Tri-Tatters meeting etc

Due to scheduling conflicts, Tri-tatters couldn't get our usual meeting room on a weekend. March is apparently really busy. First Saturday is Living History day at Mordecai House. We were one of the demonstrators, along with hearth cooking. I missed the hearth cooking, it was in a different location. Anitra talked to our contact and he let us have our meeting along with our demo, this once.

One of our younger members surprised us by joining us. She's in college in another town and rarely gets a chance to see us. She didn't have her tatting with her so she did some knitting. I completed a bracelet and just as I pulled out materials for my next project, it was time to wrap up. I completely missed eating lunch. I just grazed on strawberries and Katie's delicious baked breadsticks.

My dentist appointment went well. It was my 6-month cleaning. I really hope they come up with an alternative to that metal pick someday. It just grates on my nerves. I showed off my tatting some more and made my next dental appointment.

I worked on my presentation some more. I'm giving it Thursday but it's hard condensing 8 hours of material into 10, interesting, minutes.

A few more letters have arrived in the mail and I need to answer them. I'll admit I haven't been as urgent in my replies since Lettermo ended.

I'm going to see Mom this weekend. I have to pull together 6 wardrobe discards for her.

Thanksgiving and other stuff

For US-type people, Thursday is Thanksgiving. I have noted which stores will be open on Thursday, because I will NOT be shopping at any of them this holiday season. This is a bit hypocritical of me because I am going out to eat on Thursday. I am thankful for the staff who are making my meal possible.

Last Thursday, I had a 'fun' migraine; my head did not really hurt but I suddenly lost half my field of vision. Thankfully (there's that word again), Excedrine migraine took care of which. I am especially thankful because I was out to eat before gaming and driving with half your field of vision gone seems like a really bad idea.

I went to see Mom this past weekend. I saw something shocking; I saw gas for less than $2/gallon. I'll pause while you recover from the shock. We did a little shopping (I needed some electrical tape) but mostly we worked on organizing her yarn stash. Considering she mostly 'inherits' yarn, her stash is quite large.

Here's something cool; a huge archive of American (US I think) folk and blues music available online for free. Here's the story about it.

I had a dental appointment on Monday, so the only tatting I've really done are the little 1-ring, 5 -picot flowers. Strings of them. My mouth is still a trifle sore.

flowers, late blooming

sunset

sunset and autumn leaves

just outside my office

On Friday, as I was walking home in the dark, I managed to miss the sidewalk. It was on a downslope and not only did I fall down, my shoulder/teardrop purse tried to flip over my head. My hair got caught, but luckily I was with someone and she untangled my hair so I could move. I scraped up my knee and my iPad popped right out of the hardshell/keyboard case. On the bright side, it fell on my notebook and only cracked one corner of the screen. I didn't rip my pants either. I'm still a tiny bit sore, though.

And in other news, I've broken 21000 words in my Nanowrimo. But writing meetings are hard.

Palmetto Tat Days, less than a month

It's less than a month until Palmetto Tat Days. I haven't started fretting about my prep yet. I have gotten emails about homework, though. And packing will be...interesting this year.

Thanks to Anitra's car being a yutz, we'll be taking my car. Another local tatter will be coming with us (we'll call her V). My car is Honda Civic. I think I'll be packing smaller to get all of us into it. We have a bag of tins from CK, plus the ones Mom and I have collected to take. Plus there's the infamous poncho and its decoy, neither of which qualify as particularly small. Figure at least 2 bags for each of us on the way down, and 3 bags when we return (we will be making purchases after all). It's going to be a squeeze. Added, we're picking up a 4th tatter on the way. I have ordered a TripTik from AAA.

I'll be Georgia Seitz's assistant in her class on weird joins. Such a thrill. Georgia Seitz is such a sweet lady. I've been working on that project instead of the gold/silver bead bracelet and necklace.

homework for Georgia's class

Had the monthly date with CC last week. She's applying for a project at work. Her video interview was Friday. I need to find out how that went.

