scenes from my life.

...this started out as three different blog posts (one of which would've been this morning but earthlink was uncharacterically unavailable), probably spread out over two or three days, but while I was editing the photos, I realized this was a much better "day in the life" story.

it still sneaks up on me that I've been "retired" for eight months. I'm working less hours at cast-on cottage which is allowing me more time. for other things.

like the 2-day walk. it's this weekend (btw - we are only $25 from our $2,500 goal as I type this and WOW! thank you!) and I've been volunteering at the office (and tomorrow downtown at the marriott) to help get things ready. buttons, nametags, personal fans, tshirts, phone calls, filing, .... I'm so grateful to be able to contribute!

and I'm hopefully going to be teaching more. now that the shop has moved and has more space, we can offer more classes. I've picked up another beginner class on wednesday mornings, starting next week. my monday night beginners have progressed into a mostly advanced beginner phase, and I find myself really looking forward to showing a new group how to cast on, knit and purl. and the sunday sweater class is evolving into "knit something seamless". I'm still going to be knitting my own sweaters using those techniques, but I'm no longer going to require my students to knit what I'm knitting. we'll see how that goes!

and now we'll get to the originally scheduled material. first about patience. and waiting. and knitting (of course). I knit a lot. and now I always have a project that lives in my purse to save me from waiting. lately that project has been a sock. they're really portable because they're small and most of the socks I knit aren't very complicated so they're quick and easy to pick up and put down. and lately I find myself looking for opportunities to wait knit on my socks. the bank. the AT&T store. the hair salon. and yesterday, the car wash.

I don't think it takes patience to knit. nope, I think it takes way more patience to NOT knit.

second about cooking. yes, really, cooking. I cannot believe we've been empty nesters for six weeks now. the time has flown. marc has traveled, I've traveled, the end of our summer was hot beyond belief and last night I finally cooked. for two. 

click the photo to see notes


nothing elaborate, just turkey meatloaf and creamed spinach (thank you sara for the recipe - and that I had laughing cow cheese!). but it was hot from the oven, tasted great and made leftovers.

and third, socks. finished socks. I've been knitting these monogamously (I wrote beth earlier this week that it was very hard to type that word and I wasn't even sure I was spelling it right) to clear my needles for the pink ribbon socks (sorry, all I could find is a ravelry link) that karen and I are taking on this weekend's walk. we have grand plans to knit these pink socks at lunch and dinner and to photograph them at b'rest stops and along the way. and whew, I finished this pair this morning. just in time!

...and that's it. probably not what I'd envisioned. and honestly (still) so much better.

sleep.

...there have been lots of learnings these past 11 days, but one of the most surprising is about sleep. way back when I first started imagining post-retirement life, I knew I needed more sleep and looked forward to an extra half hour each day. later, I told everyone there was no way I'd be getting up "dark early" (i.e., a time before 5 a.m.) 

and the reality so far - I'm still getting up at the same time [during the week - weekends have always been for marc to wake up first and make the coffee] - but staying up much later. like I'm getting less sleep now. and - here's the good part! - feeling better!

I just realized this today. and I've got a few theories about the reduced stress=better sleep time=less "real" sleep required for the same result. or maybe it's just that I get into a neatly made bed each night. with a freshly ironed pillowcase* on my pillow.

to be honest, once I hit that pillow, I do fall asleep straightaway. which means that pile of books on the chair isn't getting any smaller. but - really - I am loving the extra time I have while I'm awake!!

*only on the days I wash the sheets!

smile!

...evidently I am the easiest person in the world to surprise - not that I don't pay attention or notice things. more that I just was completely. totally. not expecting a party for me yesterday!

karen, lydia and sara schemed and planned, along with my bookclub friends to surprise me. they succeeded! and it was so much fun - great food (of course), plenty of wine (of course) and the list of thank you notes I need to write is getting way out of hand.

paula had my camera and got some great shots of me opening a huge pile of gifts. thought this might be a perfect time to try another digital layout (the first since I finished my december journal on january 1).

all of the supplies are from designer digitals. mostly their help haiti kit, except the staples and the notebook journaling edge which are from katie pertiet.

the end and the beginning.

(promise - my next post will not have beginning or ending or first or last anywhere in the title - can't promise the content won't recall those words, but at least the title will be original!)

...the packing up was a lot faster than I thought it would be. even with wrapping every picture frame, every momento (like the crazy-heavy marble hourglass to commemorate my work on y2k), every book and every sliderule (my dad gifted me his collection when he retired...and I'd love to regift the collection now that I'm retired, but I'm not really sure there's anyone left working who even knows what a sliderule is?!) in paper. with tape. I was done before lunch.

I did enjoy my exit interview. but I'm thinking the hr associate who did it probably enjoyed it more. I'm sure the career retirees just don't happen along that often in her line of work. I was pleased to learn that I'm coded as "retired" in the system (whew, because that's so much classier than "terminated"). she was impressed that I knew about the snow in new york yesterday. of course, I told her, my daughter works at 30 rock and I watch the today show so I know what it's like for her. and I'm hoping I don't need to email her or call her even though she said I could.

and my last lunch. jeff, janel, lisa and I went to boneheads. sorry, no photos, but trust me, we laughed a lot (socialist practices are fine if it's family, right?!) and they've promised to let me know about the next time they go.

and then I said my goodbyes, loaded up the car (3 boxes, 3 pictures and a stuffed briefcase) and.    left.

one quick stop at roswell high to signoff on the landscaping for the tennis courts (I have a feeling my RHS racquet club treasurer job is going to take a lot more time this year and thank goodness I'll have the time - and - note to self - NO MORE treasurer jobs. really!!!) and then to cast-on cottage to see when I might be working. big surprise! yep, I start Monday at 10am. I'm not one for too much time off. I vaguely recall that one week after I graduated college before I started this 27 year thing. my mom was visiting and we planned my wedding. so yeah, not like a real vacation week. but that was the last time I wasn't employed. the last time I wasn't collecting a paycheck.

so this all seems very strange to me right now.

but the weekend is full (birthday celebrations, two appointments with students to pick out yarn, knitting group, groceries) and I've got photos from last night's party to work through...thinking a digital scrapbook page...so maybe I can keep the strangeness at bay for a bit. and then maybe, I'll get absorbed into the new stuff, and the strangeness will pass before it really hits me. right, I'm sure that's how it will go. right?

beginning and ending.

