Interesting
14 May 2017 07:04 pmApparently my backyard is infested with bugs. Just now I saw a robin, a mockingbird, a starling, and multiple grackles all chowing down at the same time. More power to them, I say!
It's been an action-packed couple of days. Typically on my off Fridays I do my major grocery shopping, and once a month do my budget/pay bills. This weekend I've already had three additional events, so Friday and Saturday have looked like this:
Friday early AM, one grocery stop
Then back to the house and heavy labor to plant Marya
Late lunch with parents
Major grocery stop
Shower and dress for concert
Concert that ran 1 hour late, ended at 10:57 PM
Late to bed
Saturday AM woke up earlier than I'd set the alarm
Busy morning trying to not burn bacon, make an omelet, and clean my boots
Awesome Guild outing, with another late lunch
Yet another grocery stop
Back home to collapse on the sofa and doze for a while. I brought the groceries in from the car but didn't even put them away (non would spoil).
[I really am trying to pay more attention when my body says it's really tired. I have to be super careful with naps, because if I get to sleeping for real I will sleep for hours, and then be unable to sleep at night. So I had a long-running Jack Benny Show DVD on, turned up fairly loud, and it kept me from really getting to sleep.]
I did manage to get up before 6, and I played a few games. Then I attacked the kitchen, which was extra messy on top of the groceries. And somehow I ended up cooking. It worked out well, because I felt a lot better by this time. And my big late lunch kept me from being hungry and needing to eat immediately.
So I now have a pound of good bacon, cooked crispy and broken up into bits for omelets and salads. YUM. I also braised some fennel for the first time. That was quite a job; I had to use two pans for the three fennel bulbs. It got a little crowded with both of those and the bacon pan on the stove at the same time.
It all worked out, though! Everything's clean and put away. And then I finally managed to do the monthly budget. Never a favorite task, but not too bad this month.
I'm not sure what I'll do tomorrow. I badly need to re-organize the refrigerator; I have a lot more meat and dairy and vegetables than usual, so those shelves and bins are super crowded. I also want to rearrange the kitchen itself. What pans go in what cabinet and things like that. It's largely unchanged from when I moved in, so there's room for improvement now.
Friday early AM, one grocery stop
Then back to the house and heavy labor to plant Marya
Late lunch with parents
Major grocery stop
Shower and dress for concert
Concert that ran 1 hour late, ended at 10:57 PM
Late to bed
Saturday AM woke up earlier than I'd set the alarm
Busy morning trying to not burn bacon, make an omelet, and clean my boots
Awesome Guild outing, with another late lunch
Yet another grocery stop
Back home to collapse on the sofa and doze for a while. I brought the groceries in from the car but didn't even put them away (non would spoil).
[I really am trying to pay more attention when my body says it's really tired. I have to be super careful with naps, because if I get to sleeping for real I will sleep for hours, and then be unable to sleep at night. So I had a long-running Jack Benny Show DVD on, turned up fairly loud, and it kept me from really getting to sleep.]
I did manage to get up before 6, and I played a few games. Then I attacked the kitchen, which was extra messy on top of the groceries. And somehow I ended up cooking. It worked out well, because I felt a lot better by this time. And my big late lunch kept me from being hungry and needing to eat immediately.
So I now have a pound of good bacon, cooked crispy and broken up into bits for omelets and salads. YUM. I also braised some fennel for the first time. That was quite a job; I had to use two pans for the three fennel bulbs. It got a little crowded with both of those and the bacon pan on the stove at the same time.
It all worked out, though! Everything's clean and put away. And then I finally managed to do the monthly budget. Never a favorite task, but not too bad this month.
I'm not sure what I'll do tomorrow. I badly need to re-organize the refrigerator; I have a lot more meat and dairy and vegetables than usual, so those shelves and bins are super crowded. I also want to rearrange the kitchen itself. What pans go in what cabinet and things like that. It's largely unchanged from when I moved in, so there's room for improvement now.