I am terrified of dentists. I wasn't always, but the older I get the more anxious I get about them. It's not a phobia because it's not an irrational fear. I have a small mouth, soft tooth enamel, and a sensitive gag reflex; both of these contribute to a potentially lousy visit. Add in some past experiences, and well, let's just say it adds up.

However, I had a toothache, and it got bad enough I couldn't sleep. It wasn't a constant pain either, it would come and go in waves. After a couple days, I worked up the nerve and found a dentist in my insurance network, and who was close to my home. They saw me quickly, at least for an initial problem-solving and we've scheduled a follow-up to take care of some other issues. The dentist and staff were all very nice and understanding about my anxiety. The dentist even asked what incidents contributed to my anxiety so as to avoid doing those things, or at least be aware of possible triggers.

I finished the tatting on the bracelet to match the earrings. Now I need to make a necklace. Karey suggested using a large bead and threading the beaded tassel/tatting through that, although the bookmark has me toying with making a lariat necklace.

A friend of mine (not a close friend but we have a huge overlap in social circles) has been going through a big change in her life. It's been a kind of a scary change for her so I plan to make a bracelet for her. Of course, I have a necklace, a star/snowflake, and State Fair jewelry project to make. Of course, I could overlap the State Fair project and her bracelet. I am taking a bracelet class at Palmetto Tat Days, I think.

C made chocolate chess pie. It is yum.

These are some things from Kickstarter projects that arrived last week. The artist did a really good job with the illustrations and the cards. I have friends who want to buy the deck and I'm trying to find out how they can do that.

I got the PDF of the gamebook, too

Blog experiment
Blogging while dosed with painkillers, and sleep-deprived. Thanks to my toothache (the one that woke me Sunday), I had 4 hours of sleep last night (8 restless Tues, and ~6ish on Sunday). It got so bad yesterday; my ear started hurting; that I called and got my appointment moved up. I have a great dentist.

I took what I needed to get to the app't. Dentists stress me almost to the point of panic attacks and I need drugs to take the edge off so that I can go. I had no brekkers so it was empty stomach. When Chris saw me staggering to my car, he decided that I should not be driving. So he drove me. He was not able to call his work because our phone's out. He was 'a little late.' I got back home at 11 am and still had to grab lunch and get my pain pills. So I emailed my boss that I wasn't coming in. I don't think that he was surprised. I hoped that I'd make it but this root canal just took it out of me.

I had stuff that I was going to write about. I don't remember what though. I messed up my "Bill" edging. I finally just cut that ring & I'll work in a new thread. Theshuttle is almsot empty anyway.

I've been want to go to sleep but the phone people might be senind gsomeone out. I don't think that I care anymore.

good blog for GMs: Gnome Stew

Neat shows: Time Warp & Deadliest Warrior. I don't always agree with some of the statements made in the latter. But it's still a neat show.

Journal: I wrote in my journal everyday on the trip. I almost finished the journal. I wrote everything from 'time & temperature when we stopped for food' to my impressions of the scenery. I'll try to add selections later. We'll see.

Work has not been a lot of fun. I had 18 voice mail messages waiting for me. One dated from the Sunday after I left. Apparently no one had the password. Of the 18, two were for the same call (got interrupted), two were for Derek, one for Mike, one in response to a call that I'd made before I left and the rest of them were for vending. Then there's all the data entry for the reports. I'm almost caught up on those. Almost.

I had my dentist appointment yesterday. And it's official. I cannot face the dentist chair without drugs. I had to delay my appointment until I got a prescription filled and had a chance to take it.

Gaming: Tonight is Mutants & Masterminds, I still don't know if Diana will be giving me a ride or not.

My stomach's been upset all day. I think it's the aftereffects from the migraine (tension induced).

Addendum -

Saturday shopping: Mom & I hit the thrift shop & I found a few more tanks & one top to layer over them. Then I got hit with muscle cramps & couldn't shop anymore. Blech. I did find a cheap set of color pencils to play with. That'll be fun.

