A Silly* Story.

Yesterday's rain was long gone by the late afternoon and I took full advantage to get Holly out for a walk. There were a few puddles, but the skies were blue and there was even a nice breeze that put a real spring in Holly's step. After all the rain, I was delighted to find an intact camellia blossom.

The leaves were singing a song and I looked up to see (and maybe to take a video with my phone) ... then slipped off the sidewalk and rolled my ankle.

Ugh. I've spent the last 24 hours on Rest-Ice-Elevation and I think it's going to be OK. Thank goodness for knitting and audiobooks (more on both of those tomorrow) ... and a sweet dog who is more than happy to sit quietly by my side.

the ankle behind the knitting is a little swollen and bruised, but definitely on the mend!

*I told Katie and Charlie last night that it was a "stupid" story; they told me they don't use that word. When I asked what word they might suggest to take its place, they said "silly". I think I understand where they're coming from; I'm not sure my dictionary does.

Stupid - having or showing a great lack of intelligence or common sense.

Silly - having or showing a lack of common sense or judgment; absurd and foolish.

For sure this story shows a great lack of common sense...

Sometimes Mondays.

"borrowing" this Monday post idea from Michelle GD - just a small bit of the inspiration she's shared with  me!

...are full of unexpected delights.

It was nearly daylight when Marc and I passed the lake this morning headed home. (full disclosure if I'd paid attention to the sunrise time, this would not have been unexpected ... but I'm kind of glad I wasn't prepared for it!)

My afternoon plans got cancelled at the last minute - and my friend Lauren was available to meet for coffee.

The latest Field Guide arrived in today's mail - and I have the perfect yarn (thank you Bonny!) to knit one of the projects.

I spent the morning and a bit of the afternoon cleaning the porch - and got to enjoy a porch view (my first since last fall) for an early evening call with my mom.

Hoping all of this is an auspicious start to the week - and that your Monday included a few unexpected delights as well! (and if it didn't, please share some of mine vicariously 😊)

First World Problem(s).

I got caught in a downpour on my run this morning. The really hard stuff started just before the halfway point and I was soaked by the time I made it back home. My immediate concern was for my phone. but all seemed fine when I checked it out in the garage - fine enough that I ventured back out into the driveway to take a quick photo to share on Instagram. 

(I was especially proud of the time I clocked for my four mile run - a personal best since I started running again in April!)

A half hour later, things weren't seeming at all fine. I buried the phone in rice (and geez, I hope brown rice works - it's all we had!) and started thinking about what to do in case it doesn't work. The new iPhone is rumored to be coming out September 16. I briefly considered simply waiting until then - I'm due for an upgrade (and I have a birthday, anniversary and Christmas coming up) - but then remembered Tuesdays with Charlie and my upcoming trip to Florida. I need a phone.

So I found my old one (wow, it hasn't even been two years but it seems really old), charged it and was pleasantly surprised it seems to still work. I took it to the AT&T store this afternoon and - even better surprise! - there was no charge to reactivate it. Five minutes later I was out the door with a phone. 

Now I'm waiting for the latest iOS to install (and hoping it will!) - and then I anticipate a few hours for my latest backup to restore.

Hope your week is off to a smoother start...or maybe I need to consider that mine is actually off to a pretty good one, all things considered!

First world problem(s), right?! :-)

Wordless Wednesday.

Ten on Tuesday | Daily Blogging.

...tips and topics. I suggested this week's list, hoping to learn from y'all. Because Sunday marks my third attempt at NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month for the not-so-crazy people who might be reading this and not realize that there a lot of people who try to post on their blogs every single day in November). My first attempt was in 2011 - I had a long string of days and then B-A-M, November 29...and nothing. I did manage a November 30 post, but after missing the 29th, well.... Last year, I tried again, but got a late start (as in I didn't realize the "thing" was still a thing until I caught up on my feed reader Monday and realized I'd already missed two days.) I managed 28 more posts, though. So this year, I think, will be the year I manage to start and finish and cover all those days in between. with a lot of support from y'all! so huge thanks to Carole for hosting this week's list!

