What's a summary that doesn't summarize things?

Do you have New Year's Eve traditions? I try to clear off all those niggling chores and errands - drop off the recycling and goodwill pile, clean out the fridge (thankfully already done last weekend), finish the laundry, etc. It feels good to start the year without any UGH chores to do. I also always summarize the prior year of blog posts by taking the first sentence from each month's first post and pasting them here. Some years it really does summarize things well. This year it does work ok, but I feel like it misses some big parts of the year - like any mention of zombies. Here's the 2011 chronology:

I was holding off posting waiting to get the photos off my phone - I finally sit down to do it, can't find the cord, try to use the one from my USB charging mat, and learn that NOT ALL USB CABLES ARE CREATED EQUAL.

I hope my travels never get as complicated as this:

So my plan to post more frequently, and with photos, has clearly not held up.

Are you familiar with Flat Stanley? 

I’m really starting to see the variability of TSA screening at different airports.

Imagine walking down a grassy path through a sprawling garden.

I have a secret - I want to be in a Flash Mob one day.

Thunderstorm doesn't begin to describe the amount of rain coming down right now. 

It means I've been knitting (and finishing things) like a maniac!

Recent trips have laid me over in Detroit - wait that sounds really wrong.

Part of developing a marketing campaign should be to check online and see if your clever phrase already has an established meaning.

Never enough time.

What is it about an impending event that really stirs the creative juices? I have so many ideas for cute decorations and things to make, yet definitely don't have the time for them. I think that's something I'd really like to work on for next year - make note of all these great ideas and refer to them in time to actually do them for next year.

Things like creating a 31 day advent-esque calendar. There are so many really cute ideas for calendars! I thought 31 days, counting down to the end of the year, would be fun. But first I need to decide what media to use for it. And since it's clearly going to be for next year I have the time to do it.

For this year, I'm hoping it stops raining long enough to gather some holly boughs from our overgrown shrubbery. Does it still count as a shrub if it's taller than the house? I'm thinking to drape them on the mantle and entertainment center, maybe tie them onto an old grapevine wreath I have. I also have popcorn and cranberries I can string together.

I wish I had a week off now, to devote to all these great ideas. Enough time to bake cookies, knit things, and still cut out paper snowflakes. Well, we'll see how much I can do, and how well I hold to my plan to start early for next year :)

Solstice

Embrace the dark, be curious, dig deep, stay in your body, practice stillness and presence in each moment. Love yourself and all of the raw and intense feelings that may arise. Embody spirituality. Breathe.

While we tend to shy away from commercialized holidays, I do love celebrating the seasons. The death of the winter sun and its rebirth, every day from now being longer and brighter - that is truly a reason for celebration. On days like this, so many like minded people are honoring the return of the Light, you can feel the energy around you. How wonderful.

May you all be filled with peace, joy, love, and Light this season

What a find!

There's a large year round flea market here in town. The main building has permanent shops, including a coin shop - our usual reason for going. It's an odd building, the front part is somewhat ok, but the further back you go the scarier it gets - the outer edge shops are made of plywood and chicken wire. Out back is the main flea market full of random tables of junk and treasures. It also has an incredibly diverse Hispanic food section with fresh produce I didn't know you could get outside of a border state. There's also an antiques area - still a mix of junk and oddities, but worth a visit to see what's there. I've always loved skeleton keys and recently started collecting them, and sometimes find some for a good deal out there.

But what we found last week was definitely unusual. As soon as we walked in the garage we saw a dusty Victorian sofa pushed up against the wall. We both were intrigued, but knew it could have all sorts of problems. We looked it over in detail - I even bent down to smell the fabric, which got odd looks from D and the booth owner. It was in remarkably good condition, still supportive and comfortable, just in need of a good vacuuming and oiling.

We walked around the other tables, trying to decide why we should buy it. It's pretty and we have a place for it, but seriously - are we really going to randomly buy a Victorian sofa? There's no good reason to do it. Then D said we should look at it from another angle - why shouldn't we buy it? We both grinned at each other and hurried back to start haggling.

Friends with benefits

Part of developing a marketing campaign should be to check online and see if your clever phrase already has an established meaning. Particularly if the current meaning is sexual. Especially if you are a family-oriented organization.

We just got a brochure asking us to support the art museum. They offer Passion, Excitement, and Intrigue - by becoming a friend with benefits. They repeated the Friends with Benefits line many more times throughout the flier, so it's obviously their new catch phrase. I'd like to think it's an innocent mistake, but when it's linked to passion and excitement, I can't imagine there's not some level of intentional double entendre.

Of course, taken literally, I think I'd be pretty disappointed to go there and find out all I get is free admission to see the art.

Unexpected Thanksgiving

We were meant to be in Phoenix right now, celebrating my aunt's 70th birthday on T'giving day with all our family. The airlines had other ideas, and as we watched our flight get delayed yet again and learned we would miss our connecting flight and there were no others available at all, I was really bummed about the holiday. I really wanted to be with them all, to go around the table sharing what we're thankful for, and have the chance to catch up with everyone. Instead I was on the phone with the airline confirming our tickets would be refunded and trying to decide what to do about dinner on Thursday. But it's turned out to be a really delightful holiday.

It was only 9:30am when we left the airport (although being up for 6 hours already made it feel much later). D needed a new coat, so we headed over to the stores and enjoyed having fully stocked racks and shelves everywhere we turned. We decided that rather than try to create a traditional turkey dinner at home, I'd grill steaks with mushrooms and onions, grilled asparagus, and mashed potatoes. We stopped at Fresh Market and they had chanterelle mushrooms - so far my favorite fungus and not one you see fresh in stores this time of year. I picked some up and sauteed them with cippolini onions from our garden, a nice holiday-level treat.

I had thought about running a Turkey Trot 5k out in Phoenix, I figured it'd be warm enough I could do it barefoot. I decided the night before T'giving to head to town and run in our local one. Although it was cold enough I did wear shoes:

It was a fun event, and the race organizers said over 14,000 people and 700 dogs had registered! The shirts had big turkeys on them, and the dogs got matching bandannas with bones on them. I have no idea what my time was. With that many people the start was really sluggish and for some reason I'm not listed in the chip timing results :(. Not that it really matters. I ran at an even pace the whole time and had fun doing it.

The weather warmed up in the afternoon and we went outside for a game of catch. We were a bit rusty, including our outfielder Kayla, who kept losing the ball in the leaves. Kayla was a riot. She kept running back and forth between us each throw, rather than stand still and wait to see where the ball was headed. When one of us missed a catch she'd crank into high gear and chase after the ball no matter how tired she was.

