Happy New Year!

Have you remembered to write 2014 in a date field yet?

We're well into the new year at this point, but as my "holiday" cards went out only last week, I'm still in New Year's mode.  And New Year's for me is a time of new beginnings.  I tend to think about resolutions, rather than actually make them - I don't know, maybe to hold myself less accountable for them, or forgive myself in advance if I can't actually follow through - but there's still a small list that I work from and think about periodically.  This year's items seem to be centered around home, ironic in a year when many of the months ahead feature intense travel.  Here are a couple of the things I'm thinking about:

-Cook!  I'm not an intuitive cook.  I really just want to follow recipes that someone else has created and tested and hope that they really work the way the book says they're going to (ha!).  My goal for the year is to make an actual dinner that is more than just thrown together, and likely following recipes, at least once a week.  To make this even vaguely plausible for me, I have to plan.  I can't necessarily count on choosing something and having all of the ingredients already at home.  So I have to choose a recipe in advance, make a shopping list, actually shop, and then I'm ready to go for it.  So far this year I've done scallops, chicken with a honey glaze and an apricot sauce, and a quick poached fish, and I think one other thing that I can't remember.  If this ridiculously cold weather keeps up, there will definitely be some stews in my future.

To aid in my cooking Project, Craig got me an actual, real person's kitchen knife as a holiday gift.  I don't really like big knives.  They are scary.  I will be the first person to admit that I don't know how to use one.  And yes, I know that sharp knives are safer and big knives make everything easier, but I've never had one of any quality (and no, the cheap set from Ikea that bends if you look at it doesn't count) to practice with.  Now I do.  And it works!  Yay!  What should I make next week?

-Crafts!  Of course.  I always want to do crafts.  I've even had runs of several weeks at a time when I have free evenings to spend in the craft room.  But more frequently I don't.  And moreover, I want to do crafts in company.  The stuff that I do is solitary in nature, and I like my space, and as long as I have music on, it's often company enough.  But what I think would be really fun is a regular - once a month, even - gathering of people who bring their own crafty projects to a location.  It's a MeetUp or a tea party or a chance to gossip, or all of the above.  I haven't quite figured it out yet, and I don't really want to take on another organization project, but if by some slim chance of the imagination you're out there, live where I live, and want a crafting evening, let me know, and I will attempt to figure something out.

Photo of this year's prescient holiday card by C. Whear

Have a wonderful 2014!

I once was lost...

I hate losing things.  I know that this is not uncommon.

I categorize lost items into two types:  things lost in the mire of my house, AKA eventually findable things, and things lost on the outside, AKA things that are most likely gone.

It seems like there has been a rash of lost items in my life lately:

1.  The toothbrush that I was sure I packed and took to St. Croix

2.  A pair of black pants I wear to work

3.  The metal rulers I use constantly for crafts

4.  Craig’s name badge with the really good magnet from St. Croix

5.  My house key

The first three items fall into category one - lost in the house.  The last is in the latter category.  The fourth is in the murky in-between area.

1.  When I travel, I always pack my toothbrush last thing in the morning.  I know I pulled out the toothbrush holder the night before, and then the morning we left for St. Croix, put the toothbrush in another holder and packed it.  Maybe.  But when we got to St. Croix, I had no toothbrush, and had to buy another one.  But I’m still convinced that if I comb through my bedroom one more time, and check in that suitcase again, I will find it!  I know it!

2.  My black pants were hiding.  I wash them at home, so they weren’t at the dry cleaners.  They weren’t in the closet, the hamper, or hanging up in the laundry room.  They were gone.  Until I remembered that I took them to DC in January in case I needed pants that weren’t jeans, and finally looked under the dress in that bag of clothes on the closet door.  FOUND!

3.  As a result of last month’s craft room cleaning and partial re-organization (more on that, and the January Cure anon), my 12” metal rulers have gone astray.  They have to be in there somewhere, but when it came time to make my valentines, and I finally remembered where all of the rulers ended up, they were not to be seen.  Still looking.  So frustrating.  I know they are in there!!!!!

