Retail Therapy

Yup, it's a Good Thing.

Today started off as interesting and quickly turned into a bunch of poopheads being negative. See, we just got confirmation of a reorganization at work. Very few people were really affected negatively at all, and the reorg opens up some great new opportunities for the team that I am on. However, several of my teammates opted to freak and be completely negative about the whole thing. One even ripped my head off for trying to be positive about it. Argh. It isn't like we don't go through this every year. Poopheads, I tell ya!

I decided retail therapy was very necessary in this case - so I headed on down to my LYS and proceeded to get very friendly with the sock yarn. Some Regia and Meilenweit even decided to come home with me, along with a new beaded crochet book by Nancy Wiseman. All in all, I feel a bit better, and much more prepared for that three hour Haydn rehearsal I have tonight.

Afterwards, margaritas at Chili's! :D

missing just a few...time to get traveling

bold the states you've been to, underline the states you've lived in and italicize the state you're in now...

Alabama / Alaska / Arizona / Arkansas / California / Colorado / Connecticut / Delaware / Florida / Georgia / Hawaii / Idaho / Illinois / Indiana / Iowa / Kansas / Kentucky / Louisiana / Maine / Maryland / Massachusetts / Michigan / Minnesota / Mississippi / Missouri / Montana / Nebraska / Nevada / New Hampshire / New Jersey / New Mexico / New York / North Carolina / North Dakota / Ohio / Oklahoma / Oregon / Pennsylvania / Rhode Island / South Carolina / South Dakota / Tennessee / Texas / Utah / Vermont / Virginia / Washington / West Virginia / Wisconsin / Wyoming / Washington D.C /

Go HERE to have a form generate the HTML for you.

A year ago yesterday, it was snowing here.

Today, it hit 85 degrees. I love the weather in central Texas. but sometimes it sure is weird. One major apparent bonus: my congestion finally feels like it is clearing up - with any luck it will be almost gone by this weekend.

I did take a good look in the mirror today and noticed that my hair was defintely in need of professional attention. Don't get me wrong - I have great hair, but we're rarely happy with the blessings we have. So...now I have many many many more highlights than I did this morning, and I think my hair is now the straightest it has ever been (victim of a stylist with a straight iron). Don't worry - the natural body it has will reassert itself after the next shower, if it doesn't overnight. :) However, it's kind of a neat look and one I may actually try to duplicate at some point.

To continue on with the random thought-stream, I really need to get working on the baby blanket for Travis and Jaime. The baby shower is Saturday and I'll never be done in time at the rate I'm going. Especially when fabulous packages show up at my door and tempt me with other patterns and goodness. Wanna see?



This is a package that came from my fabu Secret Pal. The book is actually autographed from Jordana and Julie, the yarn is Blue Sky Alpaca in my favorite shade of fuchsia, the froggie has a pillow that says Prince Charming, and the postcard has a caption that says "Domination came naturally to Carol." I love it! This is my first SP exchange in a few years, and it certainly was worth the wait. :D

One of the ladies in the chorus also informed me a couple rehearsals ago that she had some needles that she'd picked up in an estate sale, and would I like them since she never did learn how to knit? I responded that I would love to have them.


Click to see what's inside!!

Yup - a Boye Needlemaster Jr. and a Needlemaster Sr. set. Both complete, can you believe it? They don't look like they'd been used much, or at least the original owner took very good care of them. Every single piece is in both sets, plus a very cool vintage size 1 Boye circular needle. Now I have to find a very nice thank you card for this lady, because I can't believe she found this (and gave it to me! :).

Well, time to get some other work done, I guess. 'Night, y'all. :D

Sickies and Memes and all that jazz...

Sammi asked if I was feeling better, and the answer is a resounding...uh, sorta. On the plus side, no more laryngitis, but on the minus side, everything else hasn't taken off for the hinterlands. Argh. However, I did get a couple of nice gifts this weekend that took my mind off my misery -- a nice surprise from one of the ladies in the Consort, and a gift from my Secret Pal! Since I have to go to rehearsal in under an hour, no pics yet, but all will be revealed in the fullness of time (and sorry, I can't even think of where I lifted the quote from - of course, everyone else lifts that one too and I can't even Google for it).

Next, a meme -- Carmen tagged me with this one, so here's my go at it:

Music Meme:

Total number of music files on your computer: Only about 123MB (that's four hours) on this one, and probably about the same on my notebook and again on my work computer. I haven't ripped my massive CD collection yet because it is a daunting prospect, and because right now I am only listening to Carmina Burana, Beethoven's 9th, and Haydn's Heiligmesse and Nelson's Mass on my mp3 player. Yup, those are the concerts I have coming up, how'd you guess? :)

The last cd you bought: Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, by the Berlin Choir and Orchestra (Gramophone's Choice edition)

The last song you listened to before reading this message: Breakfast, by the Newsboys

Name 5 songs you listen to often or that mean something to you:

Antifreeze - Asylum Street Spankers -- a very random song that reminds me why I love this band

Jesus Freak - DC Talk -- while I don't like rap, DC Talk combines genres in a very cool way and reminds me what my main focus in life should be

Daddy's Hands - Holly Dunn (although I think I have a version by Pam Tillis) -- my father died when I was in college and this song always reminds me of him

Dona Nobis Pacem -- can't remember the composer of the version I have running through my head, but it is a very simple version and very poignant as well.

All Around My Hat (folk song) -- this is a song I learned for Madrigals, and it suits my voice and for whatever reason, makes me happy to sing at random moments.

I could go on and on and on with the music thing, being that music is rather central to my life :) but I think I'll stop here. As far as three people to whom to pass on the quiz, I'm not sure if any of my blog-friends have not already had the opportunity (although Lisa would be the most likely one to pick up the gauntlet :).

All right, now I absolutely must get out the door to rehearsal - so ciao, bellas!

Queen of the Perfect Timing

Yup, my timing couldn't have been better. That is to say, worse. We just started rehearsals for the Haydn Masses. We're somewhere around halfway through the rehearsal for Beethoven's 9th. I just stepped up my workout program.

...and then, I get a sinus infection, resulting in mild laryngitis. Hopefully it will last less than a week, but the Texas Consort symposium is only a four-week gig to begin with. Sigh.

On the positive side, my scarves have been selling well, and I'm almost out of inventory again. I've got a couple more requests to finish off, then I am slowing off on the scarves -- down to perhaps one a week or so -- so that I can get some other projects finished off. I really want to finish my UT poncho.

Due to illness, I still haven't gotten my first SP4 package out the door yet, although I did send her an e-card to let her know I was alive. :D Hopefully that will go out this week.

Right now I am drowning in guilt for not going to church (and handbell and choir practice) for Ash Wednesday, but until the antibiotics kick in to kick this sinus problem, I think I'll be a home body. At least for tonight, anyway. Since it isn't catching, I can't justify taking more time off work. Ah, the life of a responsible adult. :D

Happy Mardi Gras!

Where does the time go? It's already Fat Tuesday, for goodness' sake. Of course, I have my traditional FT dessert all ready to go -- 'cause this year I'm giving up ice cream for Lent. I'm going to also try giving up cokes (carbonated sodas, for you non-Texans out there) completely - I switched to diet a couple months ago.

In the past 8 days I believe I have finished five scarves and a hat, done finishing work on a few others, and finally FINISHED my Grandmother's vest. I have to sew on the buttons and ship it off this week. Now the only problem is what to do with the rest of the yarn that she sent; I will probably end up donating it to the childcare program at my church.

Well, off to work, and later to contemplate what to send my SP that won't tip off who I am right away. *grins* Ta!

All I can say is...

Oh. My. Goodness.