When I woke this morning all I could think of is that I need to figure out some stretches or yoga specifically to counteract the head/neck/shoulder stiffness created from my embroidery. I already do weekly chiropractor visits for maintenance, but when working with the frame while sitting on the couch watching TV I'd need an adjustment each night before bed. I'm obviously addicted to this project, so I need to look into ways to make the going easier for the remaining 1000 hours or so this will likely take. (okay, I hope I speed up some over time, but that's a conservative estimate.)

So I've been thinking of Google searches to run. Stitcher's stretches? Yoga for Needlework? A quick search brought up this link for How Yoga Helps Stitchers, which deserves a closer look, but not much else. It is the hunching over of the back, but then the drawing back of the shoulders to hold the frame up that is a battle. We even joked at the Plimoth jacket stitching sessions that we needed mandatory yoga/stretch breaks because it was so easy to get engrossed and forget to pause and stretch.

And then I check my email and see this in my inbox from Blue Heron Wellness, the place I go for acupuncture:


Boy, doesn't that sound like just the thing? It's like seeing the Grail shaped beacon.

But, I was planning to make an appearance at the Tournament of the Lily on Saturday. And then I see the cold rain at my window. But it should be mostly dry by then. And still likely muddy. It's not like I've made anything special for the event, nor was I planning to attend feast. Alan's committed to going for the rapier portion, but that means he'd be on another separate field from the pomp, etc.

Poll #1484923 Yoga-Lily
This poll is closed.
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: None, participants: 25

So, on Saturday, should I?

This is randomly my calendar image for November.

( priority setting fail... )
So, what should the priorities be? Embroidery? Cleaning? Laundry? New Shoes? I need to tend to them all, but the embroidery is the most enjoyable and lazy-like on the list.

My ankle is feeling much better after spending all day yesterday wrapped. Of course now my knee on that leg is feeling all twingey, usually only when I hyper-extend it, which I either do all the time or am doing it more lately. grumble. Seems like I need to wrap it when I get home. My right wrist is also a bit sore, but I'm going to blame that on the excessive mousing I had to do today for start of the semester checks. Maybe it's all psychosomatic after reading the article on ibuprofen and trying to avoid it except when necessary. I don't seem to have tummy problems, but man do I seem to have immune problems. Sinus infections/colds are to me like moths are to flames. grumble. (Though on the whole less so since my May move to another building at work. I always thought the air system on campus would be the death of me, although this one is very loud.)

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Anyway, for the past two nights I've sat beside my latest embroidery nibble (Thanks for that term Tricia W.) and not managed to pick it up. I've been on the computer running down the battery working online on stuff until far too late leaving no time to play with needle and thread. (I'm sure the needy pup nudging my elbow with the super soft ears and big brown eyes has nothing to do with my lack of stitching.) I vow tonight to at least outline one more area, darn it!

I also noticed that while I posted a note back in January looking at heathered silks on extant pieces, and my experiments with creating my own custom silks, and promised to post further about more experiments with only 2-ply of the Soie Perlee, AND that I did experiment with creating 3 2-ply threads from 2 3-ply threads with the leaf on isenglass 's pincushion, I hadn't really taken notes on that.  (Update: I had mentioned it briefly in this entry, but completely forgot about it.)

Making 3 2-ply threads from 2 3-ply threads was tougher than creating 2 3-ply threads with a 2:1 color ratio. They wanted to tangle much more, the twist wasn't always as even, and I really lost a bit to the loose ends at the beginning and end of the new threads. So trying to create them from pre-twisted silks was more headache inducing than I had hoped, but it was possible. It would likely be better to twist them directly from the filament like Tricia Wilson does in the first blog entry on the subject. But I do think it gave a finish that is closer to the extant pieces. If you view the original size (2816 x 2112) of the embroidery you can more easily compare the relative sizes of the threads in use, and the heathered 2-ply thread is closer to the GST in thickness than the almost super fluffy 3-ply. (You can also see every stitch, all my mistakes, and that I needed a much higher count linen. Man that was a good focus.) I should really do some side by side comparisons, and try to bring them together with some of the images I have of extant stuff to check out the relative thickness of the Soie Perlee to what is often found in use in period. It is likely that the Soie Gobelins is a better fit for this type of work. I think I have some in pink and gold, so perhaps yet another test/comparison is in order. So many experiments, so little time.

