Coronapost

I'm still alive and well. My family is well. One cousin did get sick and go to the hospital. But he came out. With an oxygen tank, but he did come home. I haven't been able to go see mom, but I have done some video calls. Not as good as an in-person visit but better than nothing. Mom still forgets to plug in her phone/charge it.

I've been working remotely, at home, since mid-March. I have a loaner laptop from work with the software I need. I miss seeing my co-workers. I even miss my commute, somewhat. I miss that time of 'not at home, not at work' time to read or tat, or whatever.

I've been doing some knitting and I've sewn a couple masks. They're reversible, which is nice. I also made ear savers (strips of knitting with buttons) to go with them. I loaned my sewing machine to my neighbor so he could sew some masks.

I did a little bit of retail therapy. I bought a large fine gauge loom (25% off sale) so I can resume my Buffboo (bison silk & bamboo yarn) Hydrangea shawl (pattern by Renee Van Hoy). I bought a cartridge ink pen.

Been playing Blue Rose. My character, Nahla Jossa, had the goal of becoming a travelling noble (1 part circuit judge, 1 part tax collector, and 1 part Crown troubleshooter). Instead, she was made a landed noble (1 step above a travelling noble). Her district is smaller and more concentrated. And that's mostly because of 2 circumstances. 1 is her part in taking a refugee camp and turning it into the beginnings of a small town. The other is because of her contact with a cave-dwelling cannibal civilization and negotiating a peace. There's now an ambassador to them (not her, she doesn't speak the language) and not a war. Apparently, more responsibility is her reward.

Last session though, it was (giggles) all about another PC's family. I got to watch as that player got to navigate family dynamics and secrets and stuff (most of which my PC has no idea about). And another player had a (in character) minor meltdown as stuff from his past came up and bit him. In comparison, my PC's family life is drama-free. And HER brother-in-law just ran out on her sister.

My current scarf project is a feather and fan pattern. I started in black but I ran out so I switched over to red. In theory, when I'm done, it will be a mostly black scarf with a red block.

I made hats this past winter. I just need to donate them before it gets cold next year.

'`

I knitted a couple scrubbies (polyester ~eyelash yarn and cotton yarn knitted together.

I just wanted to make a post. If anyone is reading, I wanted you to know I'm okay.

I started tatting a doily.

I also knitted this shawl for myself (Sweet on Ruffles by Renee Van Hoy)

Projects done

I finished Mom's shrug on Saturday. I was going to go see Mom, but Aunt Flo visited with a vengeance. Out of three 109 yard skeins, I have 4 yards and 6 inches of yarn left. I have not idea what I'll do with those 4 yards. I do have the book about small knitted animals; I'll see if that's enough for a project.

I was on a roll, so I finally attached the icord tail to the loom knit kitty and embroidered a face on it. Not a great embroidery job, but it's done.

I finished watching the 4th season of Leverage and started the 5th (and final) season.

I was going to visit Mom on Saturday, but Aunt Flo kicked me in the uterus. Hard. So I went on Sunday. We just went to lunch, grocery shopping, and I printed out some new pictures for her. I hooked up her new ringer again and wow, it's loud. But that's effective.I also left a small photo of how her phone should look all hooked up.

Oh, have you  heard of Boil the Frog? It's like 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon, sort of. It's a music playlist from one musician/band to another. It's not a complete list of musicians; no Kay Kyser and the Les Brown I found was the wrong Les Brown (motivational speaker, not the one with the Band of Renown. And no filk artists.

And my partner realized that our Blue Rose group is Mystery Inc (Scooby Doo). There's a 'talking dog' and friend who are both food obsessed, aka Rhy wolf and healer. There's someone who's the knowledge person, aka my diplomat. There's our strong person who handles transport; the horsewoman; and finally our 'finds the traps, by accident'; even though the traps are more social than physical, aka our soldier with 'the big, open heart, matched by his big, open mouth.'

I got some of mom's yarn while I was visiting. She doesn't crochet as much, and she wants to give me stuff, so I take some of her yarn. Right now, I'm doing a quick knit and purl scarf. It's a bulky yarn so it's nice and soft and squishy and warm. Picture later.

