Not Sure What I Want To Do

Hit something, scream, throw something, I don't know, but something!

Adolf is back after a long hiatus. One of the three people in my group is not here for a week. WAM and I have to cover for her. One of the other groups is falling behind. Adolf has ordered that we cover for them.

In Adolf's last e-mail, the instructions were kindly written, as in 'please do this.' I was close to replying with "please hire more people." One fill in I can take. Two, I will grumble, but do it. Three is pushing it. Upon reading the fourth assignment, I got a sudden headache and felt nauseous. In addition to the extra work, there is no overtime. And I'm still expected to get all of my regular stuff done. Something will give somewhere.

This is What I Wanted to Do

Nothing.

I wanted to spend a day doing nothing.

Well, not exactly nothing, but not running around, not going anywhere, just a day at home. What ended up happening is exactly what I wanted to do with my day. I planted myself in front of the couch with a ton of DVDs and some yarn. I worked on a project (you'll get a picture when it's done) and watched movies. All day.

It was grand.

Yesterday, creative juices were flowing as well. I've mentioned making prayer beads, japa mala, before. My first three were of wood bead, hemp cord, and a cotton tassel, as mentioned here. Two of the three have broken in some way after extended use, the main issue is the hemp cord I used. I expected it to be sturdy, but it really didn't prove to be so.

In May, I went to a mala workshop and learned how to make mala with gemstones, and a knot between each bead. I fell in love with making these things and bought beads to work with, and made some for some special friends as gifts. Yesterday, I got some small beads to make a small wrist mala (this one required a clasp) and I finished a full length mala I had been working on. And made another wrist mala, though it's too big to be safely worn as a bracelet.

So, showing here, by number:.

Number 1 is the mala I made at the workshop. It is half length with fifty four beads of aragonite, green aventurine, and rose quartz strung on green silk and finished with a pewter tree of life charm. The guru bead is silver.

Number 2 is a full length, one hundred and eight bead strand of labradorite, fluorite, and moonstone strung on silver silk with sterling silver guru bead and a tassel. The moonstones were extremely disappointing, with holes not drilled all the way through or not a consistent size. I attempted to expand them with a bead reamer, but that just broke most of them. On a strand of about sixty moonstones, I could only use twenty of them. Very disappointing. I made this strand of mala four times, as I encountered more and more problems with the moonstones. I'm happy with it now, but I would have liked more moonstones.

Number 3 is another full length mala made of sodalite, howlite, and blue lace agate on blue silk with my last sterling silver guru bead and a tassel. This is one of the ones that I finished yesterday. When I was born, my eyes were the color of blue lace agate, and my mother had a necklace made for me. That stone is rather special to me.

Number 4 is a small wrist mala, one quarter of the full length strands, with twenty seven small kyanite beads strung on silver silk and finished with a blue silk tassel. One end is a lobster claw clasp because the small beads were just not long enough to go over my hand. The guru bead is pewter. Kyanite is good for balancing all chakras and never needs to be cleansed.

Number 5 is another wrist mala with much larger beads. This one is blue lace agate, labradorite, and fluorite with a pewter guru bead on silver silk with a blue tassel. For the sake of perfecting the design, I put a clasp on this one as well. The beads are so big that it's not necessary, it will easily slip over a hand (even a large one), but I want to start making more small ones like the kyanite. I think I have a good method for this as well. I may end up redoing this strand without the clasp.

The last one, number 6, is my very first mala remade. This time, the original wooden beads were strung on cotton cord. The holes in the beads are too large for hand-knotting, so I put glass spacer beads in between, and reused the original cotton tassel. As this was my first, and with no previous instruction, it is my favorite and the one I use most often. Though the kyanite is quickly gaining ground (so to speak). I enjoy holding that stone so much.

I have some more beads waiting to be made into mala. I'm hoping to get some more silk cord. While the cotton is easy to come by, I like working with silk too. I'll wait on making that one. It looks like after shopping yesterday was a great big mala party!

