I got another 2007 quarter yesterday, a Wyoming. I collect 2 of each of the State Quarters. I'm up to date until this year. I have the 1st two of this year but not Idaho yet. I need another Wyoming, both Idaho's & both Utah's. I really wonder why I haven't gotten them. The year is drawing to a close, after all.

Morning commute soundtrack: In the Jailhouse Now, Somebody Told Me, Wasted Youth (prologue), Whole Lot of Shakin' Goin' On, BackDoor Lover, Bomshel Stomp, DuJour Around the World, You're A Star (2 Josie & the Pussycats Songs, out of 215, in a row, 2 total), You're My Sugar, I'm Just a Girl & I started I'm a Woman as I entered the office. I restarted that one for my evening commute soundtrack.

TV: I watched the new Bionic Woman & the new detective series Life. Alas, that means I was up to 11, just from watching TV. Then my depression kicked in & I couldn't get to sleep until after midnight. *sigh* Being short of sleep doesn't help.

books: I read more of Witch Hunter. And some of Grantville Gazette #6. That's pretty much it.

I met with a MetLife agent yesterday. We talked about life insurance & retirement investing (that's investing money to live off of when I retire). I need to see if I have whole life or term life (he defined what those were & now I even understand them. Wow). Once they see what I have, they'll advise me whether it would be better to move my investments to them or keep them where they are & whether I need different life insurance. Yep, I'm getting old.

I'm supposed to meet Dad for supper tonight. But first, I have to get some things done about my car.

tatting: My neck is about 17" (for purposes of the necklace length, it isn't really that long). 5 rings is 1". It's only 49 beads but for the sake of math, we'll call it 50, so about 5 beads per inch (1 bead per chain), that's another 10". I need about 3" (or 15 rings) of 'bald' tatting on either side of the beads to make them balanced. Now that I know that, I can resume tatting.

clothes: black ~slippers, faded black slacks, grey polo (2002 Ren Festival), black bead bracelet, onyx earrings, labradorite pendant (it's very small), hematite band, clip watch & braided hair.

Uhhhhh What a start to the day! I had an incredibly painful headache as soon as I woke up this morning. Even with the painkillers, I have a faint twinge of it left. It's not a migraine, just a really sharp headache.

I had to change the batteries in my Palm this morning. That meant that I had to synch it; change batteries & synch it again to restore the lost data. Note: that takes about 15 minutes. I got to the bus stop just as the bus was rounding the curve. Good timing!

Today's outfit: remember the faded black slacks & embroidered top combo? I'm wearing again, this time with the sequined flats & no socks (it's supposed to ~80F today). For jewelry, it's the labdourite pendant (so it doesn't fight with the shirt decorations), onyx earring, black stone ring & flower band. My hair's loose, basically because of the headache.

I'm glad that I used the last of that conditioner, it does nothing to prevent tangles. I had to spray de-tangler this morning. And the wood bristle brush I picked up at the dollar store? Ick. It has knobs on the end of the bristles; which catches my hair. Yesterday, I literally caught the brush in my hair & had to free it, like a snared rabbit.

The fair was fun, but Chris wasn't feeling very well so we left about 7 pm. That means that I didn't play a single game on the Midway (I usually play one) or test any Guesser. We did get some cider and I spent 3 hours in the Village. I think there are about half-dozen crafters that I didn't exchange a least a couple words. I also fanned them as I passed, it seemed only kind.

I thrilled Carry, I let her know that I listened to her podcast. She is good & very funny. She did a wonderful thing for me. She gave me her old watch. It's just the kind that I like; plain, silver pocket watch. It needs a new battery but that's all. whoohoo!

Unexpectedly, I ran into Liz & her parents. That was great. They also had my little namesake, aka Squirrel. It's her first fair & she loves it. She told me all about it, the bracelet, the ferris wheel & the big slide. Are all three-year olds that articulate?

I saw the pieces that beat mine in competition. I don't think much of 1st place but I'm sure that it's technically quite good. I prefer the 2nd place piece; a pair of silver & gem earrings. Looking at my entry I suddenly realized; I won third, in professional jewelry! Wow!

Chris liked the 1st place quilt aka the white horse blanket. Note: it's a white on white quilt & trapunto piece with a horsehead & 3 styles of quilt stitch; stipple, what looked like wooden boards (what do you call that?), & a third one around the horse itself. It's a fabulous piece.

The emu steak for lunch was disappointing. It was tough & tasteless. I'm willing to ascribe that to the cooking method rather than the food itself, though. Breakfast was good; a sausage & egg biscuit & a jam biscuit at the United Methodist 'restaurant'. Rosemary worked there as a kid & her mom worked there until her arthritis got too bad. The money benefits 2 United Methodist Churches, one in Cary & one in Angier.

I got my maple & my honey cotton candy & I've finished off the former. I also bought some honey sticks. There's a new loose tea shop, or new to me. They have a shop on Six Forks in Raleigh; I bought some tea & some filters (for the Rooibios) from their fair booth. I also bought some wax based hand.....bar (it's not a cream, it's a solid) from the honey folks.

One popular item was a fan from the Ava Gardner Museum. The county commissioner booth was handing them out. I'm glad that I took one. What a blessing it was.

books: I'm reading the 2nd Grantville Gazette.

I shouldn't laugh.... but I am amused. Due to a confluence of factors, I'm the contact for most of the vending problems on campus. I take the information, report it to the responsible company & if necessary tell the caller the procedure to get a refund. A student staffer just called with a vending problem. The first question out of my mouth: 'food or drink?' Response? 'That would be helpful to know, wouldn't it. Let me call you back.

Today's outfit: a blouse that I haven't worn in awhile & this may be the last time. It's a pretty, short-sleeved, buttoned blouse; I can't remember what this shade of pinkish-purple is called but it's with black in a check. However, it's just short enough that it doesn't stay completely tucked. Anyway, I've paired it with black jeans & that pair of loafers that I still haven't thrown out. Knee-highs, ponytail, 3 women pendant, flower band, rope band & violet crystal & flower earrings finish the outfit. I put the earrings & pendant in my pocket & then forgot to put them on until after I got to work.

Books: I read all but the last two chapters of Grantville Gazette I. The last two chapters concern radios in 1632 & horses; until I get the formatting straightened out they're just too much trouble to read.

Yesterday's Post Sorry it didn't go up until today but I could not get that font size problem sorted. I tried selecting a paragraph, I tried selecting the whole thing; I could not get it normal-sized again.

Weather & stuff: It's raining today. It's rained with barely a let up all day. I'm hoping that it rains itself out before I go to the fair tomorrow (note: Definitely no post tomorrow).

My bus was 15-20 minutes late today. I honestly thought that I'd missed it & was contemplating walking to the next bus-stop (for the exercise). But it was just so messy, I wasn't in the mood. Turns out, good thing I didn't.