On the way home, I got to see the full moon on Sunday night. It was gorgeous, with moon dogs. But I was driving, so no pictures.

Another week, another post

Thursday was Deadlands again. We had another combat and my character, Alis got in some good shots, and got poisoned. It was fun to use her magic gun to shoot the bad woman's bow out of her hands (hey, she used it to shoot Alis with a snake arrow).

I'm still working on my Blue Rose character. I am reading the world background to fine tune her. I think I will end up changing a couple things, make them into goals instead of accomplishments. I do have most of her family plotted out and her immediate family have names.

my mom crocheted the dice bag, yes there's a metallic filament

 Saturday was Tri-Tatters. Leigh (of somethingunderthebed.com fame) had the second newsletter, with my article about the Bath Tatting Book. I hope someone who reads it finds it helpful. We had 12 people at the meeting, including two people who are learning to tat. One of them brought some of her grandmother's lace. She had some lovely hairpin lace, crochet lace, and a bit of tatting.

I finally figured out TotusMel's pattern she's letting me use. The problem isn't with her pattern; it's that it works really well with needle tatting and take some adjustment to make it work with a shuttle.

However, I cannot find my pink squares for Belgium. Argh! I know what container they're in but I can't find the container.

I haven't started on the 2018 TIAS yet. I've been distracted by my other projects (including CD's scarf, up to 20"+ now).

Sunday it was chilly and rainy so I didn't work on my car. I hope I'll get something done on it, soon.

CD and I watched a movie with Herman's Hermits. He likes the band. The movie was kind of 'meh' but it had some good music. However, quite nicely, it did not have a villain. It was very nice.

Today was part 1 of of a training, Mental Health First Aid. It was mostly what to look for and some of the risk factors for depression and/or anxiety. Tomorrow is part 2, practice and practical.

There were snow flurries this morning. And my neighbor's Bradford pear is blooming. And I think I saw a cherry tree blooming, too (it was pink blossoms and a tree).

Two Weeks in a Row, I'm on a Roll

I went back to work on Friday, and that was a bit of an adventure. The road slush froze overnight on Thursday, so work didn't open until noon. I didn't want to drive to the park & ride (see: slushy roads) and my usual bus doesn't run in the middle of the day. But I checked the trip scheduler online and found a bus to take from home to the park and ride. I made it, just in time and got to work 45 minutes early. I wasn't supposed to report yet, and I was hungry. I ate lunch and then went to work.

I stayed home on Saturday (and did some ridiculous prep for my upcoming Blue Rose character). Sunday, I drove to see Mom. Some of the residents have flu or flu-like symptoms, so it was visit at your own risk. I
took her shopping and finally got her stuff to wash her dishes (dish drain, dish cloth, etc). It was t-shirt and light jacket or (in my case) shawl weather. I wore my house of swank "Winter can kiss my butt' shirt and got a couple compliments on it.

These are the acorn squash I made for various holiday dining events. They were tasty. Acorn squash, brown sugar, maple syrup, butter, and a touch of salt.

CD's scarf is up to 21". I managed to break my loom, so while Mom and I were out shopping, we went by JoAnne's and I bought a replacement. I also bought some glue, which was my first choice. I managed to glue the loom back together, I hope it stays fixed.













 I want to work on a temperature scarf. I could do it for this year, I'm only behind 23 days (plus however long until I find/buy the yarn). 

Tonight, I went with my co-worker, MB, to water aerobics. She's been going for over a year now. This was only the second time I've gone. It's a really good work out. Last time I wore a skirted swimsuit but the skirt kept floating up and getting in my way. I bought a new one and it's really cute. It zips up the front so I know it won't slip off. However, the base of the zipper isn't well padded and the end of the coil kept scratching me.

Here are some pictures and videos of the snow.

RPGaday 2017 day 5

Here's the graphic, fyi
http://autocratik.blogspot.com/2017/07/rpgaday-2017-announcing-rpgaday-again.html

#RPGaday2017 Day 5
Which RPG cover do you feel best captures the spirit of the game?