4.  In St. Croix we were given the usual pin-on badges, along with very powerful, rectangular magnets.  These were fantastic.  We could avoid putting holes in our clothes, but the shape of the magnet kept the badges on, and not spinning around on an axis point like the small circular magnets do.  We wore them daily, and on the last day, I packed mine in a carry-on bag.  I have a memory of pointing out to Craig at some point that he could stop wearing his button, and he took it off and either handed it to me, or stuck in in one of our luggage pieces.  We can’t remember which one.  And now it is gone.  Just gone.  We’ve searched everywhere.  Even though I think this one is in the category of lost in the house, and will be found at some point, I suppose there is a small chance that it was in our checked luggage and removed by airport authorities because of its strong magnetic powers.  Unlikely, maybe, but possible…

5.  Last Friday, as is my usual habit, I left myself just enough time to get to my morning train into work.  I’m always trying to do one more thing before leaving the house.  Usually that one more thing is finishing my breakfast.  Last Friday the one more thing was add a couple more items to the recycling on my way to the train.  I remember picking up my bag, finding my house key and grabbing the empty cereal box to toss into the can as I passed it.  Sometime between that moment and when I arrived at the office, my key went missing.

I am an optimist about the Category 2 missing items.  I almost always think I will magically find things.  And I have!  Earrings have turned up on sidewalks.  My dropped wallet was mailed back to me.  My MAC card left on the supermarket check-out counter was waiting for me when I went back to claim it.  Thin Mints and a water bottle that I left at a dance were still there months later!!!!  I felt sure that my key would resurface.

I turned out every bag and pocket I could think of, kept looking in the train station, asked at the place where I get my coffee.  No key.  I was slowly coming to the conclusion that I most likely dropped the key into the recycling can with the cereal box, and both were hauled away.  But I still kept looking.

It snowed last Friday.  Yesterday morning (Wednesday), as I hurried to the train (now leaving 3 minutes earlier, yet still arriving at the same time, i.e., late, go Septa), on the ground next to sidewalk leading up to the train platform was my key!  Hurrah!  Once the snow melted, it was revealed, probably right where I dropped it...

Just another quiet weekend...

This past weekend, Valentine’s weekend, President’s weekend, I wasn’t planning on going to NY State for the Dance Flurry, nor NYC for the Sword Ale, but in the opposite direction, to VA to visit my friend Susie. But Mother Nature played her part, with the City of Philadelphia right beside, and I decided that it was a better idea, and safer to stay put. My car was clear, but still pretty stuck, and the streets in my neighborhood don’t get plowed. It would be folly to attempt it.

Last Friday it was finally back to work after the storm. I mailed off my valentines and started planning the now free weekend. Friday I would treat myself, run over to Borders after work, and then catch a movie at the Ritz. If I caught the 8:30 train home, fine, if I had to wait for an hour, I would run up to Chinatown for a quick dinner first. Sounds like a plan...

But no. I sprinted out of the movie, not even catching the ending credits, and onto the subway so I could make the train. And I likely would have made it. Had the trains been running. But due to the ever-mysterious signal problems, not only were the trains not running on schedule, there was no notion of how often and when they would be running. And the Septa employees either didn’t know, or weren’t allowed to say. So I waited. I had a book, so I was okay. And waited. Did I mention that I was standing up the whole time? And waited. Finally after more than an hour of waiting and watching trains that were not the Chestnut Hill trains come and go, I decided to expand my horizons: I would take the bus. The 23 goes into Chestnut Hill and stops on 11th street, right outside Market East Station. Armed with a schedule and a supposed 5-minute wait time, I head outside. And wait.

A clump of us are on the corner, waiting for the bus, when a woman bustles across the street, small child in tow (it’s now 10PM), and tells us that the bus has been rerouted and is now running up Broad Street. I’m annoyed about not knowing, but fine; Broad Street is really only a few blocks west. Off I go.

Now, I don’t take buses very often. I grew to hate them back when I lived in a 2-fare zone in NYC and spent what felt like half a lifetime waiting for the Q13. But apparently, there are rules about buses in Philadelphia that I don’t understand. Like when a bus runs along Broad Street, even if it’s been rerouted there, not every bus stops at every stop. So there I am, waiting for the bus at the first bus stop on Broad Street. It’s late and dark and cold. But, the bus comes! I’m excited! The driver sees me. It’s a red light. And he won’t stop and open the door to let me in. He goes on. I give chase. At the next light, I catch up with the bus and knock on the door. The driver won’t let me in. Finally, at the next light, two women see me and stand in the doorway of the bus so it won’t leave me behind while I catch up and run around the snow bank and finally achieve a way home.

Starting out at 8:30, I made it home by 11:45pm. And this is only Friday night!

