corvikate

Friday at last

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:43:40 GMT

I have SO much to do to get ready for Christmas. I'm grateful that none of that requires that I go to the store today, because the weather forecast keeps using the word snow, snow that we will not see but the mention of which sends the populace into a full-blown panic. Your Presence Is Required At The Grocery Store. Please Buy All The Bread, Milk, And Toilet Paper On The Shelves. Thank You For Your Cooperation.

We have two parties to attend tomorrow, so I will start my day by making a big pan of macaroni and cheese. I also have a spinach and artichoke dip to take, with a big bag of chips. I must also take the dogs for a walk. My aunt has a 4 year old chocolate lab, a real sweetie pie, and he and Dolly wore each other out yesterday playing grr-n-tussle in the back yard. Whenever my aunt comes to the area, she stays with me, as I am the only one with a fenced yard and a love for big dogs. When she goes to visit the other relatives, the dog stays with us. He's such a big lug, and has irresistibly soft ears.

Noel the cat is quite irate about this situation. She glares at him no matter how good he is, and if he's near her, he gets the whole growl, hiss and spit treatment. She boxed his face last time he was here. She's declawed, so she didn't hurt him, and he was so astonished he didn't even move. (She's not the smartest cat that ever lived.) We're looking forward to the next episode of Wild Kingdom.

yet another holiday party

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:20:51 GMT

Today was the company-wide holiday party. There was a pot-luck lunch, followed by a talent show. Lord have mercy. If singing talent was required to stay afloat, we'd be truly sunk. One group was a quartet, singing "Oh Holy Night". One person was singing in a different key than the other three. Oh Holy NO, cut that out, cease and desist! (I don't think most people could hear the difference, but to me, it was distressing.) However, I had my knitting and endured. Got about 6 or 7 inches done.

Aunt Jean arrived today. We've been catching up all night. I have to go in early tomorrow for a program, so I'm off to bed.

on a roll

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:15:24 GMT

Having done so much yesterday, I continued the streak by selling the in-laws' car this afternoon. I had to sign for them - I'm Doris' legal guardian, and Wally gave me power of attorney, so I had to go and appear with all the paperwork. A friend of David's bought it for his son. He gave us more than Carmax would, and that's good enough for me.

I also managed to pick up more of that fancy cat food and a present for my work buddy, whose birthday is December 26. My aunt is due to arrive tomorrow afternoon, so we spent a little time making the guest room presentable. David's having a cookoff with another sergeant at work tomorrow, so I helped him get the ribs ready - they're better if they get to sit in the rib rub for a while before cooking. He's taking his smoker grill to work and everything. My wild man.

My dog has lost her mind: she keeps getting out of the yard while we're gone. We've got the gate so tight that we can hardly open it, but she still gets out. My theory is that she gets panicked when we both leave, so she gets out to look for us. She doesn't leave the yard, except to go to the neighbors and bark at them to let her back in the yard. (They do it, too. Nicest neighbors EVER.) We thought we had her contained, but she's found a new way out, somehow. Now she gets to spend her days indoors. I work a mile away, so I come home at lunch and let her out, but since she's indoors most of the time, I have to walk her in the morning so she won't be dancing at the back door with her legs crossed when I get home. (My dog would explode before she'd mess in the house.) So, the short version of all that is this: It's 11 pm. I have to get up at 5 am. Good night.

zoom

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 03:24:17 GMT

This evening after work, David went to a friend's house. I went to the pet store for cat litter, the home improvement store for David's present, the PX for tape and a present for a friend, and the commissary for food. Once home, I seized the opportunity while David was out and wrapped his presents, then put away the food. I was putting the friends' gifts in gift bags when he got home. Whew.

I like to read the Yarn Harlot. She's a dedicated knitter, and quite funny. She has a LOT of readers, in the hundreds and maybe thousands. She recently mentioned a new pattern that she liked, and where to get it. I bought it immediately, and reflected that it was likely that many other readers did, too. That pattern designer probably made her mortgage payment that day. I certainly hope so - if a windfall is going to arrive, December's always a good time for it. Anyway, I've been working on this project, and I'm about 2/3 of the way through the knitting. After that, there's sewing up (boo, hiss) and felting, so I've got some work to do before it's done. I hope to give this as a present, hence the vagueness of the description.

Our wedding anniversary is this Sunday - six years. I'm the luckiest woman in the world. I knew within two months that he was the one for me, and I never had a doubt about marrying him. Best move I ever made.

volunteerism: just say no

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:53:00 GMT

Overcast and chilly today. I'm wearing a knit turtleneck sweater, with a wool sweater over that. I'm always cold at work, mainly because I spend the whole day sitting in a chair, moving only my right hand on the mouse.

