It's a cycle, a downward spiral
Yeah, I'm depressed. Again. It's not enough to prevent me from eating or working. I just have problems sleeping and I hit the Escapism button over & over.

Let's see what's happened in the past 3 weeks. Dinner with Dad. Dad's bootcamp 'yearbook.' Weekend with Mom. Breaker to my room flipped. Again (3rd or 4th time). I think it's the grounds maintenance folks, cause it's usually on a Tuesday.

Finally got my state tax refund. Played Rosemary's game, with the new plot. The one that she started the game in order to run (demon web pits or something). Interested in Shadowrun Missions. Writing 3 Jadeclaw adventures to run at Animazement.

Got my necklace repaired. Bought a couple (okay, 3) computer games. Played one to the end. May give it to my niece. It's a hidden object puzzle kind of thing.

Went to Harmony Hall Heritage day. Really hot again this year. Bought a couple history books. Gave my namesake her birthday presents (bookbag, flowerpot thingy, & books). Tatted a split ring rose & started an edging.

It's been said that I have a beak of a nose.

Watch me turn into a
Eagle at YouWild.org

And others say that I'm a little batty

Watch me turn into a
Bat at YouWild.org

Seriously, it's cool stuff.

books: I finished The Dreamers series. I've read most of Eddings books so I was not surprised to see some familiar themes (& scenes). However, what I was not expecting was the repetition within the books. I didn't actually count but some scenes were repeated 3, 4, maybe 5 times as they were recounted from different points of view. When that happens once or twice, it's okay. It happened again & again, very rarely was the scene summarized. When the scene took place in an earlier book, I understood (then it's a recap), but in the same novel? Helloooo, I just read this scene 30 pages ago. I have not forgotten it. And while there are good points to the ending, it some ways it was a cop out. Overall, I enjoyed the series but I don't think that it's one that I will read again & again.

Today I read Blush with Death by India Ink. I was relieved to discover that this is a pen name & not something foisted on her by cruel parents. It's a pretty good mystery series. I have yet to try any of the recipes, though. I have the next book in the series, too. I'll probably read it tomorrow.

Harmony Hall: I had fun at Heritage Day. The weather was gorgeous & there was a steady crowd. The couple with the oxen were giving hay rides, plus there was a 'Civil War cavalry officer' there as well. Judy was at the other end of the porch making corn shuck dolls. Her husband kept us company, too. The chicken folks didn't come but someone did bring a goat. The candle maker was there & some women cooked hominy over a fire. It was pretty good. Lots of people took Squirrel's picture. She was quite cute in her outfit. Liz & I both had our picture taken a few times, too.

Almost as usual, I got lost on the way down there Friday night. I will not be taking that particular route again. I have adjusted my directions that I have saved. Maybe I'll be able to drive down in 2 hours next year. I would have been home in 2 hours this year but something disagreed me & I got stuck at a rest stop for an hour. Ick. I got home & collapsed into bed.

Music: Chris told me about a song called Bomshel Stomp. I think I want a copy. I'm interested enough that I'm going to look at other songs by this duo.

Tatting: I started some hen & chicks, thinking to trim my white shawl/fichu. However, I got tired of it & made another of Lyn Morton's 3d flowers, in white this time. I sold one that I had made in multi-color. I also sold some butterflies, three made per requested color. Since Judy was making corn shuck dolls, personalized with ribbons, trim, etc upon request; some of the kids decided that they wanted butterflies on their dolls. I only charged $.50 for the butterflies. I wish that I had had more to sell but maybe next year.

clothes: Yesterday it was my purple calico c.1810 dress & today it's t-shirt ('Cleansing of the Oytwood', grey with green letters), jeans, green socks & brown loafers. I'm wearing pretty much the same jewelry both days; Celtic knot ring, earrings, & small pendant, plus hematite ring & flower band. Today my hair is loose, yesterday I kept it under my tatted snood.

Fingernail: I didn't mention that the first thing I did when I arrived at work yesterday was rip a fingernail. I don't mean just a 'oh dear, I'll have to file that', I mean, 'ack, that's a spot of blood where the nail has tried to part from the nail bed'. It's a little sore but I immediately put (& kept) a band aid on it to keep it from getting worse. It won't actually heal, but maybe it will heal enough that I can clip the nail someday.

blood donation: I failed. My hemocrit was a full 3% too low. Then I suddenly realized why. I'm a post-puberty, pre-menopausal female & it happens once a month. For me, it started yesterday. Very bad timing.

