Averygoodun's Personal File

On the plus side, I have mainly avoided doing any kitchen duty today. I did roast the hubbard squash that had been sitting on our ledge for a couple weeks, but even there, I got Geoff to do the hard work of chopping it in half.

On the down side, my avoiding kitchen duty (by doing (almost) all the laundry, go me) means the kitchen is now a pit, and the only food made is the squash.

Geoff's been out all day helping a friend move. I assume that's what he's still doing, anyway (it's been nine hours).

On the up side, I did get another segment done on Niece's Christmas present. On the down side, I broke the skull I made yesterday. I s'pose I could still use it, but I think it gives off bad juju now, which is not what I'm aiming for.

Let's see... is there another upside to end on? Well, besides the fact that I have an entertaining book to read while waiting for the laundry to advance? Um... I organized my closet! And managed to pilfer a full bag's worth of shirts and sweaters that Page will never wear from his drawers without his noticing (and therefore objecting). His clothes plus mine equal a fair amount to charity and consignment shop (where, if they're either rejected or not sold, they end up being given to the needy anyway).

I made a couple of hard decisions with my clothes, but I'm choosing to think of it as making room for the new (and hopefully better). Eventually.

Ah. Just got a call from Geoff, and they're on the last load. He sounds wiped. I imagine he's going to be feeling it for a while. Just in time for another business trip, too.

Ach well. I should go start tackling the kitchen. Just to present a somewhat less down-heartening welcome to the tired and weary soldier, ya know.

Cheers.

http://pinterest.com/pin/78601955966086966/

Day 2: Clothes you wore today.

( Plain Jane (very little gimping) shot )

( The gimped out alternate shot :-) )

This is fun!

That 'to do' list? Yeah. I will get around to it. After I post this.

So, I went ahead and bought the clogs. Yes, in purple. :-) I hope they're the right size. I really hope they're the right size! I snooped around and I think they will be, but... *wibbles*

I did not buy the Hush Puppies replacement for my black loafers, however, since I wasn't quite sure what size I needed. Current ones are supposedly half a size larger than I normally take, but they were bought at a discount/irreg/odd lot store, so they might have been mislabeled.

Ah well. If I had thought to look up hush puppies when I was snoop shopping last night... but I didn't.

( Speaking of last night... Here's the story behind the pics to follow )

( The Pics )

Would you wear this down (or medium-loft insulation) coat?

( Or am I the only one? (sketchy sketch sketch) )

Of course, if I could get this coat made with warm enough grade thinsulate without ruining the drape, I think it would be worth the tailor fees.

Of course, I'd have to invest in really warm, fashionable (and winterproof) boots to go along with it. My current hiking boots would not go... Not even if the coat were brown.


Oh, and I've revamped the Art Project of Doom. I almost like it now. I'll photograph it tomorrow when the light is good and the glue is dry. And I decide whether I'm just looking at it with hopeful eyes...

So I went for retail therapy today. A.J. Wright's clearance racks were massive to behold, so I got two skirts and two tops (for under $20). The tops have poofy sleeves. Short, but definitely poofy. They make me smile.

There was one shirt that I considered getting, and had it been a little less snug around the middle, I would have just for the amusement factor alone. When I buttoned it up all the way (to a high, Victorian-esque collar), I felt very much like an anachronistic Anne of Avonlea. That or a Michael Jackson fembot. It was awesome, if very, very silly.

This week has been horrible. The last two weeks have been horrible, really. Not the little stuff, that's been fine and dandy. Just the big, overwhelming pit where my heart used to be is being a bit of a bother.

Sorry. Just watched Labyrinth. Melodrama must have rubbed off on me a bit. I hope it doesn't act like the Bog of Eternal Stench and stick to me for the rest of my life. That would become a bit dreary after a few days.

Anyway, today didn't bring with it the Doom and Gloom I feared it might, so perhaps things will get better eventually. But it's still sucky where I currently sit, even if there is hope for a better future.

Right. Enough of this self-pity. For tonight, anyway. I have to save up some to exploit tomorrow, after all.

Good night, my friends. I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Wow. Today was an active day and a productive one, at that! A bit boring to read about, but it was nice to experience.

( Read more... )

So, busy day. Boring to read, but good.

ETA: But OH, am I going to be sore tomorrow. I'm already feeling it, and, since I'm not asleep yet, I can be sure it'll only be worse tomorrow. Oh well. Hopefully I'll recover more quickly than usual.

I forgot that there is a good side to public speaking (besides the whole character building hogwash): Clothes!

I get to go through my wardrobe to find a 'power outfit', something that will cloak me in my own personal inherent confidence.

And that means playing dress-up! Whee!

Out of curiosity, about how much do/did you spend on your toddler's shoes? (Per pair, that is.) Do you buy brand name? If so, why?

So Geoff is sick. He's come down with a cold that has everyone commenting: "You sound like crap." Especially tragic because Geoff has one of those yummy voices and knows how to use it (most of the time). When he isn't self-conscious.

But that's not what I wanted to write about. No.

( I went shopping today, but this isn't really about that, either. )


Oh, and PS: The leaves are starting to turn already. The burning bushes up north were a glorious fuchia. Beautiful!

Um, how do you adjust pants? I need to take in the waist a bit (the hips fit perfectly, thank goodness), and I'm not quite sure how, though my thinking is to take in the side seams a fraction, and, if that isn't enough, enlarge the back darts as well. I don't really want to increase the darts, though, because I think that'll skew the shape and make it pucker more noticeably.

Yes, I will be playing around with it myself (after all, what I'm working on right now is just the muslin draft), but any advice you can offer would be appreciated.

Already I know that I have to shorten it quite a bit. Bah. But... better to be wasting thread re-sewing this together (and I think I've re-sewn it 3 times already!) than to waste the fabric.

And oooh, do I have some nice fabric for these pants.


So, anyway, that's what's been occupying most of my mind lately. The exchange has been another part, and my lousy, lousy drawing has been yet another. Really, I should post this particular drawing as an example of why not to draw without the muse. I haven't drawn something so out of proportion and... stiff for a decade! Well, drawn and considered it good. I'm trying to make something out of it, but I don't know if I'll be able to. It's an illustration from the last posted chapter of SMHC... and if I can't even illustrate my own piece, my chances of illustrating professionally are pretty slim.

I will say that I got Snape and Hermione's faces and expressions (and Snape's hair!) to just about how I picture them in my mind. Just not their pose. :P

Oh, and speaking of getting hair right, Geoff just came home, and he finally, finally, finally got a hair cut! He's not shaggy anymore, but shaggable! Yay. (I'm not critical of other's appearances... except for hair. I'm not picky about the style as long as it suits the person (ironic, really, as I'm lousy at doing my own hair). Geoff's face really, really needs a short 'do, and it's been about 2 inches too long for about 4 months now. Although, looking at him the other night... If he wanted to go for the beach-geek look, he would look pretty damn hot with his hair about 2 inches longer than it was. If we ever move to the tropics, I'll suggest he adopt that look. :D )

Anyway, that's what's up here. Oh, that and I've actually been cooking up a storm. That beet salad with garlic sauce in the Greek recipe post is really, really good (and very garlicky), btw. And I forgot just how good quinoa is, as well. And... well, let's just say I've enjoyed the fruits of my labor. :-)

Oh, and an aside... the hematite has been working wonders in regulating my mood. I don't know if it's just grounding me, or if it is warding off others' energies, but I have been on an extraordinarily even keel since I started wearing it. Yay! Still tired, and occasionally fed-up, but no extreme reactions one way or the other.  It's like natural valium, without the side effects!