Egypt: Days -2 to 0

I left La Crosse on Saturday morning and headed for New York. Got to see the Brunette and Husband. Attempted to locate new reading material for the Brunette before he left for his next work trip (he's picky). Met up with M on Sunday evening. Monday, M and I walked up and down Manhattan, trying on hats, futilely searching for interesting silver, and shunning the spring fashions that were just starting to make their appearance.  I'd been able to leave my heavy coat in Queens and wore only a light fleece. In January!

After one more meal we headed to the airport. Security was pretty standard, nothing I hadn't expected. I'd now gone through two sets of airport security with knitting needles and no questions. For the curious, I was flying with KnitPicks Wooden 4" Double-Pointed Needles, or as I prefer to call them, oversized painted toothpicks. I cast on a project immediately after getting through security in La Crosse and through 4 airports no one even asked what I was making. I did, of course, have extras in my checked luggage. 

We boarded and were happy to find that we had a set of three seats to ourselves. After a first round of airplane food, we read, listened to music, I did a minimal amount of knitting, we talked...the usual airplane time passing tricks. And we tried, pretty much unsuccessfully, to sleep. This was abnormal for me. I've been known to fall asleep before take off.  

Arriving in Paris at something like 4 a.m. Eastern Time, 9 a.m local, we hustled down the concourse and on to our next gate. I was bleary and my brain wasn't registering what was said to me in English, let alone polite French, but eventually I gathered I needed to also shed my jacket (not just my shoes) and got my carry-on bag rummaged through again. We had coffee and muffins and eventually we shuttled out to our plane, where we boarded and waited for a couple of hours. No particular reason was given, so we all just hung out and eventually they said sit down we're leaving. It was a full flight this time and we were seated next to a man heading to work on the oil rigs.

We'd left New York in the dark Monday and arrived well after dark in Cairo on Tuesday, total travel time about 16 hours I think? Whatever time it was, I was wiped. We shuttled to the airport, got our passports stamped, and started the search for our luggage. I also flagged down the car service meeting us. Luggage in hand we were passed through a couple of people to our personal car.

We hurtled towards Cairo, the guide accompanying our driver chattering a mile a minute about what we were passing and offering to set up various tours for us, which we politely said we'd consider. We arrived relatively quickly on Zamalek, an island in the middle of the Nile River, which is the richest area of Cairo and where our hotel was located. Zamalek is a warren of one way streets, abrupt turns, and triple parked cars, as well as the home of most of the embassies, including the one for the US.

M and I stayed at the President Hotel, which, we were told, is primarily a Canadian/European travelers hotel. Our room was relatively spacious, with a desk and a "comfortable" chair besides the twin beds with bedside tables. There was a mini fridge that we didn't use, and a TV where we kept up on world happenings, mostly the earthquake in Haiti and the Senate race in the US. It was clean though slightly worn and we were very careful about using bottled water to wash our faces, brush our teeth etc. Our room had a view over the courtyard of the Chinese Embassy next door.

Now local, I phoned our tour guide arranger Mohammed, who joined us at our hotel to review the plans for the next four days. My one page of details and scribbled notes became the basis of all reminders and my travel journal. He also took us to buy water and sandwiches from one of the local delis. Fed and through showers, we adjourned to bed. Cairo continued it's noise, the noise pollution of car horns, sirens, etc, said to make the city 8x as loud as a city of equivalent size.

We would sleep through a light rain and awaken at 4:30 a.m. to the pre-dawn call to prayer.

This is a Song for My Generation

Over the past couple of years, I've commented about the focus on teens and a lack of library service to young adults--which by my definition is people over 18. 

Following the discussions I had with people at ALA last summer, I kept editing and working on a draft about what kind of programs to offer, what focuses I saw missing, and this general issue of a lack of outreach to a big part of our tax base.

This morning I had the chance to express my feelings on a broader level. I entered the LISNews Essay Competition with the following:  Don't Forget About Us. 

I wrote that essay for myself, for the Blonde and the Brunette, for AudioGirl, My Friend the Lawyer, LibraryChic, Sibling-the-Elder and Younger, and the other friends who look at me like I'm crazy when I suggest that they use their local public library. It's sad when my friends will call me--two time zones away--rather than reach out to their local resources. Not that I don't appreciate the validation that they think I'll be able to find the impossible, but they have free resources closer to home. 

Holiday in T-6 and Counting.....

I'm leaving for NYC/Egypt in six days!!

M and I have been discussing vague travel plans for two or three years and finally, with the help of Air France Holidays*, we're headed off to Egypt.

I have a long weekend in New York on the way out, which is never a hardship. And then--camels, 70 degree temperatures, a totally different cultural experience and a new continent for me!

