disappearing act

wow. I've been AWOL again, haven't I?

sigh. What can I say?

I opened my latest show last night, a gay adaptation of Hedda Gabler entitled Henri Gabler. It's an interesting concept, and the set was fun to design and put together. Really it's fairly simple: a green floor, and a wall of 4" plastic refrigeration strips hung a few feet from the back wall. The strips create some really great reflections, and the floor glows. Very cool.I'm beginning to emerge and restart my other life (the non-designer part). It's always so disappointing to go back to work after doing my theater thing intensely for a chunk of time. I always use this period to notice everything that's wrong with my life: the lack of storage space in our bedroom, the dust bunnies under the dining table, the clutter on and around my desk. The room where I have my computer and my knitting stuff has become a dump of sorts, and it's no good.

I clicked over to Apartment Therapy this morning and discovered that they're doing their Cure once again. I think it might be good incentive to clean up and organize at least one of our rooms. Terra has agreed to loan me their Cure book, so I'll begin next week, a week or two late but whatever. At least I'm trying to do something about the clutter. And maybe once that's gone the rest of my life will feel more organized too.

stretching

Thank you all for your advice on the socks! You were all very enthusiastic about me finishing them, and I intend to do that as soon as I have time to sit down and do a sewn cast off. And I have to rip out the cast off on my first sock and sew it too. Right now it's too tight and I don't like how it binds around my leg.

I have been working on my show. I guess I might've said that, but in any case, the show has opened, and I am emerging. This play was a lot of work due to its low budget. The producer and I did most of the construction and painting, and we both put in some very long hours last week. Look at what you can do with some old Ikea Billy shelves laid on their sides!
I'm glad it's over, but I only got a handful of photos for my portfolio, which is too bad.

I spent part of today spinning a little, for the first time in weeks, and sewing on some buttons. I promise to have some finished shots of my Alpine shrug soon. Maybe I can wear it tomorrow for our Super Bowl party.

While working this week I cast on and knit another cabled baby bib, since I know 6 people who are pregnant and due in the next 6 months. I must have reached that age, because I'm sure that 7 months from now, I'll still know 6 people who are pregnant. The bib is for no one in particular yet, I'm just stocking up. I'm a little concerned about the button being a choking hazard. Any advice from those of you with kids?

a warmer neck

I don't know about the rest of you, but my neck gets cold. In fact, if there's a little cold air on my neck in the winter, it really gets me down. I need a big scarf in the winter, something that seals all the cracks, something toasty that I can wrap around my shoulders too, to keep any stray wind from getting me.

But I am not a big scarf knitter. The endless rows of the same thing over and over really bores me. It was a miracle that my father received that brioche scarf from me last Christmas. He must realize that I really love him. For myself... well, I've turned to cowls, but they aren't so snug. They don't keep the air out quite as well. Has anyone noticed this?

I've been searching for the perfect cowl pattern, something snug and warm. This is hard, because a cowl has so go over your head and therefore has to be wider. Many cowl patterns seem to be all about the drape, which looks great but doesn't do much to warm, in my opinion.

Then I saw Pam Allen's Ariosa Cowl in the most recent Twist Collective. It looked nearly perfect, except that I would rather use stash yarn and I had nothing in the required weight. Plus it doesn't quite cover one's shoulders.

And so I designed my own. Using stash yarn.
Can you believe it? I'm very pleased with how it turned out. An extra bonus is that the yarn is so light and airy and soft that it is warm without being heavy, and the brioche stitch allows for quite a lot of stretch going over one's head. It also seems to breathe fairly well; I didn't need to take it off once I got on the subway yesterday. I think I'll be wearing this quite a lot this winter. Specs:
pattern: my own. Should I name it?
yarn: 1 skein each of Blue Sky Alpacas, Alpaca Silk (50% alpaca/50% silk)
Colors 122 and 129 (bought on sale last summer at The Yarn Tree)
needle: #6 circular

my first knitted design

This summer I got a hankering for a knitted t-shirt. Not the Hanes type, more the skater type, wool with short sleeves worn over something with longer sleeves. I already had a pink sweater tee, a vintage thing bought at a thrift store, which I liked to wear under a cardigan on really cold days.

