three weeks.

Anyway, the weather has been downright chilly, about 65 each morning. This will not last - fall comes to NC in November, and it'll be hot again soon enough - but boy oh boy do I enjoy it. I walked Dolly 3 miles yesterday and 2 this morning.

I had a kayaking trip scheduled for last Saturday, but it was canceled due to rain. (Said rain stopped 30 minutes later and never resumed, but that's just how it goes sometimes.) On Sunday, I took Doris and Wally out to lunch and to the Malcolm Blue Farm Festival. We went last year and they liked it, but this year, Doris didn't really have the energy. We had to stop and rest every 20 feet or so. She's gained a good amount of weight in the past year, and she doesn't get a lot of exercise. I don't know what to do about that - it seems cruel to put her on a diet or insist on exercise at this point. She's not there a lot of the time, maybe half. Wally thinks her hearing aid is not working right, but I think she's just zoned out. Plus he never shuts up, so I expect she tunes him out. I know I do. After a while as he drones on I can say, "okay" or "uh huh" at intervals without actually paying full attention. (Yes, I am a mean, terrible person.) Oh, good news - the activities director at the facility got them to sign up for a "computers for seniors" class at the nearby community college, so I don't have to teach him how to use the damn laptop after all. That activities director is a smart cookie. It's great to get them out of the house, too - maybe it'll help Doris to have a little change of scenery.

This weekend is the Cameron Antiques Festival. Afterwards, we will go out to see Doris and Wally again. You should see her perk up when she catches sight of her boy. She loves him so fiercely, it's awe-inspiring. That's one reason we get along - we both think her baby boy is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Hee.

Posted for your amusement:



I may be the least Middle Eastern-looking person in the state of North Carolina. David can totally pass (and has, come to think of it).

And sewing. I've made two pair of salwar (voluminous pants), two tunics, and a kamiz or outer coat. I didn't like it - for one thing, it's enormous. It's also satin and someone please slap me the next time I mention sewing satin. The devil's plaything, right there. Luckily, I had more fabric, and have cut out and mostly pieced two other kamizes. I used each fabric to make a double-fold binding to edge the other, and they look pretty good. I have to sew the long seams (wrist to ankle on each side) and hem them still. The sleeves are supposed to be long enough to make straitjackets (42") but the hell with that. I need to use my hands. Also, technically, these should have been mostly sewn by hand, but again, the hell with that. I have a job. So I should be able to get the last bit of sewing knocked out tomorrow after work. (She says bravely.) We're going to this camping event on Friday night, so if I don't get the sewing done tomorrow, I will be doing the last of it by hand. And that would suck.

Last weekend, we went to Easley, South Carolina for a friend's wedding. He got married at Table Rock State Park nearby. It's in the northwestern corner of the state, near Greenville. We went a day early and did a little hiking, some antiquing, and some eating. We liked it there - the area was pretty, and Greenville is quite nice. There's a river in the center of town complete with waterfall, and they made a park around it. We visited this park on Sunday morning and it was in full use by the citizens - joggers, families letting the kids run, dogwalkers, and coffee drinkers. The weather was great, too. The people there were nice enough to be a little creepy to a Yankee like me. David thought, "how friendly," while I thought, "what does that guy want?"

The wedding was at a CCC lodge at the park, and the place, the scenery, and the wedding were all great. We had a great time. Those who know me will be unsurprised to know that I ended up cutting the cake. They hadn't made arrangements for anyone to do it, and the groom started cutting it for the guests, when I volunteered. "You're the host. Let me do it." And so I did. This makes three weddings where I ended up dishing out cake. All those years of cutting AA cakes has come in handy. We left around 5 and got home at 10, so not too bad.

Even though we were in the mountains, it didn't give me that wonderful mountain "I'm Home!" feeling. SC has the very tail end of the Appalachians, not as grand as NC and VA. I love the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Okay, it's after 11, and I am done.

My stepfather's birthday was Friday, so Mom threw a small party for him on Saturday. David made three racks of barbecue ribs on the smoker grill, and we brought them with us. We were going to take Dolly with us, but I took her out to the woods on post in the morning, and she got into the ponds and ditches. That water is all drainage, and stinky. I rinsed her off when we got home, but she stays wet for hours after getting soaked. We left her at home. Turns out that was a good idea - there were a lot more people at Mom's than I'd expected, and the pandemonium level was fairly high even without a stinky wet dog for the little boys to chase. The party was great - we all ate like kings. David's BBQ ribs were the star of the show.