So far:

• I got my visa, which is a full page in my otherwise unstamped passport. Obviously it's been too many years since I traveled out of the country.
• I have arranged for a cat sitter in residence. O met Gypsy last night and it was a smashing success. Gypsy might want to go home with her at the end of it...
  
• The Incredibly-Patient-Mother hemmed a pair of jeans so I can wear them with flats for hiking about pyramids and such. All of my other jeans are hemmed to two inch heels, so this was an important consideration.
  
• The Brunette has agreed to keep my winter coat and some heavier clothes at his house so I don't have to worry about hauling a down coat there and back.
  
• We've arranged for a tour guide/driver while we're there, working off recommendations of a professor in MN who is a native Egyptian and regularly takes student groups.
  
• Wound up five skeins of yarn and bought new 4" knitting needles to take with me. They're TINY, it looks like I'm knitting with colorful toothpicks.
  

Still to do:

• Pack some clothes.
• Load the mp3 player
• Get a larger memory SD card
• Figure out what to take to read. I'm thinking about my hard cover of Anathem by Neal Stephenson. Yes, it's heavy but I'll be able to lay it out flat on the tray table and knit while I'm reading. Also I'll pack some paperback romances that can be left behind.
  

It's unclear how much web time I'll have once we get there. I expect to mostly be off the grid for five or six days. My cell phone won't work and I'm not packing my laptop. So the pictures and trip updates will probably have to wait.

We're not sure if we'll get to go through full body scanners on the trip home. It's the one thing I'm concerned about as we're headed home because we won't have a long layover in Paris.


*The prices are amazing!

On the Flip Side

No, I'm not dead, just buried. Freelance work seriously picked up and then I went home for six days. Now I've returned and started to make sense of the disaster zone also known as my desk at work, and have hope that the living room floor will be reclaimed within the next 72 hours. And so I get back to my writing, yours obediently.

I had the chance, early in the month, to attend Wisconsin Sheep and Wool. It was a bit of a drive but the day was lovely and I was on a mission. At the Jefferson Fairgrounds I found two large buildings full of vendors with all manner of woolly goodness. That I succumbed only to some beautiful pale seafoam green alpaca, some tweedy alpaca, two skeins of coarser but delicious Icelandic wool and a couple of bars of soap should be applauded. Apparently I'm now collecting bars of great handmade soap, but at least it gets used and cleanliness/godliness and all that.

Also I met some sheep. There were a lot of sheep that looked like ones that I imagine in my head when I think of those wool-providing creatures. Then there were the ones as pictured here, who looked a lot more like goats that someone stuffed into a woolly pillow. Doesn't that look like a fluffy Alpine to you?

The majority of the sheep were friendly and happy to discover whether or not I tasted like a salt lick. Fingers are always an acceptable nibbling treat.


I finished my first ever pair of socks! It came about entirely as a coping method one day, when I had so much running about in my brain that I quite literally could not do anything else. I sat and knit just plain stitches, one after the other, around in a very small circle. 52 stitches per row. Who knows how many rows because I didn't count. Just one more needle, one more row. My brain ran on at insane miles per hour and my physical self worked stitch after stitch.

Now:









They haven't been blocked yet. The yarn is Sanguine Gryphon Eidos in Alcibiades using the numbers/pattern from the Tsock Tsarina's Tsock 101 Kit for those of the knitterly persuasion playing along.

And then it was back to Queens for two days of Indian summer and the first chills of fall. I stayed with the Brunette and Husband and new roommate. The Actor convinced me that singing for Rock Band, in public, was somehow acceptable. I made my way through Evanescence and No Doubt before it was decided that my rock repertoire was rather limited. (I knew this, they didn't believe me. When Rock Band comes out with the 24 Italian Songs and Arias for Medium-High Voice version, call me.)

The Blonde, Brunette, Husband and I went apple picking upstate, in/near Warwick, NY. It's a combination apple picking, rose garden (small but great colors), winery, and homemade donuts place. We stood for over 40 minutes waiting in line for fresh donuts and agreed that it was a form of unusual punishment to wait and be able to see and smell hot donuts but not buy nor taste lest our tongues be burnt. But warm apple cider donuts and great wine, as well as quite abundant apples, made it well worth the trip. (The two bottles of wine survived the plane trip home!!!)

Me in the obligatory "put your head in the cutout" --as required by the Blonde.









Finally, I headed into the City to meet up with My-Friend-the-Lawyer (who these days is more like My-Friend-the-Student, but he's almost done with that) and eat amazing Lebanese food at Naya. The desserts were incredible.

So that's where I've been.

But Wait? There was Monday!!

Okay, so I didn't leave the ALA Conference Sunday afternoon and come flying back the La Crosse, I did see some of my friends from Chicago.