I've blogged about my love of sunrises before. One of the things I am really going to miss after today is the southeast facing window by my desk that always provides the best sunrise views. I'm so glad I got to see one last one today. A suitable beginning to mark the ending.

followed by firsts.

...thing one. my "first" (since they moved everything to computers) fulton county library card. and I checked out a book to make it all official. I've had my eye on this book because it has the pattern for this shrug that I heard about on never not knitting. the book is mine for 28 days and I'm hoping I can knit it - or at least figure out some kind of plan to knit it someday - before it's due.

...thing two. chewie. aka "nicole's dog". I've worked with nicole for a few years. sadly the last few have been virtual - she's in new york and I'm.here. so I was glad that she managed a trip to atlanta to say goodbye. and more than especially pleased I got to meet her puppy. a very well behaved havanese named chewie. I think he liked the camera!

...thing three. [sorry, no photos] I had a fabulously energizing meeting with the development director of it's the journey (they're the parent organization that sponsors the atlanta 2-day walk) about volunteer opportunities. she's proposed a project that's a mix of community outreach and education. more to come. but to say I'm excited is an understatement.

T-3. and counting.

another last.

...this one is the last business trip. to our hunt valley office (my first time there, and to the baltimore airport - funny how first things and last things can go together). to facilitate a training class in manager effectiveness. this was the fourth time I've delivered the class, and it was hands down the best. the managers were all really glad to be there and I think they learned and had fun. it doesn't get much better than that!

but I won't miss the lonely hotel rooms and meals by myself (another first - room service dinner).

or the time in airports or on planes. time when I would much rather be home. with my family. I was really excited to catch an earlier flight. and I made it home in time for dinner with sara.

this next week is going to have a lot of lasts. and I am telling myself I need to take it slow. enjoy the moments. because it will be over before I know it.

retirement lunch.

...as in oh my, it's real, isn't it?!

 click here to see who's who

my team treated me to my all-time-favorite maggiano's family style. we ate (lots...fried calamari, fried cheese, maggiano's salad, caesar salad, gnocchi, rigatoni d and cake and cookies) and shared stories. mostly about the past.

lisa and matt raided the closets and cubicles and dug up an NTRC marketing video (yes, a VHS tape from the mid-1990's I think) and a folder full of marketing brochures, client communications pieces and company newsletters. we shared stories about managers. about projects. about office space. about balancing family and work. about lunches out with teammates. about all the things that make up a career that spans 26+ years.

our waiter surprised everyone when he brought the cake - and don't kid yourself, it served everyone! and gave me a great opportunity for a wish... that I missed because it took me 4 (5?) blows to get all the candles out. but really - and I know this is corny beyond reason - what more is there to wish for?

and before we left for the restaurant, lisa gave me the team gift - a digital frame loaded with images of my team (I finally get to see what patrick and sunita look like) and clients - even my office. wonderful memories all of it and it will have a special place here on my desk at home come january 30.

a lesson in irrelevance.

...I honestly thought I was better than this. I *make to do lists, work those to do items and check them off as I complete them, start new lists, and then repeat* forever. (and yes, sometimes I do transfer those last few trailing items from one tired list to a shiny new list, but that's just to keep it fun).

so yesterday, when I cleaned out my bag and found this list, I was...surprised. and yes, a bit disappointed. I started using these particular lists after a very fun shopping spree in chicago last winter. so I know this list isn't more than a year old. and yet. I have absolutely no idea what it's about. I only know one sabrina (I met her last weekend). hoyt? and pasta, definitely familiar with pasta. but as a sub-heading for the unknown sabrina/hoyt? clueless.

and that is my lesson in irrelevance. there was obviously some moment - just in the past year! - where these words were important to me. I wrote them down. ...and then forgot what they meant. they no longer matter to me. and I can only hope that whatever importance they conveyed at the time was realized.

I pasted this card into my journal this morning. the journaling talks about how fleeting most of those "most urgent" items are. and a note to self to make sure my future notes to self are easier to deciper. and the bright green items I added? today's to-do's. topped by ruby red (I've decided to finish it for my retirement party on january 28th - yikes!!!), calls to clients about my retirement (four down, two to go. a part of this process I really underestimated), getting our act together for cooking brunch at sue & david's this weekend, and getting the last of my holiday photos into an album.

I'm off to knit....

a(nother) good mail day.

...yup, today was going to be the day. the first day since december 18, 2008 that I didn't take a photo. yes, that would be breaking a 390 day streak. and now that I've done the research and added up the days, I'm just as glad it didn't happen.

all because this lovely yarn arrived in today's mail. I have a huge thing about getting good mail (see here, and here, and here and here - and here) so of course I had to take a picture. and share it.

it's a retirement gift from my aunt & uncle who live in oregon. that pretty card says they're friends with the owners of the farm where it comes from. wow. friends with people who make cashmere. wow.

p.s. the yarn came with a pattern for a really pretty scarf in a simple 2 row repeat lace pattern. but I think this might be calling out to be a cowl. like this one, perhaps?