I'm pretty sure one of the tips will be writing in advance. I've done that a handful of times, but only a handful. When I started blogging in 2007, Blogger didn't support "scheduling", so I wrote and published and ... that's my habit. Plus, Tuesdays with Charlie wouldn't be "with Charlie" if I wrote them on Monday (or Sunday?).

Because today had this

and then this (shortly after which if I was really a dedicated blogger I'd have been writing this post?)

but the nap was short-lived. and we had more of that "shared nap" that I posted about last week....and then Charlie & I went to the church for our monthly Prayer Shawl Ministry meeting, I dropped him back at Katie's and went to the visitation for a friend who died of cancer...just past her 60th birthday. The day got away from me - not only in time, but also emotions. All of which is just a long way of saying - it's nearly 8pm and I'm still on the first draft of today's post!

1. take a lot of photos. photos spark stories. and blogs are really just stories.

2. be ok with posting "just" a photo - without or with just a few words.

3. embrace the meme - Ten on Tuesday, Wordless or Words in the Wild or One Word or WIPs Wednesday, Thankful (especially appropriate in November) or Throwback Thursday, Eye Candy or Five Things or FO Friday.

4. make a plan. I think this is really about spreading out the stories. at the beginning of each week, I think about the stories I have (or hope to have) to tell and when they'll fit with the time I have to blog.( sometimes this works.)

5. steal from others imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. there are a lot of really fabulous bloggers out there. when they post about a topic that inspires you, post about it yourself. but be sure to credit the idea back to them.

6. share "older" stories.

7. and truly mundane ones. am I the only one who has a "blogger" voice in my head as I walk through the aisles at Costco and wonder...

8. share recipes.

9. and books. I love hearing about both. not only what you love but also (although maybe not in quite so much detail) what you didn't.

10. just do it. at the end of the day (or really the month), I'd like to look back and see a good story... with photos and words to remind me what we did ... what mattered and what maybe didn't ... but what it was like this November.

I can't wait to see what ideas y'all have to share!

and if you're not already playing along with Carole and her Ten on Tuesday fun, you should be! click here to join!

 

Ten on Tuesday | Oh Happy Day.

...Tuesday again. already?! This was my third Tuesday with Charlie and we're having a ball. Life is good and I am happy about so very many things. Carole's asked us to share "Ten Things You're Happy About Right Now"...and here are my 10 for today.

1. I got up with my 5:15 am alarm. This hasn't happened the last two Tuesdays. I teach until 8pm on Monday nights and by the time I get home, and eat dinner, and unwind...I'm up way too late and 5am is way too early. But last night I was in bed at 10:30 and the whole day got off to a better start.

2. All the laundry is done. the sheets are clean. the kitchen sparkles. (this makes me happier when it's done than when I'm doing it, but it still counts).

3. A glorious sunrise.

4. Charlie came over. (his mama dropped him off at about 7:45) We played. He napped. I knitted. He ate. (we did this three times).

5. Holly was very good. She's still figuring out what he's all about - and today he started to notice her. But there was no barking and no snapping (and only a very tiny bit of licking the quilt where Charlie plays.)

6. We used the self-timer on my phone and took photos. This one is my favorite (and my new wallpaper - 4 months!) That certainly makes me happy, but so does the self-timer feature that takes a burst of photos and allows me to choose my favorites (or just dump them all if I forget to turn the camera around and I take 11 photos of the ceiling).

7. Charlie went home in the same outfit he arrived in. (I didn't change clothes either). This is a first. Katie noticed (and I'm not sure if this is because she was pleased, or surprised, but I think it made her happy too!)