Sunday night, I hung out with the Brunette's brother. He and I have an amazing ability to miss each other's phone calls. It's kind of uncanny. He'd leave a message, I wouldn't get it until three hours later and too late to meet up. I'd let him know of plans, he'd call back the next day or sometime in the following week. Repeat for the entire 14 months I lived in Chicago.

But here, we managed to coordinate not only phone calls, but locations! Who knew? We wandered over to West Fest and then to Old Town, trading stories at ridiculous speeds. Yes, I even took a picture to prove the occasion actually happened. Well, I didn't take it, but I handed off the camera for appropriate snapping of pictures.

Monday, AudioGirl and I set off for breakfast and then her local branch. To our mutual surprise and dismay, her library won't allow you to place holds on materials if you have a fine on your card. Nor will they allow online payments so that if you want to place a hold and have a fine, you could discharge it from home. No, you have to go to the branch to pay. Her suggestion: "Make me pay when I pick up the book, hold THAT book hostage, at least you know I want it and will come for it!"*

Despite being a large and relatively new building, walking into AudioGirl's branch felt like running a gauntlet. Yes, I know putting a desk where you walk in directs people to staff but it felt unwelcoming--this HUGE expanse of desk and nowhere to go but down a corridor past it into the computer area and be judged if we were worthy of using the materials. I suppose it was relatively similar at my old branch but at least there one could see books and seating area. Here it was all computer desks and it felt cramped.

I failed in the "are you worthy to enter" category. I had a covered cup of iced tea with me. I hadn't slurped it at high speed because we weren't actually using the library, we were never going past the gauntlet. But I got asked to leave with it anyway while AudioGirl paid a 60 cent fine and forgot to place the hold. We finally did put it on hold back at her house.

The drink thing both amused and saddened me. I understand it, truly I do. It's an urban library, and there can certainly be a lot of food and drink issues. Our policy at my current POW is no "meals" and we do try to keep food to the "toddler snack" variety, which seems to go over with our patrons. What this means for me is that I don't have to be the drink police and saying no. And to be honest, the last two big spills I'm aware of--both were staff members, both were in staff work areas, and one of them was me. I was just glad it was on a part of the floor that was linoleum, I was drinking a latte.

Following the library, AudioGirl and adjourned to a used bookstore for new-to-us knitting books and then to a large city park to bask in sunshine and soak up a lovely summer day with a friend. It was amusing to see from the bookstore markings how short a time good knitting books last. Both of the books we purchased had come into the store less than two weeks before and while they had shelves upon shelves of cookbooks, there was only one wee half shelf of knitting books. I finally replaced my copy of Stitch and Bitch, my other copy having gone to live with the Brunette.

Tuesday morning was breakfast and then back to La Crosse. The day was overcast, which actually helped. Driving back during the day puts me directly in the sun's path and I didn't really need my left arm to get completely burnt. I've done that once already, it's not fun. I pulled into La Crosse just after 4 p.m. and was on desk by five.

*Note: Have since spoken to Madame Director about online payments and how it might be possible without the money disappearing into city coffers. We're getting credit/debit payments, which is a significant start.

Mending in Action

I was prepared this particular trip to New York: I packed five pair of shoes. That this meant that I came home with somewhere around 8 blisters per foot should mean nothing. Really, someday my feet will re-adapt to hiking around a concrete jungle.

Three weekends ago I had company, AudioGirl came up to spend a weekend, and then I dashed off for the Brunette's 30th birthday. In between I hustled myself in to work, whisking through piles of paperwork as quickly as possible so I wouldn't be behind at the end of May and my frolicking about elsewhere. My desk doesn't look too bad.

My knee, on the other hand, has started turning shades of cranberry. We're none of us really sure how I acquired this spectacular beauty, though popular theory is that I slammed into one of the tables at Kush.

Day After















Today


Having AudioGirl here was delightful. We explored little restaurants, found a breakfast place no one had ever mentioned (a good one!!), and shopped. Somehow, between Sunday and Monday, it was decided I was buying a table we'd come across in the Antique Center downtown. I'd never considered "real" furniture an impulse buy, but when one finds such a fabulous wood table at half the cost of a similar laminate table at the nearby furniture store well..... The added bonus of someone to carry it up the stairs and wiggle it in and out of the car with me was there too.











And then a trip home. I spent a night out with the Blonde and ended up having a mini-college reunion while doing Karaoke. I blame my song choice of the evening on the pollen in the air, I didn't have anything like my usual voice and talked my way through a piece by one of the current pop princesses.