The question that I'm sure you, gentle blog readers, are asking is: what the heck do I plan to do with all these strings of beads? That's a fine question. For now, nothing. I would sell them if I thought someone would want them. For now, I like making them, and I like perfecting my knotting technique (which is getting better and better). One day, I hope to translate this to a string of pearls. It's a fun and soothing way to pass the time.

On An Outting

One of my former coworkers, who lives in the area, suggested a day of shopping. And not just any shopping, a tour of cool, new age stores in the area. We got together with a couple more people, had breakfast, and stopped by a nice little store in Vienna. Then it was way south to Occoquan, to visit two stores (one really nice and the other more ho-hum) and an awesome bead place. Then it was back to Fairfax City for late lunch. By then, we were all pretty tired, so we didn't go to Alexandria or the place over here in Reston (I'm told the nearby place is really just stones, but stones are fun!). That's a trip for another day.

I spent just a little bit more than I wanted to, but not more than I could spare. A few of us were talking about how we don't get out "with the girls" like this very often, if ever at all. I hope we can do it again soon. It was a lot of fun.

Just to Shake Things Up

Happy Birthday, Dad!!

It's never been confused with being on the 27th of June, but there's a funny story about this.

My dad's birth certificate says he was born on the 25th of June in the AM. But his mother, who was there, insists she was playing BINGO that night and that the real birth date was the 26th in the PM of the same hour (the actual hour escapes me at the moment). We tend to celebrate his birthday by what his mother, who was there, says.

So, he gets a happy birthday wish from me today. Just because I'm silly. And don't worry, I did talk to him on the phone yesterday. I'm not that bad!

You Cannot Say Dat is Not Good Car

Virginia has some funky laws about automobiles. In addition to the regular emissions inspection, you need a safety inspection (the requirements to pass one of these must be pretty low, judging by some of the lemons I see on the road). If the property taxes won't kill you, the sales and use tax will, but you only have to pay them sales tax if there is still a lien on the vehicle. I say thank the stars for that!

You have to bring in fifty pieces of identification to register and title your vehicle in the state. That's only a slight exaggeration: I needed my current drivers license, a passport, a social security card, the change of address confirmation from the post office, a paycheck with my new address on it, my previous vehicle title, proof of insurance, and my emissions inspection and safety inspection receipt. Then you have to choose one of about two hundred license plates that are available, some of which have annual fees, and some of those have annual fees that are donated to some cause. And decide if you want a personal message on your plates, which is an additional annual fee. I went with cheap: no annual fee and no personalization (what I wanted to do was taken anyway).

Virginia driver's license pictures are horrid. My brother looks like he's got some evil zombie disease, my Chinese-American sister-in-law looks like she has sunburn and blue eyes. At least I was prepared for that, so I wasn't too shocked when my picture showed skin the color of Mars.

The very pleasant guy who performed my security inspection on Tuesday told me I had good car. (Not a good car, just good car. He sounded Russian, but I'm not certain on that.) He also said his daughter had a Saturn and believes that I should be able to get it to last me the three (or more) years I would like it to. That's great!

I felt a little bad for the guy at the DMV yesterday. I tried to be as organized as possible, with all the forms I needed to fill out and all the documents I needed to supply and a couple checklists to make sure I had everything. It was just a lot of things. See, Virginia requires that you re-title your vehicle within thirty days of moving, but you have sixty days to get your new license. This is a little odd to me, because why not just do it all at once? Alas. It's all done. I guess I'm officially a Virginia resident now. I have government issued identification! WooHoo!! Or something....

I Can Compromise

Miss Luna has been jumping on my dresser in the wee hours of the morning. This results in knocking things over, or off, or into the litter box (ewww). I don't want her up there, and I have to leap out of bed and take her off every time.

Yesterday, I decided on another strategy. I moved some things and put some things elsewhere and made a nice space so she can jump up there and has room to lay down and she won't break anything or knock anything off. She purred like crazy when I put her up there last night. She used to sleep on a (shorter) dresser at the house, so maybe it's comforting to be able to now. I think she likes it.

