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Again? So soon?
The 12-hour workdays are definitely bringing me down. I am taking a five minute break to write this post while I wait for the almighty contract tech to arrive to connect our office server so that I might move on to get ready for tomorrow. It is a short list this week, indicative of my mood:
1. My darling partner and I were somehow able to get away and go camping this weekend, even in the midst of craziness. Even with severe thunderstorms and a flat tire, it was exactly what we needed, some time away with just the two of us. The temperature was 15-20 degrees lower than at home, making our decision to get out of town exactly the right thing to do.
2. This construction/renovation/program change project at work may actually have an end. We go live tomorrow morning.
3. I have completed my first knitted wool diaper soaker.
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So my work life and my home life have been a little chaotic lately. Here it is Wednesday, and I am just getting to to Monday’s post.
On the work front: After a very long renovation project, we are moving into our new office space over the next few days. This entire process has not been managed as well as could be hoped and the staff is pretty stressed as we head into the final hours and days. There could potentially be a grudge match before it is all over and done.
And on the home front, my darling partner and I have embarked on yet another home improvement project–updating the closets of our 1908 house. Yes, we are in the closet for a few hours each day. (insert your jokes and comments here) In this 90+ degree heat the small spaces seem even smaller and hotter.
But this was meant to be a Grateful Monday post, so….
1. I have a new power tool for the closet project, courtesy of my father in law. Power tools are a girl’s best friend after all.
2. The tomatoes are starting to ripen–not the tomatoes from the farmer’s market, but the tomatoes in our backyard. I will post our favorite tomato recipes in the next few days.
3. There must be something in the water, because our neighbors on both sides are pregnant! I want to think that could only mean good things for us too.
When I moved most of my sewing, knitting, and crafting equipment and supplies to a space in the basement last weekend, I noticed how much I had acquired in my stash. This must be the largest accumulation of creative bits and pieces in my life, which is saying something. So here is my new goal: use at least half of the stash by Fall. I will only allow myself to buy additional materials if they are less than $5.00 and will help facilitate the transformation of stash into usable items. Besides, I haven’t looked at some of this fabric and yarn in a few years and it isn’t doing any good hiding in a box or storage container.
So, here is the first item made from stash:
To me it is definitely gender neutral.
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Starting my week with five things to be thankful for:
1. I spent part of the sweltering weekend moving my creative stuff from the second floor down to the basement. This is something that I have wanted to do for over a year and finally the space in the basement is ready. It is quiet and cozy and perfect. I haven’t decided what to call it, either my apartment or my studio.
2. Mopsa and her Lovely Partner became moms this week after many attempts and much waiting.
3. My partner gave the sermon yesterday. She is the attorney, I’m the one who went to seminary, and she is the one giving the sermon. She’s neat.
4. Enough rain yesterday morning that I didn’t need to water any of the outside plants
5. Pita chips
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So I received an invitation about a week ago from a colleague at another organization for a town hall meeting with Katie Couric. It was a compliment that my colleague thought I would have valuable things to say in this event and I was even more flattered after yesterday’s meeting. I was impressed by the quality of the conversation, which gave a great deal of thought to the quality of media coverage and the impact of fair news coverage upon American society. I too often feel that Americans are hurting ourselves by our insularity, seeing the impact of actions taking in this nation’s name only as far as our borders. I was surprised by what was on the minds of the attendees: only a few discussed the Iraq conflict, more discussed their families and communities, health issues, national politics, and the impact of the North Korean missile test.
The meeting gave me the opportunity to talk about poverty, the working poor, and gay marriage rights. I do want to clarify the Star Tribune article’s statement that ”a gay couple who were against gay marriage” was at the meeting. There was one man who, after talking about another issue, mentioned that even though he and his partner have been together for over a decade, he does not feel the need to work for gay marriage. He never said he was against gay marriage. Mine was only one of a number of hands that shot up to discuss the issue. Judging solely by the people in the room who responded, there are more people who feel neutral to supportive than I had thought existed outside of my usual orbit. It was a good morning.