The problem was that I couldn't find the right pattern. I had decided to use one of the giant balls of yarn that I got in Denmark (and of course there wasn't that much of it) and I also wanted it to look slightly feminine and fashionable. Nothing was out there for the weight of yarn, yardage and style of my sweater. And so I decided to design one myself. The yarn was a DK or worsted (though listed as fingering in Ravelry), and I made a swatch of various lace designs from Barbara Walker, hoping the yarn would tell me what to do. There were weird color gradations in the swatch that I hadn't anticipated, and when I washed it it softened and bloomed considerably. I decided on a top down pattern, so I could try it on while I knit, and an all over lace design.

When I wound the yarn on Tony's winder, I discovered that I had about half the yardage that I thought I did (the label only told me the weight), which meant that I needed something else to fill out my sweater, since I didn't want a cropped T. This led me on a bit of a search, and I finally settled on some naturally dyed yarn from the Hope Spinnery, which I bought back when I visited the shop in August. And then I cast on and knit.

It actually wasn't so hard to knit, once I'd figured out my measurements and what direction I was going in. I added short rows on the back and on the sleeves to make the whole thing sit a little more comfortably. At one point I thought I'd run out of yarn mid-torso and have an overly wide lavender band at the bottom, but that didn't happen. I also added a partial trellis and pear pattern down the side, to both add a little extra interest and to hide where the two sides meet up. Overall, I'm very happy with the result. I realize that the yarn is a little funky, but oh well. I like it, and it reminds me of my trips to Denmark and Maine, and that makes me happy. (I was actually with my friend Laura when I bought both, and so the sweater reminds me of her, too.)

I'm already getting a lot of use out of it. It's exactly what I wanted.

I have to crow a little

so please put up with me for a minute.

Ok, ok, it's not the Boston Globe (which has supposedly announced that they're not reviewing any shows on the Cape after Labor Day), but still:

This play is a two-hour game of hide the truth and seek the answers, all played out against the backdrop of a sculptured cityscape outside the office window where the light is ever-changing in dramatic sweeps, always a reflection of what is taking place on stage, thanks to brilliant lighting design by John Malinowski. Created by Eliza Brown, the set outside the window is a lifelike view that engages the audience with its clever construction and imaginative conception.

-The Provincetown Banner

I guess all that really annoying work drafting the forced perspective city paid off!

back again

I still haven't solved the camera charger problem; I know that I have/had two chargers, but since I've returned home I haven't found the second (unbroken) one. I will probably have to buy something later today at one of those huge electronics stores, since I need my camera for some research I'm doing and, well, I can't go to Rhinebeck without it.

In any case, I've downloaded my photos from the Cape. If you're at all near Wellfleet, MA before November 1, go check out the show. It was written by Conor MacPherson and is called Shining City. It's a haunting sort of play, the kind that makes you work a bit, though in a good way. And the actors are great and, well, you would also get to see my set. I was very pleased with the end result, though there were some definite labor pains mid-week.

Christopher came up on Friday night for the opening, and we spent the weekend bumming around, eating seafood, and hanging out with the actors after their performances. On Sunday we drove to Provincetown and climbed some dunes.
They were beautiful and encompassing, though we didn't make it all the way to the beach. Now we're back, and I'm neck-deep in my next show, which opens in two weeks, though the set goes in on Monday. The "set" is something that I will have to assemble, which means that between now and Monday I have to get my ass in gear, esp if I am going to Rhinebeck on Saturday... Let's hope my camera resurrects itself.

growth

I'm now in Cape Cod, working on my show. It opens on Friday.

It's amazing just how quickly one's reality changes. I spent Friday on the bus (EIGHT hours), mostly listening to podcasts and trying hard to knit. (it was less than successful; I spent three hours trying to knit the 10 rows of ribbing to finish my beret and will have to redo it again when I have the right needle.)