It's Party Time at my company. Tomorrow is one of the office parties, this one for our department. Thursday is the party for the whole company. Next Monday, the Specialty Clinic is throwing a party for their patients, and I volunteered to help. I work at a non-profit that provides continuing education for medical professionals, and we have a family medicine clinic, which includes a Specialty Clinic. They provide specialized care for indigent or Medicaid patients who would not be able to get that care otherwise. For example, we have a pediatric cardiac clinic, an infectious disease (HIV) clinic, and others. These are kids who don't get to have a lot of parties and fun, so the Clinic throws a holiday party every year. I will probably help on the buffet line. I don't want to dedicate my life 24/7 to working with children with heart defects, but I can wield a ladle for a couple of hours.

I have a bad case of volunteerism. They say that 5% of the people do 95% of the work in any organization. I used to count myself among the 5%, but no longer. I still volunteer sometimes (obviously) but not nearly as often as I used to.

When David and I talked about joining the church around the corner, I said I was willing, "but only if you hold my hands down when they ask for volunteers." These days, I'm trying to avoid committing to too many things, or to overly-ambitious projects. I'm doing my service work in my own family these days, helping my in-laws.

One way to reduce the crazy over-scheduled stress is not to sign up for it. "No" is not just a word, it's a complete sentence. If I get a lot of social pressure, I will extend it to "No, thank you." I recommend it to anyone. Nancy Reagan's dumb-ass slogan is finally good for something.

Just Say No.

man, I'm beat

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 01:28:02 GMT

I woke up at 5:30 am, my usual time, and could not get back to sleep. David and I went to the storage unit around 8 am and rummaged around to find some pots and pans for someone at church who needed donations. We also got some paper goods at Target for them, too. After lunch, I drove out to see the in-laws. I needed to pick up a legal paper, and we'd found some winter clothes in the storage unit, so I delivered those. They'll look through them and decide what they want to keep and what to donate to charity, and I'll bring those boxes back to Fayetteville.

I found a sweater that my mother in-law knitted and sewed up - she'd gotten everything done except sewing on buttons, and put it away. It's a fuschia acrylic cardigan. I kept it here, and will put buttons on and take it to her. She taught herself to knit and did it for a few years but eventually tired of it. Whenever I knit in front of her, she tells me her knitting stories.

On the way out there, I was so tired that I had to stop the car and stand out in the rain to shake off my fog. I made it, but I don't enjoy driving when I'm that sleepy. I know that sometimes sleep will overtake you without warning, and I try to be careful. Anyway, I made it there and back. After supper, we went to our neighbors' holiday open house. I swear my neighbor is Mrs. Claus. She has Christmas decorations on every surface of the house, and a theme tree in every room. There's even a little tree decorated with monkey ornaments in the bathroom. It's charming, if excessive.

And now, at 8:30 pm, I am going to BED.

Last minute Saturday post

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 04:43:46 GMT

Well, the party was a great success. We had some weirdness,* but mostly it was quite nice. Both of us are exhausted and sore from all the work getting ready, and the running about while hosting. I expect we will sleep well.

*One family went into our computer room and used our machines, without asking at all. Then the kids were watching kiddy stuff on mine, and one of them broke my desk's keyboard tray. We'll be closing this door in the future.

Friday's early and late

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 03:59:55 GMT

Got to work at 7, under a gorgeous red dawn. Come on, winter solstice, and let's get back to longer days, please. We have 4 large programs contracted for the next two months, so I started making copies for the handouts. The copier went non-stop until nearly 10 am.

Because of this and another early morning, I got to leave work early. We are still getting ready for our big party tomorrow. Polished some silver, made a pumpkin pie, and prepared two pork shoulders for smoking tomorrow. One got a sweet barbecue rub, the other got Cuban barbecue rub, a mix made by a company in Central New York and sent to me periodically by my auntie, who likes to indulge me in these things. Anyway, those are parked in the fridge with their spicy coats, and David will start the smoker first thing in the morning. I'm going to make chili in a crockpot and spend some quality time with the vacuum and mop. I'll also make some cornbread. The party starts at 2, but probably won't get going until closer to 4 or 5, if past years are any guide.

Gotta go to bed.

knitting

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:52:35 GMT

While I was at the beach last month, I took my friend Mary to the little town of Southport for sightseeing and shopping. We stopped at a yarn shop (surprise!) and I got some yarn that she liked. I made a stockinette scarf with a garter stitch border. Here it is:

This particular snake will look very different once it is blocked. Stockinette curls like crazy, no help for it, but blocking will usually help. Lord, I hope so.

Here it is again, but flattened a bit to show the colors better:

It doesn't look that purple in person. I hope she likes it!

damp

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 02:43:01 GMT

Well, we had a downpour this morning. It was raining a bit, and suddenly thunder and lightning and the monsoon arrived. One of those rainstorms where, though carrying an umbrella, you still get soaked from the knees down walking from the car to the building. It only lasted a couple of hours, then subsided. It was about 70F here today, but the temperature is due to drop all the way into the 50s tomorrow. I may have to get out my wool pea coat. (No wonder so many New Yorkers move to North Carolina.)

