So, I have been having a great time, and meeting wonderful people. I signed up through DISTAFF - Discussion, Interpretation, & Study of Textile Arts, Fabrics & Fashion.  There are quite a few SCA folks involved here, but in a scholarly fashion. I feel mentally refreshed and renewed. I am really looking forward to moving and having my books and my stuff out of storage so I can be creative again.

I'd ask my cat, Zoe, where she came from, and how she came to be in the woods around Brusten & Folly's house? She was just about 6 months old (a teenager, as Fiadnata said), and had a cold. She was, and is, super friendly. She's a sweet, chatty little cat. Dr. Steph called her a mutterer. She doesn't meow, she converses. 

Zoe has a sinus infection which developed from her cold. Her current vet says it can only be cured by an expensive sinus surgery, and it might not even be cured then.

She's still a great cat. I just tell people, when they ask about her, that she's allergic to cats.

I'd also ask Jen's dog, Gary, where he came from. He showed up at their door on Thanksgiving, picking through their trash. He's a GREAT little dog. He's white and looks like a cross between a Jack Russell Terrier and a corgi. He's sweet, smart, and just a great dog. Who would abandon a sweetie like him.

The past year has been interesting in the Chinese sense. I had my right adrenal gland removed Jan 2008. This cured me of both uncontrollable Hypertension and uncontrollable low potassium. Turns out low potassium can also cause depression. (who knew? - not  me, that's for dang sure)

It took most of the year to recover from surgery. In the fall I started Zumba, and promptly injured my ankle. When my ankle was almost well in October, I missed the last 3 steps going downstairs and fell. I am now recovered from THAT, and the heaviest I have ever been. Started a new diet and exercise regime. I weighed in at 222 the beginning of January, and have lost 6 lbs so far. I am getting much more regular about both the diet and exercise now that I don't hurt all the time.

The company I work for was bought by another bank. I work for the mortgage division, and we don't know what they plan to do with us. It looks good so far...

The man's mom died late in January of this year. After she was laid to rest (in the midst of a big snowstorm, so it took more time that it should have), he informed me he really doesn't love me anymore, and wants me to move out. He's giving me till May, and suspending rent for march & april. Our relationship lasted over 20 years, and now it's nothing.

We're getting along okay during this time. It is (at least to me) sometimes awkward. My heart aches for a love that is no more, and has been gone for a while, I guess.

The good part is most of my life is still in boxes from my last move. I didn't get rid of everything when I moved, but had planned big yard sales last year to divest of furniture and housewares. This couldn't be accomplished due to my long recuperating time from surgery.  I still have stuff to dispose of, and will sort thru and toss at the storage unit when the weather breaks in March.  It will probably be the easiest move logistically since I moved out of my parents house using my pick-up truck.  :)

At this point in time, I feel I am at a nexus. I could do anything. I could go anywhere. The only thing keeping me in Dayton is my job.  My Mom lives in Florida, and we talk on the phone at least twice a week. Dad is buried in Kentucky, so I don't get to visit his grave as often as I would if he were here in Dayton. I could live anywhere in the world, and it wouldn't matter to my (non-existant) relationship with my sister.  I love my friends in the SCA, and would (actually) still have a good relationship with them, no matter where I am.

on the World Cafe! Woo Hoo!!!

Flaming Gryphon 12th night was fun. Really nice A&S entries all around, and Joshua Frost is the new Baronial Artisan.

Feast was good. They used the left-over pork & chicken from Push for Pennisc. Good reuse of resources, good food all around.

My first weigh-in for the company biggest loser contest was today. I lost 0 pounds the first week. :( I haven't had a lot of luck working out, as I was hurting a lot last week in my left hip. Luckily, I went to the Chiropractor today, so I got on the stationary bike tonight and did 3 5 minutes reps.  Hopefully, I'll be up to 15 minutes continuous by the end of the week.

I gotta lose this weight.

