What a Week!
It's been a week since I last posted, but oh, what a week. This is going to be a long posting, so I apologize in advance to those who prefer their blogs short, but sweet.
The week started with a bang when I won all of my fantasy football games. First time this season. I'm starting to work my way up the ranks in the league where I'm Commish, but I have a feeling that's all going to come to a grinding halt this week. I play against my brother. And he has Daunte Culpepper. I HATE losing to my brother. But I gotta cheer for Daunte to kick ass. Why didn't I draft Daunte myself, why?
Monday seemed like a normal enough day. Bill, Red and I had our usual Monday lunch and then I took Red to the Reptile Store to look at the snakes, lizards and frogs. This was all poor planning on my part, however, because I forgot I had a really busy week and should have been getting work done. I had to leave work early to meet a friend for dinner at Black Forest Inn. We enjoyed absolutely wonderful Beef Stroganoff with Spaetzel and sat and talked for hours. It was a great night, but unfortunately, I realized what my schedule was for Tuesday and Wednesday too late.
Tuesday was a very "booked" day. And I had a hearing on Wednesday morning, which I needed to write a report for. If I had been smart, I would have written it on Monday, but I didn't think that far ahead. So, I was hoping I could squeeze a little time in between appointments on Tuesday. No dice. I didn't get out of court in the morning until about 12:15, so I had to jump in the car and drive down to Shakopee. I did manage to get to my 1:00 meeting before it started. I decided to cancel my home visit that afternoon so I could get back to the office after the meeting and write the report. No problem - home visit rescheduled. Unfortunately, the counselor called and asked if she could meet with us and I hadn't spoken to her about how things were going. It was a great meeting and I got a lot of good info, but I didn't get out of there until after 5:00. Well, why not just go back to the office and write the report then, you ask? Because I had plans for the evening. My brother was picking me up at my house at 6:15 so we could go see this:
Yes, I went to the Vote for Change concert at Xcel Energy Center. And it was totally awesome!! It was so motivational to be in a big group of people who have a similar world view, similar cares and concerns about the world. Bright Eyes started off the night. I wasn't familiar with him and he's not really my cup of tea. Then R.E.M. played. Love R.E.M. This is my 5th time seeing them. They were very solid. It was obvious that the vast majority of the crowd was there to see Springsteen. R.E.M. played a mix of their new stuff (haven't picked up that album yet) and some oldies but goodies. Neil Young surprised us with an appearance on guitar, wearing a "Canadians for Kerry" button. Springsteen played a couple of songs with R.E.M., including a great rendition of "Man on the Moon." I was left wanting more R.E.M.
Then Springsteen & the E Street Band took the stage. I also love Springsteen and this was my 4th time seeing them. The very first internet list I joined was a Springsteen list. Love Bruce. And he was awesome. This is clearly something he really cares about and he's put his heart and soul into the music. There was so much energy in that place! Neil Young came back on and played some songs and one of the encores was everyone playing "Keep on Rockin in the Free World." It was magnificent!! John Fogarty also joined Springsteen for a few songs. When he took the stage he announced the Twins beat the Yankees, 2-0 and launched into "Centerfield", a song I don't really like, but it now will always remind me of that great night. It was just unbelievably great. I did go out into the hallways in between sets to catch a little of the Twins game and their win over the hated Yankees just was like icing on cake. Here's another photo from the concert - Michael Stipe was doing that dancing during the encores:
The final Vote for Change show is going to be broadcast on Monday night on Sundance Channel and on the net on real.com. I highly recommend watching it!
After 5 hours of fantastic music, we headed over to The Liffey for a drink while the traffic cleared out - I hate sitting in a parking ramp, waiting to leave. Finally headed over to the office and wrote my report. Got home around 4:00 a.m. Not a real problem for a nightowl like me, but the next morning it was really, really hard to get up.
Luckily, the hearing was relatively easy - unlike the last time, there were no admonishments from the Judge, only civilized arguments by the attorneys, no tears from the parents. After getting a few things done in the office I went home early and took a nap. My internal clock was all messed up and I don't think I'm back on track yet. I did manage to finish up some knitting I was doing for my Secret Pal and RAOKs.
Thursday was a relatively easy day, though I did have some plans with Bill and Red in the afternoon. I managed to catch up on all the email I had missed over the past couple of days, but I still hadn't looked at any blogs. I'm catching up with that now. In the evening, I got some knitting in and finished the Cable T. Here's some proof:
I'll post a real picture when I can get someone to take it for me - probably on Monday. I think it turned out ok. It's a little bulkier than I like to wear for a summery sweater, so I think I'll mostly wear it in the spring and fall. I don't think I'll be making another sweater for myself with the Lion Brand Microspun. I didn't mind knitting with it, but it is a little too acrylicy for my tastes. I think it's a great choice for kids stuff, though, because it's so soft and it comes in such great colors.
