So, first I must say that this past week I've been sick as a dog. woof woof. No, it's not H1N1 or the seasonal flu (no persistent high fever, dry hacking cough or body aches), but some respiratory infection affecting my lungs, sinuses, and even ears. I even got a "Man, you look awful!" comment from coworkers on Friday. Certainly not feeling my best
But this Sunday morning was the 5K walk/race for the Cure for Komen MD. Thanks to my many wonderful supporters I raised $1000, which has me pretty surprised and very grateful. So I was torn between being committed to the walk and not wanting to kill myself in the rainy and windy cold weather forecast for the walk. Our instigator Tara brought up the idea of doing the walk in the Columbia Mall instead, which would satisfy the 5K portion of the walk and leave out both the wonderful large group solidarity and the nasty weather. After weighing our options, we decided this was the best path for us.

I am sorry to my contributors and hope they won't mind, but this morning instead of heading to Hunt Valley we headed to the Mall at Columbia and did 5 laps around the mall, with very little window shopping along the way. I found a free pedometer app for the iPhone that counted a lap as .75 of a mile, thus we did ~3.75 miles with taking the stairs (for a change of view) to change floors twice during the walk. We wore our shirts, kept to a good pace, and even saw another set of ladies in their walk shirts doing the same thing. We talked about friends, about cancer being the number one killer in dogs now, treatments, options, and quality of life. It was not what I was hoping for, but it was wonderful just the same doing good with amazing friends. I even remembered to grab my red, gold and black arm band for Courtney from Pennsic to wear in her honor.



Posing by a nice window display


My faithful walking partners.

I do hope to do it again next year depending on the schedule, and will hope for both better health and better weather.

So, looking for a bit of inspiration and also looking forward to next Fall and the Jacket Study Tour, here are some links for some of the items on the agenda.

V&A item number T.228-1994, also known as the Laton Jacket. http://collections.vam.ac.uk/objectid/O11095

V&A item number 1359-1900, the jacket that provided the embroidery pattern. http://collections.vam.ac.uk/objectid/O15345

The description mentions a third jacket, so I wonder which of these jackets that may be:

• T.4-1935 1620’s embroidered jacket: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/objectid/O110094 -unlikely since it is all black with speckle stitches for shading
• T.259-1926 1620-1640 jacket part: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/objectid/O115757 -unlikely since it is just a portion, but easier to see the back
• 173-1869 1600-1625 embroidered jacket: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/objectid/O115772 -unlikely since it is on a silk ground instead of linen
• T.70-2004 1630-40 embroidered jacket: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/objectid/O101730 -unlikely since it is monochrome and a different aesthetic.
• T.106:1 to 4-2003 1600-1620 jacket parts: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/objectid/O86509 -this one would be cool to see in its pieces and fits the right category.
• 919-1873 1600-1625 jacket: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/objectid/O80226 -I'd love to see this one, but wonder if the loose fit will rule it out.
• Obviously I'd love to see T.124-1938 1630s embroidered jacket: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/objectid/O110107 and T.843-1974 1630-39 embroidered w/wool jacket: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/objectid/O115768 but guess the monochrome and wool embroidery will rule them out as well.

http://www.goldenthreads.co.uk/ Golden Threads in the UK is the company that applies the gilt to the Gilt Sylke Twist threads for Access Commodities. I'm assuming this is manufacturer for the behind the scenes tour.

Embroidered Jacket in the Manchester City Galleries- 1610-1620, Accession Number: 2001.131, entirely in grapevines

The Museum of Costume in Bath, with two embroidered jackets, and their Stuart glove collection, though I can only find some of the gloves online. But Elizabethan Costume site says it has these shirts/shifts as well as a lovely jacket with ribbon closures on the front. Regardless of what they have online or not, it certainly looks like a drool-worthy experience.

Royal School of Embroidery in Hampton Court, to see a modern embroidery workshop, and view the large workroom and their collection of textiles as well.

http://www.embroiderersguild.com/collection/index.php  Embroiderer's Guild in the UK, owners of the similar patterned panel from the same workshop as the V&A jacket the embroidery pattern was taken from.


This exercise makes me really appreciate those museums like the MFA, V&A, LACMA, etc. who do put massive amounts of their collections online. Also, a part of me likes a full day at the V&A, and a part of me thinks, only a day?

Okay, first of all, big thanks to all my supporters and those who are supporting others. I get a little welled up each time I get the notice that a donation has been made. Y'all are the best.

Second of all, I tossed Thuggs with Juggs in at the last moment not really being serious about using it as a team name. Apparently you guys like it. FREAKS! I'll have to put it to the rest of the team, but I just don't see Tara or Deb as very thug-like. Otherwise the PowerPink Girls are in a distant second, which does give us a pink name, so I heartily approve. Again, subject to team approval... The suggestion involving the word Udderly has been stricken from the books, but not my memory, as I ain't nobody's moo cow.

Currently The Rack Pack has a slim lead in the poll for the favorite existing team name. I'm surprised that Tits 'n Giggles didn't get more votes as that was the one that had me snorting with laughter. Ah well.

You can still take the Team Name poll if you haven't already.

So thanks to Tara for the suggestion, I've made the commitment to walk 5K for the Race for the Cure on October 18th. I'll be on a team with Tara/Aryanna, Deb/Siobhan, and hopefully Beth/Keilyn and possibly others. With all that has happened this year, I can't not, and it'll be far more fun with friends.

You can go to my page and make a donation if you want to help. I'd really appreciate it. Please note that since this is for Komen MD, that 25% of the funds will go to research, and up to 75% of the funds will stay in Maryland to help ladies affected here. If you want to support someone walking the 3-Day, Tamma is walking 60 miles in 3 days starting on Oct. 30th in Tampa.