We went out for the Brunette's birthday and I spent the Memorial Day with Dee, reliving the last three years at high speed in front of a very confused and somewhat intrigued waiter. I don't think he had previously fathomed that we could maintain the rapidity of speech we held up for the entire meal. Why yes, everything's lovely and we'd adore another cup of tea.....

The only delay was coming home, Chicago was under heavy downpour, and I spent that portion of trip fully immersed in the only knitting project I'd taken with me.

In the course of the weekend I went through
2 mp3 players (forgot the battery charger, glad I took both!)
5 books (which meant I ran out of reading material on Monday)
1 journal (had to wait til I got home and dug out a new blank book)
2 editing projects (helps when you're out of reading material)
Many bandaids


As I kept muttering to myself while sitting on the plane from CHI to LSE--had I run out of yarn, someone would have been in trouble.

Can you believe tomorrow is June?

Libraries in the News

Hey! Some good press for libraries. Libraries offer free relief from tough times

Since you're reading a librarian's blog I generally assume you're one of the converted masses who understands that there is a mass of adult and kids programs, books, dvds, music cds, downloadable stuff, computer access etc. And, yes, sometimes you can finegle extra guru library services from me when you need help with research.

And it is free--kind of. It's supported by your tax money. Kind of nice to get something tangible for your tax dollars. So make sure you're getting your money's worth, go check some stuff out!

And a reminder to the Brunette, since he travels a lot--did you know you can download free audiobooks from NYPL that are Ipod compatible? Give you something extra to listen to on all those plane trips. Overdrive is slowly rolling these out, so if your library has an overdrive subscription, they will hopefully be coming to most libraries across the US.

Making Changes...

It seems to be quite the month for change, this month of October where the weather can't decide if it's actually fall or some other month not to be determined (we've had everything from April to December). Not only did I add braces, I also cut my hair.

This doesn't sound particularly life changing unless you've known me for a number of years. I've had waist length hair since grade school.

And then, on an almost spur of the moment before the Brunette's wedding, an extremely wonderful hairdresser named Olga cut eleven inches of hair off. It was in the back of my mind that I might consider it when I went in for the first trim I'd gotten from her in a long time. Moving half-way across the country from your trusted hairdresser is not something I recommend.

The cut off locks will be donated when I can round up an envelope and get myself to the post office. As certain friends can attest, I'm not very good at mailing packages in a prompt fashion. So now I give you the update and some commentary.

Before:













After:













Thoughts on the Process:

1) If you are not the person who is considering donation, it is the extremely rude to approach someone--either friend or total stranger--and suggest to them that they should cut their hair and donate it. Chances are very good that some other impolite (and usually short haired) person has already tried to shove the suggestion down their throat and they're really not interested in hearing about it for the fourteenth time. If it's not your hair, it's not your decision or place to comment. Stop it.
1a) Do not force children to do this against their will. Either the growing out of the hair or the cutting.

2) If you're going to donate, I suggest that you plan to cut off twelve inches. Locks of Love requires ten inch lengths, so your hairdresser may need to cut off eleven and then another inch off in making it look fabulous. Pantene also accepts hair donations.

3) Find a hairdresser to stick with during this process--changing to someone new may very well mean starting from scratch. I've met too many hairdressers who "think they know best." Olga had been cutting my hair for four years.

4) Think about major events. Is anyone getting married in the next year or two who will a) kill if you cut your hair before it happens or b) will require you to get an up-do? Are you doing anything with your hair involving the word "bleach" or "permanent"? Note: you can do a lot of cool up dos with long hair .

5) Everyone has their reasons for cutting or not cutting their hair. It's your choice, it's your hair. I'm of the belief that hair should be kept healthy and shouldn't be causing you headaches/neck problems.

Many people assume it's much easier to deal with shorter hair, care for, etc etc. So far--it's actually been a little harder. I can't get my hair up into a bun or a french braid easily and the ponytail crimp is a lot worse. I get annoyed when it's in my face so it's either down for half the day and then wadded into a ponytail or it's just up in a ponytail. I'm going to look for some butterfly clips or smaller barrettes but have yet to hit a Claire's.

Random Quote Sunday: It's a Wedding

Yesterday one of my best friends, the Brunette, was married. I had the honor to be in his wedding party, even though that meant transporting my dress on two planes (after having it mailed to the Incredibly Patient Mother and driving to/from her house to get it hemmed) and buying two pairs of shoes because we went from gold to black at some point (June? Maybe?).

"When he says brunch does that mean brunch bring something comfortable to wear on Sunday or brunch bring another pair of heels and skirt?"
(When you're flying half way across the country, you need to know what shoes to bring.)

"Did you tell him I have waist length hair?"
(The hairdresser. You warned him right?)

"I just found four pair of tweezers in the bottom of my make up bag."
(That explains where they sneaked off to when I couldn't find them. I hope they're not like coat hangers....)