So overall, despite the change in plans, it turned into a very nice holiday with a lot of the features I had hoped for. And since it seems incorrect to end a T'giving post without a mention of thankfulness - my heart overflows with gratitude at the life I have and the people I get to share it with. I love you all!

From cool to disturbing

Recent trips have laid me over in Detroit - wait that sounds really wrong. Ahem, recent trips have been routed through Detroit as my connecting airport rather than Atlanta. Now before you uggh in sympathetic dismay, let me say that the Detroit airport is relatively new, clean, and fairly easy to navigate. And closer to the Northeast as a layover than Atlanta. Plus they have a super cool walkway between the main terminals. It has continually changing muted lights and synth music playing. Which is nice, because without that it would be a painfully long hallway to traverse underground. Also an interesting bit about Detroit is the Delta SkyClub lounge has an open bar. And by open I mean you walk up to the shelves of liquor and pour your own drink, or pull a beer from the tap.

 

However, not everything is cool in the airports. I noticed this incredibly disturbing sign in Atlanta in very highly trafficked area.

"Did you SEE something suspicious commuting 

to work or grabbing a bite to eat?

Then SAY something to local authorities

to make it right.

Report suspicious activity. Call 9-1-1"

Now, I'm not one to jump on the Nazi bandwagon, but really in this case I think you can't help see the similarity. How many Hitler Youth turned in neighbors and community members to the authorities for "something suspicious"? Let's all spy on our neighbors! Turn them in and "make it right"! Classic 1984. Also, did you notice the phone number to use? My first thought was oh, they have a 9/11 phone number for this. Then I realized it's the freakin emergency number they're telling you to call!! Like 911 Emergency Response has the time to handle every overzealous person who calls in because they think someone is behaving suspiciously while they're grabbing a bite to eat. I'm also disturbed that the motto is trademarked.

And to go from the seriously disturbing and trademarked to the mildly disturbing and slightly trademark infringing:

What in the hell is this? No, it's not Splenda. It's not even a generic form of Splenda's ingredients. I know the color yellow can't be trademarked, but I was about to put this in my tea when I saw the name and then the ingredient list. Which would have sucked, as this is essentially the pink packet sweetener with some extra chemicals added. If I use artificial sweetener at all, I want real yellow packets. Or blue if I have to. Never pink. And don't be putting pink stuff in a yellow packet and pulling the wool over our eyes.

You said drive UP to town, why am I going south?

We have an odd custom for referring to travel direction here in the southern Appalachian area I live. I'm about 30 min. north of a nearby town, and 1000 feet lower in elevation since I'm in the river valley and it's further up the ridge. If I was going to the town, I would say I'm going UP there. And likewise, if a friend in town complains it's snowing, I can reply that we just have rain down here. 


I think it's mostly a holdover from horse/wagon days, when having to climb a nearby mountain was a better indicator of where the next town was than just a compass point. And believe me, every mountain and hill here has a name, and often when people complain of the weather or traffic it's by mountain name rather than towns - seems they're still the default landmarks despite our ease traversing them. Also, it's usually quite a bit colder on the ridges compared to the valleys, and it just feels right to refer to a colder place as ‘up from here’.


Coming from the North originally I found this seeming inversion of direction ridiculous and refused to join in. I'm north of town dammit! Everyone knows north/south! Why say you'll drive up to a town, when you're actually heading south? I argued the point at first, but after I accepted the shift, it seems to fit so much better than something like a compass point. And now I refer to locations by up/down elevations rather than map directions by default. And so does everyone else. Until you have a visitor from the north, and you  accidentally add an hour onto their expected drive time because they thought when I said we'd drive up to town, they thought that town was north of here.

Must share - shopping other ppl's stashes

I just stumbled upon a fantastic feature in Ravelry that is going to save me tons of money. People list yarn from their stashes to sell, and you can search directly within that group for stuff that's a great deal! I needed 2 skeins of a certain brand and color, and found someone selling exactly what I needed for about 40% less than list price. Now I also know what to do with some of my impulse purchases I'll never use.

From the homepage I clicked the search icon (magnifying glass). Then chose to search stashes. There's a click box on the left to select For Sale or Trade. Then you can search for specific names, colors, fibers, yarn weights, etc. Woo hoo!

Gotta run, there's stash mining to be done!

Epiphany

Almost from the beginning, I've always been a sock knitter. I learned to knit on a scarf , then made a pair of ribbed mittens, then I was on to socks. I was such a new knitter I knotted the yarn together on the sole of my first pair! Socks have been my thing for well over a decade. It's always socks.

Then something happened this past year. I just got tired of socks. I couldn't bear the thought of knitting another one. I stopped looking at sock patterns, passed by sock yarn in the store. I unraveled the one I was working on - that's how little I cared about finishing it. Admittedly I've gotten a lot of knitting done since then, but still it's made me pause wondering what happened to my love of socks?

A recent KnitPicks podcast included asking someone how they got started knitting. I turned off the radio and started answering it as if they had asked me. Which turned into a delightfully time-filling interview driving down the interstate. And it uncovered why I abandoned socks - they abandoned me first.

Rundown of my socktastrophe: Last year I knit a pair for my Emah that were mirror images. Only I kept messing up and essentially knit almost 5 full socks to get two that matched. I excitedly started a complex fairisle pair, only I could never get it right - the fabric was always too unstretchy to slip over my heel. The next pair I knit for Emah was a pattern I'd recently used before, but somehow I picked up the wrong needles for the second sock and ended up knitting 3 full socks to get a matched set. Then there was the fiddly modular pair that if I put down for more than a few days I'd have to re-teach myself how to do the pattern - unraveled! Then the final pair - lovely cashmere and wool yarn from an indie dyer, bought on my trip to Vancouver. Easy to knit pattern, but somehow I just couldn't get through it.

At the time I didn't think of all the work that was for naught, but looking back it was a bad year for sock knitting. I think my total lack of interest now, and amazing ability to finish things lately, really stems from a deep discouragement that socks are a finishable project. But that gives me hope, as I think one day I'll dismiss my discouragement and be back to my socks again. Which is good, I have way too much sock yarn to really give it up.

Highly productive (and no that doesn't mean I have bronchitis)

It means I've been knitting (and finishing things) like a maniac! Normally I'm terrible about finishing projects. I get to the 3/4 mark and completely lose interest in the project. I develop an overwhelming desire to knit something else and it's a chore to trudge through the last bit. But I never care since I'm a process knitter not a product knitter. But lately when I get to the 3/4 mark I can wait to get the item finished to see what it's like. Which has resulted in a huge number of finished items lately.