I have been working on a new scarf pattern, called Mistake Rib. Laurie (aka Crazy Aunt Purl) didn't invent this pattern, but her site is where I found it. It works by offsetting the 2x2 ribbing by one in each direction. (okay, I realize that sentence only means anything to Aunt MaryLou. Nothing to see here. Move along.) It makes an amazingly smooshy fabric, it's easy as pie, and it's great tv knitting. I decided to give it try with some yarn I got a few years ago. I only bought 4 skeins, so it's not enough to make anything elaborate, but that's perfect for this project. I love the feel of the resulting scarf. Only problem is that the yarn, a wool and acrylic blend, has too much halo to it, so I won't be able to wear it myself. Watch out, world - someone out there's gonna get a scarf.

I'm ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille:

Okay, I'm a little punchy. I have been staying up late and getting up early and those two things don't go well together. I'm going to bed.

Whoa, wide screen

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:49:40 GMT

I have a new monitor at work, a flat screen, and it's about half again as wide as the old one, so I am getting used to this new view. Everything looks...stretched. Weird.

My desktop wallpaper is a photo from this blog entry, Owl In A Box. There a a lot of great photos in that entry, but here's the one I chose:

Those people are either very brave or dumb. Great horned owls are ferocious, with a grip strength of 300 psi. I knew of a person who foolishly set a GHO on his wrist without the gauntlet, and the owl broke his wrist with his talons. (Just because a captive owl watches you wherever you move doesn't necessarily mean he likes you. He may be plotting your demise.) Anyway, isn't that a great picture? I smile every time I see it.

We are preparing for our annual Viking Christmas party. We got the trees up (one real, one fake) and lighted. I had to go to the commissary, so decorating the trees had to wait until tonight. We have plenty of decorating, cleaning, and cooking to do yet. It's a lot of fun every year, but the preparation gets stressful. No matter, it will be great. David's going to cook on the smoker grill*, I will make chili in the crockpot and bake some desserts. I was going to make Sweet Potato Crack, but I decided instead just to make mashed potatoes. Easy, fast, popular.

*David got a smoker grill at a flea market for $60 this summer and I do believe it's the best $60 we ever spent. Best pork ribs EVER. If we can find one at the commissary, we'll cook a pork shoulder on Saturday, and maybe a pot roast too.

Holidailies 2009

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:03:17 GMT

Once again, I'm participating in Holidailies. Today is the first day, and some folks are introducing themselves.

I am an alcoholic, sober in AA for almost half my life (got sober at 23). I grew up in Syracuse, NY but now live in Fayetteville, NC. My husband of six years is an Army sergeant and just awesome in so many ways. I have two stepkids who live with their mom in IL. I have the World's Greatest Dog and an obnoxious cat who loves me but snubs my husband. They do not agree on the ownership of this bed:

Luckily, it's big enough for both of them.

I appreciate crows and ravens, and most other birds. I love kayaking and hiking. I have an unfortunate string addiction, expressed in kntting and crochet. So far, I have managed to avoid weaving or spinning. So far.

I have three sets of families: my natural father's family in Arizona, the family I grew up with (all over), and my second stepfather's family, mostly in New England. (I have gone to therapy a few times - I always make a family chart for the therapist so she can keep track of the players.)

I am a feminist, a liberal, and a smartass.

Sunday

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 02:58:29 GMT

So it was 30F this morning. Brr! Cold weather makes the dog very frisky, so I put my ipod on, and took her for a nice long walk. We went about 3 miles, the length of time it takes for me to listen to an AA speaker tape. The speaker in question is Sandy B., who used to lecture on the Steps at a regular meeting, and this morning's tape was on Step 11. When I was newly sober, I used to go to Sandy's meeting, and these recordings make me happy, and a wee bit homesick. So that was a good start to my day.

David and I went to church, then he went to his SCA fighter practice, and I went to Pinehurst to see the in-laws. I took them to Walmart to get a few things, then we went to TCBY for ice cream. This is our typical visit. It takes about 90 minutes to get through both of those events - they don't move very quickly, and Wally can hardly see at all, so it's a slow process. We just move at old people speed, that's all. Rushing them might end up with a fall, and I don't want to spend hours at the ER, so we take our time.

Wally said he thought Doris' hearing aid might need some work, as she often doesn't hear him. I reminded him that we went to see the hearing aid guy just last month and that everything's working fine. Sitting next to her in the front seat, I told him, "She may just be zoning out." She said, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. My hearing aid isn't working." Brilliant timing. Anyway, she definitely zones out. She's sitting there, but she's not paying attention. It takes a lot of effort, and she can only sustain that for so long. (In fairness to Doris, Wally talks constantly every moment he's awake, and I tend to zone out on him myself.)