Retail therapy: I indulged in some retail therapy. I needed the light bulbs, yes. The gel pens? Sort of. The children's cardboard books? At a dollar, it's nice to have some small children's presents on hand. The doll? It's perfect for Kelly's baby (fingers crossed, due any day now). The shoes? The ballet slipper type go with gauze skirts better than loafers do (I'm wearing them today). The document holder? It was $1 & even if it doesn't hold the steel sqwire spell templates better than the other holder does, maybe it will hold those 'campaign documention' stuff I need for LG.

Books: I finally read Framed in Lace (I've had it for months). In this one, the important clue was bobbin lace. They also mentioned tatting, knitted lace & crocheted lace. Very nice. I also read vol 1 of Shugo Charra!.

Tatting: Saturday I'll be at Harmony Hall doing a Historical Demo. I need to find my copy of Flitting Fingers. I also need to check my clothes. I know where my c. 1810 outfit is but it desperately needs ironing (& maybe some febreze due to a laundry room accident). I need to know where my 1780ish outfit is, too. I should wear that; it's just so warm.

clothes: turquoise skirt (tiered, cotton), lighter turquoise net/crochet sweater over poly shell, black ballet slip-ons, moonstone ring, hematite ring, rainbow moonstone pendant but forgot the earrings. Hair is loose because I just didn't want to bother.

Saturday's outfit: black skirt, black half-boots, muslin blouse, red plaid bodice, cream colored apron, and muslin cap. Can you tell that I was garbed ~Colonial? I was at Harmony Hall in White Oak, NC (near Fayetteville) as part of the yearly celebration. I tatted on the front porch (facing the river) while Liz wove on her inkle loom (that I gave her years ago). Leela was greatly admired. There weren't great crowds as it rained off & on. But a few people showed & were greatly admiring. I did get a new question: 'is that real lace?'

Sunday's outfit: new green Celtic knot tree (w/ sun & moon caught in branches), jeans and loafers. I had fun at the picnic, after I woke up. At quarter til 4, I had to get up & answer mommy Nature. Then when the tank started to refill, the air in the pipes made them knock. It sounded like someone hammering on the wall. It completely woke me up, especially as I couldn't i.d. the noise at first. By the time it was over, I was starving. So I got up & grabbed a bite to eat. Chris dragged me to breakfast at Bob Evans (yay French toast). After that I napped. I woke up when the sun almost came out & didn't get to the picnic until 12:30 or so. Saw people I hadn't seen in months. Denise is moving back to Oregon & she's 5 months pregnant. It's a surprise as she'll be 41 next birthday.

Today's outfit: black half-boots, black slacks, lavender polo, Bronze Rose hairclip, onyx ring, silver braid band, flower band, violet bead earrings, & tri-fem pendant.

I got 9 inches of lace tatted since Friday. It's the really small white thread, too. I think that this year I will have trim on my clothes (Village of Yesteryear). I lost my little crochet hook though. I'm back to using my full length one.

When I was lying there, sleepless Sunday morning I thought of a direction for the time travel story that I started. So, it wasn't all bad.

Today's outfit: black loafers, black slacks & belt, multi-colored (purple, blue, green, plum, violet, cream, tan, & rust) silk blouse with flower ring, spoon ring, MoP pendant & Love stamp earrings. I washed my hair this morning so it's loose until it dries. It has dried but I can't find what I did with the purple hair sticks I brought to work with me.

Supper last night was more expensive than I expected but we all talked for a long time. The sushi was good, but then I knew that Yamazushi had good food. It was nice to see Kathy again. It has been months. We've seen Richard more recently, but only because he's come to gaming. We asked him if he was planning to run on Saturday the 8th, but he didn't really answer.

I did not get any packing done, not unexpectedly, so I will rush home tonight to change clothes, pack & drive to White Oak. It's 2+ hours & I'm not looking forward to it. This is especially true since I tried to re-tape my Grrrl tape & screwed it up.