 

The teal sweater was started at the end of March. I have a photo from that insane Maine-DC-Dallas trip the first weekend of April that has the first few inches of the sweater sitting on my lap in the plane. This was my very first successful sweater - which means I've accomplished something that was on my lifetime goals list! The button I used I've had for about 6 years. It's the butt end of an antler, all squiggly and unmistakably natural.

The pink Candy Floss Cowl just came out of nowhere. I can't explain why I bought the yarn, or why I knit this piece. But I like it now, and it came together pretty quickly. It's got a lot of versatility, so may end up being a good item to wear this winter.

The purple sweater is an Anthropologie knock-off. It only took 250 yards to knit! The entire time I was knitting I kept saying No effin' way can you make a sweater with only 250 yards of yarn. And when it was done and I realized not only can you make a sweater with that little yarn, and an ANTHROPOLOGIE sweater at that, but that it's super cute and a great end to a weekend of knitting...uh, I'm not sure how to end this sentence, I think it surpassed run-on into some irretrievably bad-grammar point. But you know what I mean.

This sweater needs a clasp to close, which means I finally get the chance to use my vintage brooch collection!

The final piece is a scarf I knit as a thank you for someone. She really helped me make one of the more difficult decisions I've had to deal with this past year or so, and what better way to say thank you than with knitted goods? I've had this pattern favorited on Ravelry for ages so was glad for the excuse to knit it up.

There are actually a couple other things I've finished but I'm less spectacularly thrilled with them, so I'm leaving 'em off this blog roll. But if you're dying to see them check out Rattlefox on Ravelry.

First day of Fall

I'm a week late in my post - it should be 9.16.11, but I can't figure out how to back-date a post to make it more realistic. At least I wrote the post on paper so have it to refer to. So, let me take you back in time a week or so...

Never mind the equinoxes. Ignore that where we live it could easily be 85° by the end of the month. Just enjoy today. It's 54° out, only 66 in the house. Dry with a light breeze. I'm in jeans and a light cardigan, although after a brief trip outside I may have to put on some socks or house slippers. Drat! How will I keep my feet in running form this winter?? Still, the change in season is exciting. Although it's hard to believe the year is 3/4 finished. Where did it go? Why is it always September that flies away? Ah, that burning dust smell from the first use of central heat, that's a sure sign it's early fall. And baby pumpkins! I love baby pumpkins and always buy one every year. They're just so cute and useless!

Although apparently someone found a use for them!

Contagion didn't catch

The new movie Contagion received great reviews, and we were excited to go see it. The 'chillingly real epidemic' and 'breakdown of society in response' sounded too good to pass up. Despite a renowned cast and obvious scientific background, there just wasn't much to the movie. We were never shocked, disturbed, scared, or awed.  Later on we weren't afraid to touch common surfaces like doorknobs. After the movie someone coughed in front of us and I wished I'd felt a little thrill, an impression carried over from the movie. Did you ever watch The Mothman Prophecies or any other movie where the phone rings as part of the plot? Imagine watching it on DVD and having the phone in your house ring midway through the movie, feeling that quick jolt before you convince yourself it's ok to answer it in real life. That's what was missing from Contagion. It had the chance to really shock and scare us with The Truth, and yet failed to deliver. It's been a while since I've seen it, but I think the movie Outbreak with Dustin Hoffman did a better job scaring people with an infectious disease than did Contagion. Alas!

Speaking of the CDC and a different kind of contagion - have you checked out their page on preparing for a Zombie Apocalypse? Seriously, it makes you appreciate the CDC even more to know they have your back for when Zombies strike. Unless it ends up like The Walking Dead (season 2 starts next month!!) and the CDC is the last place you want to be. Their Zombie Preparedness page has all sorts of useful information like:

"Plan your evacuation route. When zombies are hungry they won’t stop until they get food (i.e., brains), which means you need to get out of town fast! Plan where you would go and multiple routes you would take ahead of time so that the flesh eaters don’t have a chance! This is also helpful when natural disasters strike and you have to take shelter fast."


I've realized in the past few months that I really like zombies. I don't care how sexy or sparkly or glamour-ous a vampire might be, I'm definitely on Team Zombie.

Gullywasher

Thunderstorm doesn't begin to describe the amount of rain coming down right now. The gutters are literally overflowing and rain is blowing sideways off the trees. There was a long period of thunder before the rains started, and it's been raining at flood-levels for a while now. I can't believe there was this much water in the clouds, given how freakin dry it's been lately. The thunder is deep enough I swear I feel the house shaking. Or maybe that's just Kayla the dog hiding under my desk.

I love playing in the rain, always have. I wonder if my mom still thinks back on those times whenever there's a good storm. In my memory we were always out in the rain except when forced into the basement by tornado warnings. I think we even had rainclothes that were easy to peel out of when drenched. I still love the rain just as much, although one of my favorite things to do now is go running. If I'd known how long this storm was going to last I think I would've played hookie and gone out in it. I told myself it wouldn't last long, then I'd be wet and still have to get back to work. Now I'm regretting it, this is such an awesomely heavy rain.[peeking outside] oh, it's just about finished now. Actually, other than responsibly working, it's probably good I stayed home. Poor Kayla is so thunder-shy she would've been a right mess when I got back. Oh but it would've been FUN! [peeking out again] Dang, the rain is starting up again, teasing me. But the sky is lighter, so maybe it really is ending. Definitely too late now. I'll just sit at my desk and stare out the window wistfully...

Barefeet FTW!!

I was playing in the woods barefoot with Windy. It started as a run, but turned into a a mix of running and walking as the terrain and her need to explore allowed. I found it very interesting that I seemed to have less problems stepping on uncomfortable sticks, rocks, etc. when running than when walking. Towards the end of the jaunt I was running on the rougher parts since it paradoxically seemed easier on my feet than trying to walk carefully over them.

But the best part was when I stepped on something sharp and turned to see if it was a pointy rock or thorn. No, it was a strand of BARBED WIRE about an inch off the ground. I didn't see any blood in the dust coating my foot. I licked my thumb and wiped off the dust to see if there was a puncture mark. Nope! I felt the barbed wire with my hand, and yes, that's definitely what I stepped on. Hell yeah! Let's give a cheer for tough bare feet! A year ago my feet were so soft I could only take a few steps on the street. Now I can run on barbed wire without a problem. Not that I'm going to be doing it again - I'm bringing wire cutters with me next time so I can clear it off the trail.