Today was a bit tough, and certainly cemented my plan for the evening. Sitting through an afternoon meeting with a killer headache (despite Excedrin) was not fun.

So this evening I had a hair appointment for 5pm, but since I was running late leaving the office, I called to let them know I wasn't going to be on time, so I got my appointment switched to 7pm. This way I got to come home, chill with the Bug on the patio, ice my brain, and then mosey on to my later appointment time. I got my hair washed, cut and styled, and then I went shoe shopping at DSW (picking up a cute pair of sandals and a shiny pair of flats), treat shopping at PetSmart, picked up Lamb Pasanda from Akbar's Indian Restaurant, and came home to eat yummy food and watch Project Runway. A tough day deserves an evening of some pampering, right?
( pictures follow )

Who would have thought that the high tree pollen count would be more of a detterent to walking the pup than say the icy streets of winter or the pouring rain? I'll take an umbrella and golloshes over not being able to breathe after the walk. The past two evenings I've used a bandanna over my nose and mouth during the walk to help keep down the pollen from entering my system through breathing. It's not foolproof, but it helps. Yes, I realize that a good dust mask would likely be more effective, but the bandanna is easily located. I forgot it this morning and suffered a very scratchy throat and irritated eyes. Of course the bandanna does nothing for the irritated eyes, and I joked with Mom on the phone last night that I should wear swim goggles while walking outside.
Therefore I believe I have 4 possible paths to follow:

1. I could make a Steampunk walking outfit so the gas mask or goggles and bandanna look a bit less out of place. I'm thinking one of the adventurere outfits with tall boots, jodpher like pants, wide belt, white shirt, jacket, goggles and mask. It might be a bit extreme for walking the dog twice a day, but darn stylish, right?

2. I need to acquire one of those nice large Victorian straw hats and make a bee-like veil, only using HEPA filter material. I could make a couple of flowy day dresses to wear with a vintage looking beekeepers hat and be exceptional stylish during the walks, and far less likely to fog up as well.

3. Suck it up and take more drugs/eyedrops more often.

4. Pray that the pollen season is over soon, at least the stuff that bothers me. Stupid nature.

I know, I need to appropriate this set of TankGirl's headgear:


bleargh.

Otherwise I had a lovely weekend locked safe in my bubble of purified air in the house. I did some embroidery, and playing with a new wiki on the computer, not to mention the well deserved nap, and lots of tissues in use thanks to the few times I ventured outside into the cruel pollinated world.

Hooray rain, at least for now.

Looking forward to a girls weekend in NYC this weekend. Blessed with the fine company of stringmonkey , attack_laurel  and terrshee  we will have a fun time looking at three floors of 16th and 17th cent embroideries, other exhibits in the Met, and get into some good food. I'll miss my Alan and the pup, but at least he won't be burdened by me taking my time at an exhibit that he has no interest in. I hear there is also a cool exhibit at the Met of items from ancient Babylonia. Frankly I'd also just like to see more of the massive Met.

I've also got two days off capping the weekend making it four days total, which gives me tomorrow to run errands and play with the pup, and Monday to recover. I should also really wash my fabric for my costume for Bob's party, and get started on construction.

Sadly my brain is full of snot, so not I'm not very interesting. Oddly enough, though my head is stuffed including my ears, my sense of smell is heightened. The smell of mulch going into and leaving work was almost overwhelming. I could smell perfume when no one was around, and the chair my boss was sitting in after she left the room. And man is the pup smelling houndy.ugh. I'd like to go back to normal soon please. I do not want a heightened sense of smell on the train or subway in New York.

Monday was acupuncture appointment and dog training, which went relatively well.

Tuesday night was spent crashed out on the sofa hoping resurgence of cold symptoms was hysteria instead.

