the last two days

Friday I managed to sneak out of lab without encountering Boss or smashing the computer to infinitesimal bits with a sledgehammer. The notable lack of sledgehammers around lab contributed greatly to the latter part.

There's something wrong when you're driving toward a city at 4 pm on a Friday of a holiday weekend and traffic is a breeze, just so long as you're driving into town. The interstate coming out of Chicago was a veritable parking lot for many, many miles while the inbound trip was a breeze.

After I arrived at the hacienda, downwood and I braved the wild frontier of suburbia to meet up with bexdragon at her family's abode. Thence, we ventured forth to Ribfest. One word encapsulates the entire experience that is finding parking, riding real school busses, lines, the smoking people, the scary people, and the amazing yumminess that is barbeque. This word is, "Mmmmmmmmmmmm".

Well, maybe that's not so much a word as an onomatopoetic expression. You get the point.

After stuffing ourselves silly with spicy, yummy, falling-off-the-bone, pork goodness, we waddled into Colonial to top off any remaining room in our digestive tracts with ice cream. I think that Bex and I made her father and brother wonder about our sanity, but that's the price that has to be paid in order to do our part to increase the entropy of the universe.

Yesterday was spent bonding with my sewing machine. I got most of the way done with a bodice for myself and I hemmed my sister's skirt. I convinced downwood to watch Lilo and Stitch with me, and during the movie I attempted to sew some trim onto sis's bodice. Erm, no, I can't delicatly slipstitch ribbon to suede. It's just not going to happen.

We also managed to brave the wild plains of Wal-mart and kill no other patrons, though there were many deserving. I rewarded myself for learning how to sew by the purchase of a very shiny pair of scissors. Yes, it's so exciting, isn't it? *silly-ironic*

Today, downwood was nice enough to leave me at home for many hours while he went and gamed with the guys. I got all sorts of wonderful introvert mental refreshing. I feel much better now than when I woke up this morning. I think I might even have a bit of reserve built up, though next week's social events will be the litmus test of that. Yes, I'm part of an extremely social introvert group: somehow we make it work.

I managed to accomplish much over the course of the day. I feel like enumerating them for posterity's sake.
Today I:

• Did many loads of laundry. It started as just washing towels, then sheets, then whites, then...yeah, lots of laundry.
• Washed both cats.
• Sheared one cat prior to bathing her.
• Finished my bodice.
• Fixed the buttons on one of his shirts.
• Nearly completed the goldwork on one of the cuffs.
• Rested my brain.
• Hit the grocery store for fruit, hummus, and pitas.
• Managed to not eat the entire package of Peanut Butter-Filled Fudge Shop cookies. These are tools of Satan herself - addiction in cookie form.

Tomorrow, I get as much embroidery done as I can, and get a good way done in the actual construction of the shirt for which the cuffs and collar are intended. This is a manageable goal. I like this. *grin*