And for all the parents who read this - yes, I will go get a tetanus shot tomorrow.

Barefeet For The Win!!

Earthqaaaaaaake!

Wow, that was pretty exciting. I had just come in from playing fetch with the dogs when I heard an odd thumping sound. I have a tall mirror leaning against the wall in my room that I have yet to hang up. I glanced over and it was moving to and fro, the glass distorting and looking warped. I couldn't understand what could make the mirror or wall move since no one was in the room, and went outside to see if something was there. Also what could be thumping, I'm the only one home? It was really quiet outside and seemed kind of eerily creepy. I went back inside and a bit later learned it was a 5.9 earthquake in Louisa, VA - about 150 miles away. The dogs didn't seem to have much of a reaction, but they were really underfoot when I saw the mirror shimmying. I wonder if that's the only one or if we might get others. It was kind of creepy not knowing what was going on, but now that I do it's kind of exhilarating.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/usc0005ild.html

Knittin' Opinion Needed

I'm almost finished with my sweater - just the shoulder shaping on one sleeve, then blocking and seaming and wearing, just in time for fall! So naturally my mind is wandering over what to knit next. I want to knit a scarf for someone - no it's not you, why would I post about it for you to read?? It's for someone who always comments on my knitting and makes 'jokes' about me knitting socks for her. Well, I'm too bored with socks lately and figured a scarf would be a good choice. I asked a mutual friend what style she might like and gave her a list of adjectives like lacy, cozy, stripey, cabled, avant guarde, etc. She suggested cozy and avant guarde. After pouring through Ravelry I've come down to 3-5 ideas and want your opinion which I should knit:

Just Enough Ruffles - worsted, so fast to knit. Asymmetric with ruffles down one edge

Palindrome - Knit and purl panels cause interesting pleating. 

Larisa's Bark - Mega huge cables make a stunning unusual texture

Rill Scarf - Very modern looking, lace down one edge and a slight ruffle on the other.

Cinder - From Jared Flood, so you know it's classic. Definitely cozy, but I don't think avant guarde. Also, it's in bulky yarn, which I think will make a too voluminous scarf for someone barely 5' tall. But isn't it lovely? Can't you imagine it in one of those squishy bulky yarns that you want to plop your face into right in the yarn shop? Can you imagine a scarf made of such yarn where the texture enhances the "come cuddle in me" qualities? Maybe with a touch of cashmere? Oh, if I were Blanche Devereaux I'd have to go fan myself off now.

You'll notice these are all pretty simple nearly mindless patterns. I think knitting an entire sweater in stockinette has shown me the pleasure of straight knitting, as opposed to the crazy lace and colorwork patterns I so often do! 

So, which do you think I should make? Or do you have a suggestion for something even better? I'm open to all opinions, so ask your friends and husbands too. Well, only if they're the kind who care enough to look at knitting patterns and provide helpful commentary ;) Thanks for the help, you know my license plate doesn't say INDCISV for nothing!

Louisville - a nice surprise

When traveling for work I rarely get to really experience the city I'm in, but usually can get a feel if it's "my kind of town". I almost always flip through the city guide magazine or book that's in most hotel rooms to see what's big. Some cities are exactly like you expect - Orlando is pretty disappointing with extra-high humidity, very cookie-cutter and touristy. Philadelphia has so many things to see and do you can't begin to pick your options. But sometimes a town really surprises you. 

I just got back from Louisville, KY and heading in was very bland about the idea, sort of a "whatever, I go where I'm needed, not like I'm there for vacation anyway". I was only there for a day, but the town really impressed me to the point I'd like to take a trip there for a visit sometime. And not many places I've been to have been added to my re-visit list, so that's saying something. There's a big art scene and lots of museums, and a very cool sounding downtown shopping area. It's also home to pretty much all the major bourbon distilleries there are (Maker's Mark, Knob Creek, Woodford Reserve, etc). Bourbon is only made in Kentucky, and they take it VERY seriously. Speaking of drinking, whenever I have a beer while traveling I always ask what local brews they have - it's an interesting way to experience a bit of the local flavor, so to speak. I was lucky enough to have a glass of Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale while walking by the Ohio River one evening in perfect summer weather. The ale is matured in freshly decanted bourbon barrels from the local distilleries. It was really excellent, the aroma and flavor of the bourbon was unmistakable, but it complemented the ale rather than detracting or seeming gimmicky. Distribution sounds pretty limited, so I might not get to taste this again until I go back to Kentucky.

Flash Mobs

I have a secret - I want to be in a Flash Mob one day. I'd love to experience one as a bystander, but even better to take part in a truly unexpected one. Of course, I think they're getting more mainstream now so the thrill may wear off. For those who are unfamiliar with a Flash Mob, it's an apparently random yet very well choreographed event occurring in a crowded public place. Parts of the audience will suddenly join in, making everyone wonder who else is part of it. Sometimes it's dancing:

Sometimes singing (this one is long, just get through the first chorus):

And sometimes is so unexpected it freaks everyone out.

How cool would that be? Of course, there are some painfully embarrassing versions where the desire to be in a flash mob far outweighs talent or accuracy. A flash mob is not the same thing as dance performance. The unexpectedness in a public place is the key, it's not the same as a performance where everyone knows about it. And while enthusiasm can make up for many shortcomings, it's the skilled timing and precision that make flash mobs so exciting. Just having a lot of people dancing to the same song DOES NOT COUNT. My favorite part is really the bystanders expressions, and everyone recording what they can on their phones. I signed up to be part of a Reading Rainbow Chorus flashmob, but I don't know if it'll ever come to fruition. Lets hope so - Butterfly in the skyyyy, I can fly twice as hiiiiiiigh...

All is right with the world again

Yep, I went to Target today. I needed laundry detergent and like the Method kind they have with the pump. I also looked at hats and purses and scarves. Would've looked at earrings but there was a mom there accusing her teenage daughter of lying about stealing shoes from her cousin. I tried not to listen but had to give up and leave when the mom said "Jesus knows when you're stealing, Jesus knows you're lying". I may not be religious, but I thought that line of reasoning was reserved for Santa near Christmastime.