Saturday was a quick immersion into life here: a run thru of the play in the morning followed by meetings with the prop mistress and the production team. In the evening I went to the final performance of the previous play, which was very good. And then I went to the tiny closing party and met the actors and director, finding myself on a road trip to Provincetown to get pizza at 1am.

Theater folks are unusually friendly and outgoing, which makes for quick friendships and an inclusive environment, perfect for someone like me who deep down considers herself shy.

Today, with the previous set struck from the stage, the crew started loading my set in. I always find this part an uneasy transition. At this level I'm not expected to help, I'd probably be in the way most of the time, but I should also be around to answer questions and notice things I want changed before things get too permanent.
Years ago, when I did props and was on the other side of this relationship, I remember being impressed by a designer who wanted to leave the theater and go furniture shopping with me. Now that I'm a designer, I can see why he wanted to flee. It's rather stressful to see your work realized, especially when it's at a point where major changes can't be made. (That's why I build a model before I submit drawings, to avoid mistakes like that.) By the time I reach this point, I need to have faith in the decisions I've made, even though I sometimes find myself thinking, "wow, I hope that looks better when that's painted," and usually it does.
In any case, the set looks great. It's very exciting to see it being realized, and the people here are just wonderful. The actors aren't on stage until Tuesday afternoon, so there's plenty of time to tweak this and that before it needs to be functional.
Remember my little village? Take a peek out the window.

drafting relief

I asked a friend to come over today to help me figure out the forced perspective village. After half an hour of staring at my drafting, she admitted that she also had no idea what to do about it.

I then called a few friends from grad school, expert drafters, to ask advice. One of them, who has been assisting one of our teachers since our graduation (and just got back from presenting this teacher's latest design to the English National Opera), confessed to me that this is one of the hardest things to draft, and that for him to remember how to do it he'd have to sit down at a drafting table with a book for half an hour before he could even attempt to explain it to me. He recommended just sending the drawings I'd done (which included elevations and a plan) and along with my model, and that the carpenters should be able to figure it out.

I felt better that this wasn't just something that I'm incapable of: it's really hard.

Another friend called me back. She's been assisting one of our other teachers, our drafting teacher actually, who now has designed a bunch of sets on Broadway. Anyway, this friend was ready to explain how to draft my village over the phone, but by this point I was so done with it that I declined. I would like to know how to do this in the future, but I need to get these drawings into the mail. It is indeed time to move on.

In the meantime, we "cleaned" our apartment. It seems that every room (except the living room, which is immaculate) is now FULL of clutter. I'm not sure where it all came from, or where it can go. It's completely overwhelming... help...

easier said than done

I'm still drafting my show. I sent most of the drawings in last week, and they've started building from them, but there are some little detail-y things for me still to do.

One of those is to draft the five (5!) little forced perspective buildings that can be seen out the window of the set. Brilliant of me to put five (5!) of them there, and to make them all so different. Did I mention that they have roofs and chimneys? Maybe it's time to hire an assistant, so I can work on more important things...

over too soon

This weekend has just flown by. I had great plans to dedicate myself to developing my two rapidly approaching designs, but my father came up to tile our kitchen and the designing just didn't happen. He's gone now, and I'll take a few hours tonight to at least make a dent on what needs to happen. And I'll probably take the day off from work tomorrow. Time to prioritize.

Good things did happen this weekend, number one being the tiles for our back splash. I think we put backer board up for that last summer, but then with our ebay tile fiasco and our feeling of frustration after that, the tile project got dropped. In July we decided to bite the bullet and order what we really wanted, even though they were expensive. (Unfortunately, we realized today that due to a brain fart I only ordered half as much as we need, so tomorrow I've got to call and get more. Argh.)

Ok, before: Since I didn't order enough tile, this actually still looks the same... we tiled the other side of the kitchen.

And after:Looks like I'll be grouting them myself sometime this week. Yes, I can grout tiles. Random skill I've picked up over the years.