Wednesday was doctor appointments for the pup and myself. First I had an AM appt. for more antibiotics, and then to the pharmacy for stuff and home to crash on couch. I also had pain in my left forearm, so I medicated with the IBU and slapped on a Thermacare heat pack to it. Then Ladybug had her first vet appt. (with us as the owners) which also went pretty smoothly. She unfortunately weighed in at 50lbs, so the next dog food purchase will be weight control stuff. I also got 3 months of Frontline and a year of heartworm preventative. Since she hadn't been checked for heartworms (despite the preventative) the tech drew some blood to test her for that as well. Of course Ladybug proved to be a big baby at having blood drawn, so I had to pull her up into my lap and clamp her tight snuggle her close so the tech could access her rear leg for the draw. But she got treats, and was otherwise fairly well behaved. After we came home, she ran around in the backyard, then I took her for her walk and gave her dinner, and I crashed out on the couch until 8pm.

Today I am back in the office, but feeling fairly cruddy, so might bail soon. The brown couch of insane coziness is calling. I also should make a grocery run, and need to do laundry tonight since I'm low on clean undies. (It would be bad to just run by Target and pick up new ones...)

Tomorrow is making a chiro visit, packing the truck, delivering la'Bug to boarding, and getting on the road to Ymir. Please cold-like-thingie-, abate by tomorrow.

Last night was an interesting exercise in sleep. I couldn't sleep on my right side due to the bruise/pain in my right hip. I couldn't sleep on my left side due to the pain in my shoulder. So I had to sleep on my back, which meant putting a pillow under my knees to keep the hips and knees from hurting too much, as well as wearing the wrist braces mainly to prop up the arms right. Despite all this prep and a double dose of Flexeril, I was having muscle spams and still couldn't sleep. So I got up, trimmed my nails and found an expired Hydrocodone tablet, which did eventually conk me out, though gave me strange dreams.

This morning it was understandably tough to get up. urgh. But I did get up and took the pup on her morning walk, if slowly. She was blissfully well-behaved perhaps sensing either my distress or knowing that f#@king with me was not going to be tolerated at all. Still achy, but now instead of an overall body ache, I have targeted area aches. Right hip (joint and on side/back which was my first point of contact), right side/back at the lower ribs, between my shoulder blades, palms and elbows (from the attempt at a catch), ankles are crunchy and my left knee aches for some reason. I feel like Quasimodo when I walk, and have to stretch a minute before going from sitting to walking.

Neighbors of the unkept sidewalks have not met my wrath- we went the other direction this morning with our walk, and Alan was nice enough to walk the pup once he got home last night.

It is times like these that I wish for Clare's healing powers.
whine, whine, bitch, complain...

I find an icy patch on our morning walk, cleverly disguised by a dusting of snow, which sends me flying off my feet onto my butt and palms of my hands.

ouch.

The good thing is that Ladybug came to check on me, nothing is broken, and we were able to complete the walk- if slowly.
sigh.

I went to the chiropractor this morning before work making me late, and will likely need to go again on Friday.
Of course my left shoulder was already sore from correcting LB on her defiance on our walks, and now I've made a sling out of my scarf to take weight off that shoulder. Neck and back are nice and sore from the impact of the fall. I think I need to bail early to go home and flexeril myself into oblivion.

Can I get a do-over for the past week?

*I've had nasty thoughts about giving gifts of Ice Melt to those in the neighborhood who have failed to clear and maintain the safety of the sidewalks (which, I hate to say it, is part of our homeowner's association covenants) along with a copy of that portion of the rules highlighted. I actually did take pictures of the place I fell, if only to show the chiropractor/my boss the scene of the accident if needed. I'm did think for .2 seconds about suing the idiots who didn't clear their walks, but that's a whole lot of bluster really. What I might do is sprinkle the sidewalk I prefer to use instead of the street with some traffic with some of our Ice Melt to make it safer for me.

sigh.

Had a very low-key weekend. Spent most of it sleeping on the couch with the pup curled up napping on the old fleece bathrobe on the floor near my feet. She now has a fluffy new doggie bed, courtesy of an afternoon Costco visit and $20, that she seems to like so far. The couch and I bonded nicely with an additional 5 hours of naps during the days on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and regretfully Monday as well. I think I got almost as much sleep as the dog gets during a 24 hour period. I am feeling better, though still not 100%, still tired, a bit achy, and throat is sore, those less so most of the time. Hopefully the antibiotics will do their job effectively soon. please.

Sore joints, ears, throat, and a cough.
Have Dr. appt later this morning.
Snuggled in fleece, but 'Bug wants to play.
Frozen wasteland outside.
I think I need some hot tea.