Saturday seemed more promising. I met a friend for breakfast, and he not only generously took me to the grocery store afterwards, but then helped me free my car from the grips of the snow. So while I still wasn’t going anywhere by car because of the condition of my street, it was nice to be free. My plan for the rest of the day included a lovely concert downtown, followed by a dinner out. I had to take a chance that Septa would get me there and back, but I made sure to bring a book against the inevitable waiting times.

All started well. I got downtown. The concert and the dinner were lovely. I walked across the river to 30th Street to wait for the train, happy that I hadn’t missed the last train home. I grabbed a coffee and sat down to wait. At one minute to train time, I went up to the platform. The group of us up there watched the train come into the station, and pass us by, stopping only at the very end of the platform, as if it missed. A few folks went down to investigate, but that wasn’t our train apparently. Our train was, in fact, no longer listed on the schedule, as if it had come and gone, but yet we were all still waiting. Did I mention that was the last train home?

So we troop down to the Septa desk, where the slightly belligerent employee does make a call to find out what happened. She tells us to go back to the platform (again, late and cold) or we will miss the train. She will not answer my question about when the train is due. We go up. No train, no train posted. Finally, the train makes an appearance on the schedule as 20 minutes late. And then 14 minutes late. Finally more than 14 minutes late, it comes, and I get home. It’s 12:45am.

Sunday. Valentine’s Day. A day I love. The day my car and I will escape Mt. Airy. And I do! I get the car out, manage to get down my street and Devon Street, which are both covered in snow and ice, and pitted and uneven and horrible drives. I drive out, eager to go anywhere. I go to Lowe’s to buy a boot tray for the entry and leave with $20 in peonies, ranunculus and lilies of the valley bulbs. All is once again right with the world. I am free!

I get into Mt. Airy at about 4pm, tea time. I avoid Durham Street, not wanting to push my luck, make it up the slight incline of Devon, turn around in the train station lot and aim to park in the lovely clear spot on the corner of Devon and Durham, which is luckily not full of trash cans or lawn chairs. Failure. I can’t get in. I get stuck. I attempt to remain calm.

I run back to the house for the shovel and the salt and start digging. I examine the situation, make a new plan, get back in the car. And get stuck again. Repeat. I am no longer calm. I am frustrated, sore, and embarrassed by my lack of snow-conquering abilities. Over an hour later, after several rounds of shoveling and moving the car by inches, I get out. And look for another spot. There really aren’t any unguarded. Finally, I spy something, not remotely close to the house, but off a corner, mostly legal, that I think I can get into and out of. I snag it and make my way home.

For me the weekend is officially over. I go home and get into bed at about 5:30pm and stay there.

And there’s more snow predicted for today and tomorrow. Wake me when it’s April.

In with the new...

2009 hasn't quite sunk in yet, but maybe tomorrow, as I pick up the daily threads of life, it will - flipping the calendar pages, writing the first check of the year, etc...

Dance-wise, I always think that the holiday season begins with the Philadelphia Playford Ball and ends with GCD's Twelfth Night. And it's often a whirlwind month. This year's highlights included:

-A fabulous Ball weekend
-Crowfoot contra and other end-of-semester dance festivities
-A full weekend at home, complete with sleeping in!
-Neffa!!!!!!!
-A mantle full of cards from friends
-The first Chanukah party at my new house - 20 lbs of potatoes - a record high
-Making and mailing all of my holiday cards before Christmas
-Catching up on DVDs and library books
-Getting a gig in Ann Arbor in May
-Parties to go to on Christmas and Boxing Day
-Finally getting to holiday shopping the weekend after Christmas
-Hogmanay, complete with house guests, sore legs, 28 out of 29 dances, the Recovery party, etc.
-Spending quality time with Emily and Dirk!
-A fabulous Twelfth Night and a smooth longsword demo (!)

January starts calmly with a few more weeks before the semester starts and events pick up. The winter months bring a new round of events and travel:

-Elm City Assembly in New Haven
-English Scottish party in Boston
-English Scottish Ball at Swarthmore
-February Fling in Trenton
-Boston Playford Ball
-A wedding in MA
-True North ECD weekend in London, Ontario

That should keep me out of trouble for a while...

"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning"

Biblical, I think, but I know the quote from L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Avonlea. I think of that line often but it's seemed especially applicable for the past few days.