Hmm, I can really only speak for games I've played. 7th Sea has a good cover. But so does Spirit of the Century. The original Shadowrun cover did a good job. But I think I'll go with Blue Rose.

It's not a particularly action shot, but the art speaks to the type of the game. This game has social and explorer aspects to it that are just as important as the combat aspects. The slightly dreamy picture of someone with a scepter, a surrounded by blue roses, butterflies, and cats, but with brambles in the picture, tells you this isn't hack and slash. You open the book, knowing this isn't D&D (or Traveller or Space Opera or Gamma World).

RPGaday2017 : a month of answering questions 'about my gaming.

RPGaday2017 Day 1
What published RPG do you wish you were playing right now?
I'm torn. I'm about to be in a Blue Rose game and I'm really looking forward to it.

But there's also 7th Sea, Swashbucklers of the 7 Skies, Pugmire, Dresden Files, almost anything FATE, Ponyfinder, Shadowrun, Ironclaw, Feng Shui, and Urban Shadows. It's not quite 'ooh shiny' because there are some games out for years that I'd love to play. I have played Dresden Files, FATE, Feng Shui, Shadowrun & Ironclaw in the past and I'd love to play them again. I'm in a 7th Sea game online but it just started and I don't know if it will last. I'm sure if I thought a bit, I could add more games.

There are so many good games out there. If I played three times a week, a different game every time, it would still take me months to get through my list of 'want to play'.

Addendum: There's a wrestling game; It Came from the Late, Late, Late Show; The One Ring; Spycraft, et al.

Missed a week, oops

We played Deadlands after my last post. The GM, DR, says our game is between 2 and 20 sessions to go before the final resolution. We were debating what game to play next and decided on Blue Rose. I had mentioned on social media that I had a concept for my next fantasy character, inspired by Mrs. Pollifax. I want to play a middle-aged woman whose children are grown with their own lives and she fulfills her young dream of becoming an adventurer. With Blue Rose, she can become a government agent, a la Valdemar Herald. The GM had gotten his copy of Blue Rose and he thought that character would work fabulously. We're still playing the Deadlands game (although CD will miss this week's game), though.

Saturday (the 3rd) was the Tri-tatters doing their part of living history at Mordecai House in Raleigh. We were on the house porch this time instead of at the visitor center. I took a break to talk to the cook/soapmaker. The theme was roses and she made rose short bread and rose scented soap. She's very nice and I look forward to talking to her again. Unlike us, she was dressed for the era.

I did finish an ice drop and finally made good progress on the sea glass pendant after another false start. I used the technique from Anitra's turtle but had to play with the stitch count to get it to work.

Tri-Tatters at Mordecai (I missed getting KV)

Tri-tatters at Mordecai (can you tell where I was sitting?)

sea glass pendant

 Sunday, CD and I made a flying visit to mom to fix her phone. And her DVD player. And her Kindle. They all had the same issue, no power. The outlet the phone charger was plugged into was controlled by a switch, which was frequently off. So the phone wasn't charging. The power strip where the DVD player and Kindle were plugged had come unplugged from the wall. Easy fix, luckily.

Afterward, CD and I went to DSW. My sandals broke on Memorial Day and I needed a new pair. In theory, I could have fixed the broken strap, but that wouldn't fix the other problems (sole wearing out, etc). I bought new sandals, and on mom's advice I bought two of the same.

Tuesday the 6th was the big Blood Drive at UNC. I volunteered at check in and then grabbed a bite to eat before going to donate. It meant I was out of the office most of the day but I was helpful. My donation went well.

The same evening was my monthly date with CC. We went to DSW. I wanted to see if they had the multi-color sandal in the same style in my size. Alas, they did not. But I did buy a pair of shoes to replace my tennis shoes, when they finish dying. They were really expensive shoes, but on clearance meant they cost as much as an expensive (for me) tennis shoes. CD said she bought a pair of shoes of the same brand and they lasted 25 years. Breaking down the cost per year, they'll be cheaper in the long run.