8. I wound the yarn to cast on the hat I hope to finish for my upcoming trip to Madison (eep! Madison! in February!!). I also hope to finish a few more warm things. more to come.

9. We had our first Deacon meeting of the new year. I wasn't looking forward to it - I thought I'd rather pour a glass of wine and settle in here a lot sooner. But it was great. The new class is excited about being there and I think my care team is going to have a good year. I also got to eat slow cooker barbeque.

10. My fitbit buzzed as I was getting into my car after the meeting. 11,000+ steps today. That always makes me happy!

I'm usually a glass half full kind of girl, but I can't say that finding 10 happy things in one day is typical even for me. This was a fun "challenge" ... and maybe one I should take on more often. It certainly puts the day into a different frame when you try to find all the good!

Click here to join the Ten on Tuesday fun! (and huge thanks to Carole for hosting the party!)

 

 

Laying Low.

...I had big plans for an FO post today (I've got three to share!). But I had that "over 50" procedure this morning (everything is fine, and I don't have to go again for five more years - woot!) and now all I want to do is sit on the couch, with something warm to drink (Katie stopped by Starbucks on our way home to get me the grande triple shot extra hot latte I've been craving for 36 hours), a fire, my knitting, and HGTV.

Happy Friday!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Camping?

...Marc spent last week in China, five nights in five different cities. I was hoping the quick trip might mean less jet lag. Nope. He managed only about six hours of sleep the first two nights he was home (which means I managed about the same).

Last night it was time for drastic measures. Holly and I slept on the porch. The couch is actually pretty comfortable (especially when you're tired) and the night was cool (we needed a blanket). Everyone's in a much better mood after a good night's sleep. Especially Marc, who left this message for me:

a new normal.

sunrise, from my porch, last Monday

...the day after the wedding Marc asked what I was going to do "now that you have all that extra time?" I quickly responded "get back to normal...you know...cook...and do laundry." I gave that same response for the next few days (note that I have since cooked once and that was with Sara when she and Katie & Rob joined us for dinner Monday night, but the laundry is all done) and since most of the other people who asked were fellow knitters, I added in that I also planned more knitting, more time at the shop and really getting the prayer shawl ministry off the ground at church.

Sara & Katie, after Monday's dinner

But what I've come to realize this past week is that I'm not sure what "normal" looks like anymore. The past nine months have brought so many changes (a new house, a move, half marathon training and a running group, a wedding) that the normal I knew...just isn't anymore. So what will the new normal look like?

First, my knitting. I finished a scarf and a sweater this past week and hope to finish a shawl today or tomorrow.  Not bad from a production standpoint (never mind that those projects were all started two months ago), but two of them are just knitting (a stockinette sweater in the round and a garter stitch shawl) and the third is plain stockinette. The next project in my queue was the Churchmouse Folded Poncho - basically a big stockinette rectangle. Note the "was"...yep, no longer. Instead, I'm going to knit an allover lace tunic and a square shawl with a cool slipped stitch texture and fringe. (not to mention the linen stitch scarf and a new mystery shawl for upcoming KALs). I've started a pair of socks; for the record, I haven't knitted a pair of socks since December 2011 when I knit a pair for Marc and I haven't knitted a pair on my size 1 dpn's since 2010. I also started a lap robe for the shawl ministry. I hope to get back to a mix of social (easy) and challenging, but with fewer sweaters, more accessories and more for others. oh and socks, too.

FO #1 - the Bias Scarf

FO #2 - My Perfect Sweater

And the shop. I quit working on the shop floor last October, but I'm still writing the shop's blog and maintaining our Pinterest boards and Twitter. I also teach three classes there each week. I'm still trying to get the hang of keeping up with everything that's going on there - new yarn, new faces, etc. - and on the knitting front in general. I'd like to shift the blog to be more community focused (what we're knitting, meet our staff and our customers) and start providing project suggestions in a newsletter format, maybe bi-weekly...while still keeping it a (very much) part time job!