So off to the bedding and shelving area! And while there I rediscovered why I like Target - they have cool affordable stuff! They have king-size duvet covers - something I've been searching high and low for since we got our new summerweight down blanket. And all their bedding now comes in bags made of the sheet fabric, complete with buttons and flaps. Very cool idea, and I can't wait to figure out what I'm going to do with mine. Because surely there must be a use for a rectangular pouch made of sheeting that buttons closed. I've never found a use for the plastic ones, but save them all because they seem like they should be useful. Yeah, this cloth one will be way more useful once I find a use for it!

On Target!

It struck me today that it's been MONTHS since I've been to Target. This is somewhat disturbing to me. Admittedly I have to drive half an hour to get to one now, compared to the 4 minutes it used to be before we moved. But I drive past a Target probably once a week, so that's no excuse. I remember when we were first talking about moving years ago, I said I could live anywhere that had a good grocery store and a Target in town. So what happened? I really don't know, I'm not sure where I'm buying all the things I used to go to Target to get, or even what all those things were. It's a bit disconcerting, like I've lost part of my memory.

We had a sub this week for my normal yoga class, and rather than try to teach the Jivamukti style we're used to she taught her normal Hatha Flow class. I would say she is an advanced level teacher, the only time I've had a more challenging class was that crazy balance workshop a few months ago. After I was shaking and drenched from the effort I glanced at the clock and realized in horror that only half an hour had passed and we still had 45 min. to go. I took a breath and hoped we'd have some easy poses to rest before the next strenuous part. Thankfully we did, and by easy I mean laying flat on our belly just breathing. The climax of the class was a series of poses leading to forearm stand.

This is a new pose I hadn't tried before, but one I'd really like to be able to do one day. I was able to get my upper body in position, but my feet were only able to leave the ground for a second, as I tried to kick up off the ground. One day... We also tried to walk up the walls, which I totally want to be able to do. We crouched with our back to the wall and palms flat on the ground, then put our feet on the wall and started walking up it. It's way harder than you'd think, mostly to overcome the mental aspect and trust what you're doing. I don't think I'd want this class every week, but it might be fun to challenge myself every once in a while like that. So long as I had a few days to recover before doing anything else.

8 years and counting...

That's right. It's been 8 years cancer free since I finished chemo. I knew it ended in May 2003, but sitting in my oncologist's office for my yearly checkup I resorted to counting on my fingers to confirm that it really has been that long. I kept thinking my math was off. Given that when I was first diagnosed the average life expectancy was 5 - 10 years, I'd say having to count on my fingers to keep up with the years is a pretty cool thing. While my doctor and I know I'm not cured, keywords like 'durable remission' have a lot of meaning. I'm healthier than I have been in a decade, full of life, and cancer is no longer in the forefront of my consciousness. Sometimes I catch sight of my tattoo and am almost surprised, like: Oh, yeah, that's right. I am a cancer survivor. And that in itself is an amazing accomplishment. To not even think about cancer for days or weeks, when at one time I considered it one of my defining characteristics. I'm thinking I might have to start throwing milestone parties as the years go by.

If you stream videos, can you call your computer a boob toob?

Just saw a commercial for Lean Cuisine that touted "Farm Picked Broccoli" as an ingredient. Excuse me, but where else does broccoli come from? It's not like there's a season for Wild Alaskan Broccoli caught by daring broccolimen. Or to go the other direction, there's not a lot of factory-raised broccoli kept crowded together in giant warehouses that never see the light of day. I'm both impressed by and frustrated with advertisers who take a basic feature common to all products and turn it into a key selling point.

I finally joined Netflix, after how many months (years) of saying I was going to do it? I'm enjoying it, but am a bit frustrated with their mix of DVD and streaming movies. Like season 1 of a series will be streamed, but the next seasons are DVD only. And given that next month their features split and prices increase, I'm not sure I'm going to stick with it. I'd go for streaming only, but like I said they kind of lock you into both. We'll have to see. But in response to Netflix, HBO created a streaming site called HBO GO that is free to HBO subscribers. They have all their back episodes of original programming, documentaries, and even the boxing matches in HD. And as soon as a new episode airs it is already up on HBO GO. Haven't fully explored it yet, but it really is a great free feature.

See what happens to broccoli when it's raised in unnatural conditions? Try to use something other than farm-picked broccoli and you could end up with this fractal insanity.

We grew some last year in our garden and while we never got anything quite this big, we had enough to know that a hybrid of broccoli and cauliflower may look cool, but the taste leaves something to be desired. It had a somewhat freaky texture and rather bitter taste, not at all like either of the parent plants. Speaking of cauliflower, it wasn't until I just typed it (spelled correctly, I'm so proud) that I realized the root of the word is caul, and the vegetable does look like one. EEEW!

Need Directions?

Imagine walking down a grassy path through a sprawling garden. Tidy displays of flowers interspersed with messy tangles of not-quite weeds. Perhaps a trellis with long handled dipper gourds hanging down. Tall shrubs obscure the edges of the garden, making a small green enclosed world. The path comes to an intersection, and you're not quite sure which way to head. Luckily there are markers set up at the corner. You approach, eager to learn which way you're headed. Then you read the path markers, and try to decide which might be the way out.

Hiking in Phoenix

I just got back from Phoenix, AZ for our company annual sales meeting. Except we couldn’t call it that, it was the North American Business Conference – apparently business meetings have some tax advantage that sales meetings don’t qualify for. Plus it was in Phoenix, during the summer solstice, and was 114 degrees out, with 5% humidity. Y’know the adage “it’s not the heat it’s the humidity”? They’re not kidding, it wasn’t the 114 searing heat that drove us inside, it was the soul-sucking lack of moisture. By the end I sounded like a long-term smoker, as the dryness made my voice raspy. Perfect for delivering 4 presentations!

Our hotel was at the base of Camelback Mountain, and I got up early one morning to hike it before work (and before it got too hot). 

The front desk guy gave me a 30 SPF lip balm, checked I had a bottle of water, and pointed me towards the trail head.  Based on everyone's admonitions to wear shoes because of the rocky gravel surface and big rocks of the trail, I started out in my Five Fingers toe shoes. And while I hike in the VA forests and run on asphalt barefoot, I've never been on the crushed rock of the southwest and thought I should play it safe. After about 5 min I thought - this sucks, my feet are sweaty and the finely crushed rock shifting underfoot makes me feel unsteady. I decided to see if being barefoot on the trail was on option. I peeled off my shoes, an effort not unlike slithering out of a wet swimsuit, and gingerly stood on the gravel, then took a few steps. A big smile broke out and I really started to have fun. Feeling my toes curl around big rocks for stability, the quiet barefootfall, and the pleasant warmth of the ground was fantastic. Plus it made me really proud that my feet could handle it, it was by far the most challenging surface I’ve attempted.

