Halloween and after

 October 30th? Sunny, warm, and almost summery.

October 31st? Cold, damp, and blustery. 

Kind of changed my plans on what I was going to wear. I was going to dress as a Hollywood pirate. Instead, I wore vaguely Renaissance (don't look for accuracy, I'm wearing my rainboots). Alas, my hair would not behave and kept falling down all day.

Double alas, the weather kept the trick or treaters away, too. I really look forward to see what they'll wear. There's these 2 girls that I have watched grow up. And there's this 1 toddler I hope to see again (although it's been 4 years and I may not recognize her). 

Luckily, we didn't buy heaps of candy. Not as much to eat or foist off onto others. 

The Saturday after was NC Regional Lace Fall Lace Day. Not that I remembered to take pictures. I met two potential tatters, Karla and Amber. I forgot I had signed up to make the felt hedgehog pincushion. Luckily, Carolyn K reminded me.

I finished it later.

NCRL is considering sending in a bid to host the IOLI convention in 2024. At this point, they're gauging member interest and evaluating what we locals would have to do vs what the national group would be doing.

 

 

Not Much Since Last Post

Okay, there was Halloween. My costume didn't work out like I'd hoped. Instead I wore a frilly blouse, black skirt, my burgundy boots, and garnet jewelry. Didn't exactly scream neo-Victorian, or even costume. Ah well.

We got eight trick or treaters this year. Less than our record twelve, but a respectable number. We had one Gabby Douglas (she was FloJo last year), one rainbow unicorn amethyst gem (and her costumed mom), two '50's belles, and a quartet composed of Ironman, Black Widow, a UNC football player, and death. We had quite a bit of chocolate left, so I took it to work. 

On the other hand, my iPad photo app put out some fun filters.

blue cat eye

spooky mirror

lightning

I don't know, but it's cool

And here are my State Fair entries (it's only one bobeche, but they're identical).

I completed one of the baby booties. It was a struggle.

NaNoWriMo

Guess what I'm trying to do? It's NaNoWriMo time again. I'm behind in my wordcount already. I'm only at 2900 words, when I'm supposed to be at 1800x3 (3rd day of November, 1800 words per day). I have done the prologue, chapter one, and started chapter two.

I won't be writing much of a blog this month. Sorry (not sorry).

Halloween we had 9 trick or treaters come by. Not bad for our neighborhood.

Oh, to console you regarding the lack of post, here's something from The Bloggess. Do not read while eating, drinking, or while in public.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month
aka Save The Tatas! Check out this blog; loved today's story. Really made me tear up. I've lost family to cancer, but not to breast cancer. Nonetheless, I check ever month & my mammogram earlier this year came back clear.

Gaming: More jokes last night about my character's inability to use tech. She broke her communicator, hoping that would summon her teammates. In our Mutants & Masterminds game, the GM rarely gives us true villains. For example, the last villain (not last night's, the one from 2 weeks ago), was targeting the Mob for not paying him for the computer security that he installed in their casino. The non-payment was legal; there was a clause about no backdoors in the program, which he didn't catch. Hey, he's an electronics/robotics supergenius, not a lawyer.

Last night's thieves are from another dimension that has been conquered by superpowered folks from yet another dimension. Seeing the way that our characters' world reveres its heroes made them believe that they couldn't trust anyone so they were stealing what they need to throw off their oppressors. Not exactly the Bwahaha School of Evil, huh?

Sunday is R's game. More fighting drow and maybe some undead. We have a Lolth-worshipping ally, much to my character's dismay & disgust (the cleric/holy warrior of the anti-Lolth).

After the game, we take C out for his birthday. His natal anniversary is not until the 15th but I'll be working at the fair over the weekends, so that's out. Maybe I'll get him this book. It's not on his list, but I think that he might like it anyway.

Presents: I ordered this book in mid-September for J's birthday. It was due out in August. The publication date has now been moved to Nov 1st. Maybe I'll give J a card & an IOU.

I have wrapped two children's books for my namesake. I want to mail them to her as Wednesday presents. They are wrapped in a promotional world map. I have more books to wrap & I'll send them in one box if it's not too expensive.

ebooks & hardcopy: Pathfinder had a very good idea. The hardcopy of their core rulebook is about $50. But the PDF of the same is only about $10. What does that mean? That means that I'll buy both. I already bought the PDF and I have the hardcopy on order. Other game companies: take note.

Holidays: It's October & time to break out the decorations. I have a resin witch that someone gave me; she went on some shelves in the corner of the office. I have a little ceramic jack o'lantern with marbles in his eyes, that went on the counter. My Puss in Boots mug has some candy in it now.

Only a half-dozen trick-or-treaters came by last night. At least they were all in costume. We had one purple-haired witch, a Power Ranger, the movie killer from Scream, dark Spiderman & a couple others that I was unable to identify. I wore my Colonial outfit so I wasn't too lame. And yes, we have candy left over.

sites of the day: t-shirts; cool, weird ones and be a better bat for Halloween (or any costumed event)

tv: I was tired, so I went to bed before the end of Criminal Minds. Bones (Tuesday, I think) was good, though. It was a re-run but I hadn't seen it.

