A surprising shock of my life

Well, the shock has worn off a bit since yesterday---some anyway.

In my last post, I told you that I had band practice, and that it was very likely not going to go well and end up being my fault, and it was. It isn't that I wasn't right on the money with my drumming, because I was--I think we're finding out that the drumming setting that I chose for a certain particular tune just isn't a good FIT--it doesn't really "sound" like it goes with the tunes we're playing. So now, I have to come up with something new.

This happens after 2 years of play, when the setting seemed to go along just fine...now it's having tempo problems. Again, it could have just been the day.

But the shock came at the business meeting we had.

The Drum Sergeant chose me to be Drum Corporal. Now keep in mind that I was HOPING beyond hope for Drum Sergeant, but knew that didn't happen at the Annual General Meeting last week--and realized that the Pipe Major didn't pick me again this year--even though I'm the one taking care of the drums, writing down the settings for the drummers, teaching the new people AND just starting running the website. I'm in this thing up to my neck from a drumming aspect, and since that's the consumate position of the Drum Sergeant, I figure that I've been doing it I should own it. But alas, such was not to be.

Even so Drum Corporal never occurred to me because the DS is so much "friendlier" with one of the other drummers in the corps--so it shocked me when she picked me. Even so, I suppose that loyalties exist, whether there are positions or not, right?

And so, this effectively puts me in charge when the DS can't make it (say to practice or a performance), and I get a pair of STRIPES for my uniform. I'm tickled, but I seriously have this "low in my belly" need to be DS.

Now it's got nothing to do with being the center of attention. It has EVERYTHING to do with my ex-husband (oh here we go again). How you ask?

Well, after he left me and got kicked out of the band we were in, I worked my collective off trying to get DS in that band. They wouldn't let me--thinking that I'm a control freak...which is true, but not so much that I'm hard to get along with (only my son will tell you differently)--but the Pipe Major (PM) wouldn't give it to me. His excuse was that I had a weak left hand...which was true enough--so I worked my left hand control on my sticking for months, and he still wouldn't give it to me, so I finally left the band--I was, after all, leading 2 bands at the time, and working hard, spending twice the time and effort on middle and west side of Michigan--while the DS for the west side band rarely ever made it to practice--and so I was working with these guys basically for no compensation whatsoever. After while, it got to me, and I resigned.

A few years later, I decided that I wanted to get back into the band, but they were loathe to do that (for obvious reasons, since I had taught the current DS how and what to play)...plus they had enough drummers...oh, but the band on the west side of the state needs drummers--I don't think they have any at all.

And so I became a drummer for the Grand Rapids and District Pipe Band.

Now, all during this life travel of MINE, my ex moves to Kalamazoo, joins the Kalamazoo pipe band, tells them a boat-load of lies, about how he's been DS in 3 different bands, played competition with the Denver Police etc etc, when he was never even lead drummer!!! Well, they made him DS, and all the corps resigned. He ended up playing by himself. Eventually, the PM removed him from his office, and now they have a corps of drummers most of whom I would bet my last dollar, came BACK from resigning under my ex-husband's rule.

What have I learned from this?

That my ex was a pompous pile of sheep dip---which reallly gives sheep dip a bad name, and that he has only ever wanted to be the center of attention, and didn't care if he was the only drummer in the corps. He was DS!!! He finally had the stripes....but you know, what good does it do to be "in charge" if you've got nobody to be "in charge of"?

And so I want those stripes..I want to come by them honestly--to be deserving of them--and I work my off to make sure that I'm next in line to get em. I want to be able to shove them in my ex's face, and say "SEE? I EARNED THESE. Not because I lied my way into them, not because I needed them because I feel so inferior without them or because I want to be the center of attention, but because I earned them. I have been working for something like 20 years for them, and by golly, I've got them--so eat sheep dip and die!"

