Sunday, October 29, 2006

Time change

It's really already after 9, so when I was up with Lilli Munster at 630, it was really 730, late actually for the morning routine. Early for Sunday. But awake, I am, nonetheless. Early, too, considering we were ending the season four binge at 145 a.m., which only 15 minutes later was officially an hour earlier.

So now we have to wait. for Season 5 to grace out debit card with its presence. It will happen. I am not sure it is available yet as I have not seen it for sale anywhere, but if Santa can bring it, I am certain he will, and if he can get his hands on it before xmas, we will be watching it. I am not so sure I would be as hooked if I had to watch this weekly and with commercials. Watching it on DVD is brilliant and compelling.

I am also knitting the loveliest soft 100% Fine Merino Wool. It is made in Italy be di.ve and is called Autunno. The color combination ranges from black and green to black and pink, all skillfully spun in a single ply worsted weight with shifting hues that produce a self striping garment. I am ennamored, can you tell? I am making legwarmers for my hairdresser,a;ll the while letting my brain spin out of control about what I can make for myself with this. I might post ap ic later of the work in progress. I might not.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

The Universe: A Minor Redesign

For the sake of time and convenience, I stopped on the way hom at the Kroger we hate rather than going to the Randall's we like. It was a pleasant experiennce.

WTF.

I need an iTunes Tutor

Last night I was ot online as the wireless had dropped. I did not need to be online. All I wanted to do was rip and play a few CDs. The latest version of iTunes is fucking with me. Either that, or I am just not bright enough to be on a Mac. I finally found the feature to disable the MAc from retrieving info about the cd from the internet, and then I rebooted. In fact, I had to do a hard shut down three times as iTunes kept getting hung. Even after turning off the get info feature, I still could not rip or listen to music.

This morning. Dear Sweet Elizabeth fixed the wireless. I opened up my laptop. I inserted the same CDs I wanted to rip last night. Zippadeedoodah. No issues. Well, Some of this music is a little twangy for me, but otherwise, no issues.

My other dilemma, Somw of my letters are beginning to chip away on my keyboard. I will soon have a jacked up looking keyboard with sharpie letters all over the place. Nice.

Friday, October 20, 2006

And, I'm off...again

Yes I just had a full week off in September. And 10 days in October. But as I have been telling you, PTO is a beautiful thing. I am off again until Wednesday. Yippee. It will most certainly be doing something to adjust the week I just had or if not, maybe get my attitude adjusted for the holiday push which we are already into.

Thursday the 12th sucks balls. On Thursday the 12th, I rearended the car in front of me when my foot slipped off the brake. First appearances indicated minor fender bender damage all around, however my car is currently in the shop needing a tear down before an estimate can be done. Physically, all involved were okay however, my seatbelt left me a lovely deep dark bruise across my right breast.

I suppose that is the worst of my week and I am glad that everyone is ok. No more on this topic as it is done. Finally. Or done until I know the damage to my car and get it back in one piece.

So today we are off to Austin for their art car parade. We are due back tomorrow, but I am off til Wednesday. Ahhhhh. Wednesday...

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

And we're home...

Taos was really lovely. When we return to New Mexico, it will most certainly be to Taos. I think maybe even a ski vacation might be in order. Anyone game?

On the way home from the airport, we stopped to pick up the girls. Lilli Munster was so glad to see me she promptly peed all over my left breast in her excitement, and really, I put her down right away so I am not sure how she had the chance. We walked to the grass and she peed there, too, so the first one on me was really just happy water.

We got home and everyone was reunited, and for a minute, I think Sawyer was even glad to have the girls home. He was certainly glad to have us home and I even got a kiss from him. He is not at all a kissing dog so when he gives one up, it is a cherished pearl of wisdom.

My yarn suitcase is bursting at the seams and looks ready to pop. I got the little felted balls that I bought for the dogs out, and I need to go fish in one of the pockets for the cord for my phone, but I am afraid that if I crack the zipper, that might be all it takes.

I am glad I planned a slug day into my vacation upon our return. Now it is time to do just that.

Sunday, October 08, 2006

Baby, are you okay?

When did eb ask me this? Well, several times over the last couple of days.

Elevation is not something I give a lot of thought to. I grew up in the Adirondack mountains and have climbed many of the regions' high peaks. I really take mountain scenery for granted, but don't mind driving around in it to satisfy eb's desire for more of it. If it pleases her, I like it just fine. And let's not forget, I can deny her nothing.

I grew up mostly outside Lake Placid, NY at the base of Whiteface, the Olympic mountain whose base elevation is 1220 feet. The summit is 4650 feet and whether skiing the mountain or hiking it with friends or as a guide, I was at the summit at least half the year on a daily basis. No elevation drama.