Last week, I got a new car - a Toyota RAV4. (Used, about 20K miles, good condition.) It gets decent mileage, has lots of room, and it has a roof rack for the kayak I SWEAR I'm going to get. (Damn it.) David is a bit appalled that I'm driving an SUV. I'm surprised myself, but really? It was the roof rack.

Anyway, I drove it out to see Doris and Wally yesterday. They found the Toyota easy to get in and out of, and Wally thinks we can go ahead and sell the Lincoln. It's an expense he really doesn't need - they are just keeping it for convenience. He's going to talk to Doris about it. Leave it to the former insurance guy - he can talk anyone into anything, and make you think it was all your idea. Take it from me - he can wear rocks down to sand in a matter of hours. Fortunately, he only uses his powers for good, not evil.

So we ran an errand to Walmart, where we looked at computers. Wally's kids are after him to get on email so they can communicate with him better. He ended up getting a 17" laptop - not the latest thing, but plenty fast for him, and with a screen large enough that he can use it. I left without helping him get it set up, though. Two or three hours with those two is plenty for anyone. (Think of me what you will, but I challenge anyone to spend three hours with them without running, screaming, from the building.)

Today is garb day. We have a Middle Eastern-themed SCA event coming up, and we need appropriate clothing. I have made two pairs of pants, started a tunic for David (and ran out of thread about 3/4th of the way through), and started a tunic for myself. The challenge will be in making the outer coats. I have some lovely fabrics, but I've never made anything like this. I also have no pattern, just a diagram. However, I did get some light muslin on sale a while back, so I think I'd better make one out of that, see how it fits, and adjust from there. If by chance I get a good fit, I can rip the seams and use the pieces for a pattern. (Learned that in upholstery class.)

I am terribly grumpy and argumentative these days. One thing I really must not do is engage in discussions about health care reform. I go from zero to low-earth orbit in seconds on this topic. I'll need to go on blood pressure medicine if I keep talking about it.

An aside: I spoke to my Dad in Tucson yesterday, and he told me that he's getting peripheral neuropathy. I said, "You have diabetes?" He said yes. I shouted, "QUIT EATING SUGAR YOU MORON!" Silence. "Will it take your first amputation to get your attention on this?" He replied, "Probably. I don't really need my feet." So, no, I am not feeling especially tolerant these days. That is just criminally stupid. I hope he's not counting on me to care for him in his old age, because I foresee elder abuse right there. He'd be better off with his other daughter.

David & I helped a friend move on Saturday. He helped us move both times, and we were glad to return the favor. Now my elbow is sore - I must have picked up something that was heavier than I thought.

This morning, I went to the gym with David, and worked biceps and triceps. (That did my elbow no favors.) We go at 5 am, usually, and stay an hour, then I go home and walk the World's Greatest Dog a couple of miles. The temperature was quite cool for this time of year - only about 70F - so she was feeling very frisky. She loves it when the weather cools off. On the back loop of our walk, I met our preacher out walking with a friend. I scolded him for not wearing his reflective belt (which we'd purchased for him, his wife, and his walking chum back in the fall). I told him Sergeant Smith would be very cross.

Speaking of dog walking, I took Dolly to the golf course across the way on Sunday. She went swimming in those nasty ponds, repeatedly. The ponds are drainage, basically, and are inhabited by large numbers of Canada geese. She got a bath when we got home, to her great disgust, but man, she smelled awful. That water cannot be good, but she loves it so, I can't bring myself to deny her. I figured she was about due for a bath anyway, so I let her at it. Later that day, I brushed two poodles' worth of fur off of her. There's plenty more where that came from - I could probably do that every day. I love my dog.

David's going to the field tomorrow, for the week. We went out and took the in-laws to lunch today, then went back to their place and hung a few pictures.

There was one that Doris didn't really remember, but she did like, so we put that up near her chair. There was an oil painting that she does recall and loves - we hung that up where she can see it from her chair. There's a hideous (no lie) print of many cats' eyes that mush together into the shape of a cat's head, we put that over her bedside table. She likes cats, and she likes cat kitsch, and that awful thing fits the bill. (David and I both shuddered and turned away the first time we saw it. It's all kinds of creepy.) Finally, we had a woodcut of the Name of God in Arabic for Wally, who is Ba'hai, and we hung that up over his bedside bookcase.

All but the first painting was in one box behind one of the recliners the whole time they've been there. The handyman was going to put them up, and never did, then we were going to do it, and never did, and finally I managed to get picture hanging hardware, a hammer, nails, and David out there all at the same time, et voila! Only took me fifteen months. Oh well, it's done now.