Crazy Productive Day
16 May 2015 11:29 pmTotally random thing that just happened: The writing credit for the Dick Van Dyke show I was watching came on the screen. Writer's name? John Whedon. Yes, grandfather of that other guy. 0.o
Anyway! Today was amazing, although it started meh and got a slow start. I woke up with a very stiff neck and mild headache, threatening to become worse. I got ready to mow the grass, since it didn't look like rain until the afternoon/evening; and just as I stepped out, it started misting. Bah. So I dragged myself upstairs and got to work on Lost Hope:
* Changed serger thread
* Realized it was a good day to change to summer sheets, so ran downstairs and started a load in the washer
* Finish skirt seams on Lost Hope gown
* Change back serger thread
* Sketch changes on pattern pieces for Lost Hope tunic (before discovering that I'd already done that a month ago and the pieces were in the envelope)
* Cut out Lost Hope tunic bodice, involving some reeeeally crazy scrap pieces of the silver knit, so it took some time
* Fought inexplicably with the sewing machine, which all but refused to sew on the silver knit which it had done so easily for Maid Marian
* Switched needles (ball point and various regular points) and thread repeatedly, tried stitch length and switching from straight to stretch stitch
* Somehow got the bodice assembled
* Made the bed
* Spent several hours cutting long pieces of knit into 1/4" fringe - very repetitive but calming, and good listening to Remington Steele
* Pinned all the fringe in place on the bodice waist (barely missed putting the lengths in the wrong places)
* Looked up "skipping stitches on knit" and decided to go with my very finest, sharpest needle; stretch stitch worked pretty well
* Ate lunch somewhere in there
* Tried on tunic; very swishy
* Worried about the fringe weight, so took up the shoulders 1" and edge stitched everything
* Discovered both straight stitch and stretch stitch work when the needle is small enough to go through all layers
* Remembered sleeves; decided on another fringe design, cut and applied
* "Finished" waist and front edges (this is totally going to be pinned closed)
* Remembered one seam not serged on the gown; changed thread, serged seam, changed thread back, had to fix tension
* Made a fast grocery store run
* Ate dinner
* Pressed hem on Lost Hope gown
* Mowed lawn before sun went down
* Shower
* Cleaned up work space: photographing vintage pattern acquisitions for last year, putting away/organizing same, organizing and putting away stack of drafted patterns, organizing UFOs, putting away accumulated notions and tools
Finally tired! But it's pretty nice up there now. And it's very good to have Lost Hope so close to being done. Aside from hand finishing on the gown, all I need is to decide how I'm going to do the chiffon drape thingy. I really need to try on both gown and tunic to figure that out, too. I hope the tunic has a good effect. The silver fringe looks AMAZING especially in a breeze. That said, it's still essentially a fringed vest and looks crazy 70s until I have it on. The upward curved back waist helps. I just hope it looks like a metaphorical thunderstorm. :D
Anyway! Today was amazing, although it started meh and got a slow start. I woke up with a very stiff neck and mild headache, threatening to become worse. I got ready to mow the grass, since it didn't look like rain until the afternoon/evening; and just as I stepped out, it started misting. Bah. So I dragged myself upstairs and got to work on Lost Hope:
* Changed serger thread
* Realized it was a good day to change to summer sheets, so ran downstairs and started a load in the washer
* Finish skirt seams on Lost Hope gown
* Change back serger thread
* Sketch changes on pattern pieces for Lost Hope tunic (before discovering that I'd already done that a month ago and the pieces were in the envelope)
* Cut out Lost Hope tunic bodice, involving some reeeeally crazy scrap pieces of the silver knit, so it took some time
* Fought inexplicably with the sewing machine, which all but refused to sew on the silver knit which it had done so easily for Maid Marian
* Switched needles (ball point and various regular points) and thread repeatedly, tried stitch length and switching from straight to stretch stitch
* Somehow got the bodice assembled
* Made the bed
* Spent several hours cutting long pieces of knit into 1/4" fringe - very repetitive but calming, and good listening to Remington Steele
* Pinned all the fringe in place on the bodice waist (barely missed putting the lengths in the wrong places)
* Looked up "skipping stitches on knit" and decided to go with my very finest, sharpest needle; stretch stitch worked pretty well
* Ate lunch somewhere in there
* Tried on tunic; very swishy
* Worried about the fringe weight, so took up the shoulders 1" and edge stitched everything
* Discovered both straight stitch and stretch stitch work when the needle is small enough to go through all layers
* Remembered sleeves; decided on another fringe design, cut and applied
* "Finished" waist and front edges (this is totally going to be pinned closed)
* Remembered one seam not serged on the gown; changed thread, serged seam, changed thread back, had to fix tension
* Made a fast grocery store run
* Ate dinner
* Pressed hem on Lost Hope gown
* Mowed lawn before sun went down
* Shower
* Cleaned up work space: photographing vintage pattern acquisitions for last year, putting away/organizing same, organizing and putting away stack of drafted patterns, organizing UFOs, putting away accumulated notions and tools
Finally tired! But it's pretty nice up there now. And it's very good to have Lost Hope so close to being done. Aside from hand finishing on the gown, all I need is to decide how I'm going to do the chiffon drape thingy. I really need to try on both gown and tunic to figure that out, too. I hope the tunic has a good effect. The silver fringe looks AMAZING especially in a breeze. That said, it's still essentially a fringed vest and looks crazy 70s until I have it on. The upward curved back waist helps. I just hope it looks like a metaphorical thunderstorm. :D
So excited
4 March 2015 10:21 pmI'm spending a nice evening at home. Sleet hissing down like mad outside, accumulating on the streets. Definitely not going in to work tomorrow! I've got a small fire burning, too, which is super cozy. I've been doing some simple trimming on my new English bonnet. It's not the trimming for the Vernet plate, but I want to wear it to the archery thing this Saturday. So it's getting some dark brown silk ruching and a small curled ostrich plume in red.