"I put on a little mascara for the dentist."
(Discussing with Sibling-the-Elder waterproof mascara the night before a dental appt after I practiced "wedding make up")

Congratulations AJ & DJ! And thank you for letting me be a part of your special day.

A Different Kind of Life

I made the mistake of explaining my current involvement in online social networking sites recently. The response from the adult in question, who has no problem shoving gaming down the collective throat, was that I obviously had no life. Forgive me if I snarkily disagree. It's a more wired/screen focused type of life but it's where I have developed a number of new close friendships and professional relationships and it has led to a number of IRL contacts.

I'm into my "adult" years (according to advertising categories). I've reached that point where friends aren't as easily come by after relocation. I'm not currently in any coursework where I might go to coffee with classmates and while I have some awesome coworkers, even we need some time away from each other. I wouldn't really consider myself an introvert but going to bars by myself has never particularly been my thing (and generally not that of most people I know) so I've moved more into meeting people in online communities. With such a wealth of people to be met through friends of friends and through hobbies, is it any wonder that many of us are doing the same?

Social networking has also allowed for regeneration of old friendships or to continue/supplement current or newer ones. Because of bizarre schedules and never knowing just what time zone the Brunette is in, I'm hesitant to call him when I usually think about him--which is usually between ten p.m. and midnight. It might be okay, or I might be interrupting the one night of sleep he really needs before an early morning in Florida. But when I see him in online chat we can catch up, in real time, without having to worry about interrupting each other. One of the editors I used to work for is in Alabama, which is a bit far for board game night, but we can Scramble our little hearts out on Facebook. And "old-fashioned" email is keeping me connected to a high school classmate currently deployed in Iraq.

I have friends all over the world who share my knitting and yarn fascination. It is to them I turn when I hit a snag in a project, need inspiration, or just feel like jumping into a debate that to pursuers of other hobbies, sounds amazingly trivial. Alongside the conversations comes notes about each others lives and it is incredibly difficult to separate yourself or to not care. We cheer each other on whether it be a knitting or other triumph and share sorrows and grief. When you are connected one way, it is easier to find other connections in life.

Such of course is not to devalue the new friends I do meet locally nor the friends I see only in person. Having face to face interaction is one of the best way I like to spend time with my friends. On a recent trip, I checked email once in four days, perfectly content to let the online world take care of itself while I immersed myself in the people I was with. While I probably missed a few things, as I would if I missed a night out with friends, I could browse through and catch up on details when I got back. So while it may not be a life some would espouse, it is a full and pretty rewarding one. And it means there's usually someone up for a chat when the insomnia kicks in yet again.

Random Quote Sunday: or Monday, what?

I did make it back from New York and the Brunette's wedding shower before midnight last night but crawled into bed shortly after arriving home. Something about air travel and lots of pulling together of a wedding shower that lasted nearly eight hours--it takes it out of a girl.

It was a weekend of old and new friends, of leaky tents and sunbathing by the pool, of glamorous and messy, and of tons of hugs and kisses.

"We used to sit around talking about finals, now we talk about weddings."
(Another engagement was announced this weekend from amongst my college friends.)

"Yes, I even came back with the same girlfriend."
(DBG--talking about a trip to Italy)

"There are wire and shiny things!"
(A reaction from the groom at the wedding shower--talking about a card)

"I'm just the un-edited portion of your brain."
(To one of my coworkers)


And if you're one of my facebook friends--the photos are up from the shower. I didn't post them but if you look at pics I'm tagged in you can pop over there. One of the groomsmen took a lot of great pics.

Take a Moment to Remember Your Creativity

Though AudioGirl might disagree on the exact timeline, I would pin my current level of creativity kicking back into high gear some time early-mid last summer. It was then I resumed most actively work with pen and needles.

First and foremost, I am a writer. This is as true a description of me at age six as it is now. Granted, I usually try to write in slightly more complete and grammatical sentences but if you were to abscond with my journal, you'd probably find the same true and raw emotions as expressed by a six year old as you might now. But my writing took a nosedive about three years ago and waned to nearly nonexistent. Some of my best writing comes from high and low emotions and certainly the past three years has been a period of my life when I was experiencing all kinds of drama. But for nearly two years I didn't write about it. A box of journals will attest to my self-chronicling and seeing myself go months at a time without an entry was pretty freaky.

At that same time last summer, my yarn and needle obsession seriously turned upwards. Certainly it didn't hurt that it was at this point that I gained access to Ravelry and suddenly had thousands of new friends to promote this craft to me. And certainly I was knitting and acquiring yarn before that, but not with my current passion.

