Evening distraction

Also last night, I found a little girl cat sitting on the steps between the second and third floor of my apartment entryway. She was all pretty and black and friendly. And I wanted to keep her. Except, you know, that I have thirty cats already (or two, but really, I already have plenty of cats). I left her in the hall, put my stuff down and then got her and went knocking on doors to find her owner. Two floors later I had found where she lived and a mom that had no idea she was missing.

Ah well. Someday I will have a black cat.

And now I need to collapse, or show and tell #6

DONE!!!
Who-ha-ha!
And pillow covers as well. I think it was the pillow covers that might have put me over the edge. I should have just stopped with the hanging of the curtains at ridiculous o'clock last night/this morning but then I though, no, I need matching pillows for the couch. Because I'm an idiot. Or obsessive compulsive. Or both possibly.

Please ignore the mess in that there picture. Pay attention only to the pretty pillows.

And then I looked around and realized it was 2 am

I have a small table. A very small table. Because it's normally just me and... me at my place. I don't think I've eaten at my table more than twice while I've lived at this apartment. Maybe I should get rid of it. But, that's not my issue right now. The issue right now is that I'm working on these darn curtains (must be done by Friday in my stubborn head) and it is really hard to work with a large amount of cloth (seven yards) and a very small table, almost comically so. It involves some wrangling. Also? I have not done any serious sewing since the summer of '98. Initially, the problem was with making the starting cut straight. It was cut all wonky on the bolt of fabric. But getting things straightened out on that tiny table was probably the most time consuming part. And then figuring out how long to make them and how much of an allowance for seams and the like. My brain hurt a little from it all. But it's all figured out (kinda) and they are cut and ironed so that I can sew them up tonight. And hopefully they'll be done tonight or tomorrow night, well in time to be hung for Friday.

Now if I can figure out how to make matching floor pillows... or thread my machine.

Beauty and wonder

The sunset was so beautiful tonight I just wanted to stand at the window and watch until it disappeared. God is good to give us beautiful things.

I come in to work to relax...

Boy howdy, it was a full weekend. Mostly good things. Some hard.

When your weekend starts on Wednesday, that tends to be a good sign, don't you agree?

Wednesday was actually the beginning of the birthday festivities (well, minus the ring that Mom gave me back in October as an early birthday gift - rubies and diamonds - it's very sweet). Minty came and had lunch with me. Woohoo. That evening a friend and I went to the Lyric Opera - on her dime - and saw La Boheme. It was gorgeous. I had seen Cosi fan tutti about a year ago and I wasn't overly impressed and even though it was a shorter opera I was thinking about two-thirds of the way through "Okay, enough with this singing already." But La Boheme was fan-freakin-tastic! The sets were really impressive. And I could relate, what with many of my friends squeezed more than should be into an apartment, money always being short, that sort of thing. Now I want to rent Rent because it's based on La Boheme.

Thursday I spent Thanksgiving with friends. Dinner was crazy good. Crazy because it was a houseful of folks - half of whom were kids. There were some spectacular meltdowns right at the end. But, that's what happens. I've come to accept that. Good to be with so many lovely, lovely people. Our hosts were very relaxed and it was just... Nice.Friday I went to the lake early and did some gathering. It was cold, apparently so cold that things were frozen to the ground. Not something I had considered and it felt odd after the beach had been so willing to give up treasures during the summer and fall. And then my opera friend was loading up a moving truck so I headed out to help her, only to arrive five minutes after they had finished. But I helped her with bagging up the hanging clothes and getting those out to the truck. I hung out for the rest of the day (with a quick trip to Goodwill where I found a very cute purse and some aluminum tumbles) and then had dinner with my friend and her sisters who had come in to help my friend drive the moving truck and car to Ohio. They are terribly cute, aren't they?

I had informed one of my friends who was around this weekend that I was planning on spending most of my birthday with her. She was happy to comply. So Saturday I woke up late and then met her and some other friends for brunch - sausage gravy biscuits - heaven for breakfast. Really, any time with Max is a bonus. And then she and I saw Dan in Real Life after that. The movie was great.

Sunday Minty and a mutual friend and I had dinner at a local Irish Pub type place. Good shepherd's pie and onion rings. Where this happened:
Thirty-one. Holy crap. I'm thirty-one.

Also? Yesterday? Because I need one more project to work on? I bought fabric. To Make my own curtains. Clearly I have lost my mind. But I'm in love with the fabric. Now if I can get them done by Friday...

Look! It's a baby!

Here she is - gorgeous child that my cousin made:
She arrived last Friday. Hooray!

Happy Monday!

I have a new... niece? Second cousin? Something like that. The soon-to-be-owner of a fabulous purple/pink sweater and fun pairs of baby legs.

Also, this provided a great laugh this morning and so you must read it.

And? It's a short work week and I have an outing to the opera planned and that little thing we like to call a birthday and Thanksgiving, all in the same week.

(We'll just ignore the fact that I have to say goodbye to two friends who are relocating to distant lands this week)

Lordy

Sometimes I am as slow as a snail. I Finally got packages mailed off for my cousin and Baby B. Maybe this weekend I'll hang curtains for a place that I've lived in for 6 months already.

Have a good one everybody.

More Good Day-ness

Was just offered the opportunity to go to a Bulls game and watch from someone's sky box. How cool would that have been? Alas, I am traveling to see the 'rental units that day and had to decline. Which is making me pound my desk is distress. But still, even the possibility of such an opportunity to watch a professional sports game that wouldn't bore me to tears and network with the rich and powerful or see some of my college friends, that still strikes me as rather awesome.