But what really has me excited is finding some sheet music. My choir's big spring show is coming up in April. Last year it ended with an ensemble performance of "One Day More" from Les Misérables. This year, we brainstormed and I suggested "Masquerade" from Phantom. I always wanted to figure out what all the words are! And it took some searching, but I found the right arrangement. It's got the individual parts in it, an accompaniment that doesn't double the melody, what looks like authentic vocal scoring (including a high B flat as the highest), and it starts with Firmin and André instead of jumping into "Masquerade" immediately like every other arrangement. I'm SO looking forward to working on this!
But what really has me excited is finding some sheet music. My choir's big spring show is coming up in April. Last year it ended with an ensemble performance of "One Day More" from Les Misérables. This year, we brainstormed and I suggested "Masquerade" from Phantom. I always wanted to figure out what all the words are! And it took some searching, but I found the right arrangement. It's got the individual parts in it, an accompaniment that doesn't double the melody, what looks like authentic vocal scoring (including a high B flat as the highest), and it starts with Firmin and André instead of jumping into "Masquerade" immediately like every other arrangement. I'm SO looking forward to working on this!
Another productive day!
16 August 2014 09:37 pmI stayed up late again last night, and slept late again as well. But I got up and mowed the lawn in the heat (90 degrees or so). Then I did more laundry, including washing some woolens; folded remaining laundry; put away the costume stuff; put away the rest of my new acquisitions (particularly hats); and put away/tidied most of the sewing stuff that I took or has been out. I then made a batch of breakfast muffin; ran to the Container Store for some more stackable drawers for further organizing costume stuff and some more hangers; spent a delightful time getting interesting sweets from the bulk section at Central Market; fixed my airplane lamp; did some online stuff; researched flights; experimented with my new Tissot boots (I need to move the buttons over because they're too loose); and went through the accumulated mail. I also discovered that Retro TV shows two hours of original Doctor Who on Saturdays... and despite never having actually seen any episodes, I was very proud of myself for recognizing what it was within five minutes. ;)
And now I feel like playing a computer game...
That's all!
And now I feel like playing a computer game...
That's all!
I've been so good today!
15 August 2014 10:39 pmI stayed up too late last night "researching" a couple of costume things (yeah, via Pinterest), so I slept a little late this morning. But when I got up, I was productive. I put the things that have been soaking in oxi-clean in the wash, got groceries, went to the chiropractor, then had lunch and spent some good time with my parents. Then I came home and balanced my budget. *wince* I wasn't looking forward to paying the piper after my lovely Costume College & then some vacation! But it really wasn't too bad. And then, for some reason, I was very adult and sent emails and made phone calls, like about insurance, and getting a discount on my internet, and other things. Some of which I've been, uh, needing to do for several years. But it's done, yay!
There's still plenty on my list for the rest of the weekend. But I got rid of the ugliest one, and some bonus things besides. Go me!
