Knitting Cybrarian

Need sleeeeeep

I need some sleep.  Actually I need a vacation.  I love what I do for a living, but this fall has been particularly demanding.  Committees, teaching, committees, problem-solving, committees, answering questions.  There are not enough hours in the day.  Three weeks ago I realized why I'm not more productive in the summer.  It's because I'm just so tired and still recovering from the spring semester and thinking ahead to fall. 

One of my friends has been writing about developing his life philosophy.  He's exploring a number of ideas, and a recent posting posited that if you put good thoughts and expectations out there in the universe, you usually get what you expect.  I talked with him about it yesterday, and he said that it really worked for him in various situations and scenarios.

Tuesday I saw a young woman friend I hadn't seen in several months.  She has an incredible outlook on life.  She's struggled with juvenile diabetes all of her life, and has had a number of complications from diabetes.  Those problems seem to have cleared up for now.  However, she was diagnosed with breast cancer in the summer.  Not one, but two different kinds.  She's had a mastectomy and just started chemo.  And yet as we talked, she's smiling, she's joking, and she's upbeat about her prospects.  I was humbled.  Here I am, tired, stressed out, and here she is, showing me her port-a-cath, joking about moving "butt fat" as reconstruction surgery to make her breasts grow (because she's always gained weight in her butt before her breasts, so her theory is is you move the butt fat to the reconstruction area, that'll grow, right?)  and how she'll conquer this latest health challenge too.  She has beautiful hair, and I imagine it'll all fall out in the next month as chemo progresses.  I hugged her and promised to knit some chemo caps.  We parted, and I felt uplifted, humbled, and yet I just wanted to cry -- someone so young, so lovely and intelligent struggling with breast cancer at such a young age.  She is also putting positive thoughts out there about her chemo, upcoming radiation, reconstruction surgery and recovery.

I think I'm going to put thoughts and expectations of efficiency and rest out there for the universe.  And my usual good, positive outlook, wishing well for others.

It's raining, it's pouring

and I'd like to be back in bed, snoring...

Rain in KC, finally.  We need it so badly.  Hallelujah.

I'm really feeling the effects of juggling so many things (classes, committees, church obligations, the yarn store gig).  I overslept this morning in a big way, and I don't know why.  I had strange nightmares and I have no idea where they came from. 

Knitting?  I finished Zapata, a hat from the Mirasol project book by Jane Ellison.   Yes, I need to take a photo.  Sorry.  I started the fingerless mitts last night.  These are both store samples to encourage folks to buy the lovely baby llama yarn.  It's so very soft and a joy to work with.  Yum.

Time for more coffee!

Ready for a vacation

I'm ready for a vacation.  Really.

Classes started on 20 August.  And I'm ready for two weeks away.  Now. 

I love teaching, I really do.  But when I see that students haven't followed up on my handouts, suggestions, etc. and then they're surprised when lo and behold, their paper topics are due Wednesday and they don't have any sources to support their ideas/hypotheses, I wonder what in the world they're doing or thinking.  Their profs and I are mystified. 

I won't go into the other hassles du jour.  Like how some solutions should be pretty simple and obvious, but oh nooooo, some folks operate as if no one else has to deal with the results of their work, much less figure out what was meant for whom and who else has to use it and/or interpret it in the end.   

Or how I really need to put a sign on my office door that says "If the door's closed, I've got a deadline.  Please e-mail me instead.  Knock at your own risk."

The highlight of my day (really and truly) was when Michael Stern called me and wanted to bring a music donation by this afternoon.  I was delighted and even met him out at the library loading dock.  I rarely do that for gift-in-kind donors.  In retrospect, though, I realize I wanted to be reminded of why I usually love being a music librarian-- some of our students go on to be fine musicians like Michael.  And he's just a wonderful person with impeccable manners.    And easy on the eyes, in my opinion.  So, Michael, if you're reading this, I apologize if I seemed twitchy, overly talkative, or anything like that this afternoon.   I was just thankful to see someone who didn't need hand-holding and who had not been trapped in the 9th circle of hell!!

The temperature outside is 59F.  Ahhh.  Perhaps things at the library will cool down a little as well.  Yeah.  Right. 

Rested

Labor Day weekend marks the end of summer for those of us in the U.S.  It's the last long weekend most folks have until Thanksgiving (3rd Thursday in November). 

I worked at the Studio on Saturday, but Joel and I both had Monday off.  Joel was a sweetie -- he took me out to dinner on Sunday AND cleaned the house so I could have some down time.  I got some work done yesterday (for the U) and then knitted most of the day.

While the temps got up to about 90 yesterday, we were A/C free.  After 4:00pm, the deck was mostly in shade, so I went outside to knit.  We ate dinner outside, and I spent most of the early evening sitting outside, watching the hummingbirds and other critters.  Despite getting buzzed by the hummers a few times, I feel much more relaxed this morning than I have in a while.   Yeah, it won't last long.  But I'll enjoy it while it lasts!