A couple people stopped me to ask about being barefoot, particularly how I was able to do it. A few just said wow, barefoot as they passed by, and one warned me about snakes. My response to that was that snakes out there make noise, and I'm used to copperheads and water moccasins. Plus, is really having my feet covered going to save my life? Like it might not just bite my ankle if I was stupid enough to provoke it? The best wildlife encounter was hearing an unfamiliar rapid birdsong that had a touch of frantic static to it. I looked up and there was a broad-tailed hummingbird sitting on a branch nearby singing his little heart out. After a while he flew a few humming circles around my head and took off.

I’d love to go on hikes like that again. It was such a great part of my trip. If…when…if… my parents retire to the southwest, I’m totally going to scope out the hiking opportunities.

New Orleans

I'm not much for taking pictures, and find it funny when I get home from a trip and the photos I have are not at all the things that were truly memorable. Because when I'm in the middle of living life, I forget to take a photo. I was in New Orleans last month, right when the river was feared to crest in the city, and before it got disgustingly hot. The first day, all I could do was marvel and how dirty and smelly it was. Seriously, even with my prior job and a dog with a penchant for rolling in small mammal corpses, I never encountered such a grotesque array of smells as I did on Bourbon St. And cockroaches roamed the sidewalks in the good part of town!

But there is something about NOLA. It really gets under your skin, and you can't help but want to return and experience more of it. My friend and I went shopping one afternoon on Magazine St. and stumbled into a movie set - Bruce Willis was in town filming a new movie called Lay the Favorite. He wasn't on site just then, but it was still cool. There's also so many neat old houses and unique sights.

The chimney tops on this house were fascinating. Speaking of beautiful places, we were lucky enough to stay at The Roosevelt Hotel, a newly restored turn of the century hotel. It's the best hotel I've ever stayed in, and had a lot of character that added to its charm. It even had a working brass letterbox. You could drop a letter in the slot on any floor and watch it fall to the lobby letterbox through the glass chute.

So many memories are jumbled - The Sazerac Bar, home of the official cocktail of New Orleans, which changed my view of classic cocktails forever. Riding the trolley, perhaps my favorite way to get around town. People watching was definitely high on the list. The unusual accents from many of the native people. This tree seemed so classic Louisiana to me, I had to stop for a photo.

Weird food experiments

A couple people have mentioned Kale Chips or Crispy Kale recently, going on about how un-healthy it tastes and how it's the perfect substitute for potato chips. It sounded easy enough to make - rip up kale and toss with olive oil and salt, then bake on a cookie sheet about 20 min. I bought a bag of curly kale at the farmers market this weekend to try. I got the garnish-style kale, rather than the somewhat scary dinosaur kale - just look at this picture and tell me it doesn't creep you out.

It was easy to make, although the kale tended to leap out of my bowl as I tossed it with oil. Perhaps because of the hyperbolic potential energy in the leaves? I baked it at 325 for 20 min, which turned out to be a touch too long. Still, it came out super crispy and instantly addictive. I ate probably a quart size bag without thinking.   The only problem I found is that it was too light and airy crispy. Once you bit a piece it exploded in your mouth into a puff of nothingness. As scary as the dinosaur kale looks, it might pack more tooth-wallop than the dainty-textured curly kale. But I'm definitely going to make it again, and if I ever go to a potluck I'll have to bring it as a snack for people. I think it would also be really good with spices instead of the salt. So, 3 cheers for food experimentation!

Barefoot in Chicago

I’m really starting to see the variability of TSA screening at different airports. At one airport the metal detectors were so sensitive it picked up the underwires in my bra. I will never forget the TSA agent asking “Ma’am, do you have any metal in your…chest area?” Whereas I walked through another airport’s metal detectors cleanly and only on the other side noticed just how much metal I had on my person. I had wondered if the pendant would set it off, as it’s a blacksmithed piece of solid iron. But apparently not. 

 

I was in Chicago recently and our hotel was right on the river. It was a great view from my room, with some famous landmarks visible. There’s a river walk path that people walked their dogs and run on during the day. I found enough time to run up to Lake Michigan and back. The wind coming off the lake was strong enough it made the run more challenging than expected, but at least it was pushing me along on the run back. It was interesting to note that each bridge is different underneath, it gave the run even more personality.

Walking down the street we passed a block-long Macy’s without much thought. Then at the corner I saw the old Marshall Fields cornerstone plaques and realized where I was. I remember as a kid we’d come to the city at Christmastime to see the Marshall Fields window displays. The entire block of windows was converted into sparkling animatronic Christmas windows. The whole block told a long story, but each window was unique. Street vendors sold hot roasted chestnuts in paper sacks to the crowds that stared at the windows. I’d probably love them now, but my kid palate wasn’t too impressed when my dad shared one with me. But even as a kid my mouth knew that Marshall Field’s Frango Mints were something special. So many childhood presents involved boxes of Frango Mints after mom gave me that first one from the small 15-piece box she bought herself. I know you can buy them at Macy’s now across the country, but seeing them in the window in the original Marshall Fields meant so much.

One good thing about going barefoot is it opens you up to a lot of entertainment that other people can only sit and jealously watch. Take these fountains for example. They were built seamlessly into the walkways of the lobby, and if you weren’t paying attention you could easily walk into one. Which in my mind means they were designed for exactly that. Off came the shoes and I happily splashed my feet in the half-inch of water while waiting for my colleague after the close of the exhibit hall at the convention center. The cold water felt really good after a full day on my feet. I sat alone along the back side of the benches so my feet plaffed in the water while everyone else crowded together on the dry side. 

Yoga on the edge

I had a yoga workshop this afternoon on balance poses, both standing and arm balances. I don't normally do many balances in my practice, but wanted to see what it was like. I've also found lately that I'm capable of more advanced poses and variations than I thought, but need a teacher to introduce me to them. This was one of the most demanding classes I've ever taken, in any exercise/dance genre. The strength and intensity needed to maintain balance and hold your body still in the poses was incredibly taxing. It really pushed me to the point where willpower wasn't enough to maintain the pose. About halfway through I thought to myself - I'll just sit here and cry a bit, then I can keep going. It sounds funny in retelling, but at the time the thought of just breaking down was very very tempting.

But overall it was really fun. It was cool to learn poses that I never imagined trying before. The first arm balance we learned was Crow Pose. After several tries I could hold the pose for about a second before my feet touched back down. But it makes me want to keep practicing.