I bought some yarn to make a baby present for our friends in Rome, GA. We went to their wedding a few years ago, and now they are expecting a boy, next month. While I have plenty of yarn in the stash (understatement of the year), I didn't have the right yarn for this item, so I had to do it. My co-worker, Blondie the Ditz, is having a boy in December, and I talked to her about hats & booties. She expressed a preference for a light aqua, so I got an aqua skein, and finally, I got more red yarn for more apple hats. They knit up fast and people just adore them.

Then I went to Target and bought a wedding present off the registry, for our friends who are getting hitched in September. I also got a few things for the house, like a new ironing board cover. The old one kept slipping off the board - not very handy - but the new one is elasticized all around, and has some velcro straps to hold it steady too.

We went out to dinner at a new place. The food was half good, half blah, and half-assed. We ordered oysters on the half shell and steamed clams for an appetizer, and then other items for entrees. The entrees arrived first, followed shortly by the shellfish. The clams were served with cocktail sauce instead of butter. (Who puts cocktail sauce on steamed clams?) Well, the butter arrived in due course, mostly melted, and the clams were just right, if a little cooler than usual. The oysters did not pass the taste/value test - they were small, not that good, and damn pricey. The entrees were good (mine) to great (his). The server was chatty, and not especially organized. Overall, the experience was not worth the money we paid for it, and we're not likely to go back. We have this experience about half the time when trying new restaurants. We admit that we're picky, but a meal for two that costs nearly $100 better strike us as worth it. Vin Rouge in Durham is totally worth it. This place, not so much.

So I went kayaking last Saturday! It was the same stretch of river as the last time I went (18 months ago) - 6 miles long. The water was high from last week's rain, and the current was pretty fast, so we did the whole thing in less than four hours. It was so, so beautiful. The water was like a mirror. It was overcast and breezy for the first three hours, before the sun came out and made it a little hot. I just paddled over in the shade. The only downside to the trip was that when we stopped for lunch on a weedy bank, I collected a few chiggers. They got under the elastic on my bra, as chiggers will, and bit me in four places on my back. Now wearing a bra is really uncomfortable.

The next trip is to an estuary near the ocean, but I will be out of town that weekend. Pout. There's a trip to an artificial whitewater rafting center in Charlotte in October, though - perhaps I will get to go on that. September and October are going to be really busy - lots of weddings and birthdays.

I also talked to some of the other paddlers, and there's a local group called Lumber River Canoe Club, and they go out almost every weekend. That might give me more flexibility in scheduling trips. And I got a good line on a place to rent and try out different boats - Get Outdoors, in Greensboro. I'm headed in the right direction.

I can't talk about the health care reform debate too much without needing some healthcare myself, but I did want to pass on Southern Beale's take on the "death panels." That and the scaremongers with "oh noes! healthcare will be rationed!" You morons, healthcare IS rationed right now, by insurance companies.

I don't know what the solution is. Government running the thing doesn't seem like a good alternative. Medicare and Medicaid are just as arbitrary and screwed up as private insurance, you just can't get kicked off.

Man, I hate politics.

I have been bored STIFF at work. Really. Nothing fulfilling about it - I've got it all down to a system, the biggest challenge is staying awake while I wade through a bunch of crappy powerpoint slides for style consistency. (Yawn!) So I decided that I could go for certification in graphic design. Such a thing would be worth nothing in the real world of work, but it seemed like it would be interesting at least. Give me something to think about. I signed up for the only class that was offered outside of business hours, got my Army tuition money lined up and everything. Sadly, that class and most of the other sessions of it have been cancelled for lack of registration. Now, I work in continuing education, myself, and I was aware of the possibility. One other person and I are disappointed. I will try again next semester, and hope that it works out.

Despite the proximity of higher education in the area, there is really nothing I'm interested in. The graphic design idea was the only thing even mildly interesting out there. If I wanted to be a teacher, I'd have my choice of schools. (I'd rather be thrown into a den of lions.) So that's a wash.

I'm registering for a sewing class for the fall. (I did that last fall and that class was cancelled, too. Them's the breaks.)

Next weekend, I'm going kayaking, and David is going with me. He hasn't ever been kayaking, not being a fan of the water, but he's giving it a try. I hope that the experience is good. I went on one trip that was more portage than paddle, because the water level was abnormally low. We are "below normal" but not at drought levels as we have been in the past. Fingers crossed.

No help for it, I just have to forge ahead.