I also fell to the croc side. They're work suitable and really comfy. Except if  the 3rd time you ever wear them you walk 10+ minutes in the heat and then get sand in your shoe and you don't immediately rinse them out, they are not so comfy.

Wednesday night we went out for my birthday supper. We were going to Casa San Carlo, but they're closed for renovations. Instead, we went to Tokyo House. JJ came, CD of course, RG, DR, SR and her husband SR, and at the last minute I asked CC and her SO came, too. I will say, Tokyo House did a great job and the service was very good.

However, right before I left work on Wednesday some stuff came up for mom's financial stuff. Very stressful. Thursday, I thought I got it temporarily resolved, at least until they got my POA processed. Except, they apparently didn't. As I found out late Friday.

Saturday, I just rested and relaxed. I desperately needed a recuperation day. Sunday, CD and I went to pick up comics, manga, and game books. We hadn't been to our FLGS and had orders to pick up.

Later, CD, CC, her SO, and her friend D all went to see Wonder Woman. There were a couple 'why did they do that?' moments but overall I really liked it. There were not incompetent characters, just competent at different things with different strengths and weaknesses. Even Etta wasn't played for laughs. She had some very funny lines but she wasn't comic relief.

Monday, I took a long lunch and took care of mom's stuff in person. There were phone calls to make and I did some follow up today and I'm doing more tomorrow. But there's a light at the end of the tunnel.

Palmetto Tat Days registration is open. I need to do that tonight.

Here are some random photos. I've done some coloring pages and isn't this a huge thistle?

And if ever wonder what manspreading is? This is it. That's a 3 person bench. You can see a woman squeezed at one edge and this guy is taking up 2 spaces. If the bus wasn't crowded, I wouldn't care. But it was quite crowded that day.

And here's an ice drop in the Spice Cake (like the sea glass pendant) and a heart.

Aftermath (Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival) - picture heavy

Autumn Breeze and I had our date night Tuesday and we decided what to do for our trip. She's been the recipient of some culls and purges recently so she wasn't looking for much. Still, it's a good idea to get an idea of trends, etc.

it's a caterpillar, very fuzzy

Thursday, the Deadlands GM revealed he thinks we're coming to the end of the game. He's not certain how many sessions, somewhere between 2 and 20. The question, what to play next? At this point, he's torn between Dresden Files and Blue Rose. Dresden Files is a Fate game and thanks to the Shadows of the Century game I ran, SR is familiar with it. Blue Rose is a new (to us) system, but it's romantic fantasy (think Mercedes Lackey or Diane Duane or Tamora Pearce).

coloring at lunch

Friday morning, I packed up my clothes, etc. I grabbed my sock loom and a skein of yarn, my Loom Knitting Primer, some tatting supplies, and some coloring pages (in case I had some time to do so). One of my friends called as I was packing and put me half hour behind. Autumn Breeze was running behind, too but we were on the road in a fairly timely manner.

We took secondary highways so it was a scenic trip. I was missing sleep so I took a nap part of the way. And I found out my yarn was the wrong size for the loom, so no knitting. The primer is really good though. Autumn Breeze had given me some red linen thread so I tatted a heart for her. She wants a bracelet from the same thread.

we stopped at a roadside produce store

Saturday, we had breakfast at the hotel and then off to the festival. I had my Ravelry pin but didn't see any names I recognized. It's a big festival after all.
This is where we parked on Saturday.

We were really close the drive/road farthest from the gate.

More scenes from the Festival

his shawl is FAB, he's working on the pattern

There were so many lovely handknits, hand crochets, and woven garments.

shorn alpaca

so cute

French bunnies

sheep!

He has horns

not sure of the breed, but cute

unshorn alpaca

Here are a few purchases; the dk yarn (wool/cotton blend) to use with my sock loom.We ended up spending most of Saturday (in the cold and wet) at the auction. She bought 4 looms, and this is one is with a 2-liter bottle for size comparison. Mom said she wanted to buy something for me, so I got this tunic.

On the way we saw this car. I think it's been in an accident.

And today, this arrived. Yay!