The other major accomplishment for the weekend was replacing some shelving in the office/studio. We bought a modular shelving system a few weeks ago at the new Ikea in Brooklyn, but they were out of the feet, so we couldn't put it together until now (when my dad brought feet from the Philadelphia Ikea. Thanks for the runaround, Ikea.)

This is a photo of my work space that I took about a year ago. I know, it's a total cluttered mess. And this is after I've cleaned up and am actually working in it.Note the wooden shelves on the far right, the ones that look like they belong in a garage or basement. Note that they are also tipping precariously forward, like they might want to fall on you when you're not paying attention.

And these are the new shelves that we just got. They have a much smaller footprint and also there's a big shelf at eye height for my models. When I lived on the Lower East Side (I moved away in Jan 2004), I had a big shelf next to my drafting table for my models and it was SO GREAT. Since then I've improvised, and it's not so great. You can see a little model taking up precious table space above. Totally in the way.
Maybe I need to buy some of those matching storage boxes or something. This is not so aesthetically pleasing...

Anyway, working on the apartment is positive, but the changes also bring intense cleaning and sorting (today I actually went through a box that I packed when I moved back in 2004. very satisfying!), and we just don't have time for that this weekend. I want to get rid of this clutter, but the more I do the worse it seems to be. Would another Ikea trip help? or is buying little matching boxes part of the problem...

words

This afternoon I left work early to go to what should have been an interesting panel discussion at The Public theater. 3 playwrights who also work in film and TV were to talk about the two worlds- film vs theater- and I dragged Christopher. Somehow I thought we'd gain some insight into the world we're trying to enter.

When I got off the subway, I was thinking of the swatching I've been doing, and also of Christopher's play. (For those of you who are curious, the play has so far been going very well. No, he hasn't been offered a production, but we've gotten very positive feedback from some people who are well known in the business.) Anyway, I was thinking about the nature of art and creativity, which you must realize I've been contemplating a bit recently.

Here's the gist of what I was mulling:

"Art" is something that one hones. The word "art" is used to describe something that is masterful, something that requires skill and thought and intense study. And for this reason, theater is my art. I have been involved in theater intensely for the past 17 or so years, and I still find that there are many things to learn. But I also feel that I have something to contribute, which is very exciting.

Knitting is a much newer "art" to me. Of course, I've been knitting for longer, but I haven't been honing my skills. This past week I've been swatching a sweater that I'm hoping to design, and it's been so much fun just knitting lace pattern after lace pattern. I feel like each pattern has taught me something different about the yarn and what it can or can't accomplish. It's very cool.

So I came out of the subway, and I was contemplating all of these things in depth. And it felt pretty cool to be going to The Public and checking in and receiving a packet. But then the panel discussion began.

It really should have been an interesting panel. The playwrights they chose are all under 40 and very successful. But the moderator... she was from the Mayor's Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting. For those of you who don't live in New York, I should explain. This office is mostly responsible (in my opinion) for encouraging film companies to shoot their films in New York. They draw tourists in to see The Lion King. They give tax incentives to TV shows with studios in Queens. Their mission is to bring money to New York, and they do it very well. But this isn't an office that is concerned with honing one's art form. They are business people.

So the woman moderating this panel of esteemed young playwrights was from this office. Not only did she ask questions that didn't lead to interesting answers (Q:"what is your typical day like?" A: "I always walk my dog, and I try to structure my writing around that.") but she suddenly started referring to "the industry" and "the business." In fact, in one of her questions, she went on and on about "the industry" this and "the industry" that. And when it came time for someone to answer, the playwrights all looked really confused and there was a pause until one of them then said, "What industry?"

The word "industry" implies that many people are making a living or something totally crazy like that, like we're factory workers who can be plugged in to a role here or there, when in theater the whole deal is that we can at least call ourselves "artists." I mean, that's why we get paid so little, right? Because that title (and the ownership of our work) is worth the lack of pay, which is more or less what one of the writers had just said. (of course, you could say there are "industry" people in theater, but they aren't the writers or directors or designers or actors. They are the agents and producers, and Broadway theater owners and stagehands, the folks who are living off of our struggles.)

