Unraveling

Must Finish!

It now wraps around my neck twice, with ends almost long enough to tuck into a coat. The long and winding scarf is in the home stretch! It needs a little more length. It is very soft and WARM.  I will finish and block it tonight because it has to go in the mail by TOMORROW. I hope my ISE5 pal will like it.

Today in Berkeley, we are all wearing blue and gold because tomorrow afternoon is the BIG GAME. This morning, the Breakfast Club hosted the Cal Band and I sat up front so I could feel the drums resonate in my chest. It's enough to bring a tear to your eye.  I'll skip the bonfire rally tonight, though, in favor of finishing the aforementioned scarf. Plus, I have no Boyo to share it with. Sniff.

As for NaBloPoMo, this is the last of 30 daily posts.  Wow. I did it.

And now, all I have to say is, "Go Bears!"

The Penultimate

In terms of NaBloPoMo, 'tis the penulitmate post.  Today was a good day, satisfaction-wise. Comfort-wise, not so much. But I'm at least halfway there and tomorrow I'll have a session with the accupuncturist, which will help a lot.

In terms of satisfaction, I sent five squares to Kay yesterday for the American Blanket.

Very satisfying.

At work, I interviewed for a long-overdue promotion this morning and I was brilliant in a meeting this afternoon. Also very satisfying.

And tonight, Mr. Celia and I are watching Vicki's team in a very exciting football game. Mr. Celia is very comforting. He cooked a delicious meal that I could eat without worries, and volunteered to do the dishes. I can relax, drink tea, and knit.

Yeah. That's what I need.

I Voted for Mel B

Sob!
That's all I have to say.

Comfort and Satisfaction

That's what I want. And lately, it's been a bit of a struggle. A lot of the time my stomach is in a knot. I'm distracted at work. Sometimes I feel downright unproductive. But distracted more accurate.  Today, I took advantage of sunny weather to take some photographs that I needed to include in a report.  It was beautiful out there: sun, wind, water.  I walked around for an hour or so, trying to capture the scenes I needed to illustrate my points. I got to thinking, "This is where I got my start. This is where I got excited about what I do."  This used to be a railyard:

Now it's green. And this used to be warehouses:

This park was a great project. One I'm proud to have been part of.

I can't expect all my projects to be so satisfying, but I haven't felt that good about work for most of the year.  In fact, most of the time it's felt like I'm spinning my wheels and getting all wound up for nothing.  I thought I was depressed, but I'm not. I'm just not comfortable. I need to get rid of the big knot in my stomach and I need to feel that sense of satisfaction. I think it all comes down to reducing stress.  That's what I'm concentrating on this holiday season.

Reduce the stress. Breathe. Eat consciously and only what feels good. Bow out of things that give you heartburn. Relax and enjoy yourself.

Comfort and satisfaction. That's what I want.

Monday, Monday

I don't like 'em. The prospect of a five-day week is not very pleasant, especially since we just had two short weeks.  The next five weeks will be action-packed, trying to wrap up several work projects before the funding gets cut off and dealing with the holidays. Gotta stay calm and relaxed, think good thoughts, and plod along.

That said, on to work!

Where I'm From

Vicki asked.

I'm where I've pretty much always lived in south Berkeley. Southside...many people call it Willard...Elmwood is what I prefer.  I come from the old time, when we still had a dime store and Bott's Ice Cream on College Avenue. Living in the house I grew up in. I like it here. I like it that I can walk just about anywhere. Or ride my bike. I like that it keeps changing. But there are a lot of things that don't change. Like the weather. Chilly, rarely cold, in the winter. Cool, rarely hot, in the summer. Just right, baby, just right.

And right next door is my brother and his family. I know no one could top Vicki's nephews' cuteness, but this sturdy fellow could certainly give them a run for their money:

I spent most of today swatching and charting for The Tiny Man's Christmas stocking.

I'm using Meg Swansen's Knitalong notes and IK Holiday Gifts 2006 for reference. Kinda striking out on my own, though. I cast on and got several inches done, but rejected and have already ripped the too-large first attempt. Going down a needle size, and casting on fewer stitches as soon as this posts. I'll show you tonight's progress tomorrow.

Where you from?

The Long and Winding Scarf

It's almost done!

Pie for Breakfast

Two kinds of pumpkin (with and without dairy and wheat), or apple crisp! Yum! And I will have a midday meal that includes turkey and barbequed salmon. Ya gotta love those Thanksgiving leftovers.

On the knitting front, I am closing in on the endless ISE5 scarf.  Three hours in the car on the way back should get me even closer to finishing.

Thankful

I am thankful for many things this year. But as I rush around the house trying to remember everything we need for the trek to Fresno this morning, I am most thankful to hear the squeals of The Tiny Man next door. He is a darling baby. DARLING. And I am very thankful that Yukari is his mom. We are really blessed to have her in our family.

Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving day.

Nostalgia

I ran into the Girlie's friend, Laura, at the BART station this morning. She's an intern at ACT, and the conversation she was having with her two friends was almost exactly the conversation I'd have been having with my theater pals......(gulp!).....thirty years ago. "Blah, blah, blah, blah...Dickens Faire" "Blah, blah, blah, blah...Christmas Carol." "Blah, blah, blah, blah...Ren Faire." "Blah, blah, blah, blah...backstage." "Blah, blah, blah, blah...late nights." "Blah, blah, blah, blah...warehouse full of costumes." "Blah, blah, blah, blah...actors!" They are living their "good old days" right now! And all three women (I hesitate to call them girls, but remember - they are the Girlie's age) spoke knitting, although only one was actually knitting on BART. Nice morning diversion.

And now, for your morning ration of squeeeeee, go here. I want one.