Somehow, just saying all that here, feels really good. It makes me think that by accomplishing this feat, I will somehow be able to extract my ex from my thoughts and my life for good and for good riddance. I will finally take back the joy that I once knew when he and I were together in the band. When I have those stripes, and he finds out about it, he will be jealous--because he knows that he got his dishonestly, and he lost the position because of that...and because he chased the rest of the drummers out so that he could be the only one. It might be something akin to "keeping up with the Jones family", but the feeling only occurs when I'm actually THINKING about it. The rest of the time, I really don't care so much--I care more about whether the band sounds good or not as a collective.

And that might be why the DS chose me for DC--it could also mean that she wants to keep me from screwing it all up chasing after my heart's desire, but I can't think about that right now. If I were REALLY PARANOID...I could think another way. But at the moment, I need to feel happy that I'm DC, pleased (but pressured) that somebody chose me to be Treasurer--even though I didn't get the job and didn't expect to...knowing that Ray nominated me for the position. He believes that "he who controls the checkbook has the power in the band..." My answer to that is that yes there are some bands like that, but GR&DPB isn't like that.

So all that said, I see myself working toward a goal--sometimes it seems more like a rainbow. The goal isn't just my own goal, but the goal of the band. If I can succeed in my own goals, can I bring the band's goals to fruition at the same time? I'm a talented person, but do I have what it takes to go the extra mile to WIN IT ALL? Or is it supposed to be enough to own the talent, to be confident in that talent, and make it go well enough to make it count. Should I even be putting that much pressure on myself...might I buckle under the strain? Do I have what it takes to be a leader?

Tough questions. For now, I have to change a drum head.

Sunday morning--awake and unaware

I am awake for the second time on Sunday morning. My first wake-up was at 1am, and I worked some more on my Latvian Mitten. I have finished the "hand", now have to work on the thumb and gusset--which isn't going to be easy, since I'm using Lion Brand "Woolease" and size 6 needles--I have to do some fiddling with the pattern, and will have to write it all down--and so I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to have to work the other "hand" first, and leave the thumbs for when I can concentrate better.

However, my second waking-up was at 7am, and now I'm pretty much ready to face the day. Funny how coffee can help with that, but it's true. Showing you what I worked on all day yesterday....

Yes, I got 3 rooms done! And then, I drove to McDonalds for lunch (yes, all that before lunch, and lest you think "ho ho ho, what is 3 rooms?", praps I should show you the BEFORE picture next time... The areas I show you above are the areas that get "dropped on"...the clutter catchers.

After McD's, drove to the video store to drop off the video...then to Lowe's to return some pvc pipe and fittings (yes, all that time, I was driving about with 2 16' lengths of pvc sticking out my back window!), then to Walmart for some staples for the staple gun and some drugs for my hubby, then to the LYS

HOLD IT...STOP RIGHT THERE.

I had a gift certificate. They had new sock yarn. I had to have some. I also wanted the book "Simply Shetland 4", because I want to make Eunny Jang's scoop neck sweater...decisions...decisions...okay, bought both.

Then I went to the health food store and got a couple of items, then I returned home and worked on my mitt.

So I didn't actually work as hard as I thought I would, or for as long, but I did get a LOT accomplished. I even finished the antique coat hanger/shelf that I got several months ago. I can't wait to put it on the wall!

Oh dear.

The coffeemaker is plugged again.

This is cause for ALARM. It took 20 minutes to brew this pot--when it should only take about 5 minutes. But the coffee IS made, and I can now enjoy my first morning cup of brew. Yum.

Do you notice how thoughts are pretty disjointed before my first cup?

Daily Tarot Card is the Page of Wands reversed. In it's upright position the card indicates that whatever you do today your effort will show great potential. But since it's reversed, you can almost bet that things aren't going to go so well in that respect--because today, I have band practice. Now lest you believe that I'm going to "self-fulfill" that prophecy, let me tell you that I do work very hard with this band--far more than I did with my previous band--and the idea that I might not be recognised for my effort is depressing.