Yesterday was a horrid day, fueled by bad news and too little sleep and fear of my reveiw at work. But 'round about the evening the wind changed and what followed, through today, was a series of near misses:

-A phone conversation that could have gone badly didn't
-I slipped getting out of the shower this morning and somehow caught myself, not injuring my head or any other vital part
-My local commuter train, reported to be running 20 minutes late didn't, enabling me to be on time, nay, early for my 9am conference call
-For better or worse, my job is intact for another year
-My GCD evening was the predictably small week-after-ice-cream-night let down, but not as small as I feared it would be

Now all I need is a string of sunny days, but that may be just too much to ask for...

Coming and Going...

Although it's probably like this every year and I just don't remember, I'm going through this intense not-being-at-home phase. And it's catching up with me...

I guess it started with Mom's surgery, which was an unexpected time away. And then there was the last second wedding invite - to a wedding in Boston, which I made work in my schedule (leave MA at 9 to be back for demo rehearsal at 4 - no problem!). And this past weekend was the Brattleboro Ball with a waltz in Whately the next day (home Sunday at midnight, work on Monday - no problem!). And Thanksgiving is nigh, the Philadelphia Ball following, and then possibly NYC the weekend after that. Crazy.

And yes, I'm "home" all week, meaning I sleep in my own bed, but home is always a relative term. Most of those nights I'm out dancing or teaching. My one free night at home usually takes me and my laptop elsewhere to work on dance programs, etc., in more distraction-free places like the library (also home to free wireless - thank you Mayor Nutter for keeping my two local branches open...).

So what falls through the cracks:

-Housecleaning - oh-so-easy to avoid
-Making/eating dinner at home
-Grocery shopping in a non-piecemeal way
-Crafts
-House projects
-Adequate sleep

I have these notions of a life more home-centered. I want to entertain. I want to work on the house and make it feel more like mine. I want to do all of those things on the list (okay, I don't want to clean), but I think the thing that overwhelmingly stops me is that I don't prefer to do any of those things alone. I love being with people, so I leave the house at a whiff of socializing, and try to fit in the house stuff in the small gaps of time, or when absolutely deadline driven.

So, how do single, extroverted people stay motivated to do solo tasks? How can you get people to keep you company over unglamourous projects when everyone's life is over-scheduled? Do I re-prioritize, or get more comfortable with the fact that my life is not home-centered and that it will take me longer than seven months to get my house in order. Because, give up one of my nights out? How would I do that.

So while I ponder, I will continue to work on that 'don't choose, do both' theory in my whole life, rather than in just my dance life...

Milestones...

-I turned on the heat tonight. I wanted to wait until November 1st for no good reason, but the temperature being in the 40s tomorrow during the day was enough for me to say, "Why wait?" (I also just this moment remembered all of the things I had hiding in the window seat downstairs, and rushed down to remove them from in frot of the radiator within - which is already warm)

-I must be from Philadelphia now. I actually care whether the Phillies win the series, and while I was out working on dance programs tonight, I checked the score a few times, and then went to see the princess for a dress fitting, a gossip session, and to watch the end of the game (which is on official rain delay until April)

-I stopped waiting for my cell phone to stop acting up and just got a new one. Still not suave, but slightly more chic than previous, plus with no antenna thing to break off. Now I just have to learn the quirks of this one, like how to put it on silent mode.

Time to check the bedroom ceiling!

Finally Fall...

It's really Fall now:

-I drove north this weekend and saw the foliage. It was great driving weather, and the colors really popped out of the hillsides and roadsides.

-I've found and set out my halloween candleholders and autumn door wreath. I have to buy a pumpkin (I keep meaning to and forgetting). What should I name it? Now that I have a big porch, should I go for a big pumpkin?

-It's Fall Break! A vacation from teaching for the week. In celebration I will finally get to the 10,000 dance programs that I suddenly have to write.

-Okay, it's going to be 80 degrees tomorrow, but they have finally turned off the A/C at work. I can now begin to wear sweaters outside rather than many layers of them in the office.

-Now that it's getting cold, I'm starting to think about putting plastic on the windows. But that will wait for when I turn the heat on. When should that be?

-It's time to get back to crochet projects, now that it's cool enough to keep yarn on your lap.

-Time to put the extra blanket back on the bed...

Autumn in full swing...

Life has slipped into the routine of the Fall semester - Mondays are free, except when they're not. Mondays quickly become meeting nights, library nights, get-together nights. Midweek evenings are dance nights that keep me sane, and keep me out late. The weekends vary with scheduled activities and the ever-beckoning laundry and housework that I quickly push aside in favor of spontaneous dinner invitations, a dance I had been thinking about but hadn't yet decided to go to, or errands that have to be done right now, immediately.

