Saturday, December 31, 2011

Not With a Bang...

Not feeling so hot today... alternately nervous, depressed, cranky, listless and overwhelmed. Not the way I wanted to end the calendar year, especially one that has been looking up. Oh, there was work stress and money stress and my cat died, but the last few months have been happier.

I'll eat some cereal, quit watching tv so late, get on a regular sleep pattern and go to the spin- in tomorrow. That will all help. I was excited to take my spinning wheel, but now wonder if I am up to cleaning out the car, cleaning up the wheel, adding the new driveband, deciding on a project... blah blah blah. I am going and will have a good time, even if I bring "only" a spindle. I am still trying to finish my Tour de Fleece project from July, so it will actually be an excellent project to bring.

2007 was the year of being happy, 2008 I lost my boyfriend and my job, 2009 was the year of World of Warcraft & knitting, 2010 was the year of working again, 2011 has been the year of reading & more reading. My plan for 2012 is to make it the year of "finished!" projects. I have at least 16 urgent unfinished projects on the needles (or loom, or canvas) that I would like to see as actual completed items. The hard part will be picking 12 to complete. I figure if I complete one half-begun project each month, it should be a reasonable goal. All carrot, no stick - no restraints from starting new things or moving around in the queue, as long as one item is done each month. Hopefully it will rekindle the knitting bug. Maybe I will even take the plunge and spend some time with other knitters at the local knitting shop(s).

2011 Reading List (50 books)
Salt
Ireland
Skipped Parts
Weekend With Mr Darcy
Summer of Fire
The liberation of Alice Love
What the Dickens
Bond With Me
Blood Ties
Man Law
The Girl in the Greenhouse
The Return of the King
The Chamber 4 Fiction Anthology
Wicked
Blood Safari
Gap Creek
A Husband For Margaret
The Greatest Knight
Heart of a Knight
Silk & Steel
Wicked Promise
Murder at the Vicarage
Bright Young Things
Grace
The Scarlet Letter
The Two Towers
Listen
First there is a River
The Magnificent 12
Carved in Bone
Code Blue
County Line
The Last Unicorn
Life's a Beach
Four Corners of the Sky
My Man Jeeves
The Last Samurai
The Fellowship of the Ring
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
The Hobbit
13 Little Blue Envelopes
Dracula
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest
Bone Rattler
The Moonstone
Bertie Wooster & the Lizard King
Little Women
The Red Tent
Pride & Prejudice
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Lazy

Surprise day off from work today and I am spending it being lazy. Reading my book (_Bleak House_), playing my game, not doing chores. I may rally and put in some laundry later. I think the weather was nice (didn't actually go out or even look out a window today). I have a soap order to make - I'll get that started when the laundry is going.


In separate news, I was facebook stalking and found out my sister is getting married, and one one my aunts remarried. Also found this:

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Sweet Sunday

I managed to get up and out of the house today as it was gardening day at Martha's. We cut back the roses & shrubs, harvested the lemons, snuggled the corgis and then it was time to make food from the fruit. Fruited spiced wine and lemon tart / pie were accomplished and eaten with gusto. I started to watch the BBC version of "Bleak House" and I think it will make a good series to watch while spinning.

Yes, spinning. I picked up a new drive band for my spinning wheel when I drove up to San Francisco last weekend; I visited John & Mrs. John at Village Spinning & Weaving. I figure now that I have it, I should end my two year spinning hiatus and get to work on the fiber I acquired at the fiber fairs this fall.

The pets are all snoozing - on the bed in little cat balls, or as little headless fluffballs on their perches. Maybe I should put the heater on.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Checking In

I took a moment to review my December posts from the last few years; it is good to see my life stays on an even keel over the long haul. Knitting, reading, compuer, pets, eating.

I took a week off work and had a lovely, quiet time (see above). I also drove to San Francisco to work at the Great Dickens Christmas Fair. I enjoyed the drive, visited my cousin, worked for my friends, saw a show, bought a new audio book and watched the ocean.

I started and finished a hat (and am wearing it now) and am about to start another.

This year was the year of reading more; I think next year will need to be the year of finishing UFOs.