Someone once told me that when it comes to workshops, if you take away one new thing to incorporate into your practice, then it was a successful workshop. Based on that I'd say this was an incredibly successful workshop. We'll see how I feel tomorrow morning when I wake up. After the workshop when someone said they'd be sore tomorrow, the teacher told us to think of it as a souvenir :)

I finally got groped!

You know I've been waiting for my chance at a groping. But the majority of airports I fly from are small enough they just have metal detectors not the advanced body scanners, and hence no opportunity to opt out and get a TSA pat down instead. I did go through a body scanner once before, but that's because I was running late and really didn't have the extra time to spare. And I will admit the scanners are very fast - provided people understand that "Take everything out of your pockets" means EVERYTHING including a boarding pass or tissue. I'm not afraid of the scanners themselves nor embarrassed by the near-naked image someone will see. I just hate that we've accepted such a degradation of our privacy and 4th amendment rights for the sake of convenience and laughable idea of perceived security. So I decided a while back that I'd opt out of the scanners and make a point by getting the patdown. And I finally got my chance.

It was 5am in San Diego when I saw the scanners. I remembered my plan to opt out, and knew I had the time to spare. Then I was a bit worried about what might happen, and the thought even crossed my mind that it might hold up the entire security line as I only saw one female TSA agent, and maybe I should just do the scanner so I didn't inconvenience everyone else. No one else was refusing the scan. As soon as that thought was finished I knew I had to opt out, since it's exactly that kind of thinking that perpetuates these things. So as I approached the scanner I said I didn't want to do it. The TSA agent asked if I was opting out and I said yes. She had me step aside to wait for an agent to do the pat down. Ironically, she told me to stand where the 2 security lines converged, so it really disrupted the flow and I had to keep telling people to go ahead of me, which a shocking number of people initially refused to do. I smiled insouciantly at everyone, looking calm and carefree, purposely making eye contact with every TSA agent who glanced my way. After about 3-4 minutes a 50-something female TSA agent approached and asked me to follow her to the other side of the security area. She offered a private room but I said I was fine in the open. I really just wanted to see the thoroughness of the pat down, and to let everyone see it.

So I stood with my arms out and feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart. She started at my collar and went down my back, then arms and legs, very rapid and perfunct. The bra area was funny, as she used the back of her hand and ran it down each side, under the bottom, and straight down the middle. I asked why it was the back of the hand and she straightened up, palmed her own ponderous breast, and bobbled it making it shimmy like Jello as an explanation. "The back of the hand makes it less intrusive." I laughed, the image of her jiggling her breast in front of everyone still stuck in my head. Afterwards she checked her gloves for ions/residues that might've been picked up from my clothes and then let me on my way.

Final thoughts? The TSA patdown hit about 70% of my body. My neck and head above the collar weren't touched. The area between my breastbone and bra, which is actually a decent sized area, was bypassed. I don't remember the front of my pelvis or butt as part of the pat-down. I could probably have carried my cell phone in my bra without it being caught. Certainly something the size of a 35mm film canister. It took less than 5 minutes and was not unpleasant at all. I actually enjoyed chatting with the TSA agent. I like that it made everyone in line who saw it happen uncomfortable and nervous, wondering why I (the nice-looking white girl in a college T-shirt) was getting a patdown and worrying if they'd be selected randomly for one too.

Flat Adventures

Are you familiar with Flat Stanley? The little paper cutout of a boy named Stanley who travels around on adventures with people? And teachers have their students do the same thing as a project? I once had my photo taken with a Flat Stanley at a wine tasting. I think he got some red wine on him. Or maybe you saw that George Clooney movie Up in the Air, where he had that photo cutout of his sister? Well, a friend of mine has a daughter whose class made their own Flat Kids, and she asked if I could take Flat Kid with me on a trip. I did feel slightly like George when I had all my travel work stuff packed and then saw the Flat Kid and had to figure out where it was going to fit without getting hurt. It was actually kind of fun, and made me take photos of things I otherwise might not have.  So here goes - my Flat Kid adventures, as written for real-life Kid's 2nd grade class, with adult interpretation after each section.

Flat Kid and I flew in an airplane up to Maine. We saw the Atlantic Ocean, which is very big! Everybody eats a lot of lobster in Maine. We went to a famous candy store that has a life-size moose made of chocolate! Here is a picture of us with the Chocolate Moose. He weighs as much as a car. Can you imagine how much chocolate that is? At home it is spring, but it is still winter in Maine. We had to leave early because of a very big snow storm that was coming. [You know that icky green stuff under a lobster's thorax? I totally ate some of it, and was flabbergasted to learn it's the best part! So sweet and rich you couldn't eat more than a small bite. A Nor'easter was due April 1st, so I had to fly out early, along with the entire visiting population of Maine. The flights were delayed and I was going to miss my connection. They couldn't get me home for the night, but could get me to DC. I called my parents and they happily picked me up at the airport that night. I spent the night at their house and it helped inject some relief & normalcy in that long weird week.]
 
 Next Flat Kid and I flew to Dallas, Texas. The plane was high up over the clouds. One school-day is enough time to fly all the way from Maine to Texas. [I find it amazing you can leave here at 6 am and land in California at 10am, yet if you leave CA at 6 am you won't make it home until almost 6 pm.]

The land is very small when you are up so high. We saw a brown twisted river, and wondered what it was. We knew only one river is that big up in a plane – the Mississippi River. Do you see where the river almost touches itself? One day the two parts of the river will touch. The loop will turn into a special lake, called an oxbow lake. Can you see the town next to the river? [I'm not normally much of a window sight-seer, but I found it super cool to catch the Mississippi and to recognize it. On one trip I actually saw our house as we were leaving the airport - I saw the interstate and started looking for landmarks, and then saw our house. Neato!]

In Texas we went to a museum with a lot of statues from India. There were statues everywhere – even in the bathroom! Here is a statue of an Indian Elephant. It was taller than an adult man. Two of these statues guarded the door. It was fun to see them so close. [This is not quite true, but it was too hard to explain to kids that we were in a really weird hotel done in Indian art. The rooms had really creepy alien-like heads on pedestals that freaked us all out.  And everywhere you turned were giant buddha statues or other things. most of them were really beautiful, but egads not what you want to be sleeping in the midst of.] 

After Texas we flew home. It was a fun trip, but our hometown is the best place to be! [This was a tough trip. Wed, Thurs, Fri, and Sun were all flying travel days. 75% of my work is done on email/internet, so all the blackout time really made it hard to keep up with things. But we all survived and I made it home!]