This whole lack of understanding frustrates me to no end, probably because it just shows a huge disconnect between how the city views us theater artists as just another way to make money. They don't see that we're busy honing our art. argh.

Thank you for reading that. Your reward is my swatch. I think I'm on to something!Of course, I'm still not 100% sure what I'm going to do, but I have some ideas. Yes, you'll have to wait.
One really cool thing (that you can't see in these photos) is that the yarn changes very subtly from lavender to grey. I didn't know that would happen.

my Tour de Fleece

Well, as I thought it might happen, I finished spinning my Shetland this weekend. While this is good, it also means that I have completed the Tour de Fleece early. I'm not sure what to do next-- start spinning something else?? (Not a bad idea, really.)
Other than finishing early, I'm rather pleased with this yarn. It softened considerably when I washed it, and it's really light and fluffy. The color reminds me of a melted popsicle.

For those who don't remember, Tomo and I dyed it with Kool Aid back in early May. There are only 2 ounces, and it spun up easily and quickly. I wish there was enough of it for mittens, but I only got about 100 yards of it. Another neck warmer? There must be some other perfect thing to use this for.

In other knitting news, I'm getting antsy to cast on a new project. I have tons of large (but not large enough) skeins of wool from Denmark, and I've been eying one of them for a while. This is Gotland Merino 8/2, by Old Mill, an Estonian yarn company. It's a blend of 75% Gotland (which is a Danish sheep, I learned), and 25% Merino.

According to the label, there are 225 grams of it. This yarn (and all of the yarn I bought there) was sold by weight, and no two skeins weighed the same. According to Ravelry, 225 grams of this yarn should give me 437 yards. In some fit of hopefulness, I decided that I had about twice that, and was brought back to reality when I balled and measured it on Sunday night at my knitting group. (The good news is that I have closer to 485 yards.)

In the meantime I'd become obsessed with making a short sleeved sweater from it, something I can wear over a long sleeved t-shirt in the fall, and I still want to make that work. I'm so set on it (plus I can't find the right pattern) that I've decided to design my own sweater. It's about time that I design something. I've been wanting to since last fall. And so yesterday, between visits to the eye doctor and the dentist, I studied Sweater Design in Plain English by Maggie Ringhetti, and swatched lace patterns from my mother's worn copy of The Craft of Lace Knitting by Barbara Walker.
I'm learning a lot from that little swatch, which i haven't yet washed. What's most interesting to me is that this yarn, which is supposedly fingering weight, already seems to be blooming. (The swatch is on #6 needles, which I thought would knit a looser fabric than it is.) I expect that when I wash this the whole nature of the swatch will change. Stay tuned for Eliza's experiments in knit wear design!

where I've been

Sorry I've been so absent. I've been here all week: It's all good, it just takes up a lot of time.

Yesterday was our first performance, and now I've got to move on to designing on Christopher's show. We have to see what it looks like in the theater on Friday afternoon, and I am sad to say that I am way behind.

creativity

I've been thinking a lot about creativity and art/craft recently. I have been mulling it over, trying to figure it out so I could write something really insightful on this blog.

Unfortunately, the creative impulse is a very complicated topic, and I haven't figured it out yet. Here's a nugget of what I've been contemplating though:

I have been designing recently. I have a set that loads into the theater on Monday, and the show that Christopher and I are producing starts rehearsal on Tuesday. Once these are under control, I will start work on another set design, for a show that opens on Cape Cod in October.

Designing sets -and visual art in general- is so different from knitting. Of course, I haven't really designed anything I've knit (I don't think choosing yarn counts). My experience with knitting usually entails:

-picking a pattern
-picking the yarn
-doing a swatch (if I'm feeling at all patient)
-measuring myself or whoever is getting the knitted thing
-following the pattern and making the object.