Very early this morning, I heard a dreadful sound that I thought was Miss Luna falling off the dresser! As it turned out, Miss Luna was sitting at the door. The sound was one of my roommate's cats attempting to run away from her gaze but slipping on the lack of carpet in her escape. Still, it made my heart jump because I thought it was my kitty in trouble.

Miss Luna is getting better about coming out of the room. She finally finished her bowl of food, and actually played with her ball a little this morning. She's getting more comfortable. I'm so glad.

Another Call

My mother said the retiring vet called again. He had ordered some more tests on Callie's blood, I suppose to further determine the extent of the problem, and of the damage. My mother couldn't report on exactly what he said (what levels of what), but that he did say she was worse off than he initially thought and insulin may not help her. She has an appointment with the new vet tomorrow, who already has all the test results. I wish I could go with her.

Happy Summer Solstice

The Summer Solstice has many names. Some call it Midsummer (meteorologically, it is the middle of Summer), some call it Litha. Whatever the word, a lot is happening during this fire festival.

The fields are full and ripe with growing plants for the upcoming harvest, just as the Goddess nurtures the God in her pregnant belly. The Oak King and the Holly King battle it out once again, and the Holly King reigns supreme until Yule. Days will start to get shorter even when it feels like the warmth is just beginning. In my area, almost every day ends in a spectacular thunder storm; the power of nature is in full force.

The group that put on the festival I went to at Beltane had planned a ritual weekend for Litha. This wasn't a public festival, but a private gathering at the proprietors' home, which is the group's established sacred space. The back deck offered a great place to congregate and partake of Sabbat crafts, and a long wood and earthen staircase led to the Grove, bonfire, and ritual circle back in the woods of their property near a small creek. This place had a magickal feel to it, and a coworker of mine has been trying for quite some time to get me there.

We had a great amount of crafts planned for the day. There was decorative besom making (the shaft being a large cinnamon stick and the bristles were a long grass grown right on the property). We made dream pillows, sewn and stuffed with herbs, and purification pouches to be thrown into the ritual fire. There was also a station for faerie houses and carving/decorating wands, staffs, or walking sticks. We also had a sun wheel that we were to decorate and would also be burned in the ritual fire. There were places for camping on the property and many people pitched tents for the weekend.

Most of Saturday was spent in crafts. I made a little besom, two dream pillows, and a purification pouch filled with nine herbs representing things I needed to be rid of and things I wanted to call to me. There was quite a lot of drama as some of the children inadvertently stirred up a nest of yellow jackets. My roommate used to be an EMT and she was a great help, though she later told me she was really nervous and unsure of herself because she had never previously dealt with possible allergic reactions. While I'm very sorry that a couple kids were sporting multiple sting wounds (and some of the adults that responded to the cry for help by the creek were too), and am very thankful that not a single person stung was seriously allergic to it. Despite my roommate's nerves, I know she was a great help and a comfort that she was there.

The excitement of the yellow jacket attack delayed our feast only a little. Once everyone was treated and calmed down or sleeping, we ate a sumptuous meal of mostly homemade dishes; grilled meats, salads and pasta, a delectable dip, and bar-b-qued venison. There was also muffins, cakes, cookies, and bread, and the whole meal was complimented by organic lemonade and sangria.

The second snag (the first being the yellow jacket attack) happened right after we cleaned up from our feast. Clouds and thunder starting rolling in, the skies opened up, and rain poured in great drops. Some of us stayed on the deck, not really protected under the upper deck, and some went inside to wait it out. The rain came down so hard that we all had to retreat indoors. After that cell, another one came through. The ritual and bonfire was a rain-out, as well as the bardic circle planned for afterwards (storytelling, singing, dancing, drumming, just fun things!). We stayed to the wee hours of the morning playing silly board games. Even though the ritual didn't happen, I can't think of a better way to have spent the day.