A good day

Hey! It's payday! Woohoo!
Also? I get to see my friend B. for dinner! Woohoo!
Also? We got a memo from the head honcho that we're getting a base salary increase of, not just a cost of living bump (normally 2%), but a full 3.5%! Woohoo! Which may not seem like a lot, but over the years, it can add up. And I fully realize that we don't have to be given a cost of living salary increase, lots of folks don't. Or the opportunity for a free education.

And hey, did I mention that I now have my own office? With a door? And a bookshelf of my very own? And plenty of room to put up all my tchoctchkes? Because, y'all, I DO!!

oh my word

Please make her stop singing! My ears are going to start bleeding soon. Aaaah...

So tired...

Folks, I'm just exhausted. This after getting to bed at reasonable times the past two nights.

Tonight I've decided to skip class. I just can't. Last week was ridiculous. This week only promises to be more of the same. There are better ways I can spend my time. I could be reading for my other class or working on a research paper or two. In undergrad I knew which classes I needed to attend. There were a couple of classes that I just stopped going to lecture - there was no need. I'd go to the smaller discussion groups or lab, but lecture was pretty much optional. Grad school means that I need to go every frickin' time. Even when there's no point to class. Sigh.

And I'm grumpy because I'm tired. Sigh.

And my birthday party thing is stressing me out a little bit. Sigh.

Show and Tell, #5

A few items for show and tell.

More evidence that I procrastinate very well.

I joined a bookmark exchange and I thought I would quilt one. I did two of them. One I hand sewed all around (it's the bigger one) and quilted along the lines and around the cat. The other I sewed with my sewing machine and quilted around the cat and then quilted in a circular pattern because I didn't like the total linear look of the other one so much. But now I don't know now that I've tried both options. Which one should I send off?Also, I finished the second baby sweater. A dear friend of mine has a little nephew that she adores and she was lamenting at one point that her sister's friends didn't do so good with throwing her a shower - there wasn't one. And so I was sad and have wanted to do something nice for the baby since then and now he is almost one. I think it turned out nicely. I especially like the buttons. They're part of the stash that I brought home from my parents' place. When I saw them I thought they would make excellent eyes for a plushie but they add some fun interest to the sweater too.And then there are these:

I made mittens and they're So Cute! Granted they do look a bit like oven mitts here but they were super easy (another pattern that I tried to follow and then modified along the way) and they go up farther on my arm so there's not that gap that you can get between the coat and the glove. I also made a little neck warmer dealie - basically a mini scarf that buttons. So bring on the winter, Old Man. Wait, I mean, I love the fall, please don't take it away too soon.

Really I love fall so much. The changing leaves just fill me with wonder and gratitude. Gratitude to a creator who made fall to be beautiful. Gratitude that I am where I am and get a fall to appreciate. I'm happy to crunch along in the leaves and welcome back the bare trees. And sloooowly transition into winter.

To my professor

Dear Professor,

I already have issues with you because of the way you changed class times twice in the first two weeks. And because I think we're a month behind the syllabus, partly because you think tangentially, partly because you repeat yourself at length and unecesarily at the beginning of each lecture. Being snotty when I apologize to you for being late because of my job (fyi, I give up my lunch break and extend my work day to take your class) does not endear yourself to me either. Neither will missing an appointment at a time you suggested. Not apologizing for it when it happens but rather waiting for me to email you to make sure I hadn't misunderstood intended time or place will put you on my shit list for sure.

Sincerely,
Hannita

All the tools of procrastination at my fingertips

Because I have a short paper due tomorrow - well technically today I suppose - and because I had to do some research on the Episcopal church, here I am, online, ready to entertain the masses. Or all two of you that might be interested. Why yes, I do procrastinate professionally.

Remember when I was in Texas and was having trouble uploading old pictures of me when I was adorable? And I said I would do that later? Well, later has arrived and here they are. Please, don't die from the cuteness. I need a few readers to tell me that I'm still interesting.

I know, photo quality is crap because I'm taking pictures of pictures. Pictures which have a shiny plastic sleeve over them. But still, I think the fabulosity of these pictures can shine through the crappy quality.

I was a year or younger in these I believe. Please note the picture in the bottom left-hand corner. See the hair? I was born with hair that stood on end. It persisted for quite a while. My mother loved it. My grandmother would try to slick it down as best she could.
Apparently at this stage I was able to stand on tables. Because I'm pretty sure I'm standing on a table in the top picture there. And playing with some sort of fake flower. We'll revisit that fake flower theme later on. Also - what in the world was I holding in that bottom picture? While I am adorable I appear to have developed some affection for a...cucumber? Actually, I think it was a little plastic tube with beads in it. Or a cucumber. Whatever.


Onto a popular series where I share the bill with the brother. I love this first picture. Apparently Grandma was being very funny. It reminds me of this picture from a month or two ago. In the second picture you get a glimpse of my clingy personality. Me and my baby doll. And... here's what happens when that doll gets taken away. Can you hear the sobbing that was about to happen?
Here we are, slightly older. I have braids this time. And look! Tissue flowers! That I made! Just for this picture I'm sure.

Two fashion trends that I noted while looking through these.
a) Red was already a large part of my wardrobe, even at the age of 1.
b) Puffy sleeves and filly collars were very fashionable at the time.