Then again, it might not be me at all, but my son, who is still slightly "shakey", but is coming along. We couldn't have a practice this week because it's getting too cold to play outdoors--and he's got no "place" indoors where we can practice yet. Until he does, we can't practice mid-week. This could upset the apple cart easily.

But, sadly, I pull a clarification card to find out if it's me or if it's him, and it's me--I pull a queen--the queen of wands, to be precise, and she is also in reversed position...she stands for the crafty and sly--the revealer. She's reversed, so it means that I'll be pretty much useless today, and not much good will come of heading to band practice. Oh, this is really discouraging! I guess it's a good thing I have Monday off!

I've decided I'm going to buy a new coffeemaker--one that has a clock on it so that it will turn itself on at the appropriate hour--so that we can have fresh coffee every morning.

And it's misty outdoors again--perfect Scotland weather--except I live in the US. The dog refuses to go potty when the weather is the slightest bit wet. But let her run to the neighbor's house, and she's in their pond labrador-style! She's cold, and antsy to get back into the house where it's warm. She danced around in eager anticipation of getting back into bed with my husband.

The day progresses, and the first cup is nearly drained. What will I do this morning before Ray arrives, and we head to band practice? It's already 8am. I have only three hours before we leave. I'm tempted to cast on that second mitt--then again, no. I just don't feel much like knitting (or working for that matter). This is called One-Mitt-Disease. Sounds dreadful, doesn't it? I could go buy that new coffeemaker, but I seem to have no ambition this morning. In fact, I feel like I should go back to bed and pull the covers over my head for about 2 1/2 more hours. Yes, that's exactly how I feel--go join dog and husband. It would seem that they have more "smarts" than I do at the moment.

Cya!

Saturday Morning 6am

What in the world am I doing awake at this hour on a SATURDAY? You ask.

Enjoying a hot cup of chocolate flavored coffee, writing this stuff down, and thinking "can life get any better than this?"

I had this kink in my neck for two days. Yesterday, it was painful enough to give me a migraine. I decided to head to the chiropractor.

I know, I know, you shake your head and think, just take an aspirin--which I did--actually, I took 2 Advil at 10 and 2 Bayer Back N Body at 12. All it did was make me feel nauseaous. I slept most of the day on Thursday, unable to get rid of the kink OR the migraine. Yes, friends, my neck was severely out of alignment. But there are folks out there who don't believe in the benefit of chiropractic--and I am here to tell you, that this stuff works.

The chiro worked on my neck for about 5 minutes, and when I got up, I felt like a new woman. A new woman who didn't have a migraine anymore. There is still a little muscle stiffness, which is easily alleviated with Advil, but it's a muscle pain that I can live with--in short it isn't screwing up my face in agony--like it was on Friday. I feel like I can tackle this house with one hand tied behind my back...and I will forego the bondage part, just so I can get done quicker to work on my mittens.

They are coming along nicely. I worked on them while I visited with Judy Draper (aka mom Draper) during her dinner hour yesterday, and then worked on them some more when I got home while I watched "Ghost Whisperers". It has become somewhat of a "boring knit", even though it's a pattern I made up in my own head, and I'm sort of "winging it"--I think I'd rather be knitting some socks--or maybe even a sweater! But I'm pretty close to finishing the first one--I've only got 2" left--I figure I'll do one more pattern repeat, then I will begin my decreases. It took a lot less yarn than I thought it would--less even than a pair of SOCKS! And that's saying something--but I think I will be happy wearing them. The cuff is too short, so I'm going to make a gauntlet out of crochet--that will go under my coat sleeve. I was a little worried that they would be too small, but I tried them on, and they fit me like...well, like a glove--except for they are mittens. So that's the plan for later.

Hubby is going to assist his friend in selling the business he runs, so I will be pretty much on my own all day today--which means I should be able to get a lot accompished today. Ever notice how much more efficient you are when there's no one else underfoot? I used to tell my first husband to take the baby (who is almost 30 now), and go see his mother--so that I could clean house. I would do laundry, dishes, floors, dusting, clean the cat box, let the dog out, feed the animals, go buy groceries and have dinner on the stove by the time he got home about 6 hours later.