And it's not over! Those who camped out eventually retired to their tents, those who's tents got soaked ended up in the house or went to their own homes. My roommate's tent was a lake, and I didn't have one, so we went home for the night and returned (quite a bit late) the following day. Sunday became another day of crafts. Those who didn't make a besom were able to do so, some made more dream pillows. A few of us walked through the woods looking for staffs, one found a fallen branch of purpleheart (I almost picked that up, but my roommate gave me a length of poplar that she had found on the property some time ago, that was more meaningful to me, though I love purpleheart). Then we spent much of the afternoon sanding, drawing, carving, or otherwise tending to our wonderful wooden finds. In the afternoon, we had a great linner (somewhere between lunch and dinner) of left-over feast dishes. We eventually had all the fun we could stand, and another storm was moving in, so we cleaned up and headed to a restaurant for a very late dinner. I admit I was not the least bit hungry and just should have gone home, but I was in wonderful company and went with them anyway. This put me home extremely late so it will be quite hard to get through today.

Despite my fatigue (and the bad choice of staying when I should have gone that caused it), the yellow jacket attack, and the fact that our ritual couldn't happen as intended because of the storms, I can't think of a better way to have spent the Sabbat. I hope all of you had an equally wonderful, and without the stinging trauma, holiday!

It Mostly Worked

Some of what was planned for Saturday night was rained out anyway. It was a bummer, but we gathered inside and played silly board games instead. I stayed out way too late last night. It was my own fault. Around 1900, everyone decided we should go out to dinner and I went even though I wasn't hungry. Unfortunately, with a group that size, it took a while and I didn't get home until midnight. Today is going to be tough.

On Friday, Roomie, her boyfriend, and I tried to set up the wireless router that dad gave us. It didn't work, and we could find no explanation for why. It was very annoying, and it means we're going to have to shell out the cash for a multi-port router anyway. Oh well. That means my computer is still not connected to the Internet at home. This is starting to get annoying.

Ibid

Since dad absconded with my tent, I couldn't sleep at my friends' awesome place. One day, he will replace my tent, but that meant I had to go home last night. There's more fun to be had today, so back I go!

Out For The Day

I'm spending the day at the home of some new(ish) friends, at the urging of some other friends. Even though I long to stay home one of these weekends, it should be a fun day.

Forgetful

I missed a friend's birthday on Wednesday. Sorry, Turtle! It's on my calendar and everything, I just missed it!!

The Full Strawberry Moon

I hope everyone had a wonderful Esbat. This moon was so named by the Algonquin tribes because June is the time for harvesting strawberries. Some further research shows this was called the Rose Moon in Europe, and roses sure are in bloom around now.

Spring is winding down and the official start of summer is almost upon us (meteorologically, we're nearly halfway through summer). The days are still long, the nights are still short, and the temperature climes daily in many places (unless you're in the Southern Hemisphere). It's a great time to feel the life of the planet in abundance.

I was going to do something completely different for this Esbat. I was going to recharge the charm bag I made at the Snow Moon so it fits my new dwelling, but something else came up suddenly. One of my dear cats has developed diabetes in her near-old age. I'm convinced it was a side effect of some medication she was on at the start of the year for a knee injury (and it is a common side effect) and so am feeling entirely guilty for giving her those pills in the first place. I also feel guilty that I could not take her with me when I moved and had to leave her with my parents, who may or may not be up for the challenge of caring for a diabetic cat.

In my new home, my altar is out and ready to be used whenever the need strikes me. Before moonrise, I gathered my materials and set everything up. I used a powdered rose incense for love, a blue candle for tranquility and healing, and set a rose quartz, again for love, and a bloodstone on my altar pentacle. The incense and quartz are to help my cat know I love her even if I can't have her with me. The candle is to help bring her peace and healing, as I'm sure she doesn't understand why she always feels hungry, and in anticipation of insulin shots which may make her nervous. The bloodstone is the best at healing matters of the blood (while diabetes is not a blood disease, it is blood-related as a metabolism issue). (For some reason, the picture came out very green!)