Alan talked to his Mom last night. She seems to be doing well, considering, and is already doing PT for her new hip. Apparently she needs to remember to take the vicodin before the PT, but other than that and her annoyance at having to sleep on her back, she is doing well.

He had actually brought up to his older brother about the couch and seating in her apartment in general, and while David capitulated that she's had trouble getting up from any seating, but the old soft low couch likely doesn't help. They both agreed that bringing in professionals to inspect her home environment is a good idea. And when Alan talked to his mom he brought up the softness of the couch to her and our concerns, and she admitted that she had moved a better/higher seat, which she padded out, for her recent TV viewing and reading, which means she is aware of the problem and its effects on her health. So with any luck, once she is mobile and recovered, there might be a new couch in her future, which would be wonderful and a nice relief off my mind.

Apparently she was also complaining that one guy who had the same surgery as her on the same day was up and moving on a walker the next day, and she admitted to being a bit confused and jealous. Then she said that it probably helped that he was 30 years younger than her. You think? She's so funny.

Thanks guys for your help, especially Leofwynne who's wording I forwarded to Alan in an email to give him a push and talking points.

stolen from baskervylle :
When you see this, post a BlackAdder quote in your lj.

"First I'm gonna have a little drinkie, and then I'm gonna execute the whole bloody lot of you!"

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I sent Alan off to Mousehole by himself, and he should be at theblueleader 's by now, or soon.

After a long tedious sniffly coughy fairly exhausting day, not to mention the unexplainable intestinal distress at 3am, and a short nap, I decided to stay home, keep my germs away from my friends, keep myself inside and out of the weather, and away from the fire smoke. I know I could probably sleep in and come to the site late, could retreat inside if needed, and I know I'd have fun visiting with friends, but I'm not very good at taking care of myself in social situations. And I still haven't worn my finished hand-sewn shift. *pout* but I think I'm doing the responsible thing by staying home, sleeping in, and trying to take care of myself.

*yawn* Chicken soup in belly, bed is calling...

Have not seen a return of the Blue Heron. Hopefully it was just a fluke and we won't really have to worry about them until Winter. Then I took a closer look at the fish when feeding them last night, and man are they huge. I need to lay the yardstick on the edge of the pond and try to catch them on film at feeding time some time. That puny heron wouldn't have stood a chance. :)

My tootsies are feeling better now. Blisters have gone away, although I did sink to wearing flip flops for the foamy cushiony goodness on Tuesday. My legs are feeling better, especially the outsides of my ankles/calves that I strained from walking funny on Monday to avoid walking on my blisters. That was stoopid. Heating pad and rest helped.

Still need to finish the little sample embroidery. I'm stuck on what to do for the vine given the materials I have on hand. Do I compromise and just use the Isabella in the Ceylon stitch for the vine? Do I dig out the gold from a kit we got from Tricia back in June '07? Do I try that gold in the ceylon, or dig up plaited braid instructions? Do I break down and order the sanctioned plaited braid instructions online? sigh...

I haven't been to an event since Pennsic and am lacking in motivation for Lochmere this weekend, though it will be fun and wonderful once there. Totally dayu-tripping it. BTW, is anyone booked to crash with us that I forgot about? We think the bedrooms are not booked for the weekend.

So, contrary to my statement to finish those unfinished projects before starting something new, I've buckled. After our last Plimoth session, and the acquisition of more GST colors, I was inspired to embroider a little sample to both show off the colors and sparkle. I took inspiration and tracings from Extreme Patterns' Arabella coif pattern, and designed a little 3x3" (which I reduced to a 2x2") pin cushion of folded pansies, a thistle bud, a "plain" worm and a bee (from a nightcap in the MFA). The worm is done, and I can't wait to try the bee with the black GST. Drew it out on Wednesday, played a bit with the embroidery this week and weekend and hope to finish it up soon. I think it's very cute. Will post in progress pictures when complete.

Sunday Alan and I decided to take a nice walk in the pleasant weather. We saw chipmunks, squirrels, a bunny, and more than a few deer. One deer crossed the path slowly and disappeared into the woods, but then we saw practically a herd of deer (5?) in the woods by a stream drinking and nibbling on grass. They were all very cute, and I told them to stay in the woods and off the roads, but a bit too tame. As we moved on down the path, I said to Alan in my best Marissa Tomei accent, "So, you're a dee-ah..."