When I packed for stuff to play with at lunch, I forgot that Ben (my assistant) is at orientation today & won't be here. So I worked through lunch.

I did get the last of my dentist bill paid and it was a little less than I remembered. Maybe I'll go buy a book on the way home (or not, I forgot to pack my lunch & had to buy it instead).

clothes: today it's the calf-length (shortest of my gauze skirts) floral gauze skirt, burgundy knit top, ~slippers, plaited hair, knotwork pendant & triskele earrings, fem ring, & hematite ring.

Bus Pass: I had to stand in line for a bit, but I got my new bus pass yesterday. That's vital as it started today. Deborah retired so she's not there in the parking office anymore. I'm happy for her but I miss seeing her there.

cellphone: still haven't found it and maybe today I'll remember to call the hotel while the lost & found is open.

tv: More Kunoichi last night. I've missed one session, 3rd run through, because I watched #4.

books: Finished Falling Awake & almost finished reading/skimming Complete Champion. There were a few things from CC that I might be able to use for my characters. But not much. I brought Complete Scoundrel & Manga Madness for today.

tatting: I've started the bottom leg of the cross this morning while watching the weather on tv. I got another ring done on the bus but the usual humidity problem stopped me, no big surprise.

Food: Since my dental insurance ran out (just as I was getting a root canal), I'm really short of funds this week. Plus a hefty chunk of my next paycheck is also going to my dentist. Leftovers are looking really good. Today it's leftover pork steak & mixed vegetables (identical to supper last night, alas).

weather: another hot one, it will possibly break a 50-year-old record (99F set in 1953). It was surprisingly (& comfortably) cool this morning.

clothes: black & white print cotton gauze skirt, black rib knit blouse (that unfortunately does not quite conceal the straps of my bra, but luckily that's black, too), hematite ring, flower band, ~rope band, black ~slippers, black etc bead bracelet, harp pendant, onyx & silver earrings & hair in a ponytail/bun affixed with a black hairstick with a brown bead.

Root canal this morning. It was not nearly as painful as I've heard others complain about. My headache on Monday felt worse than this. The worst part was my jaw cramping, which the jaw chock helped but did not solve.

I did not see the cardinal with male pattern baldness this time. I think that the bird feeder was empty. I only saw one bird go up to it the entire time I could see it (out the dentist's window).

read: Never Deceive a Duke by Liz Carlyle. It's a fairly decent Historical Romance. The hero Gabriel/Gareth learns that he has inherited a dukedom. He knew that he was related but never expected, or even wanted, to inherit. To add to the mix, the previous duke hated him and Gabriel's mother was Jewish (and in those days that was a major obstacle). The heroine is the late Duke's 4th wife & widow. She has some issues of her own to deal with regarding her first husband, her own family, and her past. Both of them are very much wounded souls but finding each other really helps them. I set it down thinking 'that was a good book.'

I went back to The Four Forges on the way to work.

weather: It's still inordinately hot. Yesterday did set a record & today likely will again. It's already 102F and may climb another degree or two. It wouldn't be nearly so bad if it would just drop into the 60'sF at night. The difference between a 100F day after a 60F degree night & one that barely dipped below 80F is perceptible.

TV: We watched GPhoria last night. Gears of War pretty much swept the awards. I think that it won in every category it entered. Personally, I've never played it and likely may not ever. I went to bed early so I missed the episode of Women of Ninja Warrior that Chris watched.

tatting: I made about 30 of the little single ring flowers while getting my root canal. I can do them without looking, there are no joins, and if I screw it up, it's no big deal. And tatting calms my nerves; not as much as Valium, but I can drive later.

clothes: black shoes, pink skirt, white blouse embroidered with flowers, flower fairy pendant, ~rope band, flower band, pink & blue ~stained glass earrings & hair in a ponytail held by scrunchie that matches my skirt.