Friday brought a really, really nice surprise - a package from my Secret Pal. My original Secret Pal just sort of disappeared, so my new and improved Secret Pal moved from her to me. Thanks for pinch hitting, new and improved Secret Pal! She hit a home run with this package!!! First, it was all wrapped in pretty tissue paper, so it was like a birthday present, which I loved. Second, her choices were PERFECT! I got this:
I love candles and have them burning in my home almost every night. With two dogs, it gets a little smelly around the house, so scented candles, air freshener and incense are musts. These are awesome. I had them sitting on my desk next to me all afternoon, enjoying the scents. I think the Lilac is my favorite one.
But wait, that's not all. She also sent me this:
One of my all-time favorite yarns! And in Vikings colors! Yeah!!!! I love "Touch Me". It's so soft and cuddly. And comes in great colors. Love it, love it, love it. The thing that's so funny is that I went to The Yarnery in the morning to pick up some goodies for my Secret Pal and while I was there, I looked through "Scarf Style", a book I've been reading about a lot on various blogs. I really liked it, but the pattern that sealed the deal was a cabled scarf made with "Touch Me". So I already know what I'm doing with this yarn!!!
Secret Pal, you rock!! thank you so much! I had read other people's posts about how great their SPs were, but I wondered if they were just being polite, but now I know. Somehow, your SP really does get inside your head and figure out what you like and totally makes you feel special. Now why can't my mother and father figure out how to do that?
While watching the debate, I finally started my thrum-along mitten. I didn't get to the thrumming part, but here's the cuff:
I'm using the Cascade 220 for the first time and I love it. It's really, really nice to knit with and is going to be nice and soft against my wrists. I got to use my swift for the first time and wind that yarn into a ball - so glad I bought it!
I finally finished "A Brief History of the Flood." I really liked it. It's a series of episodes in a girl's life, so it's really like a group of short stories with the same characters, rather than a novel. It's really easy to read, but well written. I thought it was very realistic - it makes you wonder how much of it is true to the author's life. I liked how the issues of alcoholism, domestic abuse, mental illness, etc. were dealt with in a very realistic way, rather than a melodramatic way. It's the type of problems many people have in their families and no one knows about. I decided to return to my true love, mysteries, and started the latest of one my favorite series:
And that's the week that was. If you're reading this far down, thanks for sticking with it. I promise to be a more faithful correspondent in the future!
The week started with a bang when I won all of my fantasy football games. First time this season. I'm starting to work my way up the ranks in the league where I'm Commish, but I have a feeling that's all going to come to a grinding halt this week. I play against my brother. And he has Daunte Culpepper. I HATE losing to my brother. But I gotta cheer for Daunte to kick ass. Why didn't I draft Daunte myself, why?
Monday seemed like a normal enough day. Bill, Red and I had our usual Monday lunch and then I took Red to the Reptile Store to look at the snakes, lizards and frogs. This was all poor planning on my part, however, because I forgot I had a really busy week and should have been getting work done. I had to leave work early to meet a friend for dinner at Black Forest Inn. We enjoyed absolutely wonderful Beef Stroganoff with Spaetzel and sat and talked for hours. It was a great night, but unfortunately, I realized what my schedule was for Tuesday and Wednesday too late.
Tuesday was a very "booked" day. And I had a hearing on Wednesday morning, which I needed to write a report for. If I had been smart, I would have written it on Monday, but I didn't think that far ahead. So, I was hoping I could squeeze a little time in between appointments on Tuesday. No dice. I didn't get out of court in the morning until about 12:15, so I had to jump in the car and drive down to Shakopee. I did manage to get to my 1:00 meeting before it started. I decided to cancel my home visit that afternoon so I could get back to the office after the meeting and write the report. No problem - home visit rescheduled. Unfortunately, the counselor called and asked if she could meet with us and I hadn't spoken to her about how things were going. It was a great meeting and I got a lot of good info, but I didn't get out of there until after 5:00. Well, why not just go back to the office and write the report then, you ask? Because I had plans for the evening. My brother was picking me up at my house at 6:15 so we could go see this:
Yes, I went to the Vote for Change concert at Xcel Energy Center. And it was totally awesome!! It was so motivational to be in a big group of people who have a similar world view, similar cares and concerns about the world. Bright Eyes started off the night. I wasn't familiar with him and he's not really my cup of tea. Then R.E.M. played. Love R.E.M. This is my 5th time seeing them. They were very solid. It was obvious that the vast majority of the crowd was there to see Springsteen. R.E.M. played a mix of their new stuff (haven't picked up that album yet) and some oldies but goodies. Neil Young surprised us with an appearance on guitar, wearing a "Canadians for Kerry" button. Springsteen played a couple of songs with R.E.M., including a great rendition of "Man on the Moon." I was left wanting more R.E.M.
