It's My Life

Sewing...

9:49 am. I've been sewing since about 9, after calling Mom and sending some emails. Been a productive day so far. This post today will just keep growing as I'm going to keep updating it.

Working on my black overdress. Ready to put in the center and back gores. Now, this is something I've not ever successfully done. Heh. Thought I'd do my own before I did it to Nick's red tunic. Listening to music, fairly well pumped up with determination this is going to get done. I can see my pell from the window...

10:52 am  Took a phone call and only hung up when I realized I was starving! Porkchop and potato now all eaten up, I'm back to sewing.

11:49  <lets out huge breath that I've been holding> The points went in fine... With the lining and it being black fabric, I was so worried. The linen points will be much easier.

1:03 pm  The site walk-through group is on its way to Mower County; I was wanting to do this but made a decision on the side of tasks to do. It's raining, which is why I'm thinking about it. I hope they can dodge the raindrops OK and have a successful review of the two sites. I'm sewing the trim onto my black overdress.

1:37  Technically my black overdress is done except for hand-tacking down the upper edge of the hem's trim, but now I decided I need to lace it up on the sides. I got to do some research though on how best to do this. I'm thinking just a set of eyelet holes on either side and just have someone sew a cording through them when I have it on. Sew me in, as it were. I'm going to get Jacque's black trim on the arms now.

3:11  I spent some time talking to Van about his class and to Lu via IM about the day yesterday and her visit with Yngvar. But Jacque's tunic is done and red thread is now in the machine. Thankfully!! I was going blind.

4:52  I've gabbed a bit via IM and done a few minor things, but Jacques' garb is done. I want to wash it again, though. Get the chalk off and cat hairs.

We are having fish, rice and something veggie for dinner... gonna go poke in the freezer.

5:50 Last bit of dinner prep is going on. I also talked to Anplica about the walk-through; she was very happy about what they found and I think I'll let her tell her own story but I'm happy too. We just had a good visit over the phone, too. If she was on line more, I'd not have to embarrass myself by not recognizing her more formal 'answering the telephone voice' but am confessing here to asking her if she was home when I called. Hehe. I probably had my telephone voice on too.

Vaccumed the sewing room in between projects!! Wow. Van wasn't a bit impressed with me though and I thought he would be. I guess one can never tell...

This may get the prize for the most boring post ever but so be it. LOL. Snapshot of a sorta boring but necessary day, my friends. Maybe tomorrow will be better - and maybe not!

Here I go again....

Yesterday my hands were fine. This morning I wake up with hives again. But since the skin just had a good case, they are coming on that much stronger. omg. I'm not taking the benedryl yet as we have the shire championship today and that stuff really knocks me goofy. But I've also got to be sure I don't let the 'blow-blow-beer' syndrome take affect - mentally knowing I got benedryl waiting for me as soon as I loose my last bout so not fighting as hard as I can and should. A silly mental game I can win.

Going to go finish the peach cobbler I'm making - it's bubbling up now with the starch and juices and ready to go into the pan with the biscuit topping. But man...had to come looking for sympathy...<g>

Panic-Mode Initiated

Dern it all...Belle propelled me into panic mode last night over the garb for Crown. We were discussing Nick's undertunic and adding a gore, and she mentioned she'd read my post about handstitching my own undertunic and wow! With less than a week-and-a-half to go!! But really, I have 15 days. It's going to be OK.

Nick looks good in his garb. I'll get a pic up when we get the leg wraps done and it's all finished. I'm just starting mine but I think it'll be smashing together - he is in red/black and I am in white/black with matching trim.

It's a day of running reports, of doing all these little tasks around here that come up. Nothing major going on but a ton of little stuff. I keep putting together new folders (my task management tool) so I can keep track of everything.

Went out to lunch with the new circulation class - Jill Veerkamp was in the class. She's the new director at Lanesboro Public Library and the older sister of one of Ginny's friends in hs. Good catching up with her.

Carpooled in with Maureen today. She's got the cutest little blue car whose make I'm always forgetting. We get admiring glances from the guys on the road, though, so it must be hot. Had a really nice conversation on the way in and I'm looking forward to the ride home.

Just got handed a new project that is going to be fun and investigative; so reports being ran, I'm getting to it now!

Coffee Strong

Just a quick post while I drink a cup of coffee, before heading to the gym. I woke up at 3:30 with my head full of thoughts, so I laid there for about 45 minutes trying to get back to sleep. Not going to happen. So I'll be in the gym earlier than ever today! Fabric is drying for Van's new doublet, my music and water is ready to go. I just need the rest of this lovely coffee to kick start myself.

The music will do it too. I've honed the workout music down to good set.

I'm mentally kicking myself up to a higher level today. Let me go on record here to say Lyulf is very motivational, even if he doesn't realize that is what he is doing. Rapier was a washout as far as getting to watch people fighting although I really enjoyed the conversation. Then Lyulf and I went out for a bit of talking. It was good. I'm cleaner in my mind about a few things, ready to move onwards. So a good workout today and taking it one day at a time, I'll keep working at improving myself. Getting stronger and more centered in my game. Letting failures of the past be a reminder but not a crutch. He and I still haven't set any goals we both think I should be working towards but lol, I can do that internally. It's just nice to have friends working with me on those goals, you know?