We have a PLAN

Last weekend my friend and I officially broke ground in our garden this season. The weather was just gorgeous for being outdoors all day, and perfect for physical tasks that would’ve been much more strenuous in hotter weather. She used this great garden planner program from Territorial Seeds that allows you to plot out everything and make a grand master plan. Based on this plan and our desire to expand the garden, we realized most of the current beds needed to be shifted a few feet to reestablish the walkways. This involved moving a lot of dirt and mulch. Once the dirt was shifted and we went for the first pile of mulch, I suggested finally buying a real wheelbarrow this year, and we dusted ourselves off and headed off to the hardware store. Can I just say, wheelbarrows don’t get enough props for their usefulness. They should be listed among the simple machines kids have to learn about. You remember - screw, lever, pulley, ramp, wheelbarrow! Levers were always my favorite. Their ability to transfer force is so impressive, and it was really a mind-trip to understand how moving the fulcrum altered the force. And who doesn’t like the word fulcrum? We got the current garden beautifully laid out with string denoting beds and chives guarding the corners of the beds. The expansion will involve a lot more mulch – yay more opportunities to use the wheelbarrow!

Our garden has always had a casual idea of what we want to do, and we adopted a very fly by the seat of your pants attitude towards it. Last year it officially became known as the Garden of Lost Tools. But not this year! Now that we have A PLAN our garden is being whipped into shape. And it’s amazing how different it is already, as if it knows there’s no fighting against THE PLAN. Tasks that languished for a full year, such as extending the grape trellis, were easily accomplished in a spare moment. All hail The Garden With A Plan!

                                                          

I also discovered how fantastic it feels to garden barefoot. All the soft warm dirt and cool moist mulch underfoot was a treat. And ironically my feet were much cleaner at the end than my mud-caked shoes. I did put my shoes back on when working near the raspberry bushes – I may be crazy but I’m not stupid!

Travel Update: Driving & Safety

So my plan to post more frequently, and with photos, has clearly not held up.  But there’s always hope! It’s a new season, and I’ve started carrying my camera cable with me on trips, so I could actually upload some of the photos I take.

By now you know how I feel about driving in New Jersey. Every time I have to drive up there I try to come up with more succinct and pithy ways to explain just how ridiculous the traffic laws are. And in the “A picture is worth 1000 words” category, please view my GPS directions one night. 

No, this is not a traffic circle, it’s a normal 4-way intersection with a light. I particularly like how the suggested route looks like a question mark. And if the directions don’t bake your noodle, look out the windshield and see if that helps clarify where they hell I’m supposed to be driving.

Speaking of ridiculous directions, how about this caution sign in front of a hospital I was visiting during the winter. Now, warning elderly and infirm patients that the sidewalks and streets can be icy is important, but this is just a bit too wordy in my opinion. And they were at the curbs, which meant people were stopping in the lane to read them.

I’m on a plane right now, headed back up to my favorite driving location. It’s been 3 weeks since I’ve had to travel anywhere, and it feels like forever. The first leg of my flight had a great flight attendant, his lighthearted joking safety speech made me think I was on a Southwest flight for a minute. We were behind schedule, and he asked “at the request of the pilot” that we all lean forward during takeoff and lean into any turns. He said it was simple physics and would help us get to our destination faster. He also pointed out that anyone who has been in a car made after 1962 probably knows how to use a seatbelt, but just in case we didn’t he did a super slo-mo demonstration complete with Batman-like sound effects. It was great, and he had a lot more attention from us than the typical recitation does. I don’t know why more airlines don’t encourage their attendants to mix it up. This safety speech makes me wish I flew in the Southwest more frequently:

This has gone too far

I went to the store.
I went to the store to buy some Oreos.
(Do not talk to me about what's actually in an Oreo.  All I know is it's a dark chocolately cookie stuffed with crack)
I went to the store to buy some Oreos and really wanted the normal basic kind.
I went to the store to buy some normal basic Oreos and encountered a problem.

Where the hell are the normal Oreos?
There are dozen varieties in this photo, and NONE are the regular kind. Until this moment I had no idea how out of hand things had gotten.
1. I don't want Golden Oreos.
2. I don't want Golden Double Stuf Oreos
3. I don't want Golden Chocolate Oreos.
4. I don't want Chocolate Oreos
5. I don't want Peanut Butter Oreos.
6. I don't want Oreo Fudgees
7. I don't want Cool Mint Oreos.
Well, wait, those actually sound pretty good.

8. I don't want Sugar Free Oreos (how is that even possible?)
9. I don't want Candy Cane Oreos (It's February, why are these on the shelves?)
10. I don't want Reduced Fat Oreos (If I'm going for terribly artificial, I want it all!)
11. I don't want Double Stuf Oreos
12. I don't want Great Value brand chocolate sandwich cookies.

I did finally find the normal kind, on the very bottom shelf. And damned tasty they were!

Finally returned

I know it's been a while. The travel schedule and ongoing corporate restructuring has left me little time to do much else. I might start designating my outgoing flights to my hub as "blog update time". It's only about 40 min. of usable laptop time, but that should be plenty of time. I also have to say that in my mind I plan on writing something later today or tomorrow, but in my reality that might be a week or more.

What the hell happened to February? Why is yet another month almost over?

So most of you know I'm into barefoot running and tend not to wear shoes unless I have to. One of the perks of working from home, and no - wooly felted slippers don't count as shoes. One of the most entertaining public places to go shoe-less is the airport. I take them off at security and don't put them on again until I'm about to step out into the real world at my destination. You really notice your surroundings more in socks. For instance, looks at this amazing mosaic that spans the entire corridor floor of Concourse B of Atlanta:

I felt it instantly and looked down, but no one else walking by even noticed it.

I have a pack of fluorescent rainbow socks that I wear traveling. I puff-painted the soles for traction, and like my unapologetic I'M NOT WEARING ANY SHOES! DOES THAT MAKE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE?? blazing neon feet. They make me smile. Ironically, despite the many glances from people, the only ones who ever point out I don't have shoes on are the flight attendants when I'm deplaning. (I think a lot of folks take their shoes off on planes and forget them). Last trip I wondered if my shoelessness was an affectation and decided to wear my Merrell's through the airport. About halfway through I stopped and pulled them off and my feet went aaaahhh!

Traveling ToMorrow

I hope my travels never get as complicated as this. Morrow isn't that far from Atlanta, so maybe one day I'll be able to sing this and have it make perfect sense.  I love Jim Henson, and it's cool to see him "in person".