Oh! A couple of you might remember at Costume College I had some trouble with my 1790s/1800s stays suddenly making my left shoulder ache horribly. (I know I complained about it to ![[personal profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mlsdesigns a lot at the ice cream social!) I went to the chiropractor mainly to have a check after the rear-end accident fancyfrocks and I had two weeks ago (I'm totally fine!), but I did ask about it. Turns out my left shoulder joint was slightly out. When I tightened my stays, particularly the shoulder straps, to wear the red dress, it naturally pulled my shoulders back slightly. And the resulting pressure on a joint that was slightly out, did build up to that straining ache I got after wearing the stays for some time. So it's back in now, and I've got some stretches to do to help it stay in. It's good to know what was going on!
Boo-Hiss and Yay!
13 August 2014 07:44 pmBoo-Hiss: My peace lilies seem to have died for lack of water while I was gone. :(
Yay!: My foresight in having a nice, yummy frozen pizza ready for when I got back.
Boo-Hiss: Extra-special crazy first day back at work.
Yay!: My continued foresight in leaving a remarkably clean house to come home to. It felt so good to walk in to an oasis at 11 at night instead of a scene of destruction.
Boo-Hiss: I have to wash my hair tonight. Wah.
Yay!: Finally discovering Cabin Pressure for the first time on my interminable flight home. (H/tlitlover12!) British accents, hilarious AND clean (so far), and very re-listen-able.
Yay!: My foresight in having a nice, yummy frozen pizza ready for when I got back.
Boo-Hiss: Extra-special crazy first day back at work.
Yay!: My continued foresight in leaving a remarkably clean house to come home to. It felt so good to walk in to an oasis at 11 at night instead of a scene of destruction.
Boo-Hiss: I have to wash my hair tonight. Wah.
Yay!: Finally discovering Cabin Pressure for the first time on my interminable flight home. (H/t
litlover12!) British accents, hilarious AND clean (so far), and very re-listen-able.1. Finishing the retaining wall! A family friend came over with his truck and his trailer. He picked up a cubic yard and a half of dirt to finish filling in the area behind the wall/in the flower beds, and he also got the rocks we had unearthed to help build up his driveway. With my parents, my cousin Abe, our friend, and his grown daughter and teen son, we got it all done before noon. Including two trips to Mansfield. He was only able to get 1 yard of dirt on the first trip, and only about 2/3 of the rocks.
2. Completing my Christmas shopping. You know, the most frustrating part was trying to get out of parking lots. The roads themselves aren't bad, parking is available if you don't mind walking (I don't), the stores are busy but not bad, and the checkout lines aren't that long. But getting back into the street is murder!
3. Making lots of good progress on the gifts I'm making. They should be done in time for Christmas Day, which they don't even need to be - our family Christmas isn't until the 27th. :p
2. Completing my Christmas shopping. You know, the most frustrating part was trying to get out of parking lots. The roads themselves aren't bad, parking is available if you don't mind walking (I don't), the stores are busy but not bad, and the checkout lines aren't that long. But getting back into the street is murder!
3. Making lots of good progress on the gifts I'm making. They should be done in time for Christmas Day, which they don't even need to be - our family Christmas isn't until the 27th. :p
Work is a bit stressful this week. So much is going on! I'm glad for this meme, because then I think about the positive. And there's plenty of it.
Monday, 10 December
1. Cold weather! It finally feels like Christmas. Cloudy and windy going in to work in the morning, wind chill in the low 20s.
2. #1 meant that I got to wear some of my super-warm clothes. Like the sweatshirt fleece dress I got from eShakti last year. I love it! Not only does it feel like I'm wearing a lightweight, cozy blanket, it's as cute as all get-out.
3. A quiet evening at home (after a quick rehearsal of a piece for upcoming choir concerts). I didn't cook, but I had a nice dinner, and ended up tricking myself into cleaning off the bar counter in my kitchen. It's been accumulating mail and whatnots since May. It feels so good to have it clean again.
4. A final hour doing a little sewing. And then to bath and bed!
Monday, 10 December
1. Cold weather! It finally feels like Christmas. Cloudy and windy going in to work in the morning, wind chill in the low 20s.
2. #1 meant that I got to wear some of my super-warm clothes. Like the sweatshirt fleece dress I got from eShakti last year. I love it! Not only does it feel like I'm wearing a lightweight, cozy blanket, it's as cute as all get-out.
3. A quiet evening at home (after a quick rehearsal of a piece for upcoming choir concerts). I didn't cook, but I had a nice dinner, and ended up tricking myself into cleaning off the bar counter in my kitchen. It's been accumulating mail and whatnots since May. It feels so good to have it clean again.
4. A final hour doing a little sewing. And then to bath and bed!