Oh! Real quickly - I am almost moved into my new office. Still gotta get the pictures on the wall but most importantly, I can work. I think it is going to be very good to be back where I can interact more within my own department, hear the hall talk and know what is going on. Sadly, there is no where for my Johnny Depp poster. So I'll have only what...six Depp items around the office? LOL.

I love benedryl

So, to make a long story short, my body is attacking me.

Those chigger bites started my body creating antibodies or something like that, some chemicals, to fight off the chigger spit. And now that they are fading, the chemicals are still being produced and don't have anything to fight. My body is producing its own hives so those chemicals have something to fight and all. My hands are horridly hived up and it's only with sufficient benedryl in my system that I am not tearing my skin off.

The steroids should be kicking in at any time...any time....

I did go to Urgent Care and get diagnosed and yes, pilled.   It is called an ID syndrome like in ego/superego/id. She only gave me five days of pills so I guess it works fast OR if it doesn't respond, they want to see me again and then up the dose.

Why is this joyful stuff? Something is making me hyper and happy. Wow. Time to bounce off the walls...

Shhhh! Don't tell Charles!

Don't tell Van-Charles but I bought more fabric today. I found a length of black wool blend at 2.99 a yard that drapes nice, and due to it being thin, I'm going to line it with broadcloth; not period a lining, I know. It's for my Crown overdress.

I probably have five yards of black linen down in the stash but this saves time. LOL at myself, though - I told him I'd sew him a new set of garb for Crown as well. Not sure if he is going to match me though; too many of us in black and it'll look like we are all dressed for a funeral. (I'm sure Jacques would say "Sure! Other fighters!")  So I guess I'll have to delve into the stash anyway.

Thinking of sewing the linen underdress by hand. I can be then working on my garb and his garb at the same time! Brilliant! Handwork in my chair by his side, watching his shows. He's not going to be too pouty about me being in my sewing room if I'm working on his, either. So hand me a Guiness!

Jacques' overtunic is done other than deciding where the sleeves stop against the undertunic, and that is on the table now. All that trim took longer than I thought it would, with the handsewing the curves to make them lay flat.

And I was making myself feel better as fighter practice didn't happen. Only two of us showed up! Gah...Lyulf is going to do slow work with me tomorrow, though, and start me on the bastard sword. So I guess I'm happier than I was when I left the park.

Crossposting to my blog/lj so don't think you are seeing things.

Frustrated

I got up today and geared up for a workout, waiting around until Van left for the day just to spend more time with him. So at 6 am, I had a small glass of milk with protein powder. That's the only thing I've done differently than any other morning.

So at 7:30, when I got to the gym and did the 10 minutes of aerobic workout and then started the weights, I got really nauseous. Half the weight circuits got done and then I came home, afraid I'd urp on the equipment. I'm drinking water and just trying to figure it out or maybe wait it out. I got heavy practice at 12:30 and it's been a month since our local group has gotten together for a regular practice. They had a demo but I didn't make that. I've been to other group's practices too. But I miss my own. I hope this goes away.

Where is the fight happening?

"it's about where the fight is happening - sure, I'm standing in front of someone who is going to fight me and so on, but the real battle, the one I can measure and work on, is the internal one. I'm not just fighting you, I'm also fighting some of my internal measurements of sucess."

I'm not really so naive to suppose this topic hasn't been dealt with in lots of other places. For example, this one on SwordMaiden.com is one I've read before - her rant resonates with me. And for this essay, her point #4. Pumping up my own fight will do all the things she mentions, but it will also raise my own expectations of what I can do. Set that milemarker of a good fight up higher each time. AND, lol, really get me into the gym to build endurance and strength.

But that all aside, I gotta remember I'm rating myself against my own internal scoring system and I'll do that more often than fighting in tourneys or in melees. It's been suggested I count kills versus killed (with blizzardy rewards for more kills) or more simply that I count bouts I fight and try to fight more each time. One more. One more with good energy and power. And I also ned to stay aware of what level of a fight I want to achieve this day, at this fight. It's also about having fun and enjoying the fighting, the comradery, and the joy of working together as a team if doing a melee, or in being supported by my friends if in a tourney.

Well, Ive been writing this while sewing and while doing a lot of IMing. So it's kinda disjointed and really not complete. LOL. I'm getting off line and going to bed.

Thursday!

I'm not sure where my Nordskogen fighter practice post got off to - it's not here anymore. Jacques and I went up and had a good practice - Thanks, Nordskogen Fighters!! - and had fun chatting both there and back about Crown. Lots of other stuff too. I had fun.

I had two thoughts happen, and I'm going to talk about them here. They are already in my fighting journal and I'm doing some talking to myself in that but this medium allows some comments back, some conversation.

I have a lot of trouble triggering adrenaline. Partly cause I chat too much and partly cause I like and trust the people I'm fighting and partly cause of courtesy of those people. They are letting me dictate the force and intensity of the fight, maybe. Anyway, it's a thought?

The other thought has escaped me, lol. Wait. Humm...where is that in the journal...Oh, it's about where the fight is happening - sure, I'm standing in front of someone who is going to fight me and so on, but the real battle, the one I can measure and work on, is the internal one. I'm not just fighting you, I'm also fighting some of my internal measurements of sucess.

More later. Got to get to work.

Dazzling DareDoll

Cheesy and stereotypical behaviors aside, nevertheless it is cool that Batgirl started out as a librarian. Enjoy the film.