After my ritual bath (I used a hand-made rose scented soap to keep with my theme), I cleared my space with my besom, cast my circle with my wand (made of a wood that happens to be healing-specific), and lit the altar candle, spell candle, and incense. Wand in hand, I sat before my altar and conjured up a vision of my cat. I drew energy from the elements into my wand, and then from my spell-specific tools: the blue candle, the rose quartz, and the bloodstone, spending the most time with the bloodstone. I pulled energy from these into the wand, and from myself, and from the divine source of Reiki, and I felt the presence of the cat I was able to take with me in my circle, sitting calmly and lending her energy (something she has never done before). When I felt the needed energy had been raised and my wand was thoroughly charged, I sent that energy to my cat. The visualization saw her sleeping soundly cradled within the petals of a soft rose: calm, safe, happy, and getting well again. I finished my ritual with a Reiki session, then opened my circle and let the incense burn out. I did snuff the candle, but I will light it again this evening so it can burn out in a safe manner.

Here is one other (rather dark) picture at the conclusion of my ritual spell with my cat, Miss Luna, patiently lying upon the bed, where she was for the duration.

This Esbat also saw an end to the second Mercury retrograde period of the year. Hopefully, you found yourself unaffected and were able to use that time for some likely needed quiet reflection.

One Kitty Getting Better

Miss Luna ate something yesterday and this morning, and drank some water finally. It looks like she spends most of the day hiding, but she's coming out more and more when I'm around. She almost followed me out the door this morning! She hasn't yet established that's the one that leads outside. I want her to be comfortable, but I don't want her to lose her fear of the outside. We're on a rather busy street and people are always around. So much that she fights me when I bring her to look out the front window. If she ever establishes the door is connected to that, she'll keep away from it, I'm sure. Still more time.

A small part of me feels like cancelling my weekend plans so I can stay home with my cat. I'll only be gone for the day, but I'm still wanting to stay home. I won't do it because a lot of people are hoping to see me, and to see me there in particular (my roomie, a coworker, some people who helped with the moving, some people I met camping that first weekend in May). I want to go too, it just feels like everything is happening at once and I want most of those to just not happen at all.

Blood Test Confirmed

Poor Callie baby has diabetes. I really hope my parents are up for this. I still can't take her. I feel like I picked the wrong time to move out.

Cranky

Poor Miss Luna spent most of the day under my bed. Around 0030, she decided she wanted out of my room and clawed at the carpet a little (GAH!!). She managed to get the door open, I guess I didn't have it shut all the way, then wandered around the home meowing. I wonder if she was wondering where the other cats were (safe behind the closed door of my roommate's room). They're going to stay there today so the kitties can sniff at each other through the closed door, and Miss Luna gets her run of the place since she can't deal with closed doors. Unfortunately, her mewing all night meant that little sleep was had by me, particularly since I kept getting up trying to calm her down.

It's going to take time. She's never moved before, and never lived with a cat who wasn't Callie. This is all very new to her. Callie should have been taken to the vet this morning for her blood tests. I hope dad got her in the cage ok. We always have problems getting the cats in a cage. It's like they suddenly summon super-feline strength to fight us off. I only got Miss Luna yesterday by bringing cat and cage into the bathroom, where she couldn't push against the slippery floor and couldn't go far if she got away from my grasp. I'll have to remember that trick for next time.

I do wish I could have stayed home with her one more day. I hope she's alright, and I really hope she's eating something. Does anyone have any 'moving with cats' stories that might help me understand what may be going through her little cat-brain and how to deal with it?

I'm pretty cranky today because of my little sleep, yet another reason why I wish I was home with my kitty. I feel like I'm getting mad at everything. A great black wasp landed on my cube wall this morning. A nice coworker got rid of it before it ate me. I think I'm even annoyed because I promised to do something this weekend. While I'm happy to be doing it, it's not exactly in the capacity that I wanted, and I wish it wasn't this weekend. I still haven't spent a weekend at home since moving. I hate those days when I'm upset with everything.