On the home front. I'm finally in a good place keeping up with the house (especially because I found a wonderful green cleaning service to help with the dusting which I really dislike) and really, laundry/etc for two people isn't hard. I am absolutely enjoying the house, especially the screened porch. It faces east so I have a lovely view of the sunrise and it's sheltered from the afternoon sun. However, I'm struggling still with the cooking, or really the lack thereof. Marc is home for dinner only two to three nights a week and I hate cooking for myself. But my old diet of popcorn, cheese and carrots had to go; not only to fuel the running (I'm averaging about 20 miles a week), but also to keep my cholesterol in check (bad genetics and I'm not ready for drugs). I'm about five weeks into a high fiber, low/no cholesterol diet that's mostly fruits and vegetables, whole grains and nuts. I even switched to almond milk for my coffee and cereal. That was actually pretty easy; I still miss the cheese (and the daily popcorn)!

Exercise. I'm running three to four days a week and taking a few pilates/yoga classes at the Y. Last week I added in two four-mile walks with Holly - our first since I could remember - and realized how much I'd missed them. I think she missed them, too. So I'm trying to get in one a week. Which is great time for...

on my phone, last Friday

...Reading/Listening. For last Friday's walk, I tried out a new-to-me podcast called Books on the Nightstand. Oh my. I listened to two episodes and immediately came home to 1. subscribe and download more episodes; 2. subscribe to two more bookish podcasts - New Yorker Fiction and BBC4 Books and Authors; and 3. add two books to my Goodreads queue (The Woman Upstairs and A Constellation of Vital Phenomena). I've since listened to at least 20 hours of those podcasts and added quite a few more books to my queue/samples to my Kindle. Of course that's not really reading, although the New Yorker podcast is short stories, but it's smart talk about reading and books and I'm loving all of it. Also, I joined in the Craftlit read along for Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair; I'm listening to Susan Duerdan's Audible recording and it's excellent. I'm finally now past page 100 of the Art of Power (and realized I probably should've listened to that one, too, instead of reading!) So...more books.

Project Life is still around. I made a huge push before the wedding to get caught up - and I got close. I'm still missing three weeks from March and the three weeks since "just before the wedding" to now. Marc's going to Asia next month and I will get caught up for good then. ...and stay that way! I'm printing my photos here and that helps a lot.

One Little Word. It's been three months since I put anything into my album, but I'm definitely thinking about Grace and my monthly intentions. Hopefully I'll get back on track with the class in June...

...and with this blog. I have missed sharing the bits and pieces here. Hopefully I'll get back to a post or two (or three) each week. We'll see. I think just getting started is the hardest part. and now I've done that!

Thanks for staying with me!  Happy Weekend!

ungraceful.

...I know. that title is a bit harsh. certainly not the one I envisioned, making my way back into this space after a two-week long absence. and for no really good reason(s) except I wasn't motivated to find the time to share anything here.

knitting and that delicious asparagus guacamole

I will say it took me a week to figure that out and then a few more days to picture myself as someone without a blog...and a few more days to decide I liked the version of me that "has a blog". and that version of me planned a grand come-back. pretty photos of the asparagus guacamole I made for last saturday's knitting party. insightful thoughts from the mother-of-the-bride as she sits in on the first wedding dress fitting. more insightful thoughts from the blogger in residence at my LYS about our next knit along. successful thoughts about joining a running group (yep, my one little action from march. done)... and still. I couldn't find the time - and really, I do think it's 99% motivation - to post.

Then yesterday and today I started to get more enthusiastic. I've got more time (Marc and his buddies left this afternoon for a golfing weekend) and energy - had my 4th run yesterday with my new "group" and I am loving the company and the encouragement a group provides! and I bound off the stitches on my second Color Affection shawl. maybe I could slide in with a cool "FO Friday" post and just let the past two weeks disappear...

the broken threads....

