Things!

I feel like there are things going on in my life again! It's good to have things to think about, anticipate, plan for. Most of this winter I felt like I was stuck in a very dull cycle of work, home, reading or sewing, and bed. I guess I just hadn't come up with the right projects or something. Sorry if I've been crabby/depressive/boring this winter. It's all my own fault, I just lost some of my normal enthusiasm there for awhile. I hope I'm not developing seasonal depression. I don't need that! I think it's just an allergy to Sioux Falls/life in the city.

Anyway, my latest news, which you may or may not find newsworthy, but that I am rather excited about:

I've nearly finished my fencing coif. I'm almost inordinately happy about this. I've been fencing for several years, and have not yet made my own coif, though I've had gloves, jacket, mask, etc. for quite some time. This is something I've been meaning to do for ages, so it's really a big deal for me. It's a burgundy color, open in the front so it comes on and off easier, fits better, gives better ventilation. After a lot of frustration, cussing, yelling, throwing it across the floor, wastage of perfectly good fabric, etc, I have finally come up with what I think is the perfect pattern. And I'll be able to use it this weekend! Provided someone brings along a punch-test to check it, that is.

Next: Ides of March is this weekend! (To those of you who are not SCA--I do know that the Ides was days ago. We're just not celebrating till this weekend). So excited to see people! And it's the A&S throwdown, so I'm excited to see what people came up with for projects, and maybe get some ideas for one of my own. I was a bum this year and didn't do anything.

And: I'm getting a bike today! I haven't ridden a bike in years and years, but I decided this winter that it would be a good thing to have. It's going to be my escape vehicle. I live near the edge of town, but it takes a long time to actually walk and get outside of town from my place. Therefore, my evening walks are rather uninspired, and I've neglected the practice shamefully this year. But! with a bike I can get farther in less time, and hopefully reach a place where there is less noise, less traffic, and more open/empty/peace/freedom.

And this is getting to be a long blog post, so I will leave one last parting bit of news: despite the fact that it's back in the 30's today and is quite chilly, and the fact that we saw snow yesterday---Spring Is Coming Back!

Field Season, with a vengeance

I finally got what I've been hoping for for months now. I got an afternoon of fieldwork last Thursday. We had a very muddy quarter-mile square bean field to survey just outside of town. It was pretty decent outside, a little bit chilly, a stiff breeze, but certainly decent weather for field work. I started off with a little bit of a cough in the morning. Nothing too horrible. By mid-afternoon the allergies hit. I could deal with that. By the time I got home I collapsed exhausted on the floor, curled up with a pillow and blanket and stayed there for an hour. By the time I went to bed, I was shivering uncontrollably and had a fever. At least Kaia told me so; I was betting on hypothermia, because my skin felt cold to me! Called in sick to work the next morning. Stayed in all day Friday, most of Saturday. Finally felt mostly better yesterday. Still coughing and somewhat congested today. I guess that's what I get for wanting so badly just to get out in the field again. Sick.

Nerves

I hate job interviews. Not necessarily mine, but other people's. It's nervewracking.

In Which I Admit That I Am Very Proud of My Little Brother

http://engineering.unl.edu/current-students/microgravity/teamfastblog.shtml

The above link is to my younger brother's latest project that I can't understand. He has an internship for 10 days with NASA, and he and another student have to complete their microgravity project thing to take along with them to test when they go in a few days. We're all pretty excited for him. It's awesome to have a genius "little" brother, but not easy, lol. I remember when I used to be able to beat him at everything. Well, I guess I've had my day in the sun. Still, I'd swap something NASA-level for sibling arm-wrestling champ any day! I guess sibling rivalry is a good thing if it spurs you on to new heights right? I'd better get busy writing that future-classic, best selling novel.

News

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE52B5L120090312?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews&rpc=69

Funny. Dead guy forgot to pay his TV bill before its invention. Giggle.

Irreverently Funny

For anyone who isn't aware, the very lovely Robert Pattinson played both Cedric Diggory from Harry Potter, and the vampire Edward Cullen in Twilight. The backstory that you need here is that Cullen was turned into a vampire in order to save his life as he lay dying in a hospital bed.

So Kaia and I are watching Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It's nearly over, Harry and Cedric have been transported into a graveyard where they are confronted by He Who Shall Not Be Named himself, who very promptly has Cedric killed by one of his evil minions (who used to be Ron's pet rat. I love it!). Harry defeats HWSNBN momentarily enough to rush back to the portkey with Cedric's body, and get back to Hogwarts. Very shortly after they appear seemingly out of thin air, everyone begins to realize that something is terribly wrong, and Cedric's father rushes out of the crowd to embrace his dead son. It's a very moving scene, and I am -this- close to tears, when all of a sudden, a brilliant idea comes into my head. I shout at the tv screen, "Quick, turn him into a vampire and save him!" And burst out into gales of laughter that are completely innapropriate for the scene which is unfolding. I am a bad, bad person.

Sunday Morning Musings

I realize that it's not Sunday morning anymore, but the thought occurred to me while it still was. The Gospel reading this morning in church was about the Transfiguration, where it says Moses and Elijah came down from Heaven to converse with Jesus on the mountain, and then Jesus tells the disciples not to tell anyone about it until after he had risen. There's a gap in the story though. Has anyone else ever wondered exactly what it was that he and Moses and Elijah were talking about up there??

When it all falls apart, I swear I will leave. I don't know the where or the how, but I know the why. There's really only one reason I've been able to stay here this long. And when that's gone, I'm finding a new career.