ahhh, vacation.

Attention Hampton Roads,
If you heard a huge sigh of relief around 12:40 a.m. on Thursday, August 30, it's because I was officially starting my vacation at that time.

I fully expected to sleep in, veg around, but instead, I started it as I should have. After a poor night of sleep (well, that wasn't how it should have started) I got up around 8, met up with Bethany and walked 3.5 miles on this gorgeous day. I'm back and it's not even 11 a.m.! I love it.

Woe is me - or, the most scattered post ever.

I've been listening to a lot of weepy, plaintive piano-chord-y, girly music lately. I have nothing to be down in the dumps about - in fact, I'm the opposite of down in the dumps right now. Yet I can't stop listening to "The Greatest" by Cat Power and "Gardenia" by Mandy Moore as if I just went through the worst breakup of my life. That couldn't be further from the truth ... this week alone should have a lot of good times. Firstly, it shouldn't hit 90 degrees. That automatically makes me happy to wake up. I'm on a six-day vacation as of Thursday. There's talk of a double date Thursday night with Lauren and her boyfriend (who will be visiting from Jersey!). I'm planning a trip to the Outer Banks or, at the least, Sandbridge, for some quality beach time. I'm going to SnB on Monday. Lots of good things ahead, no?

Speaking of SnB ... I made a ton of progress on WIPS this weekend. I rented three movies - "Jesus is Magic" (a Sarah Silverman comedy show), "Little Children" (very good) and "Perfume" (weird and creep-tastic), so I had a lot of time to work on projects. I knitted about 6" on my ribbed scarf and I'm just about done with Lori and JJ's blanket! Looks like I might need to add a new UFO goal to my list for this coming weekend.

Cross your fingers I will have enough iron to give blood tomorrow! And cross your fingers I wake up early to break in my new running shoes while it's still in the 70s.

OK, it's time to go to sleep. Before 1 a.m. on a work night ... unbelievable!

weekend goals

So I'm off tomorrow and Saturday, and next Thursday through Tuesday. By the end of all that lovely free time, I hope to accomplish:

1. at least one trip to the beach. I've gone only about three times all summer. This is unacceptable. I might work this into a little road trip to the Outer Banks.
2. finishing Lori and JJ's blanket. I'm almost there:


3. finishing my scarf of many colors. I'm not quite as far, but with a week off, I can accomplish anything.

4. making my roomie, who has mono, some chicken noodle soup.
5. casting on a sock, especially because I can take it to SnB where all the sock-knitting wonder women can straighten me out when I mess up!

as much for me as anyone else

When I go off my yarn diet, I will be buying a skein of Yarn Pirate in Fig and Honey. Oh my yes.

The end is in sight, however. A month from yesterday, sassenach and I will be road-tripping to Northern Virginia to see the Yarn Harlot at a book-signing/reading. Whee!

And a month from tomorrow, Josh and I will be headed to Charleston for a lovely few days. Whee again!

boredom; read at your own risk.

I've been knitting quite a bit on my ribbed scarf, but I'm growing bored with the rows I could do in my sleep. At least the color variations keep me entertained. I've used about 1 1/3 ball; I think I need at least three total.

I'm also bored with this hot, sticky weather. I don't want to have to drive 10 minutes to the gym; I want to lace up my shoes and run out the front door. But it's too dang hot out. I desperately want it to be fall. 60 degrees out, leaves blowing around, yum.

In less cranky news, thanks to L&V's Daily Chum, I just discovered a site where patterns are temporarily 50% off. The only thing I love more than a good yarn sale is a sale on anything else related to yarn (especially when I'm on a yarn diet). So I bought the pattern for the Forest Canopy Shoulder Shawl, which says it's good for first-time lace knitting. And because it's breathtakingly lovely. It might take me 10 years to get to that point in my knitting ability, but dammit, I'll be ready with the pattern.

another reunion

Tonight I hung out with Dan, a friend from high school whom I haven't seen since 2001, when we graduated. He's in the Navy - a pilot! - and just got stationed in Norfolk. So we had a little reunion tonight - he gave me the grand tour of his new house, and he, his roommate Brandon and Brandon's friend went to a restaurant within walking distance for dinner. I had a blackened tuna sandwich with cucumber and sprouts, very yummy. Then we checked out the cheesily titled "Thank Goodness It's Ocean View" concert, where a band that seemed to be a big deal in the 1960s played. Then it was back to Granby North for a drink, where Carson, the other roommate/Brandon's brother joined us.

It was so great to catch up with Dan. He was quieter than I remembered - not that he was loud before, but he just seemed ... more thoughtful, I guess. And he is such a gentleman, insisting on paying for everything. He's only been in Norfolk a few weeks; I told him he has to come down to Ghent soon. Anyway, I'm super happy to have another friend in the area, especially one who's known me for so long.



We look a little crazed because his roommate kept making us laugh. As you can see Dan is adorable. So is his roommate, who is also a pilot. If Lauren were single, I'd totally be playing matchmaker.