He's having more and more trouble taking care of bills and paperwork, and it's pretty clear that the reason he's so stressed is from caring for her. I can see that I will end up helping him with his bills. His six kids all live at least 1000 miles away, and four of them live 4000 miles away in Alaska. I doubt they will object to letting me help him. Last year he had heart valve replacement surgery. I kept them in the loop by phone, but not one of them came to see him. (Again in fairness, round trip flights from AK run about $1000-1500.) He's going to have surgery on December 22, for skin cancer. I don't know yet if it's outpatient or not - I sure hope so. Doris went off the deep end the last time he was in the hospital. He's the only person out there that she recognizes, so she's lost in that place without him.

Jesus. Old age ain't for sissies.

J Byrd

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 03:41:04 GMT

Last night we went to Pittsboro to see Jonathan Byrd play. I have talked about him many times before. You can hear some samples if you go to his Myspace page. He's a terrific songwriter. He's also the kindest, most gracious person around. He and his wife are expecting their first child next month, so I made them a blanket in a variegated blue/green/gray colorway called Seashore, and an apple hat. (I have met his wife once or twice and she is NOT the pastel pink/baby blue type. Oh no.) We had a great time, but got home well after midnight.

My miserable sinus headache is finally subsiding. I don't know what brings it on. I'm not congested, really, but my sinuses just ache. Glad it's over, anyway.

Today we went to Durham for Mom's birthday. We went out to lunch, and visited a bit. We got home in time to go get a Christmas tree. (We tried out the in-laws' artificial tree - it was a pitiful thing.) Tomorrow we will trim the bottom and put it in the stand, so the branches can start to relax. Our annual Viking Christmas party is next Saturday and we have a lot to do to get ready for it, starting with putting up the holiday decorations.

I've been very careful to wish everyone Happy Holidays this year. As far as I know, Christmas is a holiday. I just like to tweak the fundies. What a load of crap. If there's a War on Christmas, I haven't been recruited. Frankly, it hurts my feelings. I'm a card-carrying ACLU member, after all.

Head? Ow.

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:37:01 GMT

Today I wish my head wasn't attached - I've had a sick sinus headache all damn day. I managed to be more organized, anyway, and I got an errand run at lunch time. I felt too achey and nauseated to do much when I got home, so I skipped the meeting, had some Cream of Wheat for dinner, then parked it on the couch and watched most of A Christmas Carol. God bless us every one, indeed.

Head? Check.

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 03:21:12 GMT

Man, good thing my head's attached, I would have left it home this morning. I forgot to set my alarm last night, I left the house without a coat or umbrella, I forgot a few things I really needed at the office when I went to the conference center, blah blah blah. I've made a few lists and am hoping for a better experience tomorrow. I did get some work done on the blanket I'm making for friend.

Well, the cat is demanding her lap time, and I don't really have much of interest, so I will sign off here.

PS to the NY Senate: Human rights are for all humans, you cowards. God will get you.

December already? Cripes.

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:51:23 GMT

Okay, I plan to try to post every day in December. Brace yourself for dullness.

My father in Arizona (as opposed to the one in New York or the one in North Carolina - we're complicated - where was I?) my weirdo father in Arizona sent me a foot-tall stuffed Coca Cola polar bear that plays a jazz medley of Christmas tunes and the Coca Cola jingle. He says I'm the only person he knows who would appreciate it. Question: Is he serious or is he being ironic? I wish I knew.

Dad's got a resentment against basses. He says that credits should list the bassists and their accompanists. What he means is that he finds the bass much too prominent in today's music and would also like you kids to get off his lawn. Nutbar.

Thanksgiving was grand. We had way too much food, as is traditional, and we didn't have to cook again all weekend. I brined the turkey this year - I'd never tried it before but it worked well. The leftovers were nice and juicy right until Sunday. My cousin and his children were there. Those kids are just awesome - very sweet natured, smart, funny, and even polite. I defy anyone not to be knocked out by a sweet little girl asking "May I be excused from the table?" (Yes, darling, you may, but first you must come here and be kissed mercilessly by your Cousin Katie.) Mom and Phil were there, of course. I also invited an AA friend of mine, who can now testify to my other AA friends that, yes, I am this way naturally, and I get it from my family.

Wonder Dog

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:43:08 GMT

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.

beach trip

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:31:32 GMT

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!

Halloween...

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:43:45 GMT

...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.

Scenic tour

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:40:11 GMT

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.

new definition of luxury

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:45:33 GMT

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.

one of these things is not like the other

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:27:29 GMT

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).

not dead, just sewing

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 03:21:25 GMT

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.

labor day

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:59:41 GMT

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.