Dental visit: I have a small mouth ulcer instead my upper lip on the right (stress & hormones probably). It was a root canal & I'm out of dental insurance for the year. This sucks! And there's a nasty aftertaste that keeps hitting me at unexpected moments. I go back in 3 weeks for the follow-up. No more for me until the new year & my insurance renews.

Oh, & I'm cramping. Less today than yesterday at least.

Family: My Aunt Evelyn called me tonight. What a lovely surprise. We had a lovely talk and once again Chris says that my accent dipped deeply into the South.

Dreams: I woke up from a nightmare this morning, about 4 am or so. I woke up before I got scared. I stayed awake long enough to fix the details in my memory & wrote it down when I woke up later (after daybreak). The situation: about 8 of us stuck in a house of death (haunted it's believed) to disprove it (or something like that). As we are about to leave to pick up photos that one of us had taken the day before, the metal shutters slam shut over the windows & doors. Even that wasn't what woke me. When the haunt/demon/devil thing was about to force me to drink blood – that made me wake up.

Books: I read most of Flirting with Pete by Barbara Delinsky while I waited for my appointment & afterwards. The dentist was running late; it happens.

Tatting: I'm two repeats from having both straps & back done. That will just leave the front area. I've also tatted three butterflies & some flowers, mostly while I was in the dental chair.

TV: catching the CSIs that we missed. Not much else on. Watched a little X-play but I was on the phone for most of it.

Weather redefines hot. Temperatures in the 90's and humidity to match. Being outside for very long is an exercise in endurance.

No internet connection tonight, so I'll be uploading this tomorrow (probably via usb drive). I also need to email that teacher about meeting her to give her the cookbooks.

Clothes: black jeans, belt & slippers; white polor, black tatted earrings & necklace, clip watch, black stone ring, fem ring (seen as a dancer by the dental assistant) & plaited hair.

Dentist: It was certainly more expensive than I expected. Apparently, there was an unpaid charge from my last visit (surprise to me). It doubled the amount that I expected to pay. Looks like I had better be careful with my gas. I can't afford to put more into it until next payday.

It was raining cats & dogs when I headed for my car to go to the dentist. Even with the umbrella I was getting wet. Maybe a white cotton shirt was not the best wardrobe choice considering the weather.

I watched a little tv, a couple of Philo Vance movies. I really think that William Powell did the best job but they didn't show his movie (or it was earlier in the day & I missed it). It's also possible that I was distracted by the subsiding numbing agents in my mouth and residual pain.

I took a nap after I got home. I slept for about two hours. Woke up, ate supper while watching a bit of the 2nd Pirates of the Caribbean movie & then went back to bed.

gaming: tonight it's Mutants & Masterminds but no ride from Diane. I'm schlepping out there on my own.

books: I finished First Eagle. I started re-reading Deep Waters. I'm also still reading that same issue of Real Simple.

tatting: I got quite a bit done waiting for the meeting yesterday, & on the bus. I ran out of thread again & did another thread join. While in the dentist chair I did some on the blue silk. Made a mess as usual.

clothes: black 'slippers' (the larger pair), black jeans & belt, silky poly shirt, labradorite pendant, onyx earrings, black stone ring, dragon band, hematite band, same hairstick & same hairstyle. I damaged yesterday's bracelet & have no idea how to fix it.

Breaker woes: It happened again last night. Of course, I think that it happened after I got home. So I went out, reset it & then put a lock on the flap.

Lunch every day this week has been leftovers. Monday was my leftover sesame beef from Saturday. Tuesday was Chris's leftover General Tso's chicken. Today is half mine & Chris's leftovers from Red Lobster on Sunday. Tomorrow will probably be the other half.

I have a meeting all morning & then I have to leave early for my dentist appointment. I think I'm just getting a filling put in, but I have some ~waste thread to tat, just in case.

