Stumbling Through Adulthood

1. Dh and I got up early this morning and headed out for a short but steep hike, since we had stuff we needed to do. It was nice, if, um, short and steep. I haven't been using hiking poles for a while, so I didn't have them and I'd have liked them on the way down, though dh claims I do better without them (tbh, he may be right). Anyhow.

And now it's Monday. LOL.

2. Dh and I are headed to California this week, via Bend. My sister is leaving for two weeks on Tuesday, and my mom just had pneumonia and the staff never noticed that she was sick, my sister did. So we'll head down to CA via Bend, visit my mom Wed evening and Thursday, to make sure she's still doing ok, though she's been improving significantly since sis got the MD to prescribe care. Anyhow, Friday, we're headed to Roseville from Bend, Saturday in Roseville, then Sunday we'll take I80 towards Truckee. Following the Big Boy No. 4014. It's on tour for the 250th. Then back to Bend on Monday, visit with my mom again on Tuesday, then drive home. Sis is back on Sunday, so my mom looks ok, she should be good, if she isn't, I figure out how to stay down there for the extra few days. It's kinda scary how bad the memory care place has gotten so fast. We'll move her again, UGH, as soon as we can, with or without her companion. I know she's got dementia, I know she isn't going to live forever, but there are basics that this place is not providing. I mean... temps inside the residents' rooms in the 60s, and they put space heaters into the rooms of elderly people with dementia. All of them? I don't know, I know my mom got one because, well, my sister is there at least three times a week. The lack of food is ongoing. And my sister found out -OMG, this is RIDIC- that they keep the SALADS in the heated boxes. Hello bacterial growth? 🤮 I don't want her die because of neglect in a place that is now miserable. Sigh. Like most places, they're losing staff quickly and can't replace them so conditions are getting worse by the day. Sigh. Anyhow. Perry will be taking care of things, feeding cats and birbs.

3. Artemis II mission. I have it on pretty much non stop and listen constantly. I feel stupidly privledged because I got to hear the term #MoonJoy live, LOL. And just a bit ago, the request to name two lunar features: one Integrity, for their spaceship and one Carroll in memory Reid Wiseman's wife. And everyone was crying up there, and I was here too. And then I lost it again when I read the message Jim Lowell recorded for the crew before he died. The Apollo missions were my childhood. It was so freaking exciting and awe inspiring. Side note: going to try to get an Artemis II mission sticker for my computer, LOL.

4. The 100 Day Project update: did some practicing on the stitch for the next project on Saturday, staying up waaaaaaaay too late (before getting up early to go hiking). It's... complicated. TBH, I asked CoPilot to do help me figure out how to knit a swatch to practice, since the directions are written for knitting on the round. Yesterday I cast the project on and I hope to get some work done this afternoon. If I can fear myself away from Artemis, LOL.

Finished it last night, and wove in the ends this morning.

Planning on making another one, I think. With THICKER YARN. Heh.



And on my head.



I still have to block it, but I'm going some more research on that. Also need to write up notes on everything I did, as well as figure out what I did when I tore is 80% apart the first time, since the rows seem to be have changed from a slight diagonal to straight, even before I got to the reducing stiches part. I suspect I changed something but I'm not sure what!

1. Perry had a bit of a day the day before yesterday (Tuesday). He went to the boathouse early for his afternoon session to get a run in and ended up... doing CPR by the side of the trail. Elderly man. Lived in one of the houseboats, I guess. Women walking her dog saw him slumped over in his chair outside, she realized something was BAD, called 911. They told her to get him on the ground and start CPR. Another dude who was passing helped her get him on the ground, and then... neither knew CPR. That's when Perry ran by and they called at him. He does, in fact, know CPR. Checked pulse and respiration and started CPR. He stayed at it until the paramedics got there and took over and did their thing. They eventually did get a pulse back (for whatever that means, ya know?). Perry made his statement to the police when they got there and got to the boathouse just a bit late for his coaching session. He had a bit of a cry and went on to coach, at least they were on land so he didn't have to focus quite as hard. He was a bit shook up. So, yeah.

2. We went up to Vancouver last Saturday. It would have been my aunt's 83rd birthday. We had lunch with her group of close friends, and it was good to see them, catch up, and feel again how much JoAnn was loved. I miss her.

3. Every other time I've looked for a job, I've at least gotten interviews. I've applied for about 50 jobs, probably 40 that I am actually well qualified for and not a single call. Depressing.

4. Going down to California in a few weeks for a quick trip chasing a steam locomotive. It should be fun. Alas, it'll be too early in the year to get to the trail I want to do in Northern CA. Next time, I guess. Or I'll plan another trip.

5. Read a really good book recently: The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson. Book 2 isn't out yet. WAH. Highly recommend.

6. Weather has been all over the place these past few weeks, with wild swings and major amounts of wind, mostly in the afternoons. Snow, hail, rain, wind, and sunny days. Sometimes all in one day.

