A Professional Dilettante

Since San Francisco beat Arizona today (SF losing to the Cardinals was always a long shot, alas -- the Cardinals have had a pitiful season and SF is, after all, on top of the division), even though the Seahawks won, and so did Minnesota, it was basically a moot point. Well, not for Minnesota -- if they'd lost they'd have been out of the playoffs -- but for the Hawks.

It didn't keep me from chewing my nails as they beat St. Louis 20-13, though. Three blowouts, and I've completely lost my ability to sanely watch a close game anymore [wry g].

But they won. They're 11-5. That's pretty darned spectacular, and the best season they've had since the year they went to the Super Bowl (2005-6). Not to mention winning every single home game this year. Go, 12th man [g].

And all with one of the youngest teams in the league. Not to mention a rookie quarterback who everyone kept saying was too short for the job [g]. Go, Wilson!

And now it's on to the playoffs [deep breath].

Well, I guess I can blame it on the holidays that I haven't written more than a hundred words since last Friday. Anyway, apparently I was letting it all marinate (or the writerly equivalent), because a) I came up with 1209 words today, and b) there's a new plot element that just showed up that I had no clue existed before today. Not sure where it's going, but I think it may be useful down the line. We'll see.

Anyway.



Oh, and the cats have been in and out several times today. Knowing which back door in the row of twelve is the right one seems to not be a problem, and getting them to come in doesn't seem to be an issue, either, esp. when there's food involved [g]. I was gardening/whacking dead stuff back in the back garden just now (the weather is about as decent as it gets this time of year -- 40s and sunshine!), and it's so nice to have feline company while I'm doing that! I will get back out there again in a bit and see how much more I can get done. There are crocuses sprouting out there. Already.

Also, I slept nine straight hours last night. Gods, that felt good.

With lots of pictures. http://mmjustus.wordpress.com

Happy Holidays, everyone!

The days are getting longer again!

Nor are we in Southern Canada. Just because a bunch of ignorant east coast football announcers think everyone east of the Mississippi thinks we are doesn't mean we are. Criminy.

Oh, and in front of a national audience (Sunday Night Football) the Seahawks creamed the San Francisco 49ers. Who are leading in the division right now (although if they lose their last game next week, they won't be anymore... [eg]).

42-13.

Which means that the total number of points they've put on the board in their last three games is 150. 58 week before last. 50 last week. 42 tonight. It's just amazing. Ridiculous, but amazing.

I know most of my FL couldn't give a rat's patoot, but, well, if I can't bounce off the ceiling here, where can I bounce?

1) I took Ivan and Teddy out on Tuesday into the 2 inches of crusty snow that had fallen overnight. It was their very first experience with snow. Apparently Teddy likes water in either form, liquid or frozen, but Ivan wasn't quite so enthusiastic, even if he didn't let the fact that the ground/crust kept sinking under his paws stop him from exploring. There was a lot of paw-shaking going on by both of them, though. Oh, and Teddy batted at a mint stem and was most offended at the faceful of snow he got as a result.

2) Teddy is enthralled with wolves, and bears, and trumpeter swans, and foxes, and otters...

PBS's show Nature was rerunning its Christmas in Yellowstone program last night, and as it's one of my favorites, I tuned it in. Ivan watched intently from my lap, but Teddy jumped down and spent a large portion of the hour on his hind legs with his front paws on the TV armoire (which tells you how big he's gotten -- the tv's about two feet off the floor), watching the critters with, I'm pretty sure, every intent of taking down one of those bison, or maybe an elk [g]. I think it was the sounds that originally caught their attention, but that was all it took.

And Tuesday's, for that matter, because between the snow (which is gone now, thxmch) and going to see The! Hobbit!, I was too distracted to come up with more than 359 words. I did better today: 1056 words, and what looks like the end of Chapter 12. Maybe. And the beginning of Chapter 13. Again. Maybe. (Chapter 12 is short in comparison to the others, and the last time that happened, I ended up combining two chapters and calling it good).



Oh, and sometimes busy work -- in this case cutting 25 precisely 8 1/2" red squares out of fourteen different fabrics that will go in a new quilt I'm piecing -- is a good thing because it keeps my hands busy but not my brain. No, James, I did not realize a) that there was a traumatic event that caused you to hate the park. I thought you were just rebelling against everyone else loving the place. And b) what the traumatic event was. Are you sure you want to go there, James? Really?

There were snowflakes this afternoon.

No, they didn't stick, but still. Argh.

Hi, I'm Megaera, and I hoard quilt scraps.

[Hi, Megaera!]

Not just two pillowcases jammed full of fabric bits way too small to be of use to anyone but a Borrower (as in the Mary Norton books), but I just filled two garbage bags with bits of batting that somehow got stuffed into the back corner of my fabric closet where I swear they've been reproducing. Why was I saving this stuff??? None of it's of any use whatsoever except perhaps for filling dog beds. Note to self: I don't have a dog (although the humane society has many -- I wonder -- hmmm...).

I started quilting in 1988. I suspect some of that stuff may be that age (I know I've got bigger fabric pieces in my stash that date from not long after that).

Anyway, I also discovered enough bigger pieces of batting that are actually usable that I may not have to buy batting for a while, either [wry g].

And all this because I decided to start piecing another quilt, and couldn't stand looking at the mess while I worked. Did I actually get anything done on the quilt itself for the entire afternoon? Noooo...

Does the sewing room still look like a bomb went off in there? Yes.

Am I too tired to finish cleaning up in there today? Yes.

Sigh. I'll get there. I will.

ETA: I have found a home for both pillowcases full of fabric scraps. Not that I was actively looking for one -- I was basically just kvetching when I posted this here and to the Washington State Internet Quilters email list. But someone on the latter and I are meeting the Thursday of Christmas week, on which occasion she's going to receive both pillowcases and their contents. She makes scrap quilts for charity. This is the most win-win of all win-win situations, IMHO. So, go me!

This is actually a pretty good one, compared to the last few:

In which our author is inordinately amused. I do so love a character with attitude. Esp. when she's not the protagonist, and flusters the heck out of same. Yes, I know this is supposedly all coming out of my backbrain. I have my doubts, however.



Over 40,000 words! 1028 words today. A very good day.