But when I blocked the shawl, the unthinkable happened. it broke. yep, I pulled the edge stitches so hard they snapped. ungraceful.

and all I could think about was sharing that with y'all...and asking for help. I know the problem can't be fixed. but I think it can be repaired. My plan is to whip stitch a matching color thread along the edge to catch the yarn and hold the broken ends tight. Any other ideas? they're welcome!

As are any other thoughts you'd care to share... I've missed y'all. and I'm ready to be part of this online world (again)!

another monday.

...if you read last week (thank you!) you're probably expecting this. a post about another monday. for me the mondays are drawn in black and white - those where I spend half the day cleaning. and those where I don't. today was that latter kind of monday. yep, a "fun monday".

marc is away right now and I thought maybe I'd sleep later (I set an alarm for 5am), but I was downstairs turning on the coffee at 4:45. waking habits are hard to break! as are coffee habits. I told myself last night I'd be fine to have reheated coffee today...yeah, no. and tomorrow's coffee is already ready to go. leftover coffee is. not worth it.

funny. the dark early hours seemed longer without my usual wakeup call to marc at 5:30 and sending him off at 6:00. I finished up my bible study prep, paid bills, handled a few things I'd been dreading (like requesting a final distribution from my old 401k plan and cleaning out my top right desk drawer). I still had time to add a few rounds to jordan before I walked holly, ran two laps in the park, did a load of towels, a "light cleaning"*, a cup of yogurt, a shower, and out the door.

we're nearing the end of our 34 week bible study. 1 & 2 peter. definitely not the most exciting books, but we managed some interesting conversation. I'm really going to miss this ... and hoping I can find another monday morning study for next year.

one errand and then home to walk holly. lunch with a book, and carrots, cucumber and cottage cheese.

click the photos to go to flickr...more details (maybe)

now up to chapter VII of the sun also rises and I'm getting confused. the paris wife. the sun also rises. midnight in paris. they're all running together. I remind myself I'm reading this book because I've already read the paris wife. and maybe I should just watch midnight in paris again.

spend the afternoon catching up - on one little word. photos**. mad men (and knitting).

one little word

by 4:15 I'm ready to leave. we head to the park for a short walk (with my camera).


and we're to the shop by 5 (with coffee!). time to enjoy a good 30-minute chat with diane and kathy before my students arrive. FO photos (woot!), top-down sweater construction, babies, 50 shades of grey, pimento cheese, baby blankets, more books, more knitting... and it's 8pm. time to close. and it's the same.

...except that now it's after 11pm. and I still need to have some dinner!

*I promise I'm not a crazy cleaning person! today I used windex on the surfaces that need it, like the windows on the french door where holly can look out (and the glass table marc uses); and I swept the floors and vacuumed the rugs downstairs.

**here are the photos of my april OLW

and project life week 6

monday night.

there are notes on this photo. you can see them here.

...I can see the light at the end of the "getting into project life" tunnel (more to come on that later this week - I hope!). and getting the first three weeks down on paper (so to speak) has reinforced how great this blog is to capture moments in time. you'd (or maybe it is just me) think the life of a nearly 50 year old empty nester who teaches knitting and walks a little dog at the park would be ... pretty much the same day in. and day out. and at 50,000 feet that might be true. but through the close-up lens of a week-by-week documentation project, not so much. I guess that's why currents caught on.

so for me right now, I want to capture the routine of my monday night. coming at the end of my busiest day of my week. I try to get to bed by 10 on sunday night so I can get up with my 4:35am alarm on monday morning. I missed today and didn't hit the start button on the coffee pot til 5:11. bible study prep. laundry. walking holly. 2 laps running at the park. a quick shower. a few minutes with maloka'i over a bowl of oatmeal. bible study. costco. kroger. house cleaning* (a new podcast...more laundry...two walks with holly).

and it's 4:50pm. we leave for the shop. hoping to have a few minutes to sit. and knit. and enjoy a cup of coffee before class starts at 6.

traffic was kind. and the line at starbucks was short. 5:22 and we're there. whew. it felt good to sit down. class was in full swing by 6. sock gussets, sweater sleeves, picking up stitches, picking out yarn, first socks, patterns, projects, first babies, grandbaby baptisms and birthdays, weddings, vacations, books, movies. life. all that I love about knitting. and teaching.

and before it seems possible it's nearly 8pm. checkout time! my may class is full already (whoa!) and the girls make sure I've got company to turn out the lights, set the alarm and lock the door.