But obviously if we're going to do this team thing, we need a clever name. And that's another place you get to help.

Poll #1461249 5K KomenMD Team Name
This poll is closed.
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 29

Which possible team name do you like best?

Of these already existing teams, which name do you appreciate the most?

Got a clever (not crass) suggestion for us?

I think I might need to make a donation to the team whose name gets the highest percentage of votes from the poll as being the funniest/most appreciated. Some of them are just so darn funny, and sometimes if you have to laugh.

Though I mentioned it in passing, and I've done updates on Facebook, I haven't done a true accounting on Ladybug's injuries here.
( FrankenBug )

So, that is the adventures of our silly Ladybug of late. I joked with Alan about just shaving down both of her sides to give her a mohawk, but have so far resisted such temptation. She'll heal well enough, and both wounds look clean and are closing up surely. Now we must wade through the silly ideas of dressing her in chainmaile and foam padding, and hope she keeps the rest of her sides tear-free for a little while more.

Happy Anniversary Sweetheart! I love you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately I only got Alan a dinged fender:

Courtesy of the Death-wish Doe that Kirsten and I "met" on Saturday night.

Car continues to run fine, and was dropped off at an express claim and repair service this morning for evaluation and repairs. Kirsten and I are fine, and though we've been wondering if someone is trying to tell us a Crown Vic isn't the right car for us, one of Alan's co-workers pointed out that we may have damaged cars, but no personal injury claims were necessary. I confess I was quite proud of being able to plow through a deer at 60 MPH and still run just fine and get us safely home does make me very grateful to Serenity.

acronyms aplenty, I must have been near a government facility.

theodorad  was kind enough to host us at the SDO Friends and Family event this evening at Goddard. It was so much fun, and very educational. We got to see SDO in the clean room, and they even had the back panel open so we could see the propulsion system, and some of the other important bits like the little adjuster wheels (every action produces and equal and opposite reaction, blah blah), the AIA telescopes off the top and one of the high gain antennae. We also got to visit the cage of poor Triana, sitting and waiting for some unknown fate. She showed us the Thermal Vac Chamber (the outside of it obviously, since inside was the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter being tested), as well as the acoustic test chamber with the insanely thick and yet not thick enough walls. We also were able to meet some of her co-workers and attend a talk by one of the scientists talking about the plans for SDO, the instruments that it will host, the data they will receive and what they hope to do with the data. The three instruments are EVE (Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment- measuring extreme ultraviolet irradiance [it must be screaming UV]), AIA (Atmospheric Imaging Assembly- getting HD images of various layers within the sun) and HMI (Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager- to study and understand the magnetic activity of the sun.) This should advance and build on the knowledge gathered from SOHO.

Okay, so it was very sciency, and Shequey was in space-geek heaven, and I retained at least 10% of the information spewed at me (I hope) and just basked in the shared glow of Theo's accomplishment. It was a pretty darn awesome evening.

Kynny and Tonwen took pictures with their fancy uber camera, and I took a bunch with my silly little digital clicker. I'll leave the thousand words for later, and just give you the pictures for now...

Kynny's Florida Pictures
Jen's Sailing Pictures

Sailing monkeys haz returned home.
Sailing monkeys are sunburned in spots; some more, some less.
Sailing monkeys had uber fun time sailing.
Sailing monkeys haz lots of funneez picshures of sailing.
Sailing monkeys ate lots of yummilicious foodz.
Sailing monkeys bought lots of pretty pottery at Glades Pottery private opening.
Sailing monkeys had delayed flight home due to weatherz, so not in bed before midnight.

This sailing monkey is sore, burnt and tired.

Sleep sailing monkeys, sleep.

I think the joke is on me. I could have sworn that I slept fine last night. I even overslept this morning by more than a fair bit. But alas, my body still thinks it needs 8 more hours of sleep given the uncontrollable yawning I've been participating in this morning.
mnyah mnyah... yaaaawwn.

So I completely forgot to mention the wittle mousie party crasher we had on Saturday. And I completely regret that I didn't take a picture of her clutched in attack_laurel's claws before she was set free in the park. Stupid stupid Gen.

I have a long and sordid relationship with hair dye. For those who have known me a long time, this is no surprise.
I've cut back drastically in the past few years for two reasons. 1) despite my love of hair dye, I hate having to maintain roots, and 2) I've been trying to keep my hair healthier for the Locks of Love donations.

Catherine, Tammy and I flew up to Providence on Wednesday night, picked up our rental car and drove to the hotel to hang out and chat a bit before snuggling into bed.

Thursday morning dawned nice and early and we got up, moving, and had yummy waffles for breakfast before getting on the road to be there close to the 10am opening of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Sadly I neglected to have a good Boston map on me and the GoogleMaps directions were confusing so trying to Zen drive my way back to the hotel was a hopeless failure. First I headed one way on Massachusetts Ave only to say it feels wrong and to turn around for a very very long way back to the hotel. Sigh. Yes, I was headed the right way to begin with. But we did get to drive through some cute neighborhoods, past Harvard, Cambridge, and finally gave up to ask for directions from folks who were equally lost, to then ask a very nice homeless lady who gave me great directions (so I gave her a $5) and we got to drive past Tufts University before finally making it back to I-93 and eventually to our hotel. At least we were sitting down for the drive. And then, I had to choose what I hoped would be the quieter of two restaurants only to choose the one with good food and really really bad karaoke. 
I.... did it MYyyyy waaaaayyyyy......  and we really wish he hadn't.

The ultimate lesson is; wear comfy shoes to museums, take a good map when driving in unfamiliar territory, if you do venture forth without a map-happily enjoy the view, don't let Gen pick the restaurant, and contact the museum well in advance to see the hidden collections items because it is truly worth it.