I just wonder ... between my reunion with Laura two weeks ago, and tonight ... I'm wondering where someone from preschool will come out of the woodwork. :-)

clumsy fool (or, why I'm getting old).

I smashed my ankle into the side of my bed on Monday and it still hurts. I have a slat that sticks out about 1/2 inch (I put my bed together myself; what do you expect?), and I've usually avoided it, but the other day, it hit the ball of my ankle (for lack of a better descriptor) head on. I cut my ankle slightly, but more painful was the throbbing ever since. I can't even sit Indian style with my left leg on the bottom. Running has been out of the question, so I've taken Gracie on long, ambling walks around Ghent this week. I guess I was feeling brave tonight, it was raining as I left work, and I did that jogging-that's-mostly-your-arms-moving (Dane Cook does a funny skit about it), put my weight on it, and pain shot up my calf. Since then I've had twinges of pain in my heel. Fun fun fun. I'm going to continue to be bull-headed about it and go to the gym tomorrow anyway.

And before I go ... here's a pretty yarn shot!



It accidentally fell off the needles the other night, and I scrunched over it cursing while Josh watched "The Daily Show" beside me. He said "I thought knitting was something you did to relax?" I can't believe it took him this long to say it.

That's much better.

Today Gracie started whining around 6 a.m., so I shuffled out of bed to walk her. I was so surprised ... it was really nice out! In fact, at about 70 degrees, it was practically chilly. Had I had a few more hours of sleep, I think I would've rushed back to my place and put on running clothes. But sleep-running isn't a good idea. So I got a few more hours sleep and put on my running shoes around 11 a.m. Gracie kept looking up at me, panting/smiling, as if she were saying "man I've missed this!" The poor cookie has been cooped up in the house except for our half-block long walks in this miserable heat.

Today is my lone day off. I think I'm going to organize all the knitting/crochet patterns floating around my room with my spiffy new binder and maybe even pick up a knitting project for the first time in almost a week. (Whee!!) Tonight I'm going to a co-worker's barbecue. He just got back from a photography job in Africa for a nonprofit that sets up medical clinics. I am in awe. I want to bring my camera, because I'm sure it'll be a great time, but I'm half afraid to try to take pictures in front of some of the most genius newspaper photographers in the world.

immobile.

I almost passed out twice from this ridiculous heat yesterday.

I went to the gym and, 30 minutes of cardio later, drove to Chesapeake to run some errands - I scored a gorgeous set of sheets for $32 (regular price: $129.99), got a new shower curtain, liner and rug, and even went to an office supply store to get an organizer for all my knitting/crochet patterns floating around the house. All my stopping and starting, getting out of the AC and into the heat, it wore me out. When I got home, I was so glad to just sit.

Then, after 8 hours of sitting at work, a few friends and I went to a tapas bar where I had some really yummy portabella/spinach/tofu thing in some kind of soy sauce. But I couldn't really enjoy it because it was 2000 degrees in the restaurant. I guess they had turned the A/C off, or maybe I was sitting next to the wall that had the dishwasher on the other side, but I just was really uncomfortable and melting. I came home, took a cold shower and went to bed.

It's hard to want to do anything in this heat. I don't want to go to the gym at all - and having to be at work at 1:30 instead of 4 doesn't help my motivation to work out, because I'll be looking at the clock the whole time. So I think I might run to the grocery store because I'm out of most everything, only to return and be greeted by the beautiful woosh of cool air when I come in the front door. Thank God for a/c.

bad weather, bad knitter.

As I write this, weather.com tells me it's 89 degrees in Norfolk and feels like 100. The forecast today? High of 103. Does this mean it will eventually feel like 114 outside? Holy moly.

What with this ridiculous weather, I haven't felt up to knitting much lately. I haven't even wanted to leave the house, really. So I've been going through my stack of library books and marking pages where I want to make copies of patterns. I'm just about done, then it's off to a copy place to make some copies.

Oh yeah - the only other place I've felt like going in this heat has been the gym. I've decided to make my return to running races when the weather gets nicer - in fact, I'm going to try to organize a team at work for the Race for the Cure, which is on Oct. 20. Plenty of time to get back in optimal running shape.

old friends, new lives

I'm heading to Franklin to see a friend I haven't seen in two whole years. I remember the last time I saw her - it was May 12, 2005 - the medals ceremony for the honors college at Eisenhower Auditorium.



And I kept thinking "ok, when will we see each other next?" It's one of those open-ended questions you hate to think about. It was such a happy day, but the question was lingering at the back of my mind.

A year ago she left for Korea - she's so talented and brilliant, she went there on a Fulbright scholarship. She taught at a really rural school and lived on a pig farm. She got back about a month ago, I think, and I've loved hearing about her adventures, especially in her online journal. That girl is a brilliant writer.

Today will be a really brief visit over lunch at a little restaurant in Franklin as she returns to Pennsylvania from vacation, but it will be so so so so lovely and I am so excited, and I will have another "when we last saw each other" memory to cherish until next time!