I always let holly sit in my lap on drive home. (we don't go more than 35 mph, I'm pretty sure it's safe) I love her warmth, like a comfortable blanket, letting me relax for the first time all day. it's delightful. the drive home is quick and by 8:30 she's sitting at marc's knee waiting for her "piece" (of popcorn) and I'm setup with my own dinner of popcorn and wine, accompanied by gmail, google reader and ravelry - and tonight, maloka'i (oh my I LOVE this book!)

I take a photo. and I decide to write a blog post. (and hope I can include this in some shape, form or fashion in my project life album).

...and now it's nearly 10:30. marc has gone to bed. holly is curled up in her bed by my desk. it feels very late but the caffeine from that 5pm coffee is keeping me awake. I think I'm going to read....

*I should note - and my mom would be proud - the housecleaning is not a weekly thing (it used to be, but I've matured :-)...I now try to do it bi-weekly and those alternate mondays are definitely a lot less busy and a lot more interesting. maybe I'll share next week, too..

hello march.

...warmer, longer days (hopefully filled with sunshine, just like today!)...brighter colors...colors in the landscape...catching up on one little word...more letters...wedding plans...a visit from sara and a visit to florida to see my parents...lunches out with friends...knitting...reading...I can't wait to get started!

a few more days.

...I should be used to feeling this way after a week "off" to play with katie and enjoy a very relaxing long weekend at the beach. but it hit me hard this morning how behind I feel. if you've seen my desk, you know a week-plus pile of bills and other mail sitting beside a disorganized pile of knitting (and now needlepoint, too :-) bags is just not like me.

before I retired, I loved taking a day off for no other reason than to "play"; those days were always productive and I went back to work re-energized. funny, now that I play everyday, it's just not the same. so while I'll be back teaching tomorrow, I've decided to take a few more days before settling back into my normal routine next week.

stay tuned. I have big plans:

• sort through, edit, upload and print photos (which are living on all three of my cameras right now);
• rejuvenate my blog (and dress it for fall - that's for you, sara!);
• finish my one little word prompt for september;
• make more knitting progress, update ravelry and organize that pile of bags;
• finish cutting for stone (oh my I love this book...and I'm sorry I waited so long to read it - thank you katie for the push!);
• catch up on two bible studies (both groups are meeting next week and I have not even started the material);
• sort through all that paperwork;
• enjoy the early morning cooler temperatures (we're into the 60's - woo hoo!) with a daily run or walk; and
• make sure marc leaves for china with all the clean clothes he needs :-)

truly, the only thing I'm not doing this week that I had originally planned to do is clean the house. and maybe right now, that's really all the vacation I need!

more kitchen table time.

...it's been way too long since I indulged in a kitchen table photo. probably because it seems kind of weird  when it's just me. it's much more fun if there's someone else to share it with. 

click the photo to see the notes

today's story isn't about knitting*, but letter writing. I've got three regular pen pals (my mom, katie and sara) in my life and I try very hard to send weekly letters. because then I get weekly letters. and getting real mail is worth it!

*I was actually surprised that I was knitting in all of those kitchen table photos. really? is that all I ever did while I was sitting there?! (no need to answer!)

counting down.

...to graduation. to the end of our high school routines. sara has her final for "lunch" tomorrow (gotta love that, right?) and seniors don't have school on friday. so today was our last before school breakfast. of course I took a photo!