Mail goodies: I got the circle skirt that I bought from an Etsy crafter. It's really pretty, I just ned to sew it up. I also got the things that I ordered from hungersite & associated sites. I now have some pins. I'm thinking of wearing the pink ribbon one.

books: I read Aishiteruze Baby vol 2 & Law of Ueki vol 3. I'm still reading an October 2006 issue of Real Simple magazine.

tv: I watched The Wild Wild West until Veronica Mars came on. Then I watched the last half of a Perry Mason tv movie until bedtime.

clothes: black 'slippers' (new pair to alternate w/ old pair), black jeans, white textured check shirt (3/4 sleeves, band collar), black belt (w/ gold-tone buckle), silver flower fairy pendant on small chain, flat silver chain bracelet, flower band, hematite ring, fem-power ring, ~filigree earrings, ladybug watch, & grey/black hairstick w/ 4 tiny rhinestones holding the ponytail/bun.

Dentist: yeah, my teeth hurt this morning. It was enough to rouse me a couple times and to wake me up early. On the bright side: I have enough time to renew my fingernail varnish (a couple places flaked & notched yesterday) and to pack my game bag for this weekend.

Virtual Villagers: at lunch yesterday I found the last beetle. That raises my villages max population to 105. Only one butterfly left to find.

Gaming: Saturday evening & Sunday, we continue with Red Hand of Doom. It's part 3.

Mutants & Masterminds: Chris is still working mandatory overtime (though he also had to pick up something he ordered 2 months ago) and Rosemary was sick so they didn't show. Instead Totem (me), Troll (Diana) & Momento Mori as Halogen (Nate) fought Myrmidon Mark III's and Myrmidon Mark IV's in the 'employ' of Lady Lunar. Totem didn't use her new 'channeling asp' paralyze bite/touch power. Since there wasn't enough time (& they were fighting robots) I figured that she doesn't really know. She did stunt a power for the first time. She used it to heal Troll who, for the first time ever, was taking serious damage. It was a pretty good game last night.

Work: 1 more interview today & then we make a decision.

clothes: black loafers, socks, slacks, belt (w/ gold tone buckle), & polo (Geoff). Jewelry is the emerald set (earrings & necklace), hematite ring, bloodstone ring & ladybug clip watch. Hair is braided & fastened with a green elastic.

Dentist: Well, the visit went fairly well. I hurt like the dickens but I survived. However, the next visit will be an afternoon appointment so I can go home and rest. Going to work after the appointment was not my brightest idea ever. I did get work done, I just don't know how well.

I am getting by on only half a pain pill this morning; so that's a good thing. I also haven't tried to eat anything harder than a soft oatmeal cookie. Yesterday's (3pm) lunch was a smoothie. Luckily, I bought some powder for nutrition shakes recently & I had some of that, too. Supper last night was soup. I really wasn't up to cooking, after all. Chris ate leftovers.

Chris found some great organic chocolate milk. It's from Promised Land Dairy. Absolutely yum.

website: list & short descriptions of lots of Regency romance novels

Work stuff: today I interview new assistants. By preference, I'd like someone who will be here longer but we'll see who we have & who looks the best in person. So far, all three applicants look good on paper.

Books: Read Your Wicked Ways at the dentist, continued on my commute in & home, & finished once I got home. I sort of re-read part of Married to the Viscount before going to sleep. I read a little bit more this morning before learning just how late I was running.

tatting: I did this in the dentist chair. It's very fine silk thread. I have loads of it, so even though it's so fine, I didn't mind wasting some by using it to calm my nerves. I got a tangled mess & I learned not to use the fine silk thread in the Justrite shuttle. The thread kept breaking until I switched to the Boye. (thanks to Jen for the pictures of the shuttles that you have posted).