Bunny Therapy

Fox and I went to the Virginia Renaissance Festival yesterday to visit with dad. It was warm, but not too hot and humid. Actually, it was one of those days where heat exhaustion sneaks up on you. We didn't drink as much as we could have, so by the time the end of the festival rolled around, we both had a headache and couldn't wait for dad to finish cleaning up before going to dinner (and getting into some nice air conditioning).

Fox has asked me to teach him how to make origami bunnies. So, we sat in the cool Red Robin with Freckled Lemonade and water making bunnies and waiting for food. Before food arrived, my headache cleared up. I don't know if it was the Excedrin, the a/c, the water or sugary beverage, or the distraction - the calm that I always seem to get when folding, and particularly when folding something I know. Even if my student needed lots of practice! Maybe it was all of those things.

I'm taking Miss Luna to the condo with me today. I hope she'll sleep most of the way because this is going to be the longest car ride she's ever been on. I meant to ask the doctor for a sedative, but I forgot. Here we go!

Happy Father's Day

I took my love, I took it down
Climbed a mountain and I turned around
I saw my reflection in the snow covered hill
still the landslide brought me down

Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love
Can the child within my heart rise above
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides
Can I handle the seasons of my life

Well, I've been afraid of changing
cause I've built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Children get older
I'm getting older too

Oh, take my love, take it down
Climb a mountain and turn around
If you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well the landslide will bring it down

Part Of It Was Fear

Not only fear because Callie is my baby, but because I didn't want the doctor to yell at me like I was some irresponsible pet owner who didn't take her in soon enough when something was wrong. I used to work for this doctor, I knew from experience that he would not have been shy to tell me so.

He's retiring at the end of the month. We're very sad, because he is the best doctor we could ever have hoped to help us care for our beloved pets. This made him a little frazzled today, because everyone wants that one last visit in before he goes and Saturday is the best day to do it for most. He still listened to my concerns, thoroughly examined my cat, and gave me his opinions and a follow-up appointment next week for some blood tests.

He didn't yell at me, or even imply that we made a mistake. He wasn't concerned about Callie's weight loss (his scales said she's fifteen pounds, she feels like five when I pick her up), but he did ask us questions and went through the examination with some sense of urgency. He told me she's not quite old enough to be suffering from any kind of organ failure, and mentioned the problem may be hypothyroidism. That actually sent quite a bit of relief through me. A thyroid problem means a change in diet and/or some pills every day to manage. We'll find out next week. If there is something wrong in her little kitty system, I hope that's all it is.

Luck, Please

Callie has to go to the vet this morning. She's lost a lot of weight and is very bony. She eats quite a lot, even forcing Miss Luna out of the way, which she never used to do, but has lost weight, not gained. I have a feeling the problem is one of two things: diabetes, or kidney failure. Please, please, please let it be something we can easily deal with, or no problem at all. Please, please, please.....

Yet Another Move

Boss² decided that WAM, someone who works behind me, and I were too far away from the group, so we get to move our desks closer. Today!

Now, one of the supers sent an e-mail today that stated the IT department would move our computers and phones for us after we leave for the day, and we should move our personal affects before we leave for the day. WAM decided to move her desk after lunch. She's apparently also a part of the IT department, because she moved her computer, or rather, asked the other coworker who is moving to move her computer. Now, I'm good with computers. I can unplug everything, move everything, plug everything back in, and find my computer working just fine. But, the e-mail stated IT guys would move it, so I'm going to leave those things and take my personal stuff as instructed. It baffles me that WAM, who wouldn't know a megabyte if she were megabit, would move her computer when she needs help instead of letting the professionals do it.

Why Do It?

Around 2030 or so, Roomie said, "I feel like pizza. Do you feel like pizza." To which I replied, "I'm not really hungry, but if pizza were to be put in front of me, I'd eat it." So, at 2130, we planted ourselves in front of Shrek 2 with stuffed crust pizza and cinnamon sticks.

I hope what I've learned is that it's not worth it to do something (ie, have pizza when I really didn't need to eat and should have gone to bed) if I'm going to feel guilty about it. I'm going to have a nice long exercise session when I get home. That will make me feel better about that really unwise, guilt-inducing choice. All will be well.