Of course, 30 years on a body slows it down some, but coffee helps!

Today's Tarot card is the 10 of wands, and this is the "work hard" card, but it's reversed, which means that I won't have to work nearly so hard to get so much done--or maybe that I won't work as hard as I THINK I will--or maybe I'll start and not "finish", but you know, my attitude is that housework is never really finished, so why TRY? I'm the consumate housework hater, anyway, and even though I'm now working on my second cup of coffee, I'm just not quite ready to begin. I like to save these things for times when I have a ton of ambition--today is just not it! I mean, I know that it has to be done, and I know that I will likely get quite a bit accomplished, but do I really want to waste my time that way?

But can you believe, that out of 72 cards--this is the one I would pull for my daily card, on a day that I generally reserve as a "work inside the house" day? Or that it would so closely approximate what the actual day will likely involve? I think it's just amazing. Maybe I should do Tarot readings on here...don't laugh--STOP LAUGHING! I have done long-distance reading before--read the blog entry on Robert! You know, there are people on the web who do this sort of thing for MONEY? Where's my crystal ball?

I look at my "ability" ("gift" if you prefer the word) as something to share--it came to me free--it's not something I went to school to learn--hence the word "gift"--therefore, I think it's something to be shared, not something someone should have to pay for--and I can't see myself making money off of it for just those reasons--I think that accepting money would somehow "cheapen" it--and therefore make it so that it didn't work the way it should...and that's why I call it an "ability"...much like walking, or even blinking. I don't "think" about it--very often, it just happens.

For instance, long ago, when I was a teenager (back when rocks were just on the cusp of invention), I read a book on the paranormal--so, when the sun set, and darkness fell in my room, I lit a candle, knelt beside my bed, shuffling an ordinary deck of 52 playing cards, and said to myself in my mind..

"I'm going to count 13 cards from the deck. I'm going to divine red or black, and put them in two piles, one for red, one for black, and then I'm going to record how many I get right."

So I count off 13 cards from the top of the shuffled deck. Now 13 is supposed to be somehow associated with the paranormal--but I didn't do 13 for that reason--the deck is normally 13 cards per suit--and I figured that this was a test of the entire deck, and so I began.

I went slowly, holding my hand over each card before placing it face down in the pile that I thought it should go into. When I was finished, I checked the piles. The red pile was 100% correct. The black pile had one red card in it. Well, alright. I recorded my results.

I decided to test myself further. With the remaining 39 cards...

"I'm going to count 13 cards from the deck. I'm going to divine Diamonds, Hearts, Clubs and Spades, and put them in four piles this time--"

I didn't do so well this time, and only got about half of the cards right--even so, by the paranormal "experts" 25% was considered above average--

I decided to test myself further. With the remaining 26 cards...

"I'm going to count 13 cards frm the deck. I'm going to divine the number on the card, and write it down on paper, then I will compare the cards to what I've written down."

I got them all wrong.

Actually, that's not a fair statement. I was just one card off. The FIRST card was totally wrong, but the second card was written in position one on my piece of paper...and so on down the line.

Well, I have to tell you, that one sort of left me with this odd sensation, and I remember looking at the candle just then, and the flame flickered violently right then, as if a sudden draft had come into the room, but I was not cold, the door was closed, and the house was not drafty--nor was I anywhere near a furnace vent (which wasn't running that day anyhow), and we didn't have air conditioning, and the windows were closed. It was a relatively mild autumn evening.

Well, I have to tell you, I blew out the candle, turned on the lights, put the cards away, hugged myself for a minute (gotta tell ya, I was SPOOKED!), then I walked out into the living room, sat down and watched television to get my mind off it. The next day, I returned the paranormal book, and refused to do any further divination. Not because of some religious aspect--because I wasn't AWARE of religion at this point--my parents took me to church only twice in my life when I was VERY young (back when dirt was only a gleam in it's mother's eye), and therefore, religion really didn't play a part in my decision--it was just that it really unsettled me.