Then Springsteen & the E Street Band took the stage. I also love Springsteen and this was my 4th time seeing them. The very first internet list I joined was a Springsteen list. Love Bruce. And he was awesome. This is clearly something he really cares about and he's put his heart and soul into the music. There was so much energy in that place! Neil Young came back on and played some songs and one of the encores was everyone playing "Keep on Rockin in the Free World." It was magnificent!! John Fogarty also joined Springsteen for a few songs. When he took the stage he announced the Twins beat the Yankees, 2-0 and launched into "Centerfield", a song I don't really like, but it now will always remind me of that great night. It was just unbelievably great. I did go out into the hallways in between sets to catch a little of the Twins game and their win over the hated Yankees just was like icing on cake. Here's another photo from the concert - Michael Stipe was doing that dancing during the encores:
The final Vote for Change show is going to be broadcast on Monday night on Sundance Channel and on the net on real.com. I highly recommend watching it!
After 5 hours of fantastic music, we headed over to The Liffey for a drink while the traffic cleared out - I hate sitting in a parking ramp, waiting to leave. Finally headed over to the office and wrote my report. Got home around 4:00 a.m. Not a real problem for a nightowl like me, but the next morning it was really, really hard to get up.
Luckily, the hearing was relatively easy - unlike the last time, there were no admonishments from the Judge, only civilized arguments by the attorneys, no tears from the parents. After getting a few things done in the office I went home early and took a nap. My internal clock was all messed up and I don't think I'm back on track yet. I did manage to finish up some knitting I was doing for my Secret Pal and RAOKs.
Thursday was a relatively easy day, though I did have some plans with Bill and Red in the afternoon. I managed to catch up on all the email I had missed over the past couple of days, but I still hadn't looked at any blogs. I'm catching up with that now. In the evening, I got some knitting in and finished the Cable T. Here's some proof:
I'll post a real picture when I can get someone to take it for me - probably on Monday. I think it turned out ok. It's a little bulkier than I like to wear for a summery sweater, so I think I'll mostly wear it in the spring and fall. I don't think I'll be making another sweater for myself with the Lion Brand Microspun. I didn't mind knitting with it, but it is a little too acrylicy for my tastes. I think it's a great choice for kids stuff, though, because it's so soft and it comes in such great colors.
Friday brought a really, really nice surprise - a package from my Secret Pal. My original Secret Pal just sort of disappeared, so my new and improved Secret Pal moved from her to me. Thanks for pinch hitting, new and improved Secret Pal! She hit a home run with this package!!! First, it was all wrapped in pretty tissue paper, so it was like a birthday present, which I loved. Second, her choices were PERFECT! I got this:
I love candles and have them burning in my home almost every night. With two dogs, it gets a little smelly around the house, so scented candles, air freshener and incense are musts. These are awesome. I had them sitting on my desk next to me all afternoon, enjoying the scents. I think the Lilac is my favorite one.
But wait, that's not all. She also sent me this:
One of my all-time favorite yarns! And in Vikings colors! Yeah!!!! I love "Touch Me". It's so soft and cuddly. And comes in great colors. Love it, love it, love it. The thing that's so funny is that I went to The Yarnery in the morning to pick up some goodies for my Secret Pal and while I was there, I looked through "Scarf Style", a book I've been reading about a lot on various blogs. I really liked it, but the pattern that sealed the deal was a cabled scarf made with "Touch Me". So I already know what I'm doing with this yarn!!!
Secret Pal, you rock!! thank you so much! I had read other people's posts about how great their SPs were, but I wondered if they were just being polite, but now I know. Somehow, your SP really does get inside your head and figure out what you like and totally makes you feel special. Now why can't my mother and father figure out how to do that?
While watching the debate, I finally started my thrum-along mitten. I didn't get to the thrumming part, but here's the cuff:
I'm using the Cascade 220 for the first time and I love it. It's really, really nice to knit with and is going to be nice and soft against my wrists. I got to use my swift for the first time and wind that yarn into a ball - so glad I bought it!
I finally finished "A Brief History of the Flood." I really liked it. It's a series of episodes in a girl's life, so it's really like a group of short stories with the same characters, rather than a novel. It's really easy to read, but well written. I thought it was very realistic - it makes you wonder how much of it is true to the author's life. I liked how the issues of alcoholism, domestic abuse, mental illness, etc. were dealt with in a very realistic way, rather than a melodramatic way. It's the type of problems many people have in their families and no one knows about. I decided to return to my true love, mysteries, and started the latest of one my favorite series:
And that's the week that was. If you're reading this far down, thanks for sticking with it. I promise to be a more faithful correspondent in the future!
rdladd@arnan.com