It will surprise few that this re-emergence of my creative self coincided with the termination of a long term relationship. It was a point of concern within the relationship that I did not write--for without that documentation, where was the preservation of the relationship? Without resetting the scene and stage for myself, other memories soon take over and take precedence and those two years are banished further into hazy past.

During that relationship my creative self took back seat and was shuttered into very specific outlets. Sunday nights saw its strongest emergence as I would leave my apartment and head to a friend's for band practice. I wasn't in the band but I was always welcome to curl up in the corner, a giant afghan in progress on my lap, to listen and sing along. It was the truest to myself that I would be for nearly two years. For while they did not understand my fascination with pointy sticks and gray acrylic, I was among friends and musicians.

And now, no longer hampered, I find myself fully absorbed again into my creative self. I'm happy to stay up again until 5 a.m., debating as I sit in my not-quite-a-rocking-chair whether I should just wait up until sunrise or if sunrise will even be visible through all the recent rain. I can justify to myself the hours needed to create a work of yarn art and eagerly anticipate the next row, even if it's just the same stitch over and over.

I appeal to you to take a moment to think about your current creativity. Take a step back this week and ask: what is my craft? Am I knitting, am I writing, am I being myself? For if a band full of young men with absolutely no fiber art interest can understand why I'm now on my 283rd row, so must there be others who understand. In this ever increasingly small world, find those who inspire you, encourage you, and want you to embrace the art that is your own.

And to the AudioGirl, the Brunette, the Blonde, and the members of Cylus Wood, thank you for always appreciating and encouraging my particular insanity.

City Feet--and the Lack Thereof...

I'm developing suburb feet--and it's something I'm not especially pleased about.

As I recently described to a friend, I used to walk, in heels, on concrete, upwards of two miles a day.(1) When he winced visibly I reminded him that it's different in a city where one relies upon public transportation. I lived a full mile from the subway and walked back and forth at least five days a week. Add in any other walking to lunch or to meet the Blonde and I was probably seeing an average of 15-20 miles a week out on the streets of Manhattan and Queens. Now, I've never been one for stiletto heels on the daily basis. I like a pretty solid and tall heel under me. One of my favorite tests that I have for my shoes is to go out in them with the Brunette. Along with being somewhat taller than I am, he walks very quickly along city streets. If I can keep up with him, it was money well spent.

My first inkling that I might not be up to my usual walks came in March, on a flying trip out to NY. It was pouring down rain (though blissfully not snow) and I hadn't worn the shoes in question for some time. Also, they've never been the best fit. I'm kind of between sizes--so I go with whatever shoe seems to fit better the day I'm buying and this might not have been the best of shopping experiences. But I kept up with the Blonde as she and I hauled up 8th Ave to catch a show and then afterwards matched stride with the Actor---who is 6'2". I was 5'7"ish that day but still fit very comfortably under his arm.

When we arrived back to Forest Hills to change for the evening I realized that not only did I have blisters, but they were way beyond manageable if I expected to wear those same shoes in the near future. Fortunately, I was changing to a different pair of heels--these just as tall but with a slightly different fit. Rather heavily bandaged and freshly shod, we were right back out and I was in those shoes until 2 a.m.--when we collapsed into a diner booth for a snack. (I won't count the taxi ride home.)

I came home and returned to my normal schedule, until a recent run to Chicago. I should have considered when I woke up at 6:30 a.m. on that Saturday morning (2) that I wouldn't really be stopping until wee hours of Sunday morning. I'm not sure it would have helped--as I knew that part of the reason I was getting dressed for the evening at 6:30 a.m. was that I knew I wouldn't really be anywhere that allowed for much in the way of fully changing attire all day. But there I was, running about Wicker Park and Lakeview, dragging a former coworker up and down Michigan and State Streets on a yarn run(3), and then out with some friends who, while lovely and sweet, are male--and tall. As in 6'+.....all but one of them.

I'm not complaining about the company but by the time we got "home" for the night, I'd been in said heels for over 19 hours. So even with preemptive bandaging, I was in pretty rough shape. And of course, I went out walking a bunch on Sunday too. I did wear flats that day, but only because when I tried to put on my heels I nearly fell down. I do make some small concessions when faced with passing out every time I take a step.

But anyway, suburb feet. I drive everywhere here. Most of us do, unless we're out walking for our health or to exercise our pets. While I wouldn't think of a half mile or even a mile as a long walk when I'm in a city, here it's a long distance. I'm sure some of this will change in the summer--I have every intention of spending lunch hours walking to and from the farmers market they put up. It's not daily walking though, mandated by our transportation and it means my feet, while not getting the same abuse and indeed because of it, are less up to city travails.

This does not mean, however, that next time I'm out to NY or Chicago I'm wearing sneakers. It just means I'm packing extra band aids, moleskin and Neosporin.