There's not much improvisation with knitting. It takes some planning and math and research before you can just try something out, though I do know that designers make sketches. (The Yarn Harlot has been designing a baby sweater recently, if you'd like an example of what goes into designing a knitted garment and what I'm talking about.)

Designing a set is different for me. I'm not sure if it's because it's a different medium or just because I'm more experienced at it. Each time I design a set, the process changes, and I find the process very exciting. For the set that I'm loading in on Monday, I did a bunch of research on schools and then built a rough model that incorporated some of those school elements (chairs, risers, a blackboard and a curtain). There is no one way to make a scale curtain, so I had to figure it out (crinkled tracing paper works well in my experience). This then became a starting point for the director and I to talk and hone what we wanted the set to look like.

What I love about this process is that I may have an idea of what I want as an end result, but I never know exactly how I'm going to achieve it until I'm in the middle of making it, and I may encounter something unexpected and end up incorporating it.

It's a very intuitive process. When I design, my mind stops using words and I grab whatever materials I have that will aid me. It's completely thrilling and is usually also terrifying, as I let myself go to my subconscious. For this reason I actually feel like I can only do it in small spurts, 20 or 30 minutes at time, and then I need a break.

I love knitting, but it seems so slow and safe compared to my experiences in my design studio. So, my question is: can knitting be this exciting? How? Or does it just need to do its own thing, fill the time in front of the TV or on the subway? Is it a pleasureful means to an end (a beautiful garment)? (I know some of you are knitting-artists, so I especially look forward to hearing your opinions on this!)

life on the road

My life has been a whirlwind since we got back from Germany. I am designing sets and costumes for a show in Hartford, CT, and so I've been trekking up and back weekly. I used to think that I'd like business trips, because I like to travel, but I'm discovering that I don't. Traveling for fun is so different than traveling for work. When you travel for work you only have work and work-related things to do. There is no going home at the end of the day, and there's not much time off that's very focused or relaxing.

A few years ago I designed the set for a play in Vermont, and the only place to go in town (besides the theater and a bake shop, where you couldn't really sit) was my haunted hotel room, where there was a really dinky TV and 24 hour news coverage of the Pope's deathwatch. I have never had much interest in the Pope, but in this case it was utterly absorbing. I kid you not. (perhaps I wouldn't have this problem if was in a higher paying field, but still.)

Anyway, I'm nearing the final stretch in this project, and it's really nice that the end is in sight. I'm looking forward to having time to pet the cat and organize my yarn (which I'm embarrassed to say is all over the place). On the other hand, I have two more set design projects waiting in the wings. We had a meeting for one this afternoon and the other one will be in full swing almost as soon as I get back. It's exciting to have so much to work on, and I certainly can't complain, but I also wonder whether my life will always be this hectic. I mean, this is the career I chose, and I knew that this was the lifestyle that came with it. But the lifestyle makes more sense when you're 25 and single. How does one incorporate a family life into this time sucker of an art form?

stationary

I'm a little behind with blogging. I've been working like mad on a set design - I need to hand in drawings on Monday - and so blogging (and knitting!) have fallen by the wayside. Interestingly, I don't miss either. I know that knitting fills a need to have my hands busy and mind active in a more creative way, and designing does that too. Designing does not calm me down, however. I think I need to find time for yoga or something to really settle my mind.

Last weekend I went down to visit my parents in Philadelphia. My mother and I spent most of the day on Saturday seeing my cousin's family in Maryland, and on the way back we stopped and saw my mother's art show. It was in its last days and was indeed "sublime," as described by the Philadelphia Inquirer.

We also went to a printer. Many moons ago, my mother began talking about stationary, and how it would be nice for me to have something with my name or initials on it. We are now taking steps to make that happen, working with an independent print maker, Liz. (She also printed our wedding invitations.)Liz has a really wonderful collection of vintage letterpress plates and fonts. We selected a botanical image for the front of the card and then looked at fonts for my initials. What she has is fairly hit or miss; there is some great stuff but sometimes it's only in one size, and often that size is very large.