They changed vacation policies where Chris works so he has a lot of vacation to burn. He's taking today & tomorrow off work. He's finally going to see a doctor. Maybe the doctor can help with his breathing, his snoring has gotten worse & sometimes it sounds like he stops breathing in the night.

pictures: I've started a Flickr account.

books: I've almost finished a new anthology, Dead of Night. I've read all but the last story. I'm starting to read The Gangs of Chicago. This is a republication of a 1940 book, but it may help with my vignette/story of Short Fix in prohibition Chicago. It's not even a 'canon' story, it's more of a what-if. In some ways, Shadowrun Seattle has a lot in common with 1930's Chicago & I thought it was interesting for someone so historically ignorant (if it's not a car & not poetry & it's pre-2040, SF doesn't know anything about it) to try & adjust. On the way to work I read Ba.Ku, a volume with a couple of manga novellas. It has two stories, both only a few chapters.

tatting: a little farther on the necklace. I finally posted the wheelbarrow, etc on my friendster blog.

gaming: Mutants & Masterminds tonight. We're almost done with Totem's (my character) storyline. I found a great present for David, I hope. It's a book of 500 comic book villains. That should give him some ideas; many of which will be lame. But some should be good. Note from last game session; do not mention to the perennially smart-mouthed that ancient Egyptians wore kilts. That led to a whole sidetrack of the O'Siris's & McRas.

clothes: undyed linen blouse, khaki slacks, quilted & printed brown/teal/red/beige/green bolero vest, brown belt, navy socks & dark brown suede loafers that need some more stretching. They are little tight on the achilles tendon. I'm wearing amber earrings & multi-colored amber bracelet, red stone ring & simple silver chain. My hair is loose because I just don't feel like dealing with it.

Blood donation: I tried. I ate something and drank a smoothie (anti-nausea calcium & liquid in one dose) beforehand. None of it worked. They couldn't find enough of my veins for me to donate. They stuck me but then lost the vein. Three phlebotomists looked but oh well. Maybe it was too early, the food, etc hadn't reached my veins yet. I'll try again in a couple weeks.

I cooked last night; nothing huge, just mini-calzones. I used a small squash & a jar of sliced mushrooms instead of a small zuccini & half a bell pepper, then forgot to add the left-over chicken into the mix. I ate 2 of the calzones for supper last night & ate one for breakfast this morning. That leaves just one more. It's a quick, only half or so in all, and pretty easy recipe.

tatting: I did get past the halfway point on my necklace while waiting to donate platelets. I debated pendant or not & finally decided on a pendant. I have some of the teardrop beads left, I guess I'll use those on earrings. Thanks to the commute in & an errand for work, I'm now well past 3/4 done. Alas, I'm short about 2 teardrop beads. Somehow I miscounted while I was threading the beads. However, two problems together solve each other. I'm also almost out of thread on the shuttle. Thus, I will have to take some of the thread off the ball & transfer to a 2nd shuttle, giving me the opportunity to add beads, before re-loading the 1st shuttle.

I've already seen a couple students dressed for Halloween. I will probably wear my Colonial outfit to answer the door.

books: Read Truly Yours, as I liked other books the author had written. This one was pretty good, too. Her characters are not perfect, even though this heroine was a little closer. I also bought & read Fruits Basket vol 3 & 4.

clothes: yesterday, black jeans, black suede shoes, purple polo, grey knit sweater, amethyst pendant, purple Czech bead earrings, and silver ~rope band. Today I'm wearing the same shoes, black jeans, black Origins shirt, black & red stone rings, dragon earrings & harp pendant. My hair is braided again for simple convenience.

It's Monday. I just sucked down 16 ounces of diet coke, and I still don't feel awake. Hopefully, this will not last. Thank goodness I have reminders on my calendar to remind me of time sensitive tasks.

The last weekend of the fair was great fun, but boy was I tired. Saturday, Sharon Hill, a seamstress in the Village, loaned me a dress to wear. This was a good thing as my silk blouse was still drying & the substitute was less than satisfactory. The dress is a reproduction of an 1810 dress & it is comfortable & flattering. Sharon & I both benefited. I went to buy a new garment, something to extend my Village wear and she offered to make that dress. I got to see if the dress would be comfortable, etc while I tatted and I was a model so that other Village craftswomen could see how the dress looks on someone who isn't slim. I need to check my fabric stash for 5 yards of suitable calico & 4 yards of a coordinating calico for the apron/pelisse. If I don't have it, I may buy some. Then I'll send it to Sharon & she & her daughter Beth will sew it for me. Then later I can make my own from that. Wheee! Lots of dresses. I got a picture of myself in that outfit too. Must send a copy to Mom.
(15 minutes & I'm still on hold)


Sunday night I helped Anitra & Steve pack the booth. Anitra & I slept in on Monday while Steve went to get the booth hardware, display case for the Village History display & breakfast. Steve took care of the birds, daily task, while Anitra & I went to the Fairgrounds to pick up our entries. (20 minutes & I'm off hold, whew). We stopped by the Village to say goodbye to the last folks packing up & to give 'drive by' hugs. Peter Blum & his sister were the first folks we saw. Wow, they look different in jeans. Then, everyone does. After we left the fairgrounds we stopped by Reader's Corner, after all, I had a 5 dollar check burning a hole in my pocket. That $5 is the 3rd place prize money in Infant's Wear, Other category.