For some reason, the personal page on MSN won't load today. That's what I use to get around during the course of my day, but it's been down all day. Regular forums are not getting checked (I use links so they don't get saved in the browser history where it's easier for work to track). It's just thrown me all off today!

Running About

My parents and I all had a dental appointment this morning. We did that (my hygienist found it interesting that my dad did not tell her I had moved out. Interesting in his unwillingness to talk about it....), then ran off to the store. Mom bought me an electric kettle and a mixer for my home, and I bought a few other necessaries (like frozen meals to take to lunch and a mat for my bathtub), then we had lunch, packed another load in my car, got my car title out of the safe deposit box, and I was on my way home. I have too much stuff and have to put it all away!

Stories

I know I promised a tale of my weekend, but work has been oh, so busy, and that's all the internet I have right now. Yes, there is internet in my condo, but there's only one plug on the modem, and that defaulted to my roommate. We're shopping for a router so I can get plugged in too, but who knows when that will happen!

Let's see, how about weekend in a nutshell?

Mom and I drove to Wayensboro and reserved a room at the Comfort Inn. We arrived at my brother's around 1300. They were waiting for a new mattress to be delivered, so we hung out until 1530 when the mattress showed up in a pickup. After that, we had lunch/dinner at this great place in Staunton called Depot Grill. It was part of an old train stop and was really neat. We then headed back to their place and watched I Am Legend. The film wasn't bad, and if it happened to be playing, I'd watch it again, but I really have no desire to see it again. I would like to read the book, or see the earlier versions of it on film (there were two, called The Last Man on Earth and The Omega Man). Mom and I then headed to our hotel and went to sleep.

On Sunday, we woke up incredibly early, ate breakfast and spent the morning at Monticello. It was quite nice. I do have some pictures, but I managed to forget my good camera, so they won't be great, and it will probably be some time before I get them up here.

That was the weekend!

Later

I'll have to tell you about my weekend later. It's hot in here. The air conditioning has been broken all day. I just can't concentrate on anything!

And Home Again

I have internet! Yahoo! Well, kind of.

It was a nice weekend to be gone and then come home to find internet, even if it's not yet in my room. But, I'm tired and have things to put away before bed, so I'll have to tell you all about my weekend later!

Mini Vacation

We're heading out the door in a minute to bring groceries to my grandmother and then take the three hour drive to my brother's place. We'll be back tomorrow!

Going Home

I was talking with a coworker yesterday that I haven't gone directly home after work since moving in. I had to stop by a store every day this week for little things as I discover that I need them (like a curtain because the street light is right outside my window and the current curtain is too flimsy to block any light, or the mattress pad because my new mattress was rock-hard). I mentioned being a little upset about not going directly home. Then my coworker said it's ok to run those errands, because I don't have that far to go, so it's no big deal to make a stop. He's right about that, and that made me feel better about it.

Eventually, I won't have any stops to make after work and will be able to go home right away. Even so, I'm still getting home sooner than I would have if I was driving back to Upper Marlboro every day. I won't be going home today at all. I'm leaving my car at work and dad is taking me to the house so mom and I can leave from there in the morning. We're going to visit my brother and sister-in-law for her birthday this weekend.

I really enjoy living where I am now. I like that there are lakes and paths and pools and lots of trees. I like where it's located and that there are many stores and things nearby. I really like it here. I don't like the pain in the neck that switching my car registration and license is, though. When that's all done, I'll be able to go straight home without needing to make any stops.

The Great Flood

There were big storms in the area on Saturday when I was moving in. It put a little damper on my very precise time table (with a whole lot of damp) but really didn't get in the way. My mother discovered a leaky window in the dining room. I called the management guy and left a message. It rained on Tuesday too, if I remember correctly, and I did check the window. There was no water sitting on the sill that day.