Please take this moment to recall that for the past eight years, I have lived in Houston, TX with eb at an elevation of 0 - 310 feet. sea level at its best.

When we were settled into Placitas, NM, I had brief mooments of feeling winded. Nothing I really noticed much at the time, but looking back, I can see that it all started there, just mildly. Walking around, I would occasionally find myself reverting to a mouth breather (yogi Kathryn says mouths are for eating and kissing only)and I attributed this more to the dryness or sinus congestion rather than to elevation. I also considered that vacation might have packed on a few extra pounds, but I really have not overindulged at all and of course prefer being in denial about this possibility.

So here we are in Taos. Taos has an elevation of 6950 feet. Right away upon arriving I felt an unpleasant tightening in my chest. Am I having a heart attack? 6950 seems to be the magic number. I brought a suitcase from the car to the room we are in. We are basically parked right outside the door, and I was so winded that when I stopped to kiss eb, I had to ask her to give me a second to catch my breath. "Baby, are you okay?"

Every time I roll over in bed, I get winded. Every time I reach for my seatbelt, I get winded. Twist a little for an extended moment, here comes that heart attack again.

Yesterday, after the rainy wool festival, we drove about 5 miles to a lovely grge bridge and then 5 miles in the other direction to a small town, Arroyo Seco, which has the finest yarn shop and a cafe recommended by our host, Richard. His picks have been spot on. After the yarn shop orgy, eb needed some scenic driving. Instead of turning right to go back the way we came, she turned left to see what we might be missing.

Left took us on a really nice scenic drive through Carson National Forest. At one point there is a dead end sign, but it does not say how far til the dead end. The dead end is Taos Valley Ski area whose base elevation is 9207 feet. Oh. My. God. I am glad there was nothing to do or see once we were up there because any exertion there, surely would have resulted in some dire tragedy.

All in all, I think I am getting more used to the Taos elevation, and tomorrow we will be back hoome to our dear humid sea level. When are we going on that Himilaya adventure?

The harvest moon is fucking with the rooster.

In case the time stamp on this post is el wrongo, let me state for the record, it iis 230 in the fucking morning. It is indeed lovely to have farm fresh eggs in the morning right from the nest, and both of the places we have stayed this trip have free range organic chickens, but the cost of that might just be the harvest moon fucking with the rooster.

EB asked me yesterday morning if I heard the rooster. I did not, but in his defense, I think he crowed at the normal hour and maybe only once. This morning, not so. He started sometime in the recent past and again in his defense, I was already lying in bed awake. As was eb. And all we could do was snicker and laugh. Out loud. Until I declared I was awake enough to get up anyway.

Today is the last full day away from home, and with a 230 start, we are in business.

Yesterday was the Taos Sheep and Wool Festival and my shopping might be considered by some to be extreme. Suffice it to say, I owe eb a full day of scenic driving and then some. Pics will follow once we are home.

Thursday, October 05, 2006

...UPDATE...UPDATE...UPDATE...

Still in Santa Fe and heading to Taos in the morning. We are at a cool store called Travel Bug at the moment. I found eb here drinking on the patio while I was down the strip in a yarn store. Much more upon our return, and just to warn y'all, eb's memory card on the camera is f.u.l.l.

xo

Monday, October 02, 2006

motherfucker...

I shouldn't have looked...really...I should have just let it be...during this drawing close toward the end of the jcp calendar year when I am really trying hard to use rather than lose any pto...I checked to see what my pre-vaca total is...to see that yes, it is 123 as I discussed with hr on Friday...using this many hours here, and this many there, yes that takes me to 36.9...exactly what I can carry over to next year...Well dontcha know yesterday was the first of the omnth and I now have 140.3 hours...which means more jockeying of schedules...I think it might mean I need to take a week in November...It's not like I have been hoarding it all year, I have taken a 60 hours or so already...my boss might not be pleased...pto is a beautiful thing...

Soon, we'll be in the air...

I have had since 4 pm on Saturday to decompress. I think it has been a success. I just packed and all that is left to do is get my sorry on vacation ass into the shower so I can then pack toiletries and I will be ready to get in the car and head to the airport. With eb, of course, to parts unknown. Taos Wool Festival, here we come.

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Oh, woe is she...

Poor, poor eb...

She has just left to go to her sister's house to babysit the nephews for a couple of hours. She. Just. Doesn't. Want. To. Go.

Her plan was to stop and get a bottle of wine, but she ran out of time, sorta. I told her to just open a bottle of her sister's wine. She said, "Well........."

So then, in my infinite wisdom, I told her that worse case scenario, she opens a bottle and it becomes an issue, and then she wouldn't be asked back to babysit.

Maybe she will be smart enough to open two.