7. Because he's popped up on my twitter feed three times this morning, I think Ilia Malinin is one of the least appealing skaters out there. Not personally, just... I find his skating ugly, for lack of a better word.

8. New Harry Potter series, which, no, I won't be watching. But OMG, BLACK Snape? NO NO NO. It completely shifts the dynamics of the whole story, adding racism in a way. I mean, WTF? I never liked Harry himself, but it turns him, and his father (and Sirius Black) into racists/white supremacists in a way the books did not intend. Are there problematic racist things in the books? Oh hail, yes. But not this. Black Hermione? Sure! (My only reservation is my inner child wailing that those of us cursed with curly frizzy hair who cannot use braids to tame in need some representation too, LOL, but I'm not really upset.) But Black Snape changes something fundamental and not in a good way. But whatever.

9. I've been knitting. Haven't gotten back to my beanie, my sister was here and I didn't want to try and concentrate on reductions when I was also talking with someone. So I taught myself to do cables. Still not great at them, but eh.

The beanie with extra rows added since the previous version was ridic small.
I hope it fits this time!

The cables. I hate the color of that yarn. I have no idea where it came from, but it's my scratch yarn.

10. Sunday, we drove out to Snoqualmie Falls for a quick walk with my sister and BIL. The falls were quite impressive. Not the highest I've seen, but.

11. Still struggling to take off the pounds I gained when I was off Zeppy in early December. I just can't seem to get them gone again. I have to say. I never understood people who complained that they were 10 lbs over their preferred weight because eh, I was A LOT MORE over mine, 🤪 , but while I never said it, I now get it a lot better. I mean, this is oodles different from way before, but I certainly felt different 12 lbs ago. I'll figure it out. Even if it means waiting for retatrutide to come on the market if Trump's FDA ever gives its approval.

12. A few weeks ago, I was in a sculling boat. There was someone else in the boat who hadn't sculled much either. We both came off the water looking like we'd murdered someone and dumped their body in South Lake Union. I mean, my right hand was dripping blood, my left palm was smeared with the blood, and the front of my hi-viz yellow jacket was covered. It was... pretty bad. This happens to inexperienced sculler because the nails on your left hand, even if they are short like mine, tear up the back of your right hand. Anyhow, I sculled again a few days after that, and only made a tiny new wound, and took a scar off an old one, but nowhere near as dramatic as the previous week's had been. Then I didn't scull for a few weeks and everything healed. Sculled again Monday. Just as we were about to cross to take it in, I noticed that I had not done further injury to my hands, and I was quite pleased with that. And proceeded to take a chunk out during the last 10 strokes. 🤪 I'm getting better, though.

13. My life feels so very small.

1. The 100 Day Project. Today I successfully (I think) added 6 stiches to my hat and transferred from one set of round needles to a bigger once. I'm annoyed that my knitting is a bit tighter than I'd like. Also, why didn't I pick thicker yarn? 🤪

Anyhow: Photos on Flickr.

I am going to mebbe post 'em on Instagram.

2. This week is the anniversary of my aunt's death. I miss her dreadfully. I'm glad she got out before she lost too many people, too many memories, too much of herself, and I remember how sad I was every time I saw my super intelligent, competent, and independent aunt as vulnerable and scared and I know she made the right choices... but god I miss her.

3. We went hiking on Sunday, on Whidbey Island. Started at West Beach, walked to the bridge, then under it, and around the point on the perimeter. After several large ups and downs, we got to Goose Rock, which is the highest point on Whidbey Island, LOL. Got to see Mt Baker, Glacier Peak (one of my faves), and a shadow in the haze that was Mt Rainier. Beautiful views from the top and it was a sunny PNW winter day. Strava did me a dirty and did not record the hike at all, grr. Anyhow, it was about 6 miles and the summit is at about 500ft, but cumulatively, it was a bit more than that. Loads of fun. Dh got a photo of me taking a photo, those always amuse me. Saw a pileated woodpecker and a bald eagle, some seals, and heard a ruby crowned kinglet, though we did not see it.

Another Flickr link: Goose Rock hike at Deception Pass.

4. Iran thing is making me sick. Don't want to write about it, it's just so upsetting. This is not going to end well, for one, and for two, we just got out of fucking Afghanistan, damn it. Oh, and the media are a bunch of sycophantic assholes. Also in current events, I was hoping Jasmine Crockett would win in TX. I don't think either of them could win the general, but I thought she had a better chance.

5. $40 for Perry to fill up the Prius.

6. I'm having a hard time with everything these days.

Day 1 of the #The100DayProject. We'll see how this goes.

Flickr set for the project.

Best part: Auri came and sat on my lap for most of it. A diet cake, a cat in lap, Heavy Metal playing, and a project keeping my hands busy. Pretty damn cool.