This time last year I was coming home from my Christmas with Mom in Florida. I'd been tracking my blood pressure since well before Christmas, since starting the meds that blocked the hormone which caused me to lose Potassium at an accelerated rate. My BP was down to fairly normal levels, and I was looking forward to surgery at the end of the month. I had a fairly good idea that my health would be better after my right adrenal gland was removed, but I had *no* idea how much better it would be, or how long the recovery period post surgery would be.

My BP is amazingly normal, with no BP meds AT ALL.  (happy dance!)  My doctor took me off the BP meds within about a month of surgery, as my BP was too low. (!) I now only take synthroid (for my thyroid) and a vitamin every day. 

It's also been almost a year since the surgery, and it's time to get over my dang self and get my life in gear. ;)  I'm heavier than I was before surgery, and need to get serious about this weight thing. We've got a treadmill and a stationary bike now. (thanks Santa!)  I need to use the bike every day.  My Mom lost 60 lbs last year by eating lean grilled meats (mostly chicken breast) cooked on her George Foreman Grill, and steamed vegetables,  and walking for exercise. I can do that. 30 minutes a day in front of the TV. I can sweat to the TV.  :)

I've been seeing a chiropractor for the past 2 weeks. (i missed the last 2 or 3 steps carrying a 40 lb speaker down the stairs in early October). He's adjusting my spin and left hip, and said I can only use the bike, for now. Which is okay. I get a little limpy and sore as the day progresses.  I'm going to use the bike first thing tomorrow morning (saturday) before breakfast. I'll see how the day progresses. If this works out, then I'll get up early thru the week to exercise (at home) before work!

No, I'm not going to jump into working out TOO much TOO soon. I'll ease into it, but I do want to be doing 30 minutes a day by the end of the coming week.  I'll update my progress...

Fear is a great motivator.

Yesterday I drove to and from Wapakoneta to Dayton for a parade. The way back I drove very intently so as to keep from being rained on (too much) while it was raining. I was driving the Ronald McDonald House wagon from the parade back to the Ronald McDonald House. The parade was great - the weather nice, right until the end. A big storm was blowing in, and we needed to get back to the McD's so we could go home.

Why was it so important to drive home ahead of the storm? Because the car I was driving has been permanently converted.

The RMH Wagon is a heavily modified 1981 VW Scirocco. It's a gorgeous gold color, with the RMH logo on the hood in front. The front half is the car's front area to the end of the doors. The back half is wagon-like, kinda like an El Camino rear, with a carpted floor, and padded seats for riders. It's a 5-speed with a sport suspension and transmission, and really fun to drive. When it isn't raining. There are no windows in the doors, and no windshield wipers.

Luckily, I made it back ahead of the really big rainstorm, and only had to drive about half the route in any sort of rain. Also, the windshield had been treated, so the water ran off the sides and up and over onto me.  ;)

Okay, this didn't happen yesterday, it happened during the summer. Looking back, it was quite an experience!  I could smell the rain coming in across the fields. I could smell the wet earth smells from plowed land and growing fields. It was actually fun! :)

Greetings from Alexis!

I'm having an SCA garage sale at Grand Tournament of the Unicorn.  The booth will be set up inside (Thanks Judith!)

You know, when you first get into the SCA, you pick up all kinds of stuff.  You don't have a focus on what period or place you are interested in, so you get bits of everything.  Well, I know what I focus on now, and what I don't.

So, I'm cleaning out over 20 years worth of SCA stuff that I don't use.  This includes books, fabric, trim, costumes, jewelry and accessories, along with assorted 'stuff'.  I'm going to be moving this year, and I really don't want to move stuff I don't use or need.

Here's the drill.  I'll sell *your* stuff if it's marked with your name and the price. I write down every transaction, so I can keep track of how much money each person gets. I recommend you make a list of your stuff, too, and give me a copy. (it will help me keep track of what i sell for you  ;)  I get 10% of whatever I sell for you, unless you can come and help sell your stuff for an hour or two.

I'll be at the site early, when it opens.  Please bring a table to display your stuff if you have more than a few items.

See you at Grand Tourney!