These flowers/tangled knot were actually done while the dentist was working. It was more important to work on them than to actually get them done.




best pieces (notice that tail rings didn't fully close on the butterfly)



knitting: when I got home last night I didn't have the mental facility to tat or even start a new book. So I pulled out my spool knitter and some silver elastic. I threaded some beads & silver bells on the elastic & made what I though was going to be a bracelet. It works better as a scrunchy. Unfortunately, I did not put the bells close enough together for them to work. At some point soon, I will take it apart & do it again, right this time.

clothes: Today it's the 'ballet' shoes, black slacks & white crinkle gauze shirt trimmed with crochet style lace (band insert at the waist, neck placket, cuffs & insert at elbows), Celtic knot earrings, ring & pendant, flower band & hematite ring. My hair is up in a ponytail/knot affixed with a hairstick decorated with 2 black beads & a dangling silver sphere charm.

Dentist: Almost forgot that I have an appointment this morning. I'm stressing over it, plus I have a headache.

Painted my fingernails last night. They are now Reaction frost, a frosty pink color. I bought it when I tried to grow long fingernails last year or so. It didn't work then. But now that they are a little long, I decided to see if nail varnish helps or not. You can see where my left index fingernail is shorter than the rest.









Another SPF30+ day. Hey, it's summer, what a shock.

Once again, the breaker for my room tripped. I had to go reset it about bedtime. That's no fun.

books: Read Bloodbound on the way home. Read it all the way through before bedtime. Finished making an Exalted character.

TV: watched X-Play & Veronica Mars. I didn't recognize any of the games covered in X-Play. The focus of Veronica Mars was someone who was a child soldier in Uganda. After the show, they had a brief PSA about invisible children organization.

Two deaths yesterday: Martin Luther King, Jr's oldest Yolanda King & Rev Jerry Falwell.

clothes: grey polo; black jeans, socks, loafers & belt; hematite ring; flower band; moss agate bracelet; chainmail earrings; paui shell pendant necklace, paui shell ring and my hair in a ponytail.

I have a new toy to add to my template. Spam poison. Yay!

Dentist: Started the day with a dentist appointment. This is the 2nd reschedule but this time I was able to make it. I got my car fixed (April 6th - water pump - ick). We did all the x-rays, exams & stuff to plan my treatment. Not so fun but I didn't throw up and it only took an hour.

Podcasts: I listened to a bunch more of Carry's podcasts last night (they certainly beat anything that was on tv). I don't know what I'm going to do when I'm caught up.

books: Buso Renkin vol 5, Deadly Advice by Roberta Isleib & What's a Ghoul to Do? by Victoria Laurie. There are more but those are recent & I remember them.

Tatting: I have finished the tatting for the brooches, now I need to do the fixtures part. Almost there. I also made a flower pin for my assistant. Today is her last day working for me.

clothes: black slacks, lilac polo (Carolina Ren Festival embroidered in white), black & crystal bead bracelet, silver dome ring, hematite ring, purple Czech crystal earrings, small black labradorite pendant & my hair up in a ponytail/bun. That's affixed with a butterfly hair stick w/ pink crystals in the wings. (Note: spell the ruddy stone right if you want to find it on a search).

Website of the day: want to know a little about Keeshonds? They are a rockin' cool dog breed.

2nd website of the day: work with wood? How about some info before you buy or decide to work.

Dental app't: I screwed up and John didn't give me a ride. So I came into work late. I rescheduled for next month. Maybe by then I'll have my car fixed and I won't need a ride.

Gaming: Looks like we're playing Freaks of Nature tonight at Rosemary's. I'm catching a ride with the gm so there's no way I'll be late. Chris has my gaming stuff.

books: I finished The Cove last night. I stayed up too late doing so, too. Ah well, it was a good suspense/romance. Frankly, the only reason I knew the heroine wasn't nuts was that it was a romance & the genre predicates happy endings. This morning I started re-reading Rapture in Death. It's been a while but I'm starting to remember whodunit.

clothes: black: loafers, socks, jeans & polo (w/ purple embroidery [ 2001 Ren Festival]), black glass bead bracelet, silver hashmark ring, fem-power ring, onyx earrings & pendant on long silver chain. My hair is up in a ponytail for lack of anything better.