I found a copy of Perfect Patchwork Primer, the book that inspired me to start quilting. I also found a copy of Diplomatic Immunity in hardback as well as War of Honor and some other assorted books. I bought a book on hemp braiding as a gift for Nora, Amanda or Hailey. The War of Honor isn't out in paperback yet (insert gloat). I spent more than I hoped but less than I feared at Reader's Corner.

I made it home about 1pm and started unpacking. Well, I got my dirty clothes out of my bag anyway. I settled down to read one of my new books & relax. About 3 pm my throat started hurting. Sure enough, I'd caught Anitra's cold.

Monday night, people finished their characters to test play Diana's supplement. I had finished mine but it disappeared so I wrote it again. Then we went through the first encounter. We'll finish it, hopefully, on the 10th.

I called in sick on Tuesday. Then I drank soup, hot tea, and lots of soda & juice. When I could I watched tv & read. Frankly, I was too tired to really pay attention to anything. Tuesday afternoon, I called in sick for Wednesday. Linda handled Tarheel Temps for me. Wednesday was a repeat of Tuesday, except I slept later. I took a 3-hour nap Wednesday afternoon, skipped gaming & went to bed at 10 pm.

I wasn't feeling any better, but no worse so I went to work on Thursday. The dayquil was worse than the cold. It made me feel dizzy, in addition to the sore throat, runny nose & sneezing. The zinc lozenges, while tasting nasty, did more good. According to my co-workers I was looking a little pale, even for me. I took care of some time sensitive tasks and then headed for home at 4pm. I stopped & mailed my latest letter to my mom. Thanks to an accident of Farrington Road I finally made it home at 6pm. Bleah.

Friday, I felt better, consumed more lozenges & actually stayed & worked until 5pm. I was all alone in the office. Mike, Ira & Jim are at a conference. Rut was in DC & Susan almost never comes to this office on Fridays. I picked up a little candy on the way home, changed into something vaguely costumey, and was ready to answer the door for Trick-or-Treaters.

We had 2 groups. The first one was two little girls; a fairy & a princess. The fairy complemented me on my braids; I had unbraided my hair & then re-braided two plaits next to my face. The 2nd group had 4 kids, one still a baby being carried, dressed as a bumblebee. The first child took all but two pieces of the candy I had. The 2nd child took the next to last piece & the 1st child took the last piece to put in the 3rd child's bag. Momma was not happy & told the 1st child to put that candy back. The child did so. When he put one back that wasn't mine, I told him to stop & gave it back to him. He was sooo cute. If I'd known that was the last group I would have let him keep the candy.

I was up later than I should have been, watching tv. So I slept late Saturday. Barely had enough time to clear the dining room table for gaming & go pick up Ted G. He's a student at State who was going to play in our session of Birthday Bash, RolePlaying Gamer's Association Living Greyhawk game. Since we were meeting him at Foundation's Edge, Chris picked up his comics & I bought Forgotten Realms: Underdark. We ended up with 6 players, Chris, Rosemary, Ted, Jenna, & Bill D. It was a fun game & not as bad as it could have been. But we had some close moments. My character, Nadia, is a senior squire, so she was mentoring Ted's character, Julia, a junior squire.

I basically changed clothes, ran out of the house & made it to the COTE board meeting barely on time. Anitra is still sick so she wasn't there. It was just Steve & I. So we worked on the lanterns for the ritual and then went & picked up supper from the Jade Garden. Steve had brought Digdug, a burrowing owl from Utah that had just arrived at the Refuge last week. Digdug was perching on his shoulder as I arrived & I did not see him/her until Steve brought my attention to him/her (we don't know which gender she is yet). Part of one wing is amputated from a car collision injury & Steve is training her/him to be an education bird. It's a very cute owl.

Things went well Saturday night. But I didn't leave until 11:30. So I called Chris & I crashed on Steve & Anitra's couch. Again. Their dog Siesta was glad to see me again so soon. Anitra & I caught up (on the whole week's worth of doings) and then off to sleep. Anitra drove me to my car on Sunday, I drove home, showered, dressed & made to Foundation's Edge in time to run my Ironclaw demo.

I had 3 players. One who had played my Jadeclaw demo and one guy who had the book but who had never played before. He had a character half-made and I helped him complete it. I ran until 6 pm & then headed home. Chris played Halo all day, so we had pizza delivered for supper. I went to bed early, 9 pm. Still had trouble waking up at 6 am.

It's a beautiful Monday morning & I will wake up at some point. It was almost 9 am before I saw anyone else from my department. I was feeling very lonely when Linda finally stopped by. I was just exclaiming about how alone I'd felt when Paula walked in, too. Very funny.

Off to more work type stuff.