There was/IS something "out there". Something we don't understand, and probably something that we aren't supposed to understand--maybe something we will never understand--"out there". It is what I call "other-worldly". Sometimes good, sometimes not--depending on your perception--and possibly whether or not "it" perceives which will do it the most "good". It's not something that can be "controlled", although others would have you believe it can be. It is a force that is likely closer to nature than you are. It gives me pause to consider the beliefs of the Celts and the Druids--the Scots and the Irish--where my blood roots are--and while I am not a student of either of these teachings, I am AWARE of them, and recognise them as mostly mythological. But the Celtic/Druid people BELIEVED in these things, deeply--before the Catholic church came in and brought it's own belief system.

Don't get me wrong. I think faith is a marvelous thing. Personally, I believe the teaching of the Baptists--which is based on the Catholic, but steers itself away from all of the symbolism and the mythological systems of history--to follow a more "intellectual" path, based on learning from the mistakes others made in history. I think the Crusades were based on a pursuit of property and grounded in the greed of the historical "church"--and that this same greed does exist today--although at a much lower level--you don't lose your life because of what you do or don't believe in--someday, that MAY CHANGE. I believe that there is more to a person than just a body and brain--more than just a pretty face (okay, mine's not so pretty, but you get the picture). I believe that everyone has their own personal path, and that no one can tell you what that path may be. I don't believe that atheists have it right, nor do I believe that the church has it right, nor do I believe that the agnostics have it right. I think we're all like the 4 blind men set upon determining what an elephant is. Whatever "IT" is, it is BIGGER than us--bigger than we can conceive or imagine.

In the play "Our Town", Rebecca states that she saw a letter addressed to someone--it had the normal "stuff" on it...Name, Street, City, State, Zip, but then it went on to say "USA, North America, The Earth, The Universe, THE MIND OF GOD".

How profound is that?

Tenna has had too much coffee.

Sorry to be so long winded. Many people suppose that I am a religious nut. I just wanted to take the time to give an indication to what I specifically "believe", without sounding like a religious nut. As I said, I don't follow any particular "religion". I believe what I believe--I try to share it when I can. I don't push it on you, I don't want you pushing yours on me--any more than I would tell you "this path is better or more 'right' than your path". Your path is your path. Right or wrong, good or bad, it's still YOUR CHOICE to follow it. If YOU determine that it's the wrong path, you will make choices to change your direction, or choose to make no choice and continue down the same road, whether it's in your best interests or not, or maybe just to "check out what's further on down that road". In the final analysis, we all will give an account of the road we followed. THAT is what I believe, and I think that most of us will have a few regrets--I mean, WHO DIES HAPPY?

I can answer that...the one with the most .

More coffee required. :)

Kinks

Still suffering the effects from the kink in my neck, but I get out of bed anyway--a sucker for punishment. Drinking my coffee, I pull my daily card, and it's

The Fool

Well, I suppose I could go back to bed. God knows I don't need to make more of a fool of myself than I already do. Imagine, if you will, the court jester playing a merry tune on a small flute, and a bird flies by, and while he watches the bird overhead, he's stepping lightly, and doesn't see the precipice that he's about to fall from. A little dog jumping merrily at his feet. This card literally says "WATCH OUT!" or at the very least "you're heading in the wrong direction...go back...go back!"

Like I said, stay in bed.



On a good note, hubby and I watched "Wild Hogs" on DVD last night, and I got the last two covers done for the tenor sticks. Here's what they look like before I draw them up and sew them together...

Those Three Swords and psychic connections

Well, by 10:30 am, I found out what those 3 swords were--

I went home with a kink in my neck, a hitch in my wiggle (actually more like sciatica), and a gimp in my knee--which has actually been bothering me now for a week...three pains, three swords....Get the picture? Of course, it could be that I'm just old and the body is falling apart, and the 3 of swords has nothing to do with it, so why did it take 2 Advil, 2 Bayer Back and Body, 3 hours of sleep, and the pain STILL isn't gone?