We had a number of tornado-producing storms last night. Power went out all over the place (the office was on generator power and we were all ordered to shut down our computers). I knew the forecast was for rain, but I forgot to put some towels by the window as a preemptive measure. Sure enough, the sill was holding a nice puddle of water. It wasn't spilling over the wall and onto the floor, but it was there. I cleaned that up and my roommate made mention of calling the management guy again in the morning. Then, more storms came through.

This was kind of exciting. We were settling down for a nice evening of While You Were Sleeping with pizza and stout. It was actually the first chance we actually had to eat dinner at the same time (excepting when we went out with a friend on Sunday). The rain started, and started fiercely, and I watched it pour over the side of the building and onto our window. Then I watched the track fill with water and spill onto the sill. Then we scrambled for every towel we had (which wasn't much) to sop it up. At least we know the reason for the leak: the gutter is full of leaves and it's just spilling over. I took pictures and we called the management guy and had to leave a message.

The bright side to the story is that the management guy lives nearby and was heading out anyway to pick up his family at the airport, so he was able to come by, and see what we were talking about, give us advice on how to deal with it to minimize damage, and assure us he would contact the association to clean the gutter and eliminate the problem. We also got to tell him the dryer exhaust was not connected and is all bent up in places. He mentioned something about recommending the landlord get a smaller dryer (because what's in there really is too big for that room). I don't know if that means someone will come out to take care of it or what; we can't reach the thing because the room is so small.

Welcome to my life as a renter!

I had attempted to conceal from WAM that I was moving somewhat nearby. It didn't last. At all! The reason for this was because I knew she was going to start suggesting that we spend social time together. I was right, she talked about it this morning. I'm only going to be able to make excuses for so long before I just have to tell her no. I hope she doesn't go too postal on me when that day comes. Bleh!

The World of Junk Mail

The problem with ordering things online is that you suddenly find yourself on a number of mailing lists. Most of them are things you're not interested in. Just because you bought one coat from Newport News doesn't mean you're interested in anything from Dalia, for example. However, sometimes those lists you find yourself on can be packed with gems. In this case, it was literal!

Unless it's something I know I don't care about (like clothes), these catalogues find themselves in the trash right away (what a waste!!), but some of them might actually have something I like in it, and I'll look through them.

I've ordered from a rather well-known online gem store before, but they didn't have the round labradorite that I needed for my project, so I had to go hunting for another store. I found one, and I like them quite a bit, except they must share their mailing lists, because I get catalogues from random craft companies now. One of them was filled with the most adorable lampwork glass beads (small, generally highly detailed glass beads). My mind is buzzing with things I would like to make with them: charm bracelets, stitch markers, funky necklaces. Someday, I will buy a handful and just get to work!

Yesterday, I was itching for my craft stuff. I could have started on another string of prayer beads, but I have a few projects at my parent's place that I'd rather be working on.

My new mattress is rock-hard. I bought a nice, cozy foam mattress topper for it. It made for a better night. Now, if I can just figure out how to hang the new curtain that will keep the street light out of my room....

Little by little!

It's Not Much

I love you, my brother. I wish you and your wife absolutely everything your hearts desire. You deserve to have it and I believe you will, even if it means waiting for the time to be right. It will be.

It's a small comfort, if it's any at all, but I'm always here if you need me.

Hard to Believe

Tomorrow, I get to experience my new commute. I get to wake up a whole hour later than I have been, and I'm still not 100% better, so I might sleep longer than that (because I won't be exercising). I also get to make an appointment for the vehicle safety inspection that Virginia requires (sucks!) and start the ball rolling to get my tags and license changed over. I wish I didn't have to do that, what a pain!

There are still things to put away (does that ever end?) and still things I want to pick up at my parent's place (which I'll do this weekend). It is the feeling of freedom that I was hoping for. It started to feel like it wouldn't come at all.

My Magic

We won't have internet here until Thursday (we hope!). How am I posting, you ask? How, indeed!

I still have things to build, and I'm going to be heading home for a small load of boxes. I'd rather do that today than tomorrow, during the work day. Depending on how much I get built and put away today, I might spend tomorrow sitting around the house.

I know it's not a house, but it's not my parent's house either!