Sadly the walk was longer than I had planned and I wasn't wearing the best shoes. Our little half hour walk ended up being over an hour over more hilly terrain, and I was able to discover exactly how out of shape I am. Now my hips/quads are very sore, so I've been stretching them periodically. And my feet have a few blisters on the balls of my feet. Thank goodness for my Dearfoam slippers so I can mosey about the house in relative comfort. Man, work shoes were murder today, and I was even wearing Naturlizer flats. sigh.

To top it off, this morning I wake up to a Blue Heron in our backyard. dammit. It looked to be immature, smaller and speckled on the breast, but took a few tries to chase away. First I just opened the sliding glass door, then I had to actually yell at it, and finally I had to yell and clap from the bathroom window. Stupid bird. I thought of digging out the bird netting, but couldn't be late, so I just added some more water to the pond to give the fish room to maneuver and was vigilant as I was getting ready for work. I didn't see it about on nearby roofs or anywhere when I left. I'm hoping that if the heron did try for the pond that Bubba and the other big fish bitchslapped it into next spring.

I was feeling so poorly that I blew off heading down to Danville, VA for a weekend of family and family-friends. First I tried to go to bed early in hopes of getting up early and getting on the road. Yeah, not really. I did sleep for 11 hours though. I took a nap on Saturday and skipped Violence and BBQ up at the Toscano's in lieu of bonding with the couch, napping more, watching random movies on TV (Enchanted, Happily N'Ever After, Gridiron Gang, last part of To Wong Foo...) and in general just being a bum. I slept another 11 hours on Saturday night, and did more of the same on Sunday. The list of things I accomplished is pitifully small; ironing Alan's clean falling bands, finishing the conversion of an old skirt from back closure to front closure, tidying up a bit in the den, putting shoes away from Pennsic, a nice soaking bath. Terrible really.

The non-sucky parts of the weekend were having Kirsten-company for those portions of Friday night and Sat morning that I was awake, getting rid of the KWAR2005 t-shirts that were languishing in my basement, snuggling with my sweetie, and a cool dream that left me with a vivid image.

First of all, I'm not a terribly visual person. It's mostly helpful in that all the gross commentary etc doesn't bother me one  bit, and gross imagry doesn't stick in my brain. So when I get a visual, it's pretty rare, and pretty strong. The one thing I clearly remember from the dream (aside from trying to fill out scrolls in peace, directing folks to court and no one believing me, and dealing with piles of pillows and cloaks) is that Isobel was in Viking. She wasn't just in a T-tunic meeting the spirit of the day, attack_laurel was in an ivory pleated silk underdress (Birka style) with a fitted red wool apron on with lovely embroidery, brooches and tasteful jewelry. She was striking and lovely and perfectly period and it is now seared in my brain. Y'know, perhaps I was thinking of lisettelaroux instead. Someone, get pictures or Lisette at Coronation, please.

So, a chat on the phone with Dr. Mom says my ick sounds like allergies. Allergies?!?! That's some pretty severe allergies. sigh. Perhaps I need a DR appt tomorrow.
hack- cough

came home yesterday and took an hour and a half nap on the couch...

applesauce/chicken noodle soup/vanilla ice cream for snack/dinner/dessert...

sore throat, fever, fatigue, cough...

symptoms point to a post-Pennsic cold or something (or a continuation of the pre-Pennsic cold)

The sure sign?
My doctor is on vacation and his back-up can't see me until tomorrow at noon.

I think I'm guarranteed to get sick when my doc is out of town.

So many project ideas swirling in my head, so little energy, and a need to finish current unfinished projects before I start some new ones.

yawn.

Had hoped to head back to war tonight. Am sick instead. I napped for 3 hours after work and am not far from bed at the moment. Feverish, cough, sniffles, etc.  I hope to get on the road back to Pennsic tomorrow morning, but still need to pack garb, accessories, coolers, etc. At least I only need to attach the buttons to the new pink Roman tunica for Monday wear. It makes me smile.

One good thing about not being at war this week is the ability to watch Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. chomp.

Hope to see folks at the War, and online when I return.