Saturday was a birthday party for my cousin's little girl, Ellie. Ellie has the impeccably good taste to be a redhead, so she's a favorite. Her grandparents were there, one set from Richmond and one from Ft Worth, TX, as well as her auntie. Mom and Phil rounded out the guest list. We all had a great time.

Phil's ramp is too short for the steps into the house, so we moved him from the motorized to the manual chair and pulled him into the house. This is another good experience: the more they get out and find ways to get around limitations, the more they can do. Ellie loved Phil and played with him a lot.

Today, after a commissary run, David and I went to AT&T and got new phones. I got a Matrix, David got an iPhone. (He's loading apps into as we speak. My phone nearly had me stopped - I couldn't figure out how to get from "to" to the message for texting, but I finally hit on the solution, no thanks to the manual. Stupid machines.) Once that very long process was complete, I went out to see the in-laws. Doris' cut is nearly healed, and she has only a small bruise left on her face. I took them out to ice cream, without mishap this time, and came home. Tonight I'm making brownies for soldier care packages. I'll let them cool overnight, then pack them into ziploc containers in the morning.

That's all I know.

In the excitement of Doris' fall, I forgot to write about Maine. It was awesome - beautiful weather, scenery, great food, and the company of the Ficks clan, who are just great. I got to meet the grandchildren, and collect my smooches. (If I make you a blanket, you owe me a smooch, so pony up.) They are 1 and 5, and it took them a couple of days to warm up, but they came around.

We got out into Arcadia National Park - both on the summit of Cadillac Mountain, and on one of the carriage roads. Dad's chair is designed to handle varied terrain, and he had no trouble motoring along on the carriage road. We had wonderful meals with the family, and lobsters and clams did indeed get on the menu - we went to a restaurant on a wharf in South Harbor. Absolutely delicious.

The trip home was complicated by the issues of traveling with a big electric wheelchair, but went quite smoothly. I must have made someone unhappy - I got the last window seat, back by the bathroom. My seatmate dozed off and leaned on me a few times. We were crammed in there so tightly, I felt kind of bad for the guy - it's not like he had room, and being on the last row, we couldn't put our seats back at all. When he got too close, I just leaned up on him, and he veered off to the aisle side for a while. The flight from Boston to Raleigh is 90 minutes, not too bad.

Now I must go to bed, since I am insane and plan to go to the gym with David tomorrow morning at 5:00 a.m. Yes, a.m. We went on Tuesday, and today I was sore and a little tired. I am realistic enough to know that I can only do this twice a week. Getting up at 4:15 is a lot to ask.

I planned to go spend just a couple of hours with Doris and Wally, then head home. We went to Walmart, then to the TCBY to get some ice cream. Unfortunately, Doris didn't lift her foot quite enough, tripped on the curb and did a faceplant into the doorway. She cut her forehead above her eye and knocked her glasses off. Head cuts bleed a lot, plus she takes aspirin to reduce clotting, so she really gushed. The poor kids at the TCBY called 911 for us, brought us paper towels, and even brought us a zipper bag of ice to put on Doris' head. That really helped slow the bleeding, then the EMTs got there and whisked her off. Wally and I got in the car and followed them to the hospital. (Thank God I had some knitting in the car.)

She is bruised and scraped, but otherwise okay. They closed the cut with Steri-strips and glue, instead of sutures which would need to be removed. The CAT scans showed no injury (but interestingly, they did show evidence of old mini-strokes). She had some tightness in her chest, but the EKG, xrays, and cardio enzyme panel all came in at normal. We finally escaped just before 8 pm, and went to Ruby Tuesday's for dinner. We had to tell her over and over how she came to have blood stains on her clothing. (No wonder dementia patients are paranoid.) Now it's 10:30 and I'm finally home.

If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans. Sheesh.

I had an unpleasant week. Tuesday morning I went to the gym at oh-dark-thirty with David to work out. That was fine, but after leaning over to do concentration curls (bent 90 degrees at the waist, curling a weight with one hand & concentrating on using only the bicep to lift), I felt dizzy. It only got worse through the day. Wednesday morning, I forgot myself and laid down quickly - and got the spins. My coffee left me shortly afterwards, and I was dizzy, nauseated, and miserable all day. I went to bed at 8 pm. Thursday it got a little better as the day wore on, and today I felt much better, but not yet 100%.

I get middle ear infections, which don't hurt but do give me vertigo. I am enormously susceptible to motion sickness, so any dizziness at all makes me queasy. I used to get them ore frequently when I smoked, or spent a lot of time with people who smoke. I haven't had one in about 12 or 15 years. That's not long enough, but I guess I shouldn't complain. I won't be doing concentration curls again, though. I'll keep my head above my heart if possible.