Okay, enough said. I'm just a pain.

Which got me to remembering something that happened a long while ago, and I thought, Hey! Blog fodder! It happened when I first started reading Tarot cards--well, that's sort of a lie, because things like this have happened all of my silly life, but I digress.

I've always seemed to have this "connection" to something that I didn't understand, that I didn't WANT to understand, didn't NEED to understand, didn't even CARE to understand, but one night, I realized that the "oddity" of Me needed to be understood at some level, or I wouldn't be Me anymore. It was a sort of epiphany of sorts. And here's how it happened.

I met this guy online.

Now lest ye think that I was just trolling for a new flame, let me tell you that in the course of five minutes, I knew this guy was a whole lot younger than me, and really superstitious! Chatting with him easily and probably a lot more intimately than he would like (as I said, I'd only chatted with him for 5 minutes, and we were already "friendly", and chatting as if we'd known each other for years, and NO, this was not a cyber-encounter)--he asked me if my name was Lisa. To which I said "no". He kept asking me, and finally I said "names not Lisa, my name is Julie". To which he promptly said "hello, Julie".

Now, we both know that my name isn't Julie at all, but some of us who were born of this era, would remember the song "I'm not Lisa....my name is Julie"...and he was oblivious to this, therefore, my determination that he was MUCH younger than me. He asked me a dozen or so questions, to which I answered no to every one. Of course, HE'S operating on the idea that I've lied to him, and that my name is Lisa after all--apparently someone he was having difficulty "shaking" from a recent stalking encounter...but eventually, I asked him if he was a psychic. To this, he answered an emphatic NO! And I responded "good, because you SUCK at it really bad!"

That's when he asked me if *I* was psychic. I thought about it a second...and answered "yes".

Well, how could he really know anyway, right?

So he asked me to tell him what his name was.

Oh, now, here is where it gets good, folks...how to tell someone you've never met what their name is! I realized I had about as much chance of guessing his name as I did foretelling the next 6 numbers on the Lottery, but I closed my eyes, and asked the Ether--what was this guy's name?

And I listened for the answer.

And he typed...

:"well?"
:"You don't know, do you!?"
:"You're not psychic at all."

I swear to you, I was not expecting it, but I literally "HEARD"

"Robert, John"

Now how can you go wrong with John, right?

Instead, I chose Robert. I will never understand WHY I chose Robert as the answer, but I did.

And the answer was right.

Yes, friends, you're talking to a bonafide, I can't believe I guessed it on one try, psychic!

He was quite astounded, and flabberghasted. He was now CERTAIN that I was Lisa, and that there was nothing quite as unsettling as this. He asked me to tell him his middle name. Of course, by this time, I had a clear idea of what he looked like, and an even clearer idea of where he lived (because he'd told me that he lived in California), and even though I'd never seen him, I knew that he was not from California. It was not because of his english, either. He was well spoken, typed the language VERY well with minimal typos, and learned/scholarly. But I knew that he was not originally from the USA, and told him so. He wanted me to tell him where he was from. And I said "You're dark complected--dark hair and eyes--thin, long fingers....you're in California, so my best guesses would be Mexico or Hawaii." Then I added, "you do not look like your father, who has hard hands, the hands of a farmer or gardener." "And further, I can't tell you what your middle name is, because you are not originally from the USA, and you have a very ethnic middle name."

To all this, he was astonished, because every word was true. He was amazed that I KNEW that he was not from the USA originally, but even more so that I mentioned Hawaii--which he claimed his GIRLFRIEND was from there, and that he'd lived in Hawaii most of his life. Still Hawaii, IS in the USA, and I told him "but you are NOT Hawaiian", and he said that he was not. He finally told me that he was from the Phillipines, and wanted me to tell him his middle name.

Two days later, I'm asking "the ether" again, this time in my car as I'm tooling down the highway..."what's his middle name?"