But the weather is cooling off, and pretty soon the fear of rain inside my house will disappear and lead to a bedroom painting project and the long list of other ideas - shoring up the first floor walls from the basement, pillows and windowseat cushions for the livingroom, hanging up pictures and calendars and prints everywhere!

And there are dance programs to write and brunches to plan and craft projects calling my name.

I'm glad I like being busy...

Catching up...

I haven't written properly since before Camp, and weariness prevents me from doing so now, but much has happened in these weeks that are each a topic in and of themselves. I may or may not get to them later, but know there's much to say:

-E&A Week 2008 report - making good
-Swarthmore begins
-Cocktails for 65
-When it rains it pours - inside the house

I'm thrilled with the approach of cooler weather and the lovely Autumn. I'm looking forward to a quiet weekend, mostly at home, to regroup, clean up, and bleach tablecloths back to their pre-stained white - a deep breath before the holidays kick in. And best yet, I might even get to sleep in!

So to bed...

Getting something accomplished...

Tonight I resisted the siren song of dinner with George and Paul, reading books at Borders, etc. Instead:

-I constructed two shelving units for the kitchen (they now haveto be attatched to the wall and they are good to go)
-I put the second slipcover on the sofa (both are too big and will need some slight altering)
-I went the grocery store
-I moved a bookcase upstairs and began unpacking craft books onto it
-I assembled a set of alphabet stamp
-I stamped stuff! Really, I did!!! Not a lot, nothing final or complete. But just a few small bits to help get me back in the habit.

The weekend in pictures...

I love my new camera! And I'm learning how to use it a bit. I get to take pictures of inconsequential things and share them with you all!!! The shots below show bits of my weekend...

Here's the milkshake slipcover on my loveseat. Wrinkles aside, an improvement over the brown, but...

Notice how the pattern of the sofa shows through:

I returned them, and had a frustrating round of department stores which all sell slipcovers, but almost all online. I refuse to spend bunces of money on something if I can't actually see and touch the fabric. So it was back to Bed, Bath & Beyond for a second shot there. I've about given up on preconceived (by others) decorating schemes; I just bought a color I liked. Burgundy. Surprise, surprise. I haven't tried them yet, but you know you'll see the results.

Today's big project was the taming the backyard jungle. I didn't get a "before" shot, but it would be too embarassing to post. The weeds were up to 4' in places with some stems quite thick around. But with the help of George and Paul, their garden tools, and six strong trash bags, we achieved:

It's fairly barren at the moment, but some green will bounce back. I have enough at-home time to keep up with the mowing now, so that by party time, I should be all set.

One casualty from the front yard mowing and weed pulling. Unfortunate, though there are other blooms on the plant, but I was able to achieve the desired flowers in the house.

Hurrah for weekends at home!!!

Madame will be at home...

It's been so delightful having a weekend at home and even more exciting to realize that other than a quick hop to Boston mid-week and a weekend in New York coming up, I'll be at home for several weeks in a row!

Yesterday was taken up by car stuff, my Container Store oddysey, moving rocks and pulling weeds in the front grassy patch (the backyard is a certifiable jungle - so embarassing - next week's project...), moving food around in the kitchen, and finally, dancing. Today was great - the freedom to sleep in, run lots of errands (learning how to drive the new car), enjoy the pool party, and watch little Ms Esmerelda.

Among other errands this weekend was a stop back at Bed Bath and Beyond. The brown slipcovers are now no more. The next experiment: twill slipcovers from Target. Color: milkshake.

Yes, I know it's a ridiculous color to contemplate, and that that they will stain. I passed a place that makes custom slipcovers, but if I went that route, I might as well get the current ones reupholstered, or simply buy new. But I have to keep trying to find something I like, and brown wasn't it. I'll keep you posted.

Another fun stop today was the new-ish tea place in Chestnut Hill: The Hill Tea Bar. It seems small, but charming with indoor and outdoor seating and antiques from the shop next door on display. There are tea tastings and wine tastings and story hours for the kiddos. Their hours are somewhat in flux as they get a feel for the neighborhood, so I put in my request for a late Friday or Saturday night. Who wants to go for tea?