Tomorrow we will go see the in-laws, and in the evening, we will go to the state AA convention in Raleigh for the speaker meeting and the dance. He likes AA dances because there are no obnoxious drunks falling all over the place. I said, "We're still obnoxious, but we have better balance sober." My AA anniversary is Sunday. Every year, the state convention falls on my anniversary week (the third week of July). I think it's very nice of North Carolina AA's General Service to have a big party for my anniversary every year. Heck, the third week of every October, the state throws a big ol' State Fair for my birthday, too. They must like me here.

Sunday, I'm going to fly up to Boston and meet Mom and Phil, to drive with them to Bar Harbor, Maine. Phil's family is gathering there, even the niece who lives in Australia, so I'm looking forward to seeing them. Mostly, I'm going to help Mom out with Phil, but hey, Maine. We'll be very close to the ocean and Arcadia National Park, so I'm bringing my binoculars & field guide, just in case. Naturally, I have checked for yarn shops ahead of time. Mom & I will enjoy that. Some lobsters will lose their lives next week, and probably some clams, too. Yum. We return towards the end of the week.

Oh! The high temperatures will be in the 70s. I am so excited! Today our weather was "sauna." The forecast for the next eight weeks? "Sauna." I'm happy about the possibility of a chill that doesn't come from air conditioning.

I drove up to Lake Crabtree County Park yesterday morning, and rented a kayak. It was a little odd - I worked there ten years ago as a park ranger, when I still lived with the psycho biker dude. I have good memories of the park - I saw a great horned owl there, and spent many hours on the trails.

The kayak I rented is a little ten foot model. The wind was up on the lake and the water was choppy. Paddling that kayak was like paddling a tub through the waves. Not insurmountable, and certainly better than trying to paddle a canoe single-handed, but less fun than work. I got a bit of a blister on my thumb before I put on my gloves - they were warm but helped with traction and reduced friction on my hands.

I bought a ridiculous hat at REI to keep the sun off, and it did a pretty good job, but despite that and the 85 SPF sunscreen (really), I still got sunburned. Goes with the fair skin.

I paddled straight out across the little man-made lake, maybe half a mile, then around to right along the shoreline. I scared up two great blue herons on the far side, and the wind kept me relatively cool. Every time I stopped paddling, the wind turned me right around. It felt great.

Despite awkward tubbiness, sunburn, and blister, I still enjoyed it. Now, for my next adventure, I bet I can rent a longer, narrower kayak at REI and take it to Jordan Lake. Maybe I'll get to see the bald eagles that nest there.

Junkfood Science has a great piece today about caring for patients and how we view healthcare. It's worth reading. This is the same blog where I read about that starvation study. She has some really interesting observations on the way that science is (mis)represented in popular media. There was a piece last week on the study that showed that people who lost weight in middle age actually had a higher mortality rate than those who gained weight. Naturally, the headlines did not reflect this conclusion.

Things are going along fine here. David's doing well, I'm doing well. Dolly looks great - I've been walking her at least ten miles a week. Noel is getting fat on her new kidney health food. (Back in the beginning of June, we found out that she's got about 25% of her kidney function, so we had to find her some special food. The Science Diet got snubbed outright, but the Purina is a hit.)

Work is worklike. I've found a class I want to take, and now I'm tracking down the process for getting that Army money for it. I still haven't gotten to kayak - I had time last weekend, but I had my almost-carpal-tunnel wrist pain, so I wore a brace all weekend. It was quite bad on Saturday. Fortunately, two or three days of wearing the brace usually puts it right. I'm fully scheduled this weekend, but I have hopes for next weekend.

Ours was low key and great. It was warm but not oppressive outside. Despite a late start, we took the dog to the woods for an hour. She jumped straight in every puddle and mud wallow she could find, so once home, she got a bath (bummer). David made ribs on the smoker grill, and I made salsa with my homegrown tomatoes. Mom and Phil came down after a trip to the farmer's market for corn and peaches, and Mom and I made a quick peach & blackberry pie. After a ribs & corn dinner that couldn't be beat, we had some pie & coffee.

They headed home around six, since it's nearly two hours' drive. I brushed the dog for about 30 minutes, took off a pound of hair at least, and finally just gave up. After a while, I get a static charge and all the hair starts sticking to me, it's nasty. I could probably brush her like that for hours and still get hands-full of loose hair. Labs are notorious for heavy shedding, and I'd guess that NC summers don't help.

After falling asleep on the couch a couple of times, I had my shower and now I'm headed for bed. A great day.