(1) Uphill and in the snow both ways too darn it!!!
(2) drove in Friday night
(3) They MIGHT have let me change clothes at the yarn store but it's not what one wants to ask

Happy Leap Day! ---And Hedgehog by Email

Happy Leap Day! Can't say there will be anything dreadfully exciting in today's efforts to hop everywhere instead of walk--other than that my legs are going to get tired and it's going to be creative hopping on the ice covered parking lot. What? You're not hopping?

One hop? Just for me?

I have a better excuse than most to hop at work-- toddler story time generally allows one to get away with all kinds of bizarre behavior that adults would normally find unusual. On Wednesdays one finds me hopping, spinning, and always doing a rousing, ever faster round of head and shoulders. Last week was lion story time--- you can imagine how hoarse I was by the time we finished all of the roaring.

Feedburner, which tracks all the pointed out a new option for me--Hedgehog Via Email. If you're just stumbling upon the blog, you now have the option to subscribe either by RSS or email, depending on what's more convenient for you. I promise I won't sell your email address or use it for anything other than following the random pieces of my brain that escape and turn into blog posts.

Welcome to the Blonde, the Brunette, and My-Friend-the-Lawyer, who've all finally succumbed to me chattering about this blog I write.

Being the Bridal Attendent: Tips for????

I called the Brunette this morning to remind him that it's the Blonde's husband's birthday. During the course of the call he asked if I would be in his wedding party! YAY!

I've never been in a wedding before. By the time my cousins started getting married I was way beyond traditional flower girl age. And I've been more than happy to just attend as a guest to the weddings of several good friends (which caused a huge sigh of relief for one girl who already had a party of 8 on each side). I know not everyone can stand up with you that day--otherwise we'd all stand and no one would be in the pews. Besides, that way someone can be in the back helping with details the bridal party can't get to.

But I'm standing up for the Brunette!!

And trust me, he has awesome taste. If anyone can find me a bridesmaid dress that I'll be happy to wear again, he and the Blonde will do it.

The Incredibly-Patient-Mother, also Most-Talented-Seamstress, has been put on notice to stand by for incoming dress that will almost certainly need alterations.

Trying to Make Sense out of the "Kindle"-ing

I'd have had to completely abandon my computer for 48 hours to miss the chaotic conversations swarming around Kindle. What incredible w-o-m advertising!

While there was incredible hype leading up to the release of the I-phone and queuing up to obtain the phones--this seems to have exploded onto the shelves out of nowhere. Last week I'd never heard of a Kindle and couldn't care less-- today I'm wading in stories about it up to my cats-eye glasses.

Brief side note: Thank heavens for the Search function in Google Reader. I was trying to remember which all of the bloggers I read had commented on it and was getting a wee overwhelmed.

I see a lot of pros and cons to this tool and since 26 (what's in my blog list) just can't possibly be enough-- here is my opinion (supplemented with many other people's opinions).

Pros
1) Large print usage. I see a lot of potential if the print is big enough and many more titles (especially best sellers) being available to older readers. With the aging of our eyes, what a great advantage to have.

2) Smaller than packing Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon for all of those wonderful spontaneous vacations where I can only pack one bag (and that bag must include evening wear).

3) Useful for a constant traveler-- the Brunette worked as a flight steward and now is in a job where he travels a TON. He also doesn't collect books the way I do. I could see this on his Christmas list.

4) Saves trees!

5) Built in dictionary and wikipedia.

6) I don’t need a computer—as I would with Ebooks. (Unless I want to upload stuff to it—like Audible’s audiobooks)

7) “Library” on Amazon.com in case I buy more than 200 books.

8) Could be very useful for textbooks. I’d much rather carry this to school every day rather than the heavy texts—and it would mean I wouldn’t be looking at someone’s scribbles and highlights.

9) Battery life of up to 30 hours. Lots longer than my laptop!

Cons

1) I have a reasonably healthy fear that I'll break it. I don't do things with touch screens (e.g. large Ipod, Iphone) for the plain and simple reason that I'm very hard on my toys. I have a Sansa that I do enjoy using on occasion but I've already scratched up the screen. And my cell phone has had to stand trials of being dropped in puddles, being accidentally sent skittering across parking lots (and subway platforms) when it falls out of my pocket, being intentionally sent flying across the room when I get royally irritated and launch it at the bed. Both of those items are compact and have stood up to the test of being chucked under my laptop and three hardcover books in my carry-on bag. Could the Kindle do that?

2) Cost prohibitive. We're working towards a $100 web-enabled laptop (currently available at $400--where you get one and you send one to a child in a developing company)--explain to me the reasoning behind a $400 reader. Also-- $10 per book. I don't know about you-- but I'm a BIG shopper at used book stores. I can get a lot more for $10 bucks than one bestseller.