The latest saga…

Just before I went off to Mendocino, my mom’s mechanic found a car for me: a 1998 Toyota Avalon. It’s older than my Saturn, and has almost as many miles, but it’s a Toyota and has had a new (Toyota) engine put into to it a couple of years ago.

By the time I got home from Camp, it was a done deal, and all I had to do was go get it. Seems simple enough. I had Friday night and almost all of Saturday free, and quickly arranged a dinner date with Deb and transferred my car insurance. I’d pick up the car on Saturday, register it on Monday, get it inspected on Tuesday, drive to Boston on Wednesday. What could go wrong?

Oh nothing but a 12” x 6” piece of pressed aluminum, i.e., the license plate.

Mom’s mechanic, through whom the car was found, in his fastidiousness removed the plates (or tags, as they’re called in the business), to repaint the bumpers, and assuming I no longer needed them, returned them to the previous owner so they could be returned to the state. Disaster.

In the state of Pennsylvania, when you are registering and transferring the title of an out-of-state vehicle, the car must be physically present so the VIN and odometer reading can be confirmed. This meant that registering the car ahead of time and bringing a plate up with me was right out.

Next course of action - finding a title agent in NYC to issue me temporary in-transit tags. No dice. No agency could be found that was open on Saturday. Equally successful was my attempt to contact the NY DMV to ask about in-transit tags from them. Their lines were always busy - not even the possibility of eternal hold.

It was mom’s mechanic who took decisive action. He decided he would drive the car down, with his bother following to bring him back up to New York. But with what tags? I shouldn’t ask such questions. When was he coming? He was leaving NYC at 3 or 3:30 AM and would get to me around 5:30 AM.

And so it was. No one stopped the caravan, and the car was safely stowed in George and Paul’s driveway, nose out, so no one would think to look for the now missing tags.

Next step - to drive to AAA to register the car, get a plate, and get legal without getting pulled over for having no tag on my way there. And with heart in mouth and great adherence to all traffic signs and signals, I made it. And sure enough, an hour later, the title was transferred, the registration applied for, and a temporary registration issued, the address changed on my driver’s license, and most importantly, a license plate distributed and immediately placed on my car.

Today I can’t tell whether I’m fonder of and more grateful for the car and the return of my freedom, or the precious and much longed for license plate.

Ramblings and the weekend in review...

It was another one of those unreal weekends...

For some unknown reason I had the brilliant plan of going to the dentist and then calling a dance on Friday. But it all worked out - no icky needles required - and I called the dance Friday night with no lingering dental after-affects. And it was Jacqueline Schwab playing for us! How lucky can you get to call a dance with a musician like that. Making the right dance choices for solo piano is still a challenge for me, but I'd welcome the opportunity to get better at it if I could work with a musician of that caliber more often!

Saturday was off once more to Amherst for the Pleasures of the Town dance, greatly aided by the loan of Peter and Rachel's car. It's still an idyll every time I go up there. Maybe because it's so far away, in a different dance community. I go. I have a few hours to catch up with friends, eat, call the dance, sleep, and get in the car and drive home. Unreal, but lovely. The dancers are fun and not used to/tired of my calling, the music is great, and there was a lovely waltz at the end of the night.

Sunday, birthday. Also unreal because I didn't make it intensely celebratory, using the dances Friday and Saturday as the birthday parties in my head. I drove homeward. I went to the pool party, not bringing a contribution. But best of all, just as I got home, lugging the bags and the groceries from the car, a neighbor invited me over for cake - leftovers from her husband's birthday just days ago. So there was my third party of the weekend. This time I told folks it was my birthday. It was the perfect end to the day.

Now the time will fly until I leave for camp...

So I'm 35, and I think fine with that. It's a year of change, perhaps moreso than I anticipated with the need for a new car, but all in all, I'm happy with it. I love the house. I look forward to achieving a work shift. I'm excited and a bit scared about the teaching opportunities at camps this summer, but what calling this weekend reminded me is that teaching dancing is fun - and I already know how to do it. Yes, I have to take care and plan my classes well, but it's not something that I can't do. I can and have. I just hope I make good!

Another decision - I think I need to hire Paul's brother Brian for just half a day some time soon-ish. There are a bunch of small things in the house I need done and I'm just not having time for them. Maybe in mid-July after Mendocino. I'll have him hang some shelves and whatever else I can amass - maybe put up a new kitchen light fixture. It'll be wonderful and I won't halt my unpacking progress (or I won't have that excuse any more).

But for now the next project is planning for camp. A week and a half. Ack!