I'm knitting spring green bandit and sara is re-reading a cooks illustrated from a few months back.

back to normal.

...more laundry, more groceries, more cleaning up. but I'm ok with all of that to get this back.

monday morning way too early after sara's 11pm flight on sunday. she's catching up on food magazines that arrived last week and I'm working on the pattern for my upcoming "vanilla sock" class.

this is it.

...yup, this is really what life is like around here. when we're here. meaning not at the shop (or school). not walking in the park. not at tennis. not knitting with friends at starbucks. but here. at the kitchen table.

(click the photo to see the notes)

me knitting. sara reading food blogs. back up 12 hours or so and you would see a similar picture. except I'd be in my pjs (with coffee instead of wine). and sara would be eating oatmeal. I would still be knitting.

my monogamous knitting has officially been abandoned. I now have a "breakfast with sara" project.

this is my traveling along. pattern here. check out cast-on cottage's first KAL!

and one more project that fits into the starbucks and other table knitting times.

this is my peasy. (like this).

sara has a tennis tournament on friday. not really good for lace. or for table knitting. I think it's time to pick up socks again....

not complaining.

...nope, not even about the cold, because there was sunshine, and I got to the park with my camera (thinking about my photo for this week's ride).

and later, after another very inspirational meeting with linda at it's the journey involving google doc forms and other fun stuff, I spent over an hour in this chair drinking a venti latte (found a free drink coupon when I cleaned out the center console in my car), listening to back episodes of cast-on, knitting.

click the photo to see more details

finally, I went to work for a few hours and spent time with these two pretty yarns.

nope, I'm not complaining!

thursday is the new friday.

...at least for the next three weeks when I will be enjoying three (or four!) day weekends.

and this seems a fine time to declare - I have very good intentions of blogging more regularly. I miss it. not that I have any plans to out-do may and june of 2007, when I recorded 32 and 31 posts respectively (you know that's more than one per day, right?) but I definitely want to do better than the pitiful eight in 24 days I've managed this september.

I miss the process - I enjoy coming home after a long day - and even waking up dark-early, sitting down at the computer and doing something creative - it's a huge stress reliever. but mostly, I think, I miss having the record of our lives - so many times I could say "I put it on the blog" or I'd refer back to the archives for photos, or the words about what we were doing right then. I've told myself that the 365 project is doing a lot of that. but it's simply not the same.

so I'll break away from work, and from knitting :-) and take a few minutes to write it all (or at least the parts that might matter) down.

first up - the formal communication plan about my january 2010 retirement is underway. not that it was ever a secret, but now we're sending out a professionally written announcement internally. I'll post the message here when it's out to everyone. it's feeling very close - I know it will fly by. and I'm going to try for "workday wednesday" photos for the last fifteen (assuming I've counted correctly) wednesdays that I work. trying for a mix of good, bad and ugly. this week was ugly:
I will so NOT miss the commute up and down georgia 400....

next - a very slightly new haircut - I got bangs on tuesday. not a newsflash, really, but if I love 'em, it will be great to have a photo of how they looked ... and if I hate 'em, it will still be good to have the photo to show why (so far I'm loving them, but it's still early!)


I am purposely NOT sharing any knitting photos. but there has been knitting. ester is just waiting for two quick seams. and I started a hat. there has also been a lot of time thinking about knitting and enjoying knitting podcasts. I found electric sheep on my trip last week and I can't recommend it highly enough. katie (aka "hoxton handmade") hosts. she lives in london (and has a delightful accent). she begins each episode with an essay - sometimes funny, sometimes educational, sometimes thought-provoking, always well-done. and adds bits about yarn, patterns, and especially about the internet and knitting. she just released episode 21. I've listened to 1,19,20 and 21 so far (catching up is making that nasty commute just a bit more bearable right now) and have completely enjoyed every one.