3) Forced RSS Feeds-- what do you mean they get to pick my feeds? Do you think I'm going to survive without my daily dose of Yarn Harlot?

4) I'm a tactile person... I love old books.

5) Needs recharging. My pocket sized copy of Pride and Prejudice never needs to reload.

6) I can't share with a friend. I'm a healthy consumer of Regency Romances--I get them from used book stores, charge through them and then (currently) toss them in an envelope and send them to the Opera Singer (not to be confused with the Blonde). I was taking them to her about once every two weeks in a small shopping bag but since the move--we've had to make some changes. Too—I borrow and loan books to family and friends all the time.

7) Charging to send files you own to your Kindle unless you connect to a computer and issues with copying various formats. Now doesn't that sound like a sneaky way to charge you more money. What if I send something to you to read--and I send it to your Kindle. Now you're paying for everything that I send you? I see potential for spam that costs me money.

8) Can you download from a plane? Or would wireless transfer be useless when you're in air?

10) "No monthly wireless bills, service plans, or commitments" --just the content bill every time you download something.

11) Not available outside the US and currently only works with a US credit card-- Hmmmm. Taking a cue from Apple, much?

12) Slightly big brotherish in that they hold on to information about everything you’ve read and bookmarked… yeah the circ desk is chuckling because I put every Regency romance in the consortium on hold but at least once I return the books no one is keeping a record of what I’ve read (except me…) What if a government asks for the reading records?

13) It's just not sexy. Why did they make it white? One does NOT carry white accessories after Labor Day people!!

14) No backlight. Which renders it useless for reading in the car on long night rides, reading in bed, reading it anywhere that there isn’t enough light. Mp3 Player screens light up for a reason…

15) They say that they have their own wireless delivery system. And that covers where exactly? Even cell phones have “out of range.” I should know—I’m currently hanging out on the Verizon Extended Network.

A nice comparison of book vs. Kindle is here.

Eventually, I could see this as a useful tool. I think that in the future, if price comes down, DRM opens up, they make it black, and other improvements are made—this might be very nice. But I don’t see myself getting one for at least a couple of years (long enough to work on the backlog of physical books on my shelves that I need to read).

Interestingly, it does show that we are still reading—or at least the hipsters with money are. And I will get a chance to play with one-- my director put in a purchase order.

Quiz on a Monday?

I got lost in one of my databases yesterday and didn't emerge from entering registrations until about 1 a.m. At least I get paid for this stuff...

The Brunette and I have long had a history of sharing cynical emails back and forth and these usually tend to crop up on Sunday nights as I'm trying to face another Monday morning. I missed my email to him last night so instead this morning I thought I'd look at just how cynical I score.

Lower than I thought...

You're Totally Sarcastic

You sarcastic? Never! You're as sweet as a baby bunny.Seriously, though, you have a sharp tongue - and you aren't afraid to use it.And if people are too wimpy to deal with your attitude, then too bad. So sad.

How Sarcastic Are You?

You Are 40% Cynical

Generally you give people the benefit of the doubt. But there are exceptions.You buy into many of the things that mainstream society believes, but you're not anybody's fool.

How Cynical Are You?

Your Score: Oscar Wilde wannabe

You scored 49 Cynical, 57 Sarcastic, and 62 Intelligent!

You think that some people are stupid and you like to make fun of them but does not really want to hurt them emotionally. Full of potential!

Link: The How Cynical Are You Test written by TheBloodyCynic on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Text Message Forwards....

Amongst my friends, I'm generally known as the one who will send on the "50 questions about you" forwards. The Blonde sends on the happy fuzzy emails involving angels, kittens, and girl power. My former voice teacher sends on all of the warnings (most of which I Snopes back to her). The bawdier forwards come from just about everyone in my inbox.

But now, I've started getting short and usually bawdy jokes via ...text message. So far, I'm not a big fan.

I'm a fairly regularly user of texts, it's how my-friend-the-lawyer and I primarily communicate and I've learned from years of experience and utter obliviousness to read the disasters sent by the Blonde. I recall fondly one text that I understood without question on first reading--but when I reread it later I realized it was neither coherent nor really comprehensible. Amazing what the brain can put together when functioning on more than one level.

Could I put out a request though that if you're going to text me--let it be from you. I get excited when I see a message from the Brunette (The Blonde's "Will and Grace" counterpart) and then it's a forward. Yuk. Plus, I know that most people have text message plans but not everyone does and some people a) have to pay when they get messages that they can't block and b) can't tell who they are from if it doesn't say in the message.

This has been a public service message from the HL. Happy Halloween!