Figuring out the colors was difficult. My mother and I had chosen light green cards from Paper Presentation. We settled almost immediately on a beige ink for the botanical image, but it took us hours to come up with just the right color for my initials. Unlike Photoshop, you can't just change the color with a click of a button. Each time we wanted to try something else, Liz had to mix it and then print it on our sample. And of course once the sample got full of little colored initials it was hard to see, so she had to print more samples. It was very cool, if time consuming, and I do wish that I had taken print making in college.

what I did

As promised, I have photos of my set. Somehow -ok, this always happens- I took the photos during a performance and someone's head is in the way. I've started Photoshopping it out, but it will take a while.

Here are a few pictures to show you what I did. The play is about two homeless people who live on a subway platform. During the course of the play they are visited (or haunted) by the Angel of Death and her sidekick: There are a bunch of dream sequences, one of which takes place in a tango bar.

emerging

My show opened last night. This week has been exhausting, more work than I've put into a design in a long time, but I'm very pleased with how it turned out. I'll be taking photos next week and will post some to show you a little of the final product.

In other news, Christopher's stocking is zipping along. Check it out:I eliminated a repeat of zig zags between the Christmas trees so it doesn't become an unmanageable size. I don't miss them at all!

what I do

The play that I am currently working on is about two homeless people on a subway platform. They are visited by the Angel of Death. We need magic on stage. Making this magic happen has been stressing me out a little. I've dreamed big and now I need to make it happen.

This weekend is the last weekend before we load the set into the theater. Today and tomorrow we are building and painting the set. That is, a carpenter is building it and I am painting it. Monday we go into the theater, Tuesday we play with lights and cues and such, Wednesday we have a dress rehearsal with an audience, and Thursday we open. A lot has to happen between now and Monday. Our carpenter, aka our TD, is building the set in a storage space in Bushwick, Brooklyn. I went out there today to paint it. There was a mix up in the lumber order and a lot hasn't been built yet. In any case, I spent some very pleasant hours on the roof of the storage space, priming the walls that had been built and enjoying the view. The weather was also perfect and windy. I felt a little like I was on a boat (except that I was on a rooftop).
I'll spend the day there tomorrow, making those walls look like subway walls. Wish me luck!

taking care

I feel like I've just been complaining about my health (and other things) on here, but it's not that bad. And it's going to get better.

I spoke to my doctor yesterday and we discussed the fact that if my headaches seem to be stress related I should start thinking more about managing my stress. We talked about me possibly seeing an acupuncturist. I'm not sure if my insurance covers it, but it might be a plan, and that makes me feel better. Already, I feel more under control. I'm trying to breathe deeply, relax my shoulders and jaw. I'm drinking lots of herbal tea, something called "calm" and I made myself a little heating pad with some left over fabric, rice and lavender. I put it in the microwave for 30 seconds and then lay it over my head or shoulders or neck and the stress just melts away. Well, maybe not completely, but I it does help relieve tension.

This weekend will be a busy one, which is too bad since Sunday is our first anniversary. (The good part is that my set will be done or at least in progress, which should alleviate some of the stress I'm feeling). I'm bracing for the chaos and trying not to let it paralyze me. It does feel overwhelming. In other news, poor Dinah has been so neglected that I didn't notice that she had a big sore on her ass until Tuesday night. Christopher had to take her to the vet on Wednesday. The vet was a little shocked by how bad it was and now Dinah is on antibiotics. We have to bring her back next week so the vet can reexamine her; Dinah wouldn't let her near the sore as it was. So now, twice a day, I get to give Dinah a little squirt of medicine down her throat. She is becoming more savvy about how to avoid it and gags every time I give it to her. To reward her bravery, I give her a treat after each dose, and she's started running to the kitchen after the medicine to get it. Now that she's feeling better, she's gotten much perkier which means she's back to her demanding, clingy, princessy self. Gotta love the fuzzball.