A picture formulated in my mind...that of an old flame--(well, he was MY old flame, but it was one-sided)--his initials were "RZ".

Now, I don't know...maybe my hearing is bad...but RZJohn...it didn't make any sense...

Until he finally told me his middle name...Arzadon.

I believed him instantly, and told him what had happend in my car. He didn't believe a word of it, and called me a "cold reader". I felt like I'd been slapped in the face. He asked me to read tarot for him...so I did. He asked about his job, and he asked about this girlfriend in Hawaii...I told him that his work was noticed by others, but that he still had much to learn before he could take off on his own, and that the "girlfriend" would break his heart--and then told him that ANOTHER woman he was involved with would ultimately tell him that she was not interested in a permanent relationship. Something he had not revealed to me was that he was dating someone who had been his teacher in school--so he was surprised that I would reveal this to him from a card reading.

I asked him what he did for a living, and he told me that he was in the entertainment industry, but that he didn't like the people. He told me he was an artist, and showed me some of his work--really impressive stuff. He told me that he was followed by a doppleganger. I asked him what that was--really odd sounding. He told me to google it, and so I did. It was what ghost hunters would call a disembodied spirit--that could perform full-bodied apparition(s). The whole idea of it unsettled me. I've been exposed to things like that, and it's not a comfortable feeling. He told me about how this "doppleganger" attacked him when he was a young child. Well, I can't think of anything more frightening than that! Had I been more of a psychoanalyst at the time, I would have told him what it was, but hoped to keep the fragile relationship online...in short, I figured him to be somewhat of a nut, but he was very superstitious--a throwback to his Phillipino heritage, I suppose.

At some point, Robert Arzadon Ramos and I lost touch with each other. I was a little dismayed by this. He was an interesting fellow. An artistic talent the likes of which I'll probably never see again, coupled with a psychic connection that will probably always be. My last reading for him said that he would return to the Phillipines and to his family eventually, something he swore that he would never do; however, his disappearance from the internet tells me differently.

And so, the login "TSOLOS", read backward "So Lost", rings a rather true note for my "lost friend"...sometimes somber, sometimes a bit immature, like a child lost in a dream, and other times, just lost to me.

So if you know Robert Ramos--or his professional name Robert Arzadon, tell him that GlowBidie still thinks about him now and then. Thanks.

And that Second Cup of Coffee goes to..

Yes! My second cup of coffee. I've been awake since 3:30am, although I didn't actually STAY out of bed until about 5:15am, and now, it's 5:51am--I'm on my second cup of Folger's coffee. My dog, Mandy, decided that it was time to chase all the cats out of the bedroom at 3:30, and then decided it was as good a time as any to ask to be let outdoors.

I don't know about you, but her fur coat seems much more applicable to late autumn windy, wet weather--and me in a mid thigh nightgown and bare feet. But once I let her out, I pulled the covers over my head and fell fast asleep again--that is, until she started howling about 5:15.

Goofy dog.

Tarot card of the day, good grief, another 3 of swords. Titled discord in the Celtic Circle deck, Robin Wood depicts it with one heart stabbed through with 3 swords. Usually for me, it bodes some sort of heartbreak. It signals tears will be shed. At it's very worst, it can mean a breakup with someone you love. At it's least, an argument with someone close that you care about--a family member or your best friend.

Not a good card at all for a Thursday morning.

The workers got the facia on the house, but apparently forgot to put holes in the soffit. Houses have to be able to breathe...so under the soffit, the crews drill holes to allow air to circulate. A house that is too tight will trap steam and wetness and create mold. Mold in your house can make you very sick. The extra air deters mold from growing. I would think it would allow heat to escape--but what do I know?

So, Hubby contacted the workers, told them that he would pay for the repair if they could prove that they DID put the holes in, but he's pretty sure they didn't...so the facia isn't yet finished...but I took some pictures anyway. Sorry for the grey day--it doesn't make for "pretty" pictures, but it's DARK when I leave in the morning now.

We've also finally lit the fireplace. We normally wait until November 1, but this year, we didn't light the stove until November 5th. The first night, it didn't work. It wouldn't light. And it was COLD that night!

We cleaned it out and got it working on the 6th. Hubby was a mess, and I wish I had a picture of him--all covered with soot from his head to his foot...had he a red suit on...oh, never mind...he was on his way to the shower, and quite X-rated.

Probably most of you didn't know, but I have snakes, and they are about as "fun" as snakes CAN be--which isn't much, but yesterday, my Honduran, who is quite large now, tried to catch a live white mouse, and ended up frustrated and hungry under her hide. So I gave the mouse to my Boa Constrictor. This white mouse must be a veritable Houdini, because he is still alive today to tell the tale.

Amazing. Pictures of my snakes another day.

Last night, Hubby and I watched Spiderman 3 on video. We both critiqued it to be not nearly as good as the first two Spiderman videos, so I will buy the DVD for my collection, just in case there's a Spiderman 4. It's been a long time since we watched a video--tonight, we're watching "Wild Hoggs" with Tim Allen in it.

It is now 6:10am. I have to get dressed to go to work again, but this time, I remembered to put my knitting needles in my bag, so I will get some more knitting done on those socks for the tenor beaters. I walk out the door; however, slightly under-dressed for the weather, so came back in and bundled up some more. It is blowing snow outside. I look like Kenny from Southpark!

Another finished project

Well, not "finished" per se...I have gotte 2 covers done of the 4 that I need for the tenor drum sticks for the band. Here's a pic:




First, the empty tenor stick:








Then the stick and the sock for it:









And now, the sock on the stick.




Cool Huh? Now imagine this little item on a shoelace, swinging around in the air? There ya go--no I won't demonstrate! I'm still in my jammies!

So lest you think I accomplished nothing yesterday...HA! At lunchtime (the day I was so stuck), I drove over to the LYS and found a new book (well new for me) and the latest Interweave Knits magazine. I tend to pull the most difficult assignments for myself because I like to challenge myself. The book is Alice Starmore's Celtic Collection--now in reprint. The projects in there are JUST AMAZING. I don't think that I could find better words to describe it. Knitting beyond the Hebrides knitting group does her patterns over and over again--and they are remarkable! Because they are fair isle and cables, very often, these top knotch knitters will knit the same pattern over and over again, because they are just, quite simply, classic designs. Interweave Knits had lots of nice eye candy, and quite a few projects that I would like to put on my list of to do's, but I am a realist, and know that there is not enough time left in my life to do all these projects that I have planned for myself.

Today's card is the four of pentacles:

This card generally pops up when I need to think "charitably". Give out directions, give to a charity--either by money or sweat, or just "be there" for a friend. The picture is that of a man, sitting in the corner of his castle with his feet on two coins, one in his hand and one on his head. Generally, it means I'm being a tad miserly--thinking too much about money, or hoarding it. It's long since past time to think about making gifts for Christmas, and I am waiting for Thanksgiving for when we draw names for my hubby's family--so I know that something will pop up today, where I will be asked to go over and above, without a grimace. My mother and son are easy this year. She wants more cross stitch books, and he wants a bike. Imagine that, my son, almost 30 years old, and he wants a bike for Christmas...seems like I've heard that story before...

So, I am up and blogging at 4am. Drinking my coffee, and planning my Christmas, when I really should be thinking about Thanksgiving...when really I should be planning TODAY. I figure that I need to do 2 more of the little pink covers--they don't take much time. Then I can get back to knitting on my Latvian Mittens. I actually started a pattern of my own. It's not really "Latvian" but here it is the beginning of it anyway. I'm sure I'm knitting it too tight, but since it's likely not going on anyone's hands, let alone MINE, I suppose I can put up with a little bit of tightness.

Well, time for my shower. I do have to work for a living. It really gets in the way of my LIFE, though.
































I did go